2026 (Senior): Tornero enters his senior season as a vital left-handed weapon in the Cougars' rotation. He established himself early in the 2026 campaign with a high-velocity performance, notably striking out a season-high 12 batters in a dominant outing against Fresno Pacific, on Feb. 21. Through the first month of the season, he has logged 19.1 innings with 32 strikeouts, holding opponents to a .211 batting average.
2025 (Junior | Azusa Pacific): In his first year with the Cougars, Tornero became the team’s primary closer, leading the staff with 7 saves. Over 14.2 innings of relief, he struck out 17 batters. He was particularly effective in high-leverage situations, notably recording 5 strikeouts in just 2.0 innings of work to secure a win against Hawaii Pacific (Feb. 21).
Prior to APU (UC San Diego & Northwest Nazarene):
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2024 (Junior | UCSD): Named to the Big West Spring All-Academic Team and the Big West Commissioner's Honor Roll. Made a relief appearance at Arizona State (April 30), facing one batter and recording a strikeout.
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2022 (Freshman | UCSD): Made his collegiate debut against San Diego State (March 3), recording a strikeout in his first appearance.
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2020 (Freshman | NNU): Attended Northwest Nazarene (DII), where he was an All-Academic selection.
High School Graduated in 2019 from South Hills High School in West Covina, where he was a standout pitcher and outfielder.
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Championship Pedigree: Helped lead the Huskies to a Palomares League Championship (2016) and three consecutive Hacienda League titles (2017-2019).
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Prep Accolades: A four-time All-League Academic selection. During his senior season, he posted a 1.51 ERA and a stifling .093 opponent batting average, striking out 23 batters in limited innings.
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Club: Competed for the West Covina Dukes and the prestigious Garciaparra Baseball Group (GBG).
Personal Born Jan. 3 in Pasadena... Son of Frank and Rosie Rios... Has two older sisters, Ericka and Alyssa... Majoring in Cognitive Science... Aspires to a career in web-based interaction and design to make technology more user-friendly... Roots for the Seahawks and the Dodgers... Favorite athlete is Tyreek Hill... Enjoys swimming and listening to J. Cole, Drake, and Kanye West... Favorite movie is The Sandlot and favorite food is grilled salmon.
Fun Fact: Joel’s favorite baseball memory is his very first collegiate outing, where he came out of the bullpen with two outs and struck out the first batter he faced.
