San Diego, CA
What to watch for when Arizona baseball hosts San Diego for 3-game weekend series

The college baseball season is only a week old and already Arizona has experienced a rollercoaster of results.
The Wildcats went to Arlington, Texas with their first preseason ranking in four years and promptly lose all three games, getting outscored 31-7 at the Shiners Children’s College Showdown at Globe Life Field. Then, two days later, they came home to run-rule New Mexico in an afternoon home opener at Hi Corbett Field for their first win of the season.
Playing that game at 2 p.m. on a Tuesday was a favor to New Mexico, which had spent the previous weekend playing a tournament in Phoenix and wanted to get back home. That means Friday will serve as the unofficial home opener as the UA opens a 3-game series with San Diego.
Arizona went 19-9 at Hi Corbett last season, a record that included two losses as NCAA Tournament regional hosts. The Wildcats are 15-4 all-time against the Toreros but dropped two of three to them in San Diego early last season.
Here’s what to watch for this weekend at Hi Corbett:
Rotation redux
Arizona is going with the same three starting pitchers as it did on opening weekend, sending out redshirt sophomore right-hander Collin McKinney on Friday night, sophomore righty Owen Kramkowski on Saturday afternoon and true freshman righty Smith Bailey for Sunday’s finale.
McKinney and Bailey looked great in their outings. McKinney, a transfer from Baylor, had the longest outing of the group by going 4.1 innings against Ole Miss and allowing a run on three hits with three walks and three strikeouts, while Bailey tossed four shutout innings against Louisville while striking out five and yielding three singles.
Kramkowski, on the other hand, had a first career start to forget. He failed to get out of the first inning against Clemson, allowing seven runs and eight hits while recording both of his outs via strikeout.
Bad luck contributed to the rough outing, as a potential inning-ending double play ball struck an umpire on its way through the infield, resulting in a dead ball single that put two on with one out. Kramkowski would then allow four straight hits before getting another out.
“You have to pitch through that,” UA coach Chip Hale said on Tuesday. “Kramkowski had a tough one, I’d like to see him back out there.”
Despite that performance, Kramkowski is still considered a pro prospect. D1Baseball ranks him as the No. 91 draft prospect in college for the 2026 MLB Draft.
Junior righty Casey Hintz was being considered for a starting spot, and threw the final 3.2 innings against Ole Miss, but Hale said his value may still be best suited for the bullpen. Another potential starter, Rutgers transfer Christian Coppola, could make his UA debut this weekend piggybacking off one of the other starters.
Hitting is contagious
Against New Mexico, Arizona had 11 hits including three in a row to open the bottom of the 4th when it scored three times. There were two other occasions where the Wildcats had back-to-back hits.
In the three losses in Texas, that happened once.
Hitting was expected to be Arizona’s strength entering the season, based on the number of returning players and veterans on the roster, and Hale still feels that will be the case. He wasn’t upset with the overall approach his batters had at the plate in Texas, just the results.
“You always know, when you go play in those tournaments, like we will (next week) in Houston, there’s three really good teams that are that are coached really well, and they’re going to be at the same level,” Hale said. “Trust the process. Just do what you do, whether it’s pitching, hitting, defense, base running. Don’t try to do too much. Just be who you are.”
Against New Mexico Hale moved senior Garen Caulfield from the No. 2 spot to cleanup, and he responded with two hits and four RBI. That lengthens the overall lineup and also changes the approach for junior Mason White, who has batted third each game.
White had two hits on the opening weekend, both solo home runs, while against New Mexico he had two singles and a double. It was the ninth game of his career with 3-plus hits but only the fourth that didn’t include a homer.
“I thought his best at-bat … was the ground ball base hit that the shortstop backhanded and couldn’t come up with, those are the kind of at-bats he has to have, especially late in the count,” Hale said. “If he can do that, put the ball in play hard all the time, he’s going to have huge numbers.”
About San Diego
The Toreros went 41-15 last season, winning both the regular season and conference tournament titles for the West Coast Conference. They played in the Santa Barbara Regional, going 1-2, and then had five players taken in the 2024 MLB Draft including former UA pitcher Josh Randall, who struck out 10 Wildcats in five innings last February.
This season has been an even rougher start for San Diego than for Arizona, as USD went 0-4 at home albeit to Big 12 power TCU. Two of the games were 1-run losses including a 10-inning affair on Opening Day.
There are still a handful of returners from the 2024 team that gave Arizona problems a year ago. Outfielder/left-handed pitcher Austin Smith had three homers and seven RBI and also struck out four of five batters he faced, while infielder Jack Gurevitch had five hits.
San Diego pitchers struck out a combined 44 Wildcats in the series, 19 apiece and the first and third games, but like Arizona it has a revamped staff.

