Arizona baseball had won five of its last seven games, which included three road wins, entering Friday evening’s matchup with Kansas State.
Arizona
What do you do if you get bit by a rattlesnake in Arizona? Here’s what to know
Mexican gray wolf numbers are slowly growing
The survey marks the eighth consecutive year of growth, but the number is still well below what’s required to consider the species recovered.
A Florence toddler’s unfortunate encounter with a rattlesnake is a stark reminder that the rapidly warming Arizona weather signals rattlesnake season.
Cara Reed has been in and out of the hospital as doctors work to remove damaged tissue from her left foot, where the snake bit her twice on May 16.
Cara was playing in the carport at the family’s home on the outskirts of Florence when a snake slithered out from some propane tanks and struck the top of her foot.
The long-term prognosis for her foot is still unclear at this early stage, but dead skin and damaged tissue is being removed.
As the 15-month-old deals with surgery and its aftereffects, medical and wildlife officials offer tips on how to deal with these desert dwellers.
Here’s what to know.
How likely is it to encounter a rattlesnake in Arizona?
The rattlesnakes are out there, but they really don’t want to tangle with humans.
“For the most part, they want nothing to do with us,” said Tom Jones, the amphibians and reptiles program manager for the Arizona Game & Fish Department. “If you are an avid hiker, most likely you have walked right by one and not noticed it.”
But if you hear a rattle, Jones said, take care. Don’t confront the snake, just give it a wide berth and walk around it.
How common are rattlesnake bites?
The Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center reported 182 bites in the state in 2024, a 4% increase from the previous year.
The vast majority of bites happened in Pima County, which reported 107 incidents. Cochise County was next with 20 and 12 in Mohave County. There were no reports from Maricopa County, despite being the most populous in the state.
Although often associated with wildlands, the center reported most of the bites occurred at a residence.
What is the protocol for treating a rattlesnake bite?
Dr. Frank LoVecchio, a medical toxicologist at Valleywise Health, offered these key steps:
Remove any close-fitting items, such as clothing, jewelry and watches. The bite area will swell almost immediately, LoVecchio said, as the digestive enzymes in the snake’s venom start to try and digest blood, tissue and muscles.
“Your forearm might get as big as your thigh,” he said.
Immobilize the bite area. “The more you move it, the more it hurts,” LoVecchio said.
He also recommends elevating the affected limb or body part, a practice that the poison center also emphasizes. That prevents the venom from pooling in one part of the body, where the enzymes can do damage.
Head for a hospital immediately, and call ahead to ensure the facility has antivenom on hand. Calling the poison center at 1-800-221-1222 is also helpful for expert guidance.
Are there things I shouldn’t do?
LoVecchio has a no-go list.
“We don’t do anything crazy; we don’t suck out the venom, we don’t do a tourniquet,” he said.
He also advises that bite victims should refrain from drinking much water or eating anything, in case their treatment leads to surgery.
How fatal are rattlesnake bites?
They’re not common, LoVecchio said.
The poison center did not record any deaths due to rattlesnake bites in 2024. But it’s important to get to prompt medical treatment at a hospital, the center advises.
Reach the reporter at maryjo.pitzl@arizonarepublic.com or at 602-228-7566 and follow her on social media @maryjpitzl.
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In these four-round projections, the Arizona Cardinals don’t get a tackle until the fourth round.
We are just days away from the 2026 NFL draft, and that means some final mock drafts. What direction will the draft take the Arizona Cardinals?
Draft Wire’s Curt Popejoy put together a four-round mock draft for the Cardinals. They go defense early but rebuild the offense for 2026 and moving forward, including landing their potential franchise quarterback.
Cardinals 4-round mock draft
Here are the players in the first four rounds Popejoy projects for Arizona.
