• Slug: Sports-Shohei Ohtani Cactus League, 700 words.
• Photo available

By Alex Wakefield
Cronkite News

SCOTTSDALE – Before November’s MLB General Managers meetings were cut short reportedly by a Norovirus outbreak at Scottsdale’s posh Omni Montelucia Resort and Spa, much of the buzz among the roughly 300 baseball executives in attendance centered on one question:

Where will phenom Shohei Ohtani go?

Ohtani, who was baseball’s first two-time unanimous MVP winner as a pitcher and designated hitter for the Los Angeles Angels, is the jewel of this winter’s free agent class.

Continue reading “Cactus League teams among leading contenders to land free agent jewel Shohei Ohtani”

• Slug: Sports-College Football Playoff Final Vote, 1,670 words.
• Photo available

By Jordy Fee-Platt
Cronkite News

LAS VEGAS – The Pac-12 Conference was founded in 1915 and for more than a century, the “Conference of Champions” has featured fierce rivalry games and electrifying late-night finishes that few can explain, all set against a backdrop of sparkling Western sunsets.

On Friday at Allegiant Stadium here, the sun set one final time on the conference’s storied football history in a riveting Pac-12 Championship Game. After 107 years of Pac-12 football, two of the league’s founding member schools – Oregon and Washington – closed the book on a conference steeped in gridiron tradition.

The two bitter Pacific Northwest rivals, whose head-to-head matchups are nicknamed the Border War, faced off with a College Football Playoff berth on the line, each with a Heisman Trophy candidate behind center. Continue reading “Final chapter: Washington-Oregon close the book on Pac-12 football”

• Slug: Sports-College Football Playoff Final Vote, 1,670 words.
• Photo available

By Jesse Brawders
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – This college football season, there has been an abnormally high amount of commotion. From conference realignment and the swan song season for this version of the Pac-12, to the constant discussion about which factors should be prioritized to decide the College Football Playoff Top 4, this season has been the epitome of chaos.

Fittingly, the final College Football Playoff rankings of the four-team playoff era came down to the results of the conference championships to decide which four teams will compete for the national championship. Big Ten conference champion Michigan beat out Washington for the top spot, while Texas and Alabama rounded out the playoff under intense criticism.

While some teams stressed about their playoff fate Sunday morning, Washington sat comfortably, waiting to see who would join the Huskies and Michigan in the playoff. Continue reading “Sweet glory: Washington cruises into College Football Playoff without controversy, earns rematch with Texas in Sugar Bowl”

• Slug: Sports-Hairston Family Legacy, 1,800 words.
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By Jake Brown
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – When Jackson Hairston, an infielder for Desert Mountain High School, viewed an edited video of his dad’s swing, it was difficult to not compare and contrast. While Jackson respects his dad, former major league infielder Jerry Hairston Jr., the son still sees the video as motivation because he wants to be his own player and define his own journey.

Jackson often draws comparisons to members of his extremely athletic family, including Jerry Jr. and his cousin Landon Hairston, an outfielder for Casteel High School – and for good reason.

The Hairston clan is baseball royalty, etching an extraordinary chapter in Major League Baseball lore. It traces back nearly 100 years, beginning with Sam Harding Hairston, a catcher who played for the Negro leagues in the 1940s before jumping to the majors and becoming the patriarch to a family that has produced three generations of professional ballplayers. Continue reading “Baseball royalty: Hairston lineage on the diamond remains strong, generation after generation”

• Slug: Sports-ASU Volleyball NCAA Tournament, 800 words.
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By Lucas Gordon
Cronkite News

TEMPE – When the final whistle blew on the 2022 women’s volleyball season, the Arizona State Sun Devils found themselves in a familiar position. For the sixth time in the last seven years, the team finished the season with a record below .500 and missed another opportunity to play in the postseason.

After spending nearly a decade toward the bottom of the Pac-12 standings, the ASU administration decided it was time to make a change in the volleyball program.

