New Pima college AD Ken Jacome: Attending, playing ball for Aztecs led to where he is today

Last week, Pima concluded a nationwide search for a new AD by selecting Jacome, the school’s head baseball coach since 2018, for the role. But before playing for Pima in the 1980s and coaching at various stops, notably in New Mexico, West Texas and Southern Arizona, Jacome attended Rincon High School, not far from Pima’s District Office.

“It’s kinda funny. Driving in here today it took me right past Rincon,” Jacome said. “It’s not an area that I frequent a lot, I haven’t driven by my old high school in a while but just driving by there and thinking back to 1985, when I was playing, and guys I played with there on that field and getting a phone call from a guy named Rich Alday who was the baseball coach at Pima.”

Jacome has a Bachelor’s Degree in Health and Physical Education from Oklahoma City University and a Master’s Degree in Education from Northern Arizona University.

“It gave me an opportunity to continue my education,” Jacome said. “When I was in high school, I wasn’t sure that I was going to college.

“But the opportunity to play baseball, and the opportunity to that coach Alday gave me, led me to getting an associate’s degree and then going on and getting a bachelor’s degree and then going on and getting a master’s degree,” he said. “I really look back and I go ‘that would have never happened without the opportunity to play baseball at Pima Community College.’”

Jacome’s son Jacob came to Pima to play for his father and his daughter Isabella played volleyball. He said he hopes his youngest, Alexandra, will come to PCC to play volleyball too.

“And so it was kind of a crazy moment as I drove by the campus here and then I look back at my first year as the baseball coach, I had an opportunity for my son to come play for me,” Jacome said. “My whole family has kind of come through Pima College.”

The Aztecs have gone 216-90 in his six seasons leading the baseball program.

PCC interim Chancellor Dolores Duran-Cerda said Jacome has done a phenomenal job with the baseball team.

“We’re very excited about this moment today where we’re passing the torch to our new athletic director Ken Jacome,” Duran-Cerda said of Jacome, who replaces Jim Monaco.

Monaco retired this month after serving as Pima’s AD since 2018. He was previously Pima’s head football coach from 2014-18.

Jacome said he inherited a successful athletic department, and the goal is to take it to yet another level.

‘Fortunately, we’re in good shape; we’re in really good shape with where we’re at now, and I think it can only get better,” Jacome said. “So I’m looking forward to that.”

Jacome is the latest Pima baseball coach to become an administrator. PCC Desert Vista Campus Vice President Edgar Soto served as Pima’s Athletic Director after coaching the baseball team.

Jacome praised his colleagues-turned-employees, saying their success makes him very comfortable taking the job.

“It’s a great moment,” he said. “I’m so thankful for the opportunity to that’s been given to me to lead this program. It’s a great program.

“Coach Monaco did a tremendous job. (I’m) so thankful for what he did with the program,” he added. “We have great coaches — we do — we have a great department. We have championship people, staff, trainers, (athletic trainer) Becky (Fajardo) — just the people that are working in the department right now are top-notch.”

Jacome coached the Pueblo High School baseball team in 1995 and 1996 before joining the University of Arizona staff from 1997-98 as a volunteer assistant. Then he started the baseball program at El Paso Community College, winning three Western Junior College Athletic Conference titles (2001, 2002, 2004) and going 207-122-2 in six seasons from 1999-2004.

Jacome served as an assistant under Soto on the 2002 USA Junior National Team — a roster that featured multiple future Major League Baseball players and that earned a bronze medal competing at the World Junior Baseball Championships in Canada. He joined Alday’s staff University of New Mexico, coaching the Lobos for 14 years.

“I grew up here,” Jacome said of taking on a role like this in Tucson. “I love this community. I have a lot of friends and family and just people that I know throughout the community and I think that will only help what we’re trying to achieve in this department and at Pima Community College. So with me being from here, I think that is only an advantage and I feel really, really good about that.”

Jacome will also continue as the college’s head baseball coach; his team is prepping for a playoff series this very week.

The No. 14 Aztecs (42-14, 26-12 ACCAC) have the No. 2 seed in the NJCAA Region I, Division I Tournament semifinals, hosting No. 3 seed Arizona Western in a best-of-three series starting Thursday.

“I think the baseball team is in good shape right now,” Jacome said. “I feel good about where we’re at. We do have a great series this weekend against a really good team but our guys have put in the work. I feel we’re going to be up to challenge.”

With 42 wins so far this year, that’s two years in a row the Aztecs have won more than 40 games. Prior to 2023-24, that hadn’t happened since the early 1980s.

“I’m excited that we get to play at home,” Jacome said. “Hopefully people can come out and support us Thursday, Friday and hopefully not Saturday.

“But if we need to play Saturday we will.”