2022 Tucson Saguaros Season Recap - A 34-8 Powerhouse Falls to Roswell in the Pecos League Championship Series
The 2022 Tucson Saguaros entered the season carrying one of the biggest targets in the Pecos League. They weren't simply defending champions. They were two-time defending champions. Tucson had won the unusual COVID-pod championship in 2020, then Sean McNeill and the Saguaros won the Pecos League Championship again in 2021 by defeating the Roswell Invaders in a five-game championship series.
By 2022, Tucson had established itself as the dominant franchise of that period in Pecos League baseball, and for most of the summer the Saguaros looked capable of winning a third straight title. Tucson finished the regular season 34-8, losing only eight games all year. The Saguaros rolled through the opening round of the playoffs against Bakersfield, traveled to Northern California and eliminated the San Rafael Pacifics, then returned home to Kino Stadium for the Pecos League Championship Series.
Waiting for Tucson was a familiar opponent: the Roswell Invaders. One year earlier, Tucson had beaten Roswell for the championship. In 2022, Roswell got its rematch, and this time the Invaders finished the job. Roswell defeated Tucson two games to one at Kino Stadium and captured the Pecos League Championship. For the Saguaros, it was a devastating ending to one of the greatest regular seasons in franchise history.
The Two-Time Defending Champions Move Back to the Pacific Division
The Pecos League realigned again for 2022, and Tucson moved from the Mountain Division back into the Pacific Division. The Pacific Division contained seven California teams plus the Saguaros and was split geographically into North and South groups. The North included San Rafael, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz and Martinez, while the South included Tucson, Bakersfield, Wasco and Monterey.
Four teams would qualify for the playoffs, and the eventual Pacific Division champion would advance to face the Mountain Division champion for the Pecos League title. That alignment made Tucson somewhat unusual geographically. The Saguaros weren't a California team, but they had enough flexibility within the league footprint to compete in either division depending on the structure of the season.
Sean McNeill returned as manager with expectations that were no longer simply about making the playoffs. Tucson expected to win championships. McNeill had led the Saguaros through the strange 2020 Houston season and won the title, then returned in 2021 and won again.
By 2022, the standard was clear. Anything short of another championship run would be disappointing. The roster McNeill assembled gave Tucson every reason to believe a third straight title was possible. The Saguaros had power, speed, pitching depth and enough experience to understand how to win postseason baseball games.
Tucson Starts Fast
The Saguaros wasted very little time showing the rest of the Pecos League that they intended to remain on top. By June 10, Tucson was already 7-1 after defeating Bakersfield 5-3 at Kino Stadium. On June 16, Tucson beat Roswell 7-3 and improved to 9-2, then defeated the Invaders again the following night, 6-5, to move to 10-2.
The Saguaros then went to Santa Fe and won 18-8, improving to 11-2. The championship machine appeared to be running again.
Tucson's early dominance did include one important warning. On June 20, Roswell defeated the Saguaros 16-2 in Trinidad, with Anthony Moore throwing six innings for the Invaders. Tucson fell to 11-3.
It was only one game, and during a 34-8 season one ugly loss rarely matters much. But Roswell had demonstrated something important. The Invaders were capable of beating Tucson, and not simply beating them. They were capable of beating them decisively. That would become much more important in August.
Brock Ephan Becomes the Pacific Division Hitter of the Year
No Tucson hitter was more dangerous than Brock Ephan. Ephan played 35 games and collected 51 hits in 119 at-bats while scoring 38 runs. He hit six doubles and a team-high 14 home runs, drove in 40 runs and drew 28 walks.
His performance earned him the 2022 Pecos League Pacific Division Hitter of the Year Award. Late in July, Tucson announced the honor while Ephan was hitting .441 with 14 home runs and 40 RBIs. Those numbers made him the biggest power threat in the Tucson lineup.
Kendon Strachan played 31 games and collected 48 hits in 121 at-bats while scoring 26 runs. Strachan hit eight doubles and six home runs and drove in 33. His .397 batting average made him one of the most productive hitters on the roster, and the combination of Ephan and Strachan gave Tucson significant middle-of-the-order production.
