Tucson Padres players say they are looking forward to the year and hope to improve on last season’s 65-79 record.

The San Diego Padres’ triple-A affiliate kicked off its 2012 season on April 5 in Tucson’s Kino Sports Complex.

“I’m glad to make the jump to triple-A,” outfielder Sawyer Carroll said. “It seems like it’s going to be a lot of fun and I think we’ll be really good.”

There are lots of new faces on the Padres squad, but many are familiar with each other because they played together last year on the San Diego Padres’ double-A affiliate, the San Antonio Missions.

The Tucson team ended its first 2012 home series with a 1-5 record.

“I’m hoping that I can learn and build off of spring training,” starting pitcher Joe Wieland said. “That was my first big league camp.”

Tucson was not the original destination for the triple-A affiliate.

Originally known as the Portland Beavers, the team was forced out of Oregon in 2010 when its facility was converted into a soccer stadium.

San Diego Padres owner Jeff Moorad purchased the team with the intent of moving it to Escondido, Calif., which is located about 30 miles from San Diego.

Moorad chose Tucson as an interim location while the organization waited on funding to build an Escondido stadium.

Tucson’s Kino facility was available, after two Major League Baseball spring training squads and the triple-A Sidewinders left town.

However, the big league Padres may not receive funds to build the Escondido stadium. Last July, the California legislature passed a budget that eliminated redevelopment agencies.

The move denied Escondido the necessary public funds to build a stadium. The city had already spent $350,000 on preparatory environmental studies.

With the team’s location in limbo, cities outside of California have expressed interest. El Paso, especially, is making a strong push.

Tucson will host through the 2012 season, but it seems clear that fans must show more support if they want to keep the team.

Last season the Tucson Padres had the worst Pacific Coast League attendance, averaging about 3,410 people. The league leader was Round Rock, Texas, with 8,500.

Approximately 6,400 people attended the Tucson Padres home opener in 2011. This year’s opener drew 5,681.

For additional information on the Tucson Padres, including game schedules, upcoming promotions and ticket purchases, visit the team home page at milb.com/index.jsp?sid=t549.

Photo by Mylo Erickson

Pima Community College split a double-header at home on April 3 against Phoenix College.

Pima lost 3-2 with the starting pitcher sophomore Pepe Gomez went six and one-third innings, allowing two hits and one earned run, with five strikeouts and three walks.

Freshman pitcher Santiago Romero took the loss by giving up a run in the final innings of the first game putting his record at 3-2 on the season.

In the second game Pima routed Phoenix 15-1, with sophomore Juan Vega pitching six innings having two strikeouts and one walk.

Leadoff hitter freshman Bryant Munoz reached base safely all five times he came to the plate as well as scored all five times.

Freshman Ryan Moser went 3-7 with four RBIs total in both games.

It was another split double-header for Pima against Mesa Community College on March 31, as the first game was all about pitching while the second was about offense.

Sophomore Julio Felix pitched a complete-game shutout as the Aztecs took the first game 8-0 in seven innings.

Felix dished out five strikeouts and no walks, which helped earn him Arizona Community College Athletic Conference Division I Pitcher of the Week.

Sophomore outfielder Zach Sweety hit an RBI double in the fourth inning, which brought around two runs. He finished 3-for-3 for the game.

Freshman Zach Schira and sophomore Mario Sanchez each hit RBI doubles in the sixth to help Pima break away.

Pima’s rally fell short in the second game, as the team lost 12-9.

Going into the bottom of the fifth inning, the Aztecs trailed 11-1. They came back with three runs in the fifth, four runs in the sixth and one run in the seventh to cut it to11-9.

Munoz contributed in all three innings. He scored a run, hit a sac-fly RBI and had an RBI single. Freshman Ethan Rosebeck pitched two scoreless innings to keep Pima in the game.

Moser finished 3-for-5 with two RBIs and sophomore Ryan Gerber hit an RBI triple in the sixth.

The offense was clicking for Pima March 28 as it defeated Illinois Valley Community College 12-2 in seven innings.

The Aztecs got a big contribution from Sanchez, who went 2-for-4 with four RBIs and two runs scored. He hit a RBI double in the seventh inning, which widened Pima’s lead to 11-2. He also scored the run that ended the game.

Sophomore K.C. Mejia drove in two runs with his RBI double in the second inning. He finished 2-for-3.

Sophomore Caleb Kirkman got the win, improving to 3-1 for the season. He pitched six and one-third innings, giving up one earned run with three strikeouts.

Pima split a double-header with Scottsdale Community College on March 27.

