Arizona

Arizona picked 3rd in Big 12 preseason softball poll

Published

1 year ago

January 24, 2025

Arizona picked 3rd in Big 12 preseason softball poll

The Big 12 coaches are high on the Arizona Wildcats. The conference released its preseason poll on Friday with UA projected to finish third in a strong league. Outfielders Dakota Kennedy and Regan Shockey were selected to the preseason all-conference team.

The Wildcats were picked to finish behind Oklahoma State and Texas Tech in the new 11-team league. Arizona finished 37-18-1 last year and advanced to the Stillwater Super Regional where new conference mate OSU swept the Wildcats out of the postseason.

Arizona lost just one player to the transfer portal while bringing in Softball America’s 10th-ranked class. The group of five players gave the Wildcats the highest-ranked Big 12 class this season. Three of the five were rated as four-star prospects by SA. The Wildcats also added former Washington C/UT Sydney Stewart, former Oregon State infielder Kiki Escobar, and former Iowa State pitcher Saya Swain from the transfer portal.

Oklahoma State advanced to the Women’s College World Series last year then reloaded with another big haul in the transfer portal. Arizona is very familiar with one of the biggest names, former Washington pitcher Ruby Meylan.

Texas Tech looked to be in trouble when former head coach Craig Snider left for an assistant coaching position at Tennessee. It appeared to be a major blow after a promising year, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

The Red Raiders made a huge hire by taking former Louisiana-Lafayette leader Gerry Glasco. Glasco brought some talent with him, but a huge assist from a donor helped him pull off the biggest coup of the off-season.

NiJaree Canady was lured away from Stanford after taking the Cardinal deep into the WCWS the past two years. The pitcher’s price came to over $1 million, according to published reports. Her signing took the Red Raiders from a team with the potential to make incremental improvements to one that has designs on a conference title and a trip to the WCWS.

The coaches’ votes indicate a large chasm between the top four teams and the rest of the league. The point totals after Baylor take a steep drop. There is another big gap after the seventh-ranked squad, and the last two teams trail the rest of the league by a considerable margin.

Oklahoma State Cowgirls (99 points, 9 first-place votes)
Texas Tech Red Raiders (90 points, 2 first-place votes)
Arizona Wildcats (81 points)
Baylor Bears (75 points)
BYU Cougars (54 points)
Utah Utes (52 points)
UCF Knights (51 points)
Arizona State Sun Devils (36 points)
Kansas Jayhawks (34 points)
Iowa State Cyclones (23 points)
Houston Cougars (10 points)

The preseason All-Big 12 team is dominated by Cowgirls. Six Oklahoma State players were honored.

Arizona was one of four teams with two players named to the team. The Wildcats were the only squad in the league whose selections were all unanimous picks by the coaches. Shockey was one of just two underclassmen to make the team.

In addition to Shockey and Kennedy, Baylor senior infielder Shaylon Govan, BYU junior Lily Owens, and TTU junior RHP Canady were voted to the team by all 11 coaches. The other selections were graduate outfielder Kelsey Hall (ASU), senior catcher/infielder Turiya Coleman (Baylor), senior outfielder Angelina Allen (ISU), senior pitcher/utility Katie Brooks (KU), outfielder Presley Limbaugh (KU), junior pitcher RyLee Crandall (OSU), graduate outfielder Megan Delgadillo (OSU), junior utility Tallen Edwards (OSU), sophomore infielder Karli Godwin (OSU), junior RPH Meylan (OSU), junior outfielder Claire Timm (OSU), junior outfielder Mihyia Davis (TTU), and senior outfielder Kaylah Nelsen (Utah).

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Arizona

Michigan defenseman Hunter Hady transfers to Arizona State

Published

4 hours ago

April 22, 2026

Press Room

Michigan defenseman Hunter Hady transfers to Arizona State

Former Michigan sophomore defenseman Hunter Hady has transferred to Arizona State, according to an announcement on the team Instagram. The 6’4’’ defenseman will join the Sun Devils for his junior year.

Hady played just two games on Michigan’s blue line this season against Harvard in November and against Bentley in the NCAA regional semifinal. He recorded a secondary assist on junior forward Garrett Schifsky’s goal in the Bentley game for his only point of the year.

Hady’s contributions were more substantive in his freshman season — though his point total remained the same. He played 32 games for Michigan as the team struggled to find defensive pairings that worked throughout the year. Hady was a reliable blue line presence who could be counted on to provide solid defense and not make significant errors.

Prior to playing for the Wolverines, Hady spent three seasons with the Chicago Steel of the USHL, where he played with current Michigan teammates senior defenseman Luca Fantilli, sophomore forward Michael Hage and junior forward Jayden Perron, among others. He joins an Arizona State team that lost ground in the NCHC this season and is looking to reach a Frozen Four for the second time in its program history.

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Arizona

Pilot Jessica Cox to be inducted into Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame

Published

16 hours ago

April 21, 2026

Press Room

Pilot Jessica Cox to be inducted into Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Jessica Cox, the world’s first licensed armless airplane pilot and a leading advocate for disability-led innovation, will be inducted into the Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame on Friday, May 15, 2026. The induction ceremony, hosted by Rightfooted Foundation International in collaboration with the Pima Air & Space Museum, will take place at the museum from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Cox’s recognition honors both her historic achievement in flight and her ongoing work expanding access and opportunity for people without arms. Through her leadership at Rightfooted Foundation International (RFI), Cox has championed mentorship, education and practical innovations that help aspiring pilots and families reimagine what’s possible in aviation and beyond.

“Saying I’m proud of her can’t fully encompass what I feel,” said Patrick Chamberlain, Cox’s husband and RFI’s Inclusive Engineering Director. “Jessica’s induction into the Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame recognizes both what she has accomplished and what she continues to do. She has helped shed light on the many pilots with disabilities in aviation and shown the world that disability does not mean inability.”

The 2026 induction class also honors two military aviators: Frank Schiel Jr., a Phoenix-born Flying Tigers veteran credited with seven enemy aircraft destroyed in World War II, and James K. Johnson, a Phoenix-born U.S. Air Force colonel and Korean War double ace credited with ten aerial victories.

The Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame, established in 1985 and housed in the Dorothy Finley Aerospace Gallery at Pima Air & Space Museum, pays tribute to Arizonans who have made significant contributions to aviation and aerospace history.

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Arizona

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

Published

1 day ago

April 21, 2026

Press Room

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?

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.

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.

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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