One year before losing its two remaining spring training teams, Pima County is positioning itself as a warm-weather home for college baseball clubs.
Monday, organizers announced the Cactus Classic Collegiate Baseball Event, which will take place Feb. 18-21 at Kino Sports Complex.
Washington, Gonzaga, Missouri and New Mexico State will participate in the round-robin event, which organizers say will grow to 12 teams starting in 2011.
Next year, the event could also utilize Hi Corbett Field, the home of the Colorado Rockies, who will join the Arizona Diamondbacks in moving to Phoenix's East Valley.
The tournament does not preclude Pima County from continuing to pursue professional Japanese teams to train at Kino Sports Complex, said Mike Feder, executive director of the Pima County Sports and Tourism Authority.
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"The biggest thing is, we're coming up with a lot of uses right now for a lot of college tournaments," he said. "We're going to have two complexes that are open. It's imperative that we bring in some new business - and dollars - to the community."
But, the initial economic impact for the county could be minimal. County officials could not be specific about the cost per team because they have an hourly rate structure. It won't know the total cost of the tournament until it's finished. The Cactus Classic will pay standard rental fees for the stadium- $200 per game and $11 per hour, per pole, for lighting. Side fields will cost $40 for three hours and $4 per light pole.
H2 Baseball, whose partners include former Major League Baseball all-star Dave Henderson, will run the event. The group puts on adult baseball events at Kino Sports Complex every year.
Fielding Snow, one of H2 Baseball's partners whose son, Forest, pitches at Washington, got the idea when the Huskies went to frigid Minneapolis for a tournament last February.
"Who in the heck would like to go to Minnesota in February?" he said.
In a span of three to five years, Snow said, H2 foresees filling both Hi Corbett Field and Tucson Electric Park with Division I, II and III college baseball and adult events throughout all of February.
While other warm-weather states host early-season collegiate tournaments, Snow said the Tucson event allows the combination of big-league practice fields - Tucson has 17, plus two stadiums - and would allow the tournament to grow in size.
"Things that are happening in Florida, generally they only have one field available," he said.
The presence of a spring training clubhouse would make it unlike any other tournament, Snow said.
The University of Washington, the official host of the event, booked the teams.
Gonzaga coach Mark Machtolf said the Bulldogs "just love going to Arizona" to play. "We do quite a bit of recruiting there," he said. "It's easy for us to get down there."
The University of Arizona could participate in the future but was not available this year, organizers said.
This year, the teams will use practice fields that once belonged to the Chicago White Sox. Seven of the eight tournament games will be held at Tucson Electric Park and will be open to the public.
The Arizona Diamondbacks, who have rights to the stadium from Dec. 1 through the end of Major League Baseball spring training, agreed to allow the tournament to use it.
Gonzaga
Location: Spokane, Wash.
2009 record: 36-18
Miles from Tucson: 1,130
Mascot: Bulldogs
Conference: West Coast
Missouri
Location: Columbia, Mo.
2009 record: 35-27
Miles from Tucson: 1,150
Mascot: Tigers
Conference: Big 12
New Mexico State
Location: Las Cruces
2009 record: 44-15
Miles from Tucson: 235
Mascot: Aggies
Conference: Western Athletic
Washington
Location: Seattle
2009 record: 25-30
Miles from Tucson: 1,210
Mascot: Huskies
Conference: Pac-10
On the net
For more information, go to collegiatecactusclassic.com