On Dec. 10, 2022, two weeks after the Sun Devils dropped their final match to Arizona, the team parted ways with coach Sanja Tomasevic and started the search for a new leader. Continue reading “Digging for glory: ASU women’s volleyball’s unprecedented season leads to first NCAA Tournament since 2015”

• Slug: Sports-ASU Volleyball Cromartie, 1,600 words.
• 3 photos available

By Alexis Davis
Cronkite News

TEMPE – Arizona State outside hitter Shania Cromartie shows up whenever her number is called – whether it’s on the court or by a sister.

At 8, Cromartie played on her city league team with 14-year-old girls, including her middle sister Shamiria.

More than a decade later, Cromartie, a junior who spent three years playing volleyball for Mississippi State before transferring to ASU, is an essential component of a Sun Devils team making its 20th NCAA tournament appearance. As the No. 5 seed, the Sun Devils (26-6) face the Georgia Bulldogs (19-11) Friday in Provo, Utah, in the first round of the Division I women’s volleyball championship field. Continue reading “Unbreakable bonds: Outside hitter Shania Cromartie and ASU volleyball headed to NCAA tournament”

• Slug: Sports-ASU Football Look Ahead, 1,120 words.
• 3 photos available

By Walker Smith
Cronkite News

TEMPE – For the record books, the 2023 ASU football season will go down as just two numbers: 3-9. However, that record doesn’t show the adversity, progress and impact that defined coach Kenny Dillingham’s first season in Tempe. Now, with a new athletic director and another recruiting cycle on the horizon, the Sun Devils have already begun the offseason changes.

Offensive coordinator Beau Baldwin is not returning next season, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. Baldwin departs ASU after a rough first season. During his time, Baldwin’s offense averaged 17.8 points per game, ranked 123rd of 130 FBS teams. The Sun Devils’ total offense ranked 109th in the FBS, with an average of 322.2 yards per game. After ASU was shut out 29-0 by Fresno State and scored only three points in the second half through three games, Dillingham took over play-calling duties for the rest of the season.

More offseason changes have already begun with the roster as redshirt junior tight end Jalin Conyers announced Wednesday on Instagram that he will enter the transfer portal as a graduate transfer. Conyers, one of ASU’s offensive bright spots, finished this season with 30 catches, 362 receiving yards and one rushing touchdown while also spending time playing quarterback in the season’s final three games. Continue reading “Forks down: Exit of OC Beau Baldwin, departure of players mark first changes in busy ASU football offseason”

• Slug: Sports-NBA In-Season Tournament, 1,300 words.
• File photo available

By Sebastian Sanchez
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – The Phoenix Suns are still in the hunt.

Despite not being in action, the Suns were actively watching Tuesday’s slate of NBA In-Season Tournament games of group play to determine if the point differential tiebreaker would sway in their favor to advance to the knockout round.

After the Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, 106-103, Phoenix got its answer and sealed the West Group’s lone wild-card spot in the quarterfinals next Tuesday against the Los Angeles Lakers due to a plus-34 point differential over the Wolves. The winner earns a trip to Las Vegas, the host city of the semifinals and championship games. Continue reading “Survive and advance: Phoenix Suns win tiebreaker, eye NBA In-Season Tournament knockout round”

• Slug: Sports-CFP Playoff Rankings, 1,400 words.
• Photo available

By Jesse Brawders
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – In the penultimate rankings of the four-team College Football Rankings era, the Pac-12 conference was put in prime position to have one final go at the playoff. Even though the initial road looks clear for the winner, the exact trajectory is still foggy.

No. 3 Washington (12-0, 9-0 Pac-12) and No. 5 Oregon (11-1, 8-1 Pac-12) are set to face off in Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium for the final Pac-12 Championship as we know it Friday night.

At first glance, it’s likely that the winner in Vegas would clinch a spot in the playoff. Where the winner ends up within the last four standing, however, can range from a relatively simple discussion, to one of the most compelling conversations about the No. 3 and 4 spots in CFP history. Continue reading “Vegas, baby: Washington, Oregon aim for Pac-12 and CFP glory”

• Slug: Sports-Fans Help Cardinals Player, 720 words.
• Photo available

By Jordy Fee-Platt

Cronkite News

TEMPE – It was an unorthodox commute to work Sunday for Arizona Cardinals outside linebacker Jesse Luketa, one that he will remember forever.

