Albuquerque Baseball Academy Campos wins qualifier, earns Connie Mack berth

Albuquerque Baseball Academy Campos won the Five Tool New Mexico AABC Connie Mack World Series qualifier at Ricketts Park, locking up a paid berth and a $5,000 lodging stipend for the 2026 tournament in Farmington. The victory sent the 2026 ABA team back into one of the city’s biggest summer events and set up another stretch of downtown traffic, ballpark crowds and hotel demand around the World Series later this month.

The qualifier ran July 1-5 in Farmington under a double-elimination format with a four-game guarantee, with games spread across Ricketts Park, Worley Field and the Farmington Sports Complex. ABA Campos finished the weekend by winning the championship game at Ricketts Park, capping a run that head coach Tim Campos’ club used to claim its second consecutive championship in the event since its inception.

That result matters in Farmington because the Connie Mack World Series is not just a youth baseball tournament, it is one of the city’s signature annual draws. Farmington has hosted the event since 1965, and the 2026 World Series is scheduled for July 23-August 1 with 12 teams made up of players ages 16 to 18 from across the United States. The opening week will bring the kind of steady visitor flow that local businesses count on in late July, from families moving between parks to the crowds that gather for the parade on Main Street.

The parade is set for July 24 at 10:00 a.m. on Main Street, giving the city another focal point as the tournament gets underway. For Farmington, the qualifier win also matters because ABA Campos will serve as the New Mexico host team for the World Series, keeping a local name attached to the event as teams, families and supporters arrive from outside San Juan County.

Campos’ group has already shown it can handle the pressure. Last year’s ABA team opened the qualifier with an 11-1 win over the Southwest Snipers at Worley Field and later advanced to the World Series after beating Midland, New Mexico, 4-1 in the qualifier final. This year’s title extends that track record and gives Farmington another local entry to rally around as the city prepares for two weeks of baseball, travel and attention centered on its parks and Main Street.