San Diego, CA
‘One of the greats’: Camp Pendleton Marine pilot killed in training exercise identified

Military officials have identified the Camp Pendleton-based Marine pilot and California native killed in a helicopter crash last week.
Maj. Tyler R. Braconi, 35, died when an AH-1Z Viper carrying two crew members crashed Thursday evening during routine training for the Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course near an unpopulated area of Imperial Gables.
The flight had departed from Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton and experienced an “aviation mishap” near the California-Arizona border, officials said.
Assigned to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA) 369, Marine Aircraft Group 39 and 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Braconi commissioned in 2012, was promoted to major in 2022 and previously served with HMLA-267 and as an exchange pilot with the Australian Army.
Braconi’s decorations include the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with four bronze stars.
“We join the family of Maj. Tyler Braconi in mourning the unimaginable loss of a loved one. Our most valued asset is our people, the individual Marine, and Tyler was one of the greats,” said Lt. Col. Christopher Hart, commanding officer of HMLA-369. “We mourn the loss of a ‘Gunfighter,’ brave aviator, and leader that served our nation with humility, strength, and purpose. Our focus is supporting Tyler’s family and loved ones during this difficult time.”
The second pilot involved in the crash was injured and has not been publicly identified, officials said.
The incident remains under investigation and no further details have been released.
San Diego, CA
La Mesa Police Officer Fatally Struck While Helping Motorists On Freeway

LA MESA, CA — Two people were killed in a multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 8 in San Diego, including a police officer who stopped to help motorists, authorities announced Tuesday.
The crash was reported shortly before 10:30 p.m. Monday on Interstate 8 near Fairmount Avenue in San Diego, according to the La Mesa Police Department. La Mesa police Officer Lauren Craven saw the crash and stopped to assist the motorists when she was struck by an oncoming vehicle.
“California Highway Patrol officers performed lifesaving efforts, but tragically, Officer Craven died at the scene,” the department said in a news release.
CHP officials told 10News that a driver involved in the collision also died at the scene.
The CHP was handling the investigation.
Craven joined the department in February 2024 and was assigned to the patrol division. She was 25 years old.
“The La Mesa Police Department would like to thank our allied agencies for their unwavering support,” the department said. “We ask that the La Mesa community keep Officer Craven, her family, and the La Mesa Police Department in their thoughts and prayers.”
San Diego, CA
25 years in the making: La Mesa puts pen to paper on a new Civic Center

