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NCAA Baseball Tournament: Arizona gets No. 13 seed, to open vs. Grand Canyon

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NCAA Baseball Tournament: Arizona gets No. 13 seed, to open vs. Grand Canyon


It won’t just be familiar confines for Arizona as it gets to host an NCAA Baseball Tournament regional. There will also be familiar foes.

The Wildcats (36-21) earned the No. 13 overall seed and will begin play Friday against Grand Canyon (34-23), a team they’ve faced three times this season and lost to twice, including once (badly) at Hi Corbett Field. The other teams coming to Tucson are Dallas Baptist (44-13), whom the UA lost to at the Frisco Classic in March, and West Virginia (33-22), which took two of three in a series at Hi Corbett to open the 2023 season.

“It was a no brainer,” UA coach Chip Hale said of Grand Canyon, which was also sent to Tucson in 2021. “We knew that, and it makes sense. It’s good, their fans and get down here no problem.”

The 4-team regional has a double-elimination format, with Friday’s winners and losers meeting on Saturday. The regional final is set for Sunday, with a potential second game (if needed) on Monday.

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The Tucson Region is paired up with the Chapel Hill Region, hosted by No. 4 seed North Carolina (42-13). If both Arizona and UNC advance to Super Regionals it would be played in Chapel Hill, but if the Wildcats win their regional and anyone other than the Tar Heels take the other the Supers would be played in Tucson.

Among those in the Chapel Hill Region is defending College World Series champion LSU, led by former UA Jay Johnson. Ex-Wildcat outfielder Mac Bingham is on the Tigers after spending four seasons with Arizona.

Arizona is 10-1 in NCAA Tournament games played at Hi Corbett, advancing to the World Series from there in 2012 and 2021. This will be the fourth consecutive season the Wildcats have played in the NCAA tourney, the longest streak since making it 14 years in a row from 1950-63.

“I haven’t played in a regional where there hasn’t been a weather delay,” said infielder Garen Caulfield, who was part of the UA teams that dealt with stormy conditions in Coral Gables, Fla., in 2022 and Fayetteville, Ark., last season. “I’m hoping that the Tucson Regional provides some good weather for us.”

Despite an RPI of 31, Arizona not only got to host but was considered by the selection committee to be better than three other seeds. No. 14 Santa Barbara had an RPI of 13, while No. 15 Oregon State (18) and No. 16 East Carolina (22) also were ranked ahead of the Wildcats.

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“I’m not as surprised as most people were, because of what we’ve done and our body of work,” Hale said, noting Arizona’s Pac-12 regular-season and conference tournament titles.

Dallas Baptist, which has an RPI of 17, won the Conference USA tourney title on Sunday after finishing second in the regular season. West Virginia was fourth in the Big 12 but went 0-2 in its conference tourney, while Grand Canyon also went 0-2 in the WAC tourney but because champ Tarleton State is ineligible due its transition from Division II the Antelopes were awarded the automatic bid by virtue of winning the regular season crown by five games.

GCU took two of three from Arizona this season, with the Wildcats winning 6-4 at home on March 19 before losing 5-4 in Phoenix on April 16 and then getting run-ruled 24-8 at home on April 30. Those were all midweek contests, however, when teams tend not to pitch their weekend starters.

“This will be different,” Hale said. “We’ll face they’re supposed Friday night starter and we’ll have our our best pitcher going against them. So it will be a little bit different, but they put good at-bats together, they put the ball in play with two strikes. As we know, with our weather and our fiel there’s a lot of hits to be had in this field. So when you put the ball in play have a chance.

“They’re a good team, and we’ve always said that, that’s what we play them three times a year. They’re very tough team. We know them well, they know us well. So it’s going to be a good battle.”

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Arizona is one of three Pac-12 schools to make it in the conference’s final season. Besides the Wildcats and OSU, Oregon got in as the No. 3 seed in the Santa Barbara Region, while Cal was among the first four teams out of the field.

