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AZ Digest. Diamondbacks’ game times set, Rising FC adds defender

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AZ Digest. Diamondbacks’ game times set, Rising FC adds defender


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Winter is here in Arizona, and there’s plenty of sports activity. The college athletic seasons are well underway, including those at Arizona State and Grand Canyon. Meanwhile, the Phoenix Suns’ NBA G League affiliate, the Valley Suns, has started its season.

Here are the news and events happening around Arizona sports:

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Diamondbacks announce times for all games

The Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday, Jan. 20, joined Major League Baseball in announcing game times for all regular season and spring training games.

Spring training home games start at 1:10 p.m. MT, starting Feb. 20. The Diamondbacks play exhibition games on March 23 and 24 at 6:40 p.m. and 12:40 p.m.

Opening Day for the regular season is on Thursday, March 26. The Diamondbacks will be in Los Angeles to open 2026 against the back-to-back World Series champion Dodgers at 5:30 p.m. Phoenix time.

The Diamondbacks’ home opener is March 30 against Detroit Tigers at 7:10 p.m. Arizona will be the home team for two games in Mexico City, hosting the San Diego Padres at 3:05 p.m. on April 25 and 1:05 p.m. on April 25.

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Eight-time All-Star Nolan Arenado, recently acquired by the Diamondbacks in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals, will return to Busch Stadium when Arizona plays four-game series against the Cardinals starting on June 11.

The Diamondbacks have series against the Dodgers in June, July and August, the home series in June and August at Chase Field.

José M. Romero

Rising FC signs former MLS draft pick

Phoenix Rising FC on Wednesday, Jan. 21, announced it has signed Serbian defender Aleksandar Vukovic to a multi-year contract.

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Vukovic moved to the United States at the age of 20 to play college soccer. The defender recorded 10 goal contributions (six goals, four assists) in 84 appearances (68 starts) across four different schools, LSU-Eunice, California-Riverside, Marshall and Duke.

Drafted by Real Salt Lake in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft following the national title run, Vukovic elected to return for one more season of college soccer, playing his graduate season at Duke.

Vukovic is the seventh defender on the Rising FC roster at present.

-Jose M. Romero

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ASU pitcher named to USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 50 Watch List

Arizona State softball pitcher Kenzie Brown was selected to the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 50 Watch List on Wednesday, Jan. 21.

Brown is ASU’s first representative on the watch list since Kindra Hackbarth in the 2021 season.

In 2025, Brown posted a team-high 19 wins in 35 pitching appearances to go along with 289 strikeouts, the fourth most in Division I softball and second most in the Big 12. Her 11.60 strikeouts per seven innings ranked second in the nation and first in the conference. She also matched the program’s single-game strikeout record by recording 18 strikeouts against BYU on March 6.

The Top 25 finalists for the 2026 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award will be announced on April 29. 

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–Jenna Ortiz

ASU men’s tennis takes down UTSA

Arizona State men’s tennis defeated UTSA, 6-1, on Tuesday, Jan. 20, at Whiteman Tennis Center.

The Sun Devils improved to a program-best 6-0 start since the program’s reinstatement. ASU is already halfway to reaching its 2024-25 win total and has hit the six-win mark more than a month earlier than in the past year.

ASU will participate in the ITA Indoor Kickoffs hosted by USD at the Skip and Cindy Hogan Tennis Center in San Diego, California, spanning January 23-24.

–Jenna Ortiz

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ASU gymnastics to host 50th anniversary celebration

Arizona State gymnastics will kick off Big 12 competition with No. 22 BYU coming to Desert Financial Arena on Friday, Jan. 23, at 7 p.m.

The meet will celebrate 50 years of the program, welcoming alumni back to Tempe. Fans will receive a keychain at the east tunnel before the meet.

ASU faced off against the Cougars twice last season, with the Sun Devils losing the first meeting but winning the second. ASU is 13-2 all-time against BYU.

The meet will be live on ESPN+, with live scoring available on Virtius as well. 

–Jenna Ortiz

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ASU sophomore named Big 12 Tennis Player of the Week

Arizona State sophomore Niels Villard was named Player of the Week on Jan. 20, following three singles and four doubles wins in four dual matches. ASU’s 5-0 start to the season is the best mark since the program’s reinstatement. 

After picking up three singles wins last week from the third through fifth position, Villard has a team-leading four singles wins. Villard earned the team’s first weekly honor this season.

–Jenna Ortiz

Catch the best high school sports coverage in the state. Sign up for Azcentral Preps Now. And be sure to subscribe to our daily sports newsletters so you don’t miss a thing. 



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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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