Pro baseball has come back to Tucson for the World Baseball Classic qualifiers at the Kino Sports Complex. The event is taking place through Thursday, March 6.
It has been over a decade since the Diamondbacks and the White Sox moved their spring training from Tucson to the Phoenix area, but for one week, pro baseball is back and in Tucson as 2,300 plus fans loosely filled Kino Sports Complex to get that taste again.
Kino is hosting the qualifiers tournament, whose winners will go on to compete in the World Baseball Classic next March.
Fans of both Brazil and Columbia came to support their teams alongside people who were there to enjoy a night at the ballpark to see baseball back in Tucson.
As people walked around Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium people speaking Spanish and Portuguese filled the stadium as Latin music played from the speakers in between innings.
As Gio Urshela ripped a loud triple in the right field corner the predominantly Colombian supporters erupted in cheers as Columbia was able to put up an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second.
Columbia didn’t slow down their offense as they tagged on four more runs with two of them coming in the bottom of the sixth with a walk by center fielder Brayan Buelvas and back to back doubles by right fielder Jesus Marriaga and shortstop Fransico Acuna helped Columbia win 5-0
Colombian pitchers didn’t give Brazil fans much to cheer for all night as they shut down the Brazil offense, allowing just three hits and nine strikeouts.
Starting pitcher Julio Teheran gave Columbia a dominant outing with six innings of one hit ball with four strikeouts.
Colombian supporters were loud all game long as their team is on the verge of qualifying for the main draw pool play of the 2026 tournament in Tokyo, Houston, Miami and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Brazilian pitcher Bo Takahashi throws a fastball to Colombian Reynaldo Rodriguez in the World Baseball Classic on Sunday, March 2, 2025. (Photo by Jackson Hirz)
Tucson native Jefferey Lange had a seat in the far right field line alongside a dozen or so fans for the tournament’s second game on Sunday. He moved to Tucson a couple of years ago, long after professional baseball was gone. Sunday was his first professional game in Tucson and he said the energy at Kino was great.
“I think that Tucson is definitely deserving of some additional minor league baseball teams,” he said. “Tucson seems like a good baseball town.”
Lange lives not far from Kino Sports Complex and said he would love to see more pro baseball in Tucson.
People from all over the country came to Tucson for the weeklong tournament. Andy Swanson flew in from Virginia to experience international baseball without having to travel internationally.
Swanson added that the energy and atmosphere of the ballpark was better than any major league game he has been to because teams are playing for their country.
Colorado native Nick Layman was wandering around the concourse on Sunday night, hoping that a stray pop fly would come his way. He collects baseballs, he said; a ball from the Brazil-Colombia game would add to his collection.
Layman said he thinks it is interesting that we get to see baseball teams from other countries in the United States and that the U.S. got one of the qualifiers.
“I feel like it attracts people of all sorts here so you’re gonna see people from all over the world,” he said. ”I met a guy who flew out here from Taiwan.”
In addition to this week’s tournament, Kino Sports Complex is hosting the montllong Tucson Invitational Games for college baseball event.
Arizona Sonoran News is a news service of the University of Arizona School of Journalism.
