Arizona
Arizona baseball opens Pac-12 play with high-scoring win at USC
The last leg of Arizona’s 3-week road swing has gotten off much better than the first two. And that it’s coming against Pac-12 competition makes it even better.
The Wildcats jumped out to a 12-0 lead en route to a 16-9 win at USC on Friday night in the conference opener for both teams.
It was the first time Arizona (6-6, 1-0) has won the opener of a Pac-12 road series in almost two years. Last season the UA was 2-13 on the road in league play.
After taking a 2-0 lead in the first on a 2-run home run by Emilio Corona, Arizona scored seven in the third. The first five Wildcats reached on singles and the scoring was capped by a 2-run Tommy Splaine homer.
Arizona scored three more in the fourth to lead 12-0, more than enough run support for Jackson Kent. But after Kent more or less coasted through the first three frames he allowed one in the fourth and two in the fifth before handing it over to the bullpen.
That’s when things got shaky for a bit.
Raul Garayzar allowed six consecutive USC batters to reach, with three runs scoring before he left with the bases loaded. Bradon Zastrow inherited that jam and got out of it with a pair of strikeouts but he also hit a man to get the Trojans (3-10, 0-1) within 12-7.
Arizona added two insurance runs in both the seventh and eighth, while Zastrow threw a clean seventh and Dawson Netz finished it out with a scoreless eighth before giving up two in the ninth.
Kent got the win, the left-hander improving to 2-0 while striking out a career-best nine. All told, UA pitchers recorded 16 strikeouts.
Corona, Splaine and Garen Caufield drove in three apiece, with Caufield going 4 for 5. Richie Morales reached base four times from the No. 9 spot as Arizona had 15 hits.
The Wildcats can go for their first Pac-12 road series win since early April 2022 on Saturday night. The 7 p.m. MT game will feature right-hander Clark Candiotti on the mound for the Wildcats
Arizona
Giants end difficult series with eye toward future, not past
That was the lingering element inside a quiet visitors’ clubhouse after the San Francisco Giants dropped a 6-3 decision to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday afternoon, completing a three-game sweep at Chase Field.
Arizona
See work of award-winning Arizona Republic photographer Rob Schumacher
Republic photographer Rob Schumacher was a master with the camera
The longtime award-winning Arizona Republic photographer captured not just events with his camera, but the feelings of the big moments.
Rob Schumacher shared the triumphs and tribulations of the world with The Arizona Republic’s readers through his photography for 35 years.
Schumacher, 62, who died Sunday, May 17, covered Olympic Games, Super Bowls, Masters golf tournaments, riots and natural disasters, as well as intimate portraits of everyday people in Arizona.
He won dozens of awards for his work, including having his image, “Foul Ball,” named Photo of the Year by the Arizona Associated Press Managing Editors in 2003 and being named Arizona Photojournalist of the Year by the Arizona Press Club in 2020.
“For him, it was more than just a job,” said Cheryl Evans, a former photographer at The Republic who worked with him for years. “It was his passion. I mean, he lived and breathed photojournalism.”
Here’s a look at his legacy through some of his most jaw-dropping images.
Arizona
5 Biggest Things We Saw, Heard as Arizona Cardinals Begin OTA’s
ARIZONA — The Arizona Cardinals have just finished their first set of voluntary offseason team activities, and there’s plenty to talk about.
We posted our sights and sounds video already (which you can check out here), though that didn’t quite cover everything we saw in Tempe.
Five biggest takeaways from being at the team’s facility for offseason team activities:
1. Notable Absences
All of Jacoby Brissett, Josh Sweat, Baron Browning, L.J. Collier, and Trey Benson were not present for the voluntary portion of offseason team activities.
Brissett continues to hope for a new contract while Sweat apparently is a healthy absence according to Arizona Sports. Collier had a personal day while Browning’s absence is unknown.
According to @Gambo987 just now on @BurnsAndGambo, Josh Sweat is not hurt despite being absent from OTAs.
L.J. Collier, meanwhile, had a personal day yesterday.
— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) May 19, 2026
Starling Thomas and James Conner were spotted working off to the side while Tip Reiman (more on him later) and Walter Nolen III were also spotted on the sidelines. Garrett Williams posted on social media him getting recovery work in, too.
Benson suffered a season-ending injury last season, so he could be rehabbing elsewhere. Players who do not show in Tempe won’t be fined, though anybody who misses mandatory minicamp (June 8-10) will.
2. Jeremiyah Love Returning Kicks?
One of the biggest storylines was the emergence of No. 3 overall pick Jeremiyah Love returning some kicks during the open portion of practice this week. Max Melton was also an interesting name back there as well.
This caused a firestorm of overreactions on Love and the Cardinals’ potential usage of him. Many saw this as Love having to work his way through special teams while others think this will add more unnecessary hits if he is indeed on return duties.
“You’re experimenting with everyone in terms of a lot of different spots,” Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur told 98.7’s Burns and Gambo. “… Jeremiyah is a running back. We know that. But you never know.”
I wouldn’t read too much into this — at least right now. WR Devin Duvernay was signed this offseason as a primary return man.
3. Rookies Take (Expected) Back Seat
Neither Love or third-round rookie quarterback Carson Beck had dibs on the first taste of action with the starting unit while media were allowed to view practice.
That’s fine, and more importantly, very expected.
Even with Brissett out, it was the veteran Gardner Minshew repping with the first team offense. Tyler Allgeier was the main back for the Cardinals’ top offensive players.
Rookies, at this point in the offseason, are placed behind veterans purposefully. Even if this is the case in training camp, fans shouldn’t freak out if Allgeier is still over Love in the “pecking order” Arizona has.
This is simply the Cardinals working in their inexperienced players at a reasonable rate.
4. Sean Murphy-Bunting’s Position Change
Murphy-Bunting suffered a season-ending injury before even stepping into 2025 and was largely thought to be a cut candidate entering the offseason in a crowded cornerbacks room.
However, the Cardinals have apparently changed his position.
Murphy-Bunting, typically a boundary cornerback, was spotted working out with the safety group. Cornerback Will Johnson confirmed Murphy-Bunting was set to be a nickel corner, which serves Arizona as Williams is not expected to be ready for the start of the season due to injury.
When you’re trimming a roster down to 53, versatility matters.
5. Injury Updates
The Cardinals lost their top run-blocker in tight end Tip Reiman early last season with a right leg injury and is expected to be ready for training camp, according to LaFleur.
“Not going to dive too far into that, but [we] do expect him to be healthy, ready to roll when we get going in training camp. Another guy that I had a lot of respect for coming out of Illinois,” LaFleur told reporters.
“… Tip is all of the right stuff in terms of how he approaches it, and stuff like that. It’s unfortunate, obviously what happened a year ago, but [I believe he is a] big piece of where I think we can go.”
LaFleur was then asked about Benson, which drew a, “Kind of that same type of thing,” response from the Cardinals coach.
The Cardinals again will hit the practice field on May 21 where voluntary OTA’s continue.
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