The Aztecs won the first game 4-2.

Sanchez hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning to break the tie. It was his first homerun of the year.

Freshman catcher Blake Davey went 1-for-2 for the game and hit a RBI in the third inning.

Felix got the win and improved to 5-1 for the year after giving up two earned runs with six strikeouts in a complete game outing.

PCC dropped the second game 6-1. Scottsdale scored three runs in the sixth inning to pull away. Vega took the loss, which dropped him to 4-5 for the year.

Rosebeck was the third pitcher to come in for relief, and threw two scoreless innings with two strikeouts. Pima’s run came in the first inning off a Moser RBI single.

The Aztecs came away with a split in a pair of close games against GateWayCommunity College on March 24 at Gene Autry Park in Mesa.

Pima won the first game 3-2 in 13 innings. Sophomore Ryan Cota scored the game-winning run. Freshman Santiago Romero got the win after he came in for relief and pitched seven shutout innings with six strikeouts and one walk.

Davey had an RBI single in the third inning and sophomore Dylan Schnickel had a sacrifice fly RBI in the sixth.

The Aztecs dropped the second game 2-1 in seven innings.

Sophomore Garrett Taggart lost his first game of the season, throwing five and one-third innings. He gave up two runs with four strikeouts and no walks.

Pima got its one run after freshman Alec Beyersdorf hit a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_C7573nTk-U

The Pima Community College baseball team faced Glendale Community College March 20 at home and swept the Gauchos 9-0 and 6-0.

Julio Felix got the victory in game one and Juan Vega pitched for the victory in the nightcap.

Pima got stellar pitching from sophomores Pepe Gomez and Garrett Taggart on March 16 in its Jack Howell Classic matchups against Williston College of North Dakota and Northeastern College from Colorado.

The Aztecs beat WC 4-0 behind Gomez’s complete game shutout. He gave up four hits with eight strikeouts and two walks. He improved to 3-2 for the year.

Freshmen Alec Beyersdorf and Bryant Munoz provided insurance for the Aztecs in the sixth inning. Beyersdorf hit an RBI triple and Munoz had an RBI single. Sophomore K.C. Mejia finished 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI for the game.

Taggart improved to 3-0 for the season after giving up no earned runs with four strikeouts and one walk as the Aztecs defeated NC, 6-2. Freshman Ryan Moser had a good day behind the plate, going 2-for-3 with RBI doubles in the fifth and sixth innings.

The Aztecs played Madison College from Wisconsin and Douglas College from British Columbia on March 15.

PCC won the first game 5-3 over Madison. Sophomore Julio Felix got the win and improved to 3-1 for the year. He gave up three earned runs, issued one walk and had eight strikeouts.  Freshman Will Holbrook recorded his sixth save of the season in as many tries.

Freshman Blake Davey got on base in all four plate appearances. He scored a run and had a single. Mejia went 3-for-4 with an RBI.

In the second game, Douglas College used a five-run second inning to beat the Aztecs 13-3. Pima had some bright spots on offense, however. Munoz had an RBI single in the third inning and finished 2-for-3 in the game. Beyersdorf had an RBI single of his own in the fifth inning and a stolen base.

Pima split their home doubleheader with Chandler-Gilbert Community College on March 10.

The first game went to extra innings as the Aztecs closed it out with a 3-2 victory in the ninth inning. Down 2-1 in the seventh inning, Munoz was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, scoring sophomore Zach Sweety.

With two outs, freshman Zach Schira hit an infield single which drove in Munoz for the game-winning run. Felix went six and one third innings, giving up one earned run with four strikeouts. Freshman Santiago Romero came in to relieve and shut out Chandler-Gilbert for three and two-thirds innings. He got the win and improved to 2-1 for the season.

The second game didn’t go Pima’s way, as it fell 8-1. With the scored tied at zero in the fourth inning, Moser got the Aztecs on the board with an RBI double, driving in sophomore Ryan Gerber. Chandler-Gilbert responded with three runs in the top of the fifth, then scored two each in the sixth and seventh innings.

Sophomore Juan Vega pitched five and one-third innings, giving up two earned runs with eight strikeouts. He dropped to 3-3 for the year.

Photo by Larry Gaurano

Nogales native Gilbert “Gil” Heredia, who spent 10 years on Major League Baseball teams, played for Pima Community College in the early ‘80s.

During his tenure as an Aztec, the right-handed pitcher led Pima in innings pitched (247) and strikeouts (151). His 21 wins were the second-highest for the team.

The 1985 campaign was stellar for Heredia. He pitched 152.1 innings, recording 15 wins. He also struck out 98 batters and posted an earned run average of 2.66.