And the Phillips, a family of Cardinals fans, will, too.

Luketa left the team hotel late Sunday morning, confident he would make his noon report time. However, as he got on the 101 highway before the Cardinals game against the Los Angeles Rams, he received some unfortunate news from his vehicle. Continue reading “Flat chance: Tire mishap inspires Cardinals’ Jesse Luketa to hitch ride to work with fans”

• Slug: Sports-Air Force Power Trio, 1,000 words.
• Photo available

By Sam Stern
Cronkite News

TEMPE – The lessons learned in college athletics often surpass the X’s and O’s on the field. For Chris Howard, the executive vice president and chief operating officer at Arizona State,many of the lasting messages and memories from his time playing football at the U.S. Air Force Academy have helped in pushing him to the position he’s in today.

With the NCAA football regular season nearing its end, and Air Force playing its final regular game against Boise State Friday, Howard reflected upon the impact his experiences with the Air Force Academy have had on his successful executive career.

“I think that football, more importantly for me, taught me teamwork, discipline, self-discipline and attention to detail,” said Howard, who served as the eighth president of Robert Morris University before joining ASU in 2022. “At the end of the day, it’s just about the grit and the grind. I never saw drive on the gridiron and drive in the classroom as being different. I saw them being one of the same, if not at least complementary of each other.” Continue reading “Power trio: ASU EVP Chris Howard reflects on accomplished Air Force backfield”

• Slug: Sports-Territorial Cup Preview,950 words.
• Photo available

By Bennett Silvyn
Cronkite News

TEMPE – As the 97th Territorial Cup looms, Valley football fans from both sides of the aisle eagerly await Saturday’s duel in the desert. Beyond the riveting rivalry, the game between Arizona State and the University of Arizona holds substantial implications for the Pac-12 Championship.

The 2023 Territorial Cup signifies the culmination of a challenging season for ASU and first-year coach Kenny Dillingham. The Sun Devils, with a disappointing 3-8 record, find themselves in an unfamiliar position, striving to salvage pride and make a resounding statement to end a year marked by adversity. Continue reading “ASU football seeks Territorial Cup redemption in bid to spoil UArizona’s Pac-12 title pursuit”

• Slug: Sports-Hayley Horner Kicker, 1730 words.
• 4 photos available

By Sabrina McClain
Cronkite News

SURPRISE – As the school year dwindled last spring, the Paradise Honors High School football team was in dire need of a kicker for the upcoming season before a 16-year-old forward on the soccer team came to the rescue.

It wasn’t someone from the boy’s soccer team, though.

The new kicker was Hayley Horner, who was named the Skyline Region Offensive Player of the Year last winter as a sophomore forward on the Paradise Honors girls soccer team. Continue reading “From fútbol to football: Paradise Honors kicker Hayley Horner breaking barriers”

• Slug: Sports-The Sweet Spot. Runtime 11:14
• Downloadable audio here. (Note: Some web browsers may not support media download)

[Music bed under] 

TSS Host: This is The Sweet Spot where we take a closer look at the week’s biggest sports stories in Arizona. I’m Benjamin Yates and welcome to our very special Thanksgiving edition.

[Music fade in/under]

HOST: On today’s show we discuss a high school women’s basketball team’s connection to the WNBA, the growth of chess tournaments in the Valley, and finally how traditional Thanksgiving foods can be compared to your favorite NFL teams.

Continue reading “The Sweet Spot: Xavier Prep is back, chess is on the board, football gets holiday flavor”

• Slug: Sports-Arizona Cardinals Defense, 960 words.
• Photo available

By Cody Marmon
Cronkite News

TEMPE – It’s the type of play that changes the momentum of a game. Arizona Cardinals linebacker Krys Barnes read the eyes of arguably the NFL’s biggest story this season, Houston’s rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud, in the witching hour where wins become losses, and losses become wins.

Stroud’s pass intended for receiver Robert Woods in the red zone deflected off Woods’ hands and Barnes intercepted it. After a 46-yard return, the Cardinals’ offense was in business near midfield, trailing 21-16 with more than nine minutes left in the fourth quarter. Continue reading “Texas, held ‘em: Defense holds Cards close in Houston as strong suit, eyes redemption vs. Rams”

• Slug: Sports-College Football Playoff Update, 1,000 words.
• Photo available.