Steve Joyner Creates Problems With His Speed
Steve Joyner gave Tucson a different kind of offensive weapon. Joyner played 32 games and collected 45 hits in 123 at-bats while scoring 35 runs. He hit six doubles and three triples and, most importantly, stole 19 bases.
His speed allowed Tucson to create runs without needing the home run, and he would also become an important postseason contributor.
Brandon Bradshaw Hits .389
Brandon Bradshaw played 28 games and hit .389, collecting 37 hits in 95 at-bats. He scored 27 runs, hit seven doubles and drove in 17. His ability to consistently reach base added even more depth to the Tucson lineup.
Patrick Music and BJ Minarcin Keep the Lineup Moving
Patrick Music played 37 games and produced 33 hits while scoring 35 runs. He hit nine doubles and six home runs and drove in 27. BJ Minarcin collected 33 hits in 29 games and produced nine doubles, three triples and 25 RBIs. Chris Iazzetta added five home runs, 24 RBIs and 15 stolen bases in only 26 games.
One of the most remarkable pitching performances on the team came from Brendon Rodriguez. Rodriguez appeared in nine regular-season games and posted a 0.96 ERA. He allowed only one hit and one earned run in 9.1 innings while striking out 23 hitters and recording three saves. His WHIP was only 0.33.
Those numbers made him one of the most overpowering late-inning pitchers in the league. When the championship series arrived, Rodriguez would deliver one of Tucson's most important wins of the season.
Frank Dickson IV Gives Tucson Quality Starts
Frank Dickson IV became one of McNeill's most dependable starting pitchers. Dickson went 2-0 with a 2.51 ERA during the regular season, made five starts and threw 39.1 innings. He completed two games and, most impressively, struck out 57 hitters.
He gave Tucson exactly what a championship contender needs: a starting pitcher capable of missing bats and working deep into games.
Jesse Palafox and Jon Ostroff Strengthen the Bullpen
Jesse Palafox posted a 1.31 ERA in 11 appearances and struck out 23 hitters in 13.2 innings. Jon Ostroff went 3-0 with a 1.84 ERA in 14 appearances. John Kea went 2-0 with a 3.66 ERA and struck out 27 while walking only four in 19.2 innings. Hunter Treece went 3-2 with a 3.03 ERA, while Blake Garrett recorded five saves.
McNeill had enough pitching options to handle a short postseason series in several different ways.
When the regular season ended, Tucson had gone 34-8, an .810 winning percentage. The Saguaros had lost only eight games. It was another extraordinary regular season for a franchise that had quickly become accustomed to them.
The Pecos League would later rank this Tucson club as the greatest team in league history not to win the championship. That distinction says everything about how good the 2022 Saguaros were. The problem wasn't the regular season. The problem was the final two days of the year.
The playoffs began at Kino Stadium against the Bakersfield Train Robbers, and Tucson immediately took control. The Saguaros won Game 1, 13-4. The following night, Bakersfield made the game much more competitive, but Tucson scored four runs in the fifth inning and won 6-4.
Steve Joyner, BJ Minarcin and Sadler Goodwin all delivered RBI hits during the decisive inning, and the bullpen allowed only one run over the final four innings. The sweep was complete. Tucson was 36-8 overall and 14-2 at Kino Stadium at that point, and the two-time defending champions were moving on.
The Pacific Division Finals - Tucson Goes to San Rafael
The next opponent presented a much greater challenge. The San Rafael Pacifics had gone 41-9 during the regular season, and the Pecos League would later rank San Rafael as the eighth-best team in league history not to win a championship. The Pacifics also had home-field advantage at Albert Park.
Tucson had to go to Northern California and eliminate one of the strongest teams in the league on its own field. That is exactly what the Saguaros did. Tucson won the first game 10-2, then defeated San Rafael 5-4 the following night. The series was over. Tucson had swept another opponent, and the two-time defending champions were going back to the Pecos League Championship Series.
Patrick Music became Tucson's hottest postseason hitter. In seven playoff games, Music collected 16 hits in 30 at-bats for a .533 batting average. He scored six runs, hit a double, a triple and a home run and drove in five. Remarkably, he struck out zero times in 30 postseason at-bats.