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2026 NFL draft: 3 potential trades back from No. 3 for Arizona Cardinals

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2026 NFL draft: 3 potential trades back from No. 3 for Arizona Cardinals



Since the Arizona Cardinals want to trade back from the No. 3 picks, here are three deals that could work.

The Arizona Cardinals have the third pick in the 2026 NFL draft, which begins this week on Thursday. All the reports coming out are saying that they want to trade out of the pick to acquire more draft picks.

But what does a trade look like and who could be involved?

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The Kansas City Chiefs are involved in talks at some level. ESPN’s Adam Schefter expects trade talks to heat up this week.

NFL teams use a variation of a trade value chart when it comes to draft picks. Now, what a team actually is willing to give up can be influenced by potential competition with other teams, but we can’t count on that.

Here is the general trade value chart teams use.

Here are some potential deals that could be done.

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs have two first-round picks, which would be appealing to the Cardinals, who reportedly want to make a move for quarterback Ty Simpson, and the 29th pick might be just the spot to get him.

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The third overall pick is worth 514 points.

The Chiefs’ picks at No. 9 (387 points) and No. 29 (202 points) together are worth 589.

To make up the difference, the Cardinals could give up No. 65 (78 points) for a total of 592 points.

One deal could be:

  • Cardinals receive get No. 9 and No. 29 (589 points)
  • Chiefs receive No. 3 and No. 65 (592 points)

Another could be:

  • Cardinals receive No. 9, No. 29, No. 74 and 2027 third-round pick (653 points + value of future third-round pick, which is 36-78 points)
  • Chiefs receive No. 3 and No. 34 (689 points)

The Cardinals keep their third-round pick and the Chiefs essentially move back five spots from No. 29.

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys have the 12th and 20th picks but no pick in the second round.

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Pick No. 12 is 347 points and No. 20 is 269 for a total of 616.

This deal is close:

  • Cardinals receive No. 12, No. 20 (616 points)
  • Cowboys receive No. 3, No. 65 (592 points)

New Orleans Saints

The Saints are perhaps a dark horse to move up, although they do not have two first-round picks. They have the No. 8 pick, worth 406 points. Their second-round pick, at No. 42, is worth 142 points.

This deal could work:

  • Cardinals receive No. 8, No. 42 (548 points)
  • Saints receive No. 3, No. 104 (547 points)

Then the Cardinals could use their two second-round picks to then move back into Round 1 to get Ty Simpson.

They could trade No. 34, No. 42 and No. 65 (395 points) for No. 28, No. 38 and No. 106 (398 total points).

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

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Dust returns to Phoenix area after hazy weekend – KTAR.com

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Dust returns to Phoenix area after hazy weekend – KTAR.com


PHOENIX — Breezy winds kicked up a blanket of dust across the Valley on Sunday, and forecasters say more is on the way this week.

Visibility in Phoenix became so bad on Sunday that Sky Harbor airport stopped flights for over an hour

The wind and dust peaked Sunday afternoon and gradually improved into the evening, said Michael Graves, an air quality meteorologist with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.

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“You might’ve seen the mountains a bit obscured in the distance,” Graves told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Monday. “A lot of haze in the air.”

By Monday morning, skies had largely cleared and dust levels near the ground had dropped significantly.

Expect more gusty, dusty days this week

The relief may be short-lived.

ADEQ is watching for increased afternoon breezes Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, this time from the west and southwest. Though the winds are expected to be weaker than Sunday’s, Graves said forecasters cannot rule out dust.

“I wouldn’t say windstorm,” Graves said. “I would just say we’ve got some waves coming in. They’re going to increase our afternoon breeziness.”

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It’s enough to kick up dry, exposed dirt, which could create pockets of dust. There is a slight chance of broader regional dust transport, Graves said.

It will impact people with asthma, COPD or respiratory conditions the most. Graves advised those with issues to monitor conditions and stay indoors during the dustiest hours.

“If you’re going to be outside, be outside during the times when it’s less dusty or hazy,” Graves said.

Graves noted that spring weather systems typically pass to the north of the Phoenix area, delivering wind and slight temperature drops but little to no rain, a pattern likely to continue.

KTAR News reporter Kellen Shover contributed to this report.

