Arizona State baseball wins NCAA baseball region opener

The start of summer is looming in Arizona, and there’s plenty of activity. Phoenix Rising FC’s USL Championship soccer and Arizona Rattlers seasons are in full swing, along with new women’s soccer club Desert Dreams FC.

Here are the news and events happening around Arizona sports.

Arizona State baseball wins opener at L.A. regional

The Arizona State baseball team defeated UC Irvine 4-2 in the Los Angeles Regional of the NCAA baseball tournament Friday night and will advance in the winner’s bracket.

The Sun Devils were fueled by homers from first baseman Jacob Tobias and outfielder Isaiah Jackson in a game played at UCLA’s Jackie Robinson Stadium on Friday, May 30.

The No. 3-seeded Sun Devils (35-22 regular season, 18-12 in Big 12) next will face No. 1-seed and host UCLA (No. 15 nationally) on Saturday, May 31, at 6 p.m., in the double-elimination tournament. The two teams split two games played at UCLA during the regular season. The game will stream on ESPN+.

The Bruins defeated No. 4 seed Fresno State in the opener. Fresno State and No. 2 UC Irvine will face each other next in the loser bracket game at noon on May 31.

-Republic staff

Perry High to honor NBA Finals star

Former Gilbert Perry guard Jalen Williams will be honored at his alma mater starting June 5, when the school and Chandler Unified School District will unveil “Jalen Williams Way” to enter the school’s main parking lot.

The renaming will remain for the entirety of the NBA Finals.

It is called Perry Puma Drive, but the school and district wanted to show their support for one of their greatest alumni during the NBA Finals. Williams helped lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to the NBA Finals with a five-game series win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The school and district did something similar two years ago, when San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy led the team to the Super Bowl in only his second NFL season.

Purdy starred at Perry, leading the Pumas to the 6A state final in 2017, before graduating in 2018. That street sign read, “Brock Purdy Way,” and stayed up until after the Super Bowl, which the 49ers lost in overtime to the Kansas City Chiefs.

The 6-foot-6 Williams was coach Sam Duane Jr.’s first big star at Perry, where he graduated in 2019, leading the Pumas with 25 points a game, before playing at Santa Clara. Duane, who stepped down after leading the Pumas to their fourth straight state championship this past season, will be on hand for the street being renamed.

— Richard Obert

Former Arizona State women’s basketball head coach Natasha Adair is headed to Syracuse to be the associate head coach.

“We are excited to have Natasha Adair join our Orange Family,” head coach Felisha Legette-Jack said in a statement. “She has a plethora of experience. She’s a 15-year head coaching veteran with experience from high and mid-major to the Power 4 level. She is a winner, a motivator, a team player and a ferocious recruiter. We are more than thrilled to have her join our Orange Family.”

Adair coached at ASU from 2022 to 2025 and was 29-62 (.319) overall and 7-47 (.129) in conference play (Pac-12 and Big 12 combined). She was fired on March 8 and replaced by Molly Miller on March 22.

Head coach Pa-Modou Kah’s Phoenix Rising FC squad continued its turnaround, winning for the third straight time on May 28 in Las Vegas.

The team’s 1-0 win over the Las Vegas Lights FC featured midfielder Noble Okello scoring his second goal of the season, while goalkeeper Patrick Rakovsky’s penalty-kick save in second-half stoppage time ensured the win.

“It’s tough when you have a layoff of 10 days and you’re already in rhythm,” Kah said. “Being able to get out with a win and a great penalty save from (Rakovsky), that just shows the confidence the team has at this moment, but we know we can play better.”

The Rising (4-3-4) moved up to fifth in the USL Western Conference. The win came a day after the club announced it had mutually parted ways with midfielder Giulio Doratiotto. The 21-year-old from Italy contributed two goals and two assists in 31 appearances (15 starts) for the club.

“We definitely want to use the momentum, build on it and go forward,” Okello said. “Right now we’re gaining confidence and it’s a good opportunity for everyone to keep this attitude going into the games ahead.”

For the first time since late 2023, Rising FC has won three straight regular-season matches. The club has not lost a league match since April 12 and extended its road record to 3-1-2. Rakovsky finished with five saves.

Rising FC’s next game is a USL Jägermeister Cup match