Brock Ephan added three postseason home runs and eight RBIs. Sadler Goodwin collected 10 hits, scored seven runs and drove in five, while Kendon Strachan hit two home runs and drove in six. Tucson's offense remained dangerous throughout the postseason.
The Mountain Division representative turned out to be the Roswell Invaders, and the matchup could hardly have been more appropriate. One year earlier, Roswell had made an improbable playoff run and reached the 2021 Pecos League Championship Series against Tucson. The Saguaros won that series in five games.
Now Roswell was back. The 2022 Invaders had finished only fourth in the Mountain Division, survived Garden City and then survived Trinidad after being down to their final strike in the deciding game. Now they were traveling to Tucson for a championship rematch at Kino Stadium.
On paper, Tucson appeared to have almost every advantage. The Saguaros were 34-8, were two-time defending champions and were playing at home. Roswell had finished 27-22. But postseason baseball had transformed the Invaders, and Tucson was about to find that out.
Game 1 - Roswell Takes Home-Field Advantage Away
Roswell won the opening game 6-3. Sam Russell delivered the pitching performance the Invaders needed, working seven innings before Jonathan Fleckenstein pitched the final two to preserve the victory. Roswell collected 13 hits, with Jonathon Bigley going 3-for-5 and Colton Adams, Matt Rodriguez and Dillan Smith each collecting two hits.
Tucson starter Frank Dickson IV worked seven innings but allowed 13 hits. For the first time all postseason, Tucson had lost. The Saguaros were now one loss away from surrendering their championship.
Game 2 - Tucson Refuses to Give Up the Championship
The second game became the type of championship battle everyone expected. Roswell and Tucson went back and forth, and the game reached the final innings tied. Tucson ultimately won 5-4, with Brendon Rodriguez picking up the victory in relief.
The Saguaros had survived. The championship series was tied one game apiece, and everything would come down to a deciding Game 3 at Kino Stadium.
Tucson was now exactly where a great team wants to be: at home with one game and one win separating it from another title. The Saguaros had already won championships in 2020 and 2021. A victory would make it three straight and establish one of the most dominant championship dynasties in Pecos League history.
Roswell had a different plan.
Game 3 - Anthony Moore Ends Tucson's Reign
The deciding championship game belonged to Roswell pitcher Anthony Moore. Moore threw eight innings, allowed only five hits and struck out five. Roswell's offense gave him enough support, beginning with a Dillan Smith home run in the first inning. The Invaders gradually took control, and Tucson couldn't produce the major rally it needed.
The final score was Roswell Invaders 5, Tucson Saguaros 2. The championship series was over, Tucson's two-year reign as Pecos League Champions was over and Roswell had won the rematch.
The symbolism was impossible to miss. In 2021, Roswell had reached the finals under extraordinary circumstances and pushed Tucson to five games before the Saguaros won the championship. A year later, Roswell returned.
This time the series was at Kino Stadium. This time Tucson had the dominant regular-season record. This time the Saguaros were trying to win their third straight championship. And this time Roswell won. The Invaders captured their fourth Pecos League Championship, leaving Tucson watching another team celebrate on its home field.
2022 Tucson Saguaros - By the Numbers
Sean McNeill's Tucson Saguaros finished the 2022 regular season 34-8 for an .810 winning percentage. Tucson swept the Bakersfield Train Robbers in the first playoff round, swept the San Rafael Pacifics in the Pacific Division Finals and then lost the Pecos League Championship Series to the Roswell Invaders two games to one. Roswell won Game 1, 6-3, Tucson answered with a 5-4 victory in Game 2 and Roswell won the deciding Game 3, 5-2. Tucson finished the season as Pecos League Championship Series runner-up.
Brock Ephan collected 51 hits, hit 14 home runs, drove in 40 runs and drew 28 walks while earning Pacific Division Hitter of the Year honors. Kendon Strachan hit .397 with 48 hits, eight doubles, six home runs and 33 RBIs. Steve Joyner hit .366 with 45 hits, 35 runs, three triples and 19 stolen bases. Brandon Bradshaw hit .389 with 37 hits and 27 runs. Patrick Music produced nine doubles, six home runs and 27 RBIs, BJ Minarcin had nine doubles, three triples and 25 RBIs, and Chris Iazzetta added five home runs, 24 RBIs and 15 stolen bases.