- Round 1: Ohio State EDGE/LB Arvell Reese
- Round 2: Alabama QB Ty Simpson
- Round 3: Clemson WR Antonio Williams
- Round 4: Florida OT Austin Barber
What we think of the picks
The Cardinals want to trade out of the third pick and draft a tackle, so not getting a tackle until Round 4 seems unlikely, although they did meet with Barber. They do have options at right tackle for 2026 already on the roster.
Reese would be a great pick if they don’t trade back, as they badly need pass-rushing help off the edge.
Drafting Simpson seems inevitable at this point, so it has to be in a mock draft, although the feeling is they will need to go up into Round 1 again to get him.
Williams has speed and is almost six feet tall, but he does have short arms.
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.
Due to significant injuries to the CB position last year which includes a shoulder surgery for Terrion Arnold, the Lions CB position scored a 6/10 need on my Lions Defensive Draft Need Rankings. Thus, an early-round selection of a young, healthy prospect like Keith Abney would not come as a surprise. He enters the draft with very low medical concern level.
Here is the excerpt from my medical report on Keith Abney:
(Ages in parentheses are at start of 2026 season and are factored into the concern level. Injury info and ages based on available public information are unverified and subject to update. Games played data courtesy of sports-reference.com.)
Keith Abney, CB (21) – Arizona State
Projected round 2-3. #43 on Jeff Risdon board Feb 19.
Concern level 0/10
There is an isolated report of a hand injury but no corroborating information. Even if the hand injury is true, that’s of minimal to no long-term concern.
His availability in his final two seasons has been perfect. Overall, Abney appears to be medically clean and is at an excellent age.
He finished college with 6 INT and 21 PBU.
For more Lions coverage, follow us on X, @TheLionsWire, and give our Facebook page a like. Follow Jimmy on X, @JimmyLiaoMD
In the first game of the series, Arizona (14-23, 5-11 Big 12) battled in a low-scoring affair but fell short in a 2-1 loss to Kansas State (24-12, 8-8 Big 12). The Wildcats from Tucson held the Wildcats from Manhattan at bay for a good majority of the night.
Given that Kansas State leads the Big 12 in conference play in batting, on-base percentage, and slugging, Arizona had a rather good performance, but it was not enough.
Owen Kramkowski pitched seven scoreless innings before allowing the first Kansas State run in the top of the eight. He finished with six strikeouts and kept the high octane Wildcats at bay.
“I thought the defense played well behind him too,” said head coach Chip Hale. “There’s a lot of ground balls, and we made plays where we were positioned in good places, and he was pitching in the eighth inning. That’s unbelievable.”
Garrett Hicks (3-1) came in to try and stop the bleeding for the Wildcats and did so by not allowing Kansas State to take the lead in the eighth. It was in the ninth when the lead was surrendered.
It took until the sixth inning but the first run was scored by Arizona. Andrew Cain singled to left field and after Maddox Mihalakis flew out, it was Beau Sylvester bringing Cain home with a triple through right center field.
Sylvester extended his hitting streak to eight games and it proved to be not enough to get Arizona to the finish line.
Kansas State tied the game at the top of the eight when back to back singles got runners on at first and third. Then a passed ball allowed the third base runner to come home.
Arizona had a chance to retake the lead in the bottom of the ninth after Cain singled to deep right field. With Sylvester back at the plate, it seemed like it was a perfect set up.
A wild pitch nearly got past Kansas State and Cain tried to take advantage of it and steal home. However, Kansas State was able to corral the pitch and get Cain out at home.
AJ Evasco started the ninth inning with a double for Kansas State and back to back fly outs eventually got him home to give Kansas State the lead and the win.
With eight players being left on base, Arizona will need to bring those runners in more often than not if they want to tie the series Saturday afternoon.
As a young team, the Wildcats have had to walk a very tight line between disappointment and dejection and will need to continue handling these losses with grace if it wants to turn a corner.
“It’s the way it goes, it’s baseball,” said Hale. “If we don’t handle it, we will come out tomorrow and won’t be ready to go, so hopefully they handle it.”
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