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Trying to beat the heat: Addressing rising temperatures in Southern Arizona

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Trying to beat the heat: Addressing rising temperatures in Southern Arizona


The University of Arizona and Tucson are known for yearlong warm weather, but when is it too much? With temperature reaching record highs in March, the city of Tucson has already reported increased temperatures for this year. 

In the wake of the third annual Southern Arizona Heat Summit, integrating voices throughout the City of Tucson, community stakeholders and experts from UA gather to speak about possible solutions and policies to address rising temperatures and extreme heat. 

The summit strives to ensure that the lived experiences of Southern Arizona residents are voiced. The first summit commenced in 2024, in response to the declaration of an extreme heat emergency in Arizona by Gov. Katie Hobbs, as part of a larger plan called Arizona’s Extreme Heat Response Plan. 

With representation from organizations such as the American Red Cross, the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, Arizona Jobs with Justice, Tucson Indian Center and many more, the summit emphasized the importance of the perspective and concerns of stakeholder groups throughout the community. 

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The summit included a variety of UA experts, including faculty representing the School of Geography, Development and Environment; the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy; the Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and the College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture.

One particular project, led by Ladd Keith at the School of Landscape Architecture and Planning, is a part of the Southwest Urban Corridor Integrated Field Laboratory, which is funded by the United States’ Department of Energy to explore extreme heat throughout Arizona. SW-IFL works in collaboration with other national laboratories including those at ASU and NAU. 

The team works to analyze extreme heat in the southwest and rural areas, and how communities deal with heat by conducting interviews. The team has also prescribed policy to Pima County and the City of Tucson regarding more effective strategies to combat rising temperatures, such as green stormwater infrastructure. 

Anne-Lise Boyer, a post-doctoral researcher with the Climate Assessment for the Southwest, shared that the team particularly analyzed extreme heat in three parts: heat mitigation, heat management and heat governance.

Mitigation deals with prevention through strategies such as green infrastructure and planting trees, while management includes cooling sensors and heat warning systems. Governance allows these measures to be enacted through policy.

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In Tucson, some of the most meaningful work the team has engaged in has been drafting the City of Tucson’s Heat Action Roadmap in 2024, which outlines goals to mitigate and mandate extreme heat and its impacts while prioritizing community voices.  

The goals of the roadmap include informing and educating citizens of Tucson on the adverse effects of extreme heat and cooling people’s homes and neighborhoods by incorporating heat risk in regional planning. These steps are essential to practicing heat management, especially as the city of Tucson grows. 

“I think the most interesting thing about being based in Tucson is that because the heat has been here for a long time, it’s like a laboratory in itself,” Boyer said. “We have all this research and all this collaboration happening with local actors because it’s a pressing issue in Arizona.”

As the annual heat summit recurs, new ideas and perspectives continue to be shared throughout the community. Boyer shared that this year, the Southern Arizona Heat Summit focused on the youth perspective, highlighting middle school and high school students and how heat impacts their everyday lives. Many students spoke about how heat shaped their lives at home, school and sports.

“That’s one of the goals, to have community members participate and give their input in how they wish the city will deal with the heat,” Boyer said. 

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Boyer and Kirsten Lake, a program coordinator for the SW-IFL team, also shared how the impacts of extreme heat impact some neighborhoods and communities in Tucson more than others, and that their research often evaluates these factors to determine where heat management efforts would make the greatest impact.

“Its important when you’re putting into effect some of these measures, that you make sure you put it where it’s going to make the biggest difference,” Lake said.

The work of the SW-IFL team is not just locally known. The Brookhaven National Lab based in New York deployed a specialized truck to Tucson to collect information on the atmosphere and rising temperatures. The SW-IFL team hosted the Brookhaven team.

Additionally, Keith’s work has led to a guidebook called “Planning for Urban Heat Resilience” which focuses on the adverse effects extreme heat poses to marginalized communities across the country. 

“It is so different from place to place and neighborhood to neighborhood because you have to take the whole context into account,” Boyer said. “They recommend first to document the heat impacts in your communities.”

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