On the mound, Brendon Rodriguez posted a 0.96 ERA with three saves and 23 strikeouts in 9.1 innings. Frank Dickson IV went 2-0 with a 2.51 ERA and struck out 57 in 39.1 innings. Jon Ostroff went 3-0 with a 1.84 ERA, Jesse Palafox posted a 1.31 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 13.2 innings, Hunter Treece went 3-2 with a 3.03 ERA and Blake Garrett recorded five saves.
In the postseason, Patrick Music hit .533 with 16 hits in 30 at-bats. Brock Ephan hit three home runs and drove in eight, Sadler Goodwin collected 10 hits, scored seven runs and drove in five, and Kendon Strachan hit two home runs with six RBIs. Brendon Rodriguez threw five scoreless postseason innings, struck out 12 and recorded two saves.
Years later, the Pecos League considered that question when ranking the greatest teams that failed to win a championship. The 2022 Tucson Saguaros were ranked number one, and that ranking makes sense.
They went 34-8, had the Pacific Division Hitter of the Year and featured a deep pitching staff. They swept Bakersfield and then swept a 41-9 San Rafael team on the road. Tucson entered the championship series without having lost a playoff game, then lost two games to Roswell. That was the entire difference between another historic championship season and one of the league's greatest near-misses.
The loss also ended Tucson's attempt at an extraordinary accomplishment. The Saguaros had won the Pecos League in 2020 and again in 2021. They entered 2022 two victories away from a third straight title, a position few franchises in independent baseball ever reach.
Tucson had built a genuine dynasty under Sean McNeill. Roswell stopped it. That does not diminish what Tucson accomplished during the season. If anything, it demonstrates how unpredictable short playoff series can be. A 34-8 regular season does not guarantee anything in August. A team can dominate for two months and still see the championship decided by three games. That is exactly what happened.
Kino Stadium Becomes the Scene of Heartbreak
Perhaps the hardest part for Tucson was where the season ended. Kino Stadium had become one of the franchise's biggest advantages, and Tucson had been almost unbeatable there throughout the year. The Saguaros swept Bakersfield at Kino, returned from San Rafael with the Pacific Division Championship and then had the opportunity to win another league championship in their own stadium.
Instead, Roswell won Game 1 there. Tucson fought back and won Game 2, but Anthony Moore controlled Game 3. Roswell celebrated the championship on Tucson's field. For the Saguaros, that was a difficult ending to an otherwise extraordinary season.
2021 vs. 2022 - The Rematch Changes Everything
The two championship series created a perfect mirror image. In 2021, Tucson defeated Roswell for the Pecos League Championship. In 2022, Roswell defeated Tucson for the Pecos League Championship.
The rivalry had become one of the defining matchups of that period in Pecos League history. Each club had taken a championship from the other, each had forced the other to watch a celebration it wanted for itself and both championship series helped reinforce Tucson and Roswell as two of the league's most important franchises.
A Great Team Without the Final Trophy
The 2022 Tucson Saguaros were unquestionably a great baseball team. They won 34 games and lost only eight. Brock Ephan hit 14 home runs in 35 games, Kendon Strachan hit .397, Steve Joyner created pressure on the bases, Brendon Rodriguez was nearly unhittable in relief and Frank Dickson IV struck out 57 hitters in fewer than 40 innings.
Tucson swept Bakersfield, swept San Rafael, returned to the championship series for the third consecutive year and came within one victory of winning its third consecutive Pecos League Championship. The final victory never came. Roswell won it instead.
That is why 2022 occupies such an unusual place in Tucson Saguaros history. It was one of the greatest teams the organization ever assembled, and it may have been one of the greatest teams the Pecos League ever assembled. The league itself later called it the best team in Pecos League history not to win the championship. That is both an enormous compliment and a painful distinction.
The 2022 Tucson Saguaros did almost everything a championship team is supposed to do. They just couldn't beat Roswell twice at Kino Stadium when the championship was on the line.