Overview: La Mesa City Hall
The analysis concluded that the current facility, built in 1958, does not support the growing city staff and modern standards. Four city departments are currently operating outside the single-story building, working from two nearby trailers.
Expansion for the La Mesa Civic Center has been one step forward, two steps back for more than two decades.
However, the city will be taking yet another step forward with a brand new City Hall and a resolution to expand the La Mesa Library.
According to an August Space Needs Analysis, the city expects to break ground on a brand-new city hall in spring 2029, with an anticipated opening date of spring 2031. The analysis concluded that the current facility, built in 1958, does not support the growing city staff and modern standards.
Four city departments are currently operating outside the single-story building, working from two nearby trailers.
The library has been operating out of a “temporary” space since 2008, when the city tore down the old, smaller library to build a new police station that is still in use today.
In addition to a new two-story City Hall, the analysis also blueprinted a parking structure, residential apartments and an expansion of the library into the post office.
‘Delays’ are not part of the equation
City Manager Greg Humora has become an expert on the 25-year history of Civic Center redevelopment, and says “delays” are not part of the equation.
“It’s been going on for quite some time, and I’m happy to tell the story,” Humora said. “I know people get very passionate and concerned, and it’s never fast enough. It’s never fast enough for me, either. But there are steps that we have to go through. Not everything is under our control. And we’re trying to make do as fast as we can, and the city council has been super supportive.”
Discussions on Civic Center facility limitations began in 2000, as outlined by a March 2000 master plan, when the city began to evaluate space usage of abandoned buildings.
In 2004, Proposition D was passed in La Mesa, which provided a $25 million bond to upgrade the fire and police departments – a massive overhaul.
A temporary fire station was built in the abandoned Helix Water District while a new station, administrative building and Emergency Operations Center were constructed over the old fire department site. A new, temporary library was built nearby while the old, smaller library was demolished and the new police department was built over it.
Due to state requirements, slow contracts, state/county funding issues and developer partner lawsuits, the affordable housing apartment building atop the old police site just opened for residents this past July — a full 15 years after the new police department opened.
Getting around to the city hall and library needs
While new facilities for the fire and police departments were completed in 2006 and 2010, respectively, expansions and redevelopments for City Hall and the La Mesa Library are just now getting underway.
“So, it took us quite some time to get back settled on our feet, where we’re able to get back working on the Civic Center, this part of it,” Humora said. “And so now we’re on the next phase, since all that other stuff is done and taken care of.”
City Hall redevelopment is still in the planning phase, with a projected cost of $35.7 million and proposals to add more conference rooms, meeting rooms, bathrooms, storage and office space.
The current plan also includes the relocation of the post office to a smaller, attached space, which would allow the library to expand into the post office space currently attached to their building.
This proposed relocation comes after the city council approved the library’s expansion into the post office in 2023, the cheapest of three redevelopment outlines presented by the Library Task Force. However, the post office has not yet agreed to move, and expansions for the library cannot begin until City Hall construction has been completed.
As a result, the La Mesa Library community is passionate about the subject, yet grateful fo the city’s transparency.
“I appreciate [the city’s] willingness to listen and to consider the idea of a larger library,” said Sheila Dowe, a volunteer at the Friends of La Mesa Library Bookstore.
“And I would love for the library to be renovated at the same time, like concurrently. Because, as it stands now, the library will wait until the Civic Center. I didn’t know how old the Civic Center is, but it would be great if we could have the library a little bit sooner.”
As approved by the La Mesa City Council in 2021, a Library Task Force was created to explore expansion options for the library.
The Task Force concluded in early 2022 and presented its Library Needs Analysis and Library Feasibility Study to the City Council, which outlined three potential options for expansion.
In July 2023, the city council approved option number 2 to renovate the interior library space and expand into the attached post office, adding 6,395 square feet. At a price tag of nearly $5.9 million, this was the cheapest option compared to vertical expansion or the construction of a brand new library facility.
La Mesa Library gets solid traffic
Given that the La Mesa Library is the fourth most visited library in San Diego County, some patrons are unhappy with the council’s decision.
However, Humora says that going back on the decision is unlikely, unless the post office refuses relocation and the city council changes its mind.
“Given the statistics we just heard that this is one of the most used libraries in the whole county system, why do we have to live with a second-hand kind of building and convert it to be a library?” Jack Shu asked at a Friends of the La Mesa Library community meeting.
“I want a library that looks like a library, with buildings and structures that are designed in that fashion, because that’s how libraries really work. Not making a multi-purpose building converted into a library-type space, which architecturally just doesn’t work very well.”
The La Mesa Library hosts many accessible community events, from daytime concerts to crafting, but does not currently have any study spaces, community rooms or multipurpose rooms.
“The La Mesa Library is consistently standing room only for events, and many programs ‘book out’ within an hour of registration opening due to lack of space,” said Leslie Stump, co-chair of publicity and promotions for the Friends of La Mesa Library. “Some programs and community partnerships have had to be turned away or postponed simply because the current facility cannot accommodate them.”
While volunteer Dowe would love a new library, she hopes that any expansion will bring these much-needed spaces.
“I would love to get a bigger area for the bookstore,” she said. “All the money we bring in goes to the library, so the more we can make, the more we can donate. So, I’d love a bigger space for that. For the unhoused, [it would] be nice to have a couple of long tables where people could sit, maybe play games.”
Beyond space maximization and usefulness, the community generally wants to see the library continue to be an inviting and creative third space.
The same goes for City Hall. Humora says it will be.
“If you look at this current City Hall, I believe it’s a mid-century modern architectural style. It’s kind of like a house… So it’s low, one story, tall roofs, but it’s inviting. It has a nice door in the front. The lobbies are a really good space,” Humora said.
“And we wanted the public to feel invited, still. We still wanted it to feel like a home. No one wants to come to city hall, but if you have to come to city Hall, we want it to be an inviting place where people can conduct business, feel comfortable, and then the employees have a nice space, too.”
Help needed to get projects paper and into the ground
To get the City Hall and library redevelopment projects off paper and on the ground, Humora said he needs everyone’s help.
“So far, we’ve gotten everyone’s help by passing Proposition D back in 2004,” he said. “The community was a big help by passing Proposition L renewal in November, that passed by 81%. That’s our three-quarter-cent sales tax that keeps our funding stable, so we’re able to proceed and move forward with projects like this.”
However, there are still a lot of unknowns, as the city looks to potentially expand the parking district and increase meter rates to offset project costs, and building affordable housing on the Civic Center site. Nothing has been set in stone yet.
“Those are puzzles we need to figure out still,” Humora said. “But again, we’re lucky. We have land. None of the existing library parking would be impacted during that construction. They’ve got Allison Avenue open, there’s parking next to the library, none of that would be touched … There’s ways to maneuver the puzzle around.”
To stay updated on the progress of the Civic Center redevelopment, Humora recommends checking the city’s website and signing up for their biweekly newsletter.
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