By Jesse Brawders
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – In 2016, the Washington Huskies clinched the Pac-12’s second College Football Playoff berth in three years, with a talented young squad yearning for a chance to prove themselves.

Washington was silenced in its conclusion that season, losing 24-7 to No. 1 Alabama and further supporting the narrative that the Pac-12 doesn’t belong in the title conversation.

And now, seven years after their premature playoff exit and the Pac-12’s last appearance, the Huskies have another chance to avenge their school’s reputation by securing a CFP berth. Continue reading “Four real: Washington leaps past Florida State at No. 4 in College Football Playoff rankings”

• Slug: Sports-Wiffle Ball Popularity, 1,400 words.
• 4 photos available.

By Lucas Gordon
Cronkite News

GOODYEAR – When the world shut down three years ago, children across the country were often stuck in their houses for months due to COVID-19.

While many kids took time off from school and responsibilities to play video games, catch up on TV shows and sleep the days away, one 14-year-old mastermind took to his Scottsdale backyard to create one of the most popular sports leagues in the country.

Logan Rose, along with a group of his friends and his younger brother, turned the extended downtime into the Big League Wiffle. The four-team league started in Rose’s backyard, where the team recorded Wiffle ball games and posted them online. Continue reading “Take a Wif of this: Popular childhood game takes big leagues by storm at Goodyear Ballpark”

• Slug: Sports-Adaptive Sports Arizona, 1,326 words.
• Photo available.

By Addison Kalmbach
Cronkite News

TUCSON – The warm southern desert air hit the faces of Abby Dunn, Emilee Gustafson and Hayley Nilsen as they left the comforts of home and hopped on a quick flight to Colorado for the chance of a lifetime.

A dream since their teenage years, the Arizona Wildcats trio arrived at the doors of the world-class U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, where their grueling practices culminated in a life-changing training camp.

And from there, the three UArizona athletes journeyed to Bangkok, Thailand, where they not only won gold medals in their chosen sport on the national stage while representing Team USA, but returned with a fresh arsenal of ideas for an already-successful Wildcats program.  Continue reading “Triumph in Bangkok: Arizona trio win IWBF gold medals, offer fresh perspective on adaptive athletics”

• Slug: Sports-Border League Tournament Photo Essay, 600 words.
• 9 photos available.

By Griffin Greenberg
Cronkite News

LAS VEGAS – One of the most anticipated high school basketball seasons in a long time kicked off in a big way recently, when many of the top players in the game headed to Nevada for the Border League preseason competition.

The event featured top teams from around the country and included 12 games aired on ESPN platforms. Two of the main divisions, the Top Flight Invite and Super 16, were played at Bishop Gorman High School, with most teams taking substitute team names since it was the preseason event and they wanted to avoid any possible repercussions from their home conferences.

Cooper Flagg, AJ Dybantsa and Cameron Boozer are three of the elite prospects that highlighted the competition. Dybantsa is ranked as the nation’s top 2025 recruit and Boozer, son of former NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer, is right behind him at the No. 2 spot. Flagg is the No. 1 ranked player in the 2024 class and is choosing between Duke and Connecticut to play college ball. Continue reading “Photo essay: Future lottery picks hit Las Vegas for Border League high school basketball showcase”

• Slug: Sports-NAU Cross Country Championhips, 1,550 words.
• 4 photos available.

By Logan Stanley
Cronkite News

EARLYSVILLE, Va. – Close, but just not close enough.

On a nearly perfect day for racing at Panorama Farms, the final result was not exactly what the Northern Arizona University cross-country teams envisioned. Both the women and men entered the NCAA Cross Country Championships ranked No. 1 in the nation and both finished runners-up in their respective races.

What could have been a historic day turned out to be a bittersweet one. NAU was seeking to become the third team in collegiate history to sweep the women’s and men’s national championships. Continue reading “Second to run: NAU cross-country men, women finish as runners-up in NCAA championships”