Pima Community College’s baseball team is 11 games into its fall schedule, including a victory over the Tucson Baseball Team of the Mexican Pacific League on Tuesday, heading into a new venture involving regional schools in an event to be held Thursday and Friday at the Kino Sports Complex.
Five Tool Baseball, which specializes in baseball showcases, tournaments, and leagues that include high school and college players, is staging the event at Kino.
Ryan Brewer, a director of Five Tool showcases, has worked with Pima coach Ken Jácome with the intent to stage the event annually during the fall in Tucson.
.@BaseballPima coach Ken Jacome talks about his program’s fall slate of games, including today’s exhibition against the Tucson Baseball Team at Aztec Field. The Aztecs will host the Five Tool JUCO Arizona Fall Festival at the Kino Sports Complex on Thursday and Friday. Pima is… pic.twitter.com/4dWWRUk5SW
— Javier Morales (@JavierJMorales) October 8, 2025
“He’s been wanting to put a JUCO tournament together during the fall for a while,” Jácome said. “They have a big one that they do right outside of Dallas in Melissa, Texas, and they have like 40 teams there.
“So I’ve been asking him to put something together in Arizona. I would expect there’s going to be a lot of Division I schools (with coaches recruiting) there. It’s a great opportunity for recruiting. It’s 12 teams this year, in our first year, and hopefully it can grow from 16 to 20 and see what happens after that.”
The teams involved:
Arizona Western/Yuma
Central Arizona/Coolidge
Chandler-Gilbert/Chandler
Cochise/Douglas
Eastern Arizona/Thatcher
El Paso CC/El Paso, Texas
Gateway/Phoenix
New Mexico CC/Hobbs, N.M.
New Mexico Military Institute/Roswell, N.M.
Paradise Valley/Phoenix
Pima
South Mountain/Phoenix
The schedule:
Thursday
| Time | Kino | Team | Opp |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 PM | 4 | Pima | NMMI |
| 2 PM | 5 | El Paso CC | Cochise |
| 2 PM | 6 | Central Arizona | Gateway |
| 2 PM | 7 | Eastern Arizona | Arizona Western |
| 5 PM | 4 | Pima | Eastern Arizona |
| 5 PM | 5 | El Paso CC | Central Arizona |
| 5 PM | 6 | Cochise | Gateway |
| 5 PM | 7 | NMMI | Arizona Western |
Friday
| Time | Kino | Team | Opp |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 AM | 4 | NMMI | Chandler-Gilbert |
| 11 AM | 5 | Arizona Western | Paradise Valley |
| 11 AM | 6 | Pima | New Mexico CC |
| 11 AM | 7 | South Mountain | Cochise |
| 2 PM | 4 | Chandler-Gilbert | Cochise |
| 2 PM | 5 | Eastern Arizona | Paradise Valley |
| 2 PM | 6 | New Mexico | South Mountain |
Playing a fall schedule gives Jácome and his staff an opportunity to evaluate transfers or talent that was signed out of high school before spring practice starts in January.
An interesting angle with Pima this year is former Sunnyside Little League teammates who were a game away from qualifying for the 2019 Little League World Series are on the Aztecs’ roster.
They include catcher Michel Muñiz Jr. of Sunnyside, shortstop Aciel Guillen of Salpointe, pitcher/outfielder Juan Hernandez of Tucson High, third baseman Damian Lorta of Desert View, and outfielder/pitcher Andrew Romo of Cienega.
“We want to win every game but it’s more about teaching, and having guys understand the concepts of what we’re trying to do,” Jácome said of fall ball. “The games are very important. We play 14 different dates, doubleheaders on some, single games on some. They get a lot of opportunities to get out there and play.”
Jácome said the fall evaluation process is developing a pecking order of players who will contribute come spring time.
“We’re just trying to help us figure out guys who will help us win games,” Jácome said. “Every day, we get to see a little bit of guys during practices. During games, it’s the chance for those guys to show what they can do for us.
“When we get into the spring, we know what everybody is capable of doing.”
Playing against the Tucson Baseball Team on Tuesday offered the Aztecs the opportunity to play against older players, many of them in their late 20s who have played professionally, mostly in Mexico. Pima defeated the Tucson Baseball Team behind a couple of extended rallies in the middle innings.
The Tucson Baseball Team begins its inaugural season at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium next Thursday. The team, formerly based in Navojoa, Sonora, is a member of the Mexican Pacific League.
“We’re always trying to play great competition,” Jácome said. “We talk all the time about just playing the game. Don’t play the opponent, just play the game. No matter who’s in the other dugout, just go out and do your thing and good things will happen.
“It was great to see today, our guys just went out and believed in what they’ve been working on. No matter who we’re playing good things happen. It was a good day. I was happy and proud of the guys.”
AZTEC NOTES: Jácome’s brother, Pima pitching coach Jason Jácome, was recently hired as the manager of the Rochester (Minn.) Honkers of the Northwoods Collegiate Baseball Summer League. … Jason pitched for three different Major League organizations between 1994-1998 including the New York Mets, Kansas City Royals and the Cleveland Indians, after a career at Rincon/University and Pima. The former 12th round pick appeared in 108 career MLB games, posting a 10-18 record with a 5.34 ERA over 261 innings pitched. He also pitched two seasons in Japan for the Yakult Swallows in 1999-2000 and one season (2005) in the Mexican Professional League. … Jason was a first-team NJCAA All-American at Pima College, breaking the single-season record for wins by going 17-2 in 1991. … “I am honored to join the Rochester Honkers organization and look forward to assembling a championship-quality team,” Jason said in a press release. “Our goal is to compete at the highest level while representing the city of Rochester with pride and professionalism.” Rochester’s season starts Memorial Day weekend.
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