The Pittsburgh Pirates drafted Heredia in the first round of the 1984 draft, but he did not sign a contract. In 1985, the Baltimore Orioles drafted him in the sixth round but once again he opted to remain an Aztec.

Heredia played two seasons at the University of Arizona starting in 1986, and was part of the Wildcats’ NCAA championship team that year.

Heredia finally signed a professional contract in June 1987, when the San Francisco Giants drafted him in the ninth round, 230th overall.

While pitching for the Triple-A Phoenix Firebirds in 1991, he led the Pacific Coast League with a 2.82 ERA.

From there, he moved to MLB to play with the Giants.

He was traded three times during his pro career, first moving in 1992 to the Montreal Expos. He was shipped to the Texas Rangers in 1996 and ended up with the Oakland Athletics in 1998.

Heredia won a career-high 15 games in 2000, while throwing 198.2 innings. He struck out 101 batters and had a 4.12 ERA.

He pitched his last game on Sept. 19, 2001.

After leaving the pros, Heredia returned to Tucson to spend time with his wife and three children and worked for Nova Home Loans.

Heredia is now a pitching coach for the Missoula Osprey in Montana. The Pioneer Baseball League team serves as the rookie ball team for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

His Osprey pitching staff went 41-35 last season, with an ERA of 5.05. Heredia has one year left on his contract with the club.

Pima Community College’s baseball team had a split on the road in Coolidge on Feb. 18 against Central Arizona College.

The Aztecs won the first game 5-4 as Alexis Batista drove in Zach Sweety on a sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth inning to give Pima its winning run.

Batista finished 2-3 for the game. Freshman Santiago Romero relieved sophomore starting pitcher Julio Felix and pitched two scoreless innings with three strikeouts to get his first college win.

In the second game, the Aztecs fell 11-0 to the Vaqueros. Freshman Alfonso Pacheco got his first college hit with a pinch-hit single. Garrett Taggart came in for relief and pitched two scoreless innings. Pima gave up seven runs in the second inning. Juan Vega took the loss for the Aztecs.

The Aztecs finished 2-2 on their Las Vegas road trip as they dropped the fourth game to Western Nevada on Feb. 12, 4-2.

Freshman pitcher Will Holbrook took the loss for Pima. Sophomore Ryan Gerber helped the Aztec offense out, going 2-4 with an RBI.

PCC faced WNC in a doubleheader Feb. 11, winning both games by at least two runs.

In the first game, Felix threw a complete game shutout, only allowing one walk and throwing five strikeouts in the 3-0 victory.

It was Felix’s first win of the season.

Leadoff hitter Gerber helped out the offense, going 2-4 with one double and one RBI. Continuing their winning momentum, the Aztecs beat the Wildcats 6-4.

Sweety and Bryant Munoz each hit solo home runs in the second inning giving the Aztecs a much-needed boost on offense. Holbrook recorded his third save of the season.

In the first game of their road trip to Las Vegas, the Aztecs lost 9-1 to WNC on Feb. 10. Jake Cole was the pitcher for the game.

The Aztecs practice their defensive strategies heading into their first home game of the season. Photo by LEFTRICK HERD

Photo by Leftrick Herd

By LYNDAJOE ECHERIVEL

Pima Community College’s baseball team got their bats swings in a weekend-long tournament in Las Vegas, Feb. 2-3.

To close out the second day of the tournament, the Aztecs played back-to-back games against Utah State University-College of Eastern Utah and College of Southern Nevada.

In the Sunday game against USU-Eastern, Pima beat the Golden Eagles 9-5. The winning pitcher was freshman Caleb Kirkman.

Pima then faced the CSN Coyotes, winning it 6-5 in 13 innings. The winning pitcher was Kyle Kilgore.

The Aztecs faced USU-Eastern the first day of the tournament, beating the Eagles 12-0. The winning pitcher was sophomore southpaw Garrett Taggart, with the save going to sophomore Will Holbrook. That same afternoon PCC lost to Southern Idaho College 5-3. The losing pitcher was sophomore Juan Vega.

Pima’s three key hitters this season are KC Mejia, who has a .389 batting average and an on base percentage of .522 in 18 at bats. Alexis Batista is hitting at a .375 clip with an OBP of .500 in sixteen at bats and Dylan Schikel numbers are .364 and .462, in respectively.

The previous weekend, Pima battled hard in a three-game set against Paradise Valley Community College, taking the series 2-1.

In the first game, PCC beat PVCC 3-2. The winning pitcher was sophomore Jose Gomez and the save went to Holbrook.

The second game followed in a similar pattern, with the Aztecs taking the game 3-2. Vega earned the win, and the save went to sophomore Julio Feliz.

The third game in the two-day long series went to the Pumas, 6-5. Kilgore took the loss.

Pima will make a second trip back to the City of Lights from Feb. 10-13 to face Western Nevada College.

Major League baseball will have a couple of changes coming in the next couple of years. Commissioner Bud Selig has decided to add two more teams to the playoff races.

This change could happen as soon as the 2012 season.

There will be two wild card teams that make it to the postseason in each league, and they will have a one-game playoff to determine who gets to move on.

It seems a bit odd to add a one-game playoff when all the other playoff series are either best of five, or a best of seven.

Most baseball fans think this format will take away from the end-of-the-year drama, making the end  seem artificial by allowing a team that has earned a spot to get eliminated.

Selig seems to think that it will help some of baseball’s popularity. The football playoffs are all single eliminations, as is March Madness for college hoops. Both are some of the most-watched events.

I feel it cheapens the integrity of the game, as you find out the better team over a period of time and not just the best team for a day.

The worst might beat the best team on a given day. That may be the appeal and purpose for adding the extra teams — to maybe give a nobody a chance.

What if the Boston Red Sox had beat the Tampa Bay Rays in a one-game playoff last season? That would have rendered the Rays’ amazing comeback pointless.

Another scenario: What if the Atlanta Braves had eliminated the St. Louis Cardinals in a one-game playoff last year? The Cardinals would not be World Champions.

The MLB has also asked the new owners of the Houston Astros to move the team to the American League. This move is being held over until the 2013 season.

I agree with this one, as it evens out all the divisions at five teams apiece.

It will change how inter-league play is done, as there will be an odd number of teams in each league and will cause a need for regular play among the two leagues.

This brings joy to my heart since I live in a state with a National League team (Diamondbacks), but my favorite team is in the American League (Minnesota Twins).

Down the road, the heads of baseball may need to make a decision about what to do with the designated hitter rule.

In the end, the powers-that-be are trying to do what they think is best for the sport and are trying to make it more exciting for the fans.

After being swept last year in the semi-finals by Central Arizona College, the Pima Community College baseball team is preparing to return strong for spring ball in 2012.

The team ended last season with a 29-27 record.

Assistant coach Ernesto Durazo called last year’s season a learning experience for both players and a new coaching staff.

“Even for the returners last year, we didn’t know much about them as players,” Durazo said.

The team will prepare during the winter break to initiate the 2012 season on a positive note.

Durazo’s goal is for the athletes to be mentally prepared for any situation.

“This year we want the players to improve their baseball IQ and just learn more about baseball,” he said. “It’s very important for the team to work hard. We want to embed good attitude and hard work in order to be successful.”

Four pitchers seem likely to be key players: freshmen Julio Felix, Juan Vega and Garrett Taggart, and a North Carolina State University transfer, Jake Cole.

“We are definitely stronger this year,” Durazo said. “I know we will have a good season.”

For now, the team is working on compiling good grades and practicing in the morning three times a week.

The Aztecs will play their first game of the 2012 season on Jan. 27.

 On Deck

Jan. 27- 28: @ Paradise Valley CC

 Feb. 2- 3: Tournament in Las Vegas, NV

Former Pima Community College baseball player Erubiel Durazo leads a list of Mexican stars coming to Tucson for a tournament.

Kino Stadium will host Vamos, a Tucson Mexican Baseball Fiesta Oct. 7-9.

Durazo, from Hermosillo, Sonora, went to Amphitheater High School and is one of the most noted Mexican Baseball League players.

He played in the Majors for the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Oakland Athletics.

Other Naranjeros de Hermosillo Players include former Diamondback Edgar Gonzalez as well as Humberto Cota who spent seven seasons as a catcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The baseball invitational will host the teams Naranjeros de Hermosillo, Yaquis de Obregon, Aguilas de Mexicali and a combination of Major League prospects.

Tickets are on sale and can be purchased in person at Kino Stadium or by phone at (520) 434-1367.

Reserved seats will be $12, general admission will be $8 for adults, $7 for children 6-16, seniors age 55 and older and military personnel.

Groups of 20 or more will be $10 for reserved seats and $6 for general admission

Fans can get a three-day pass for $30 in the reserved section and will sit in the same seat for all three days.

Former Aztec Erubiel Durazo will play in the baseball fiesta Oct. 7-9. Photo courtesy of Tucson Padres.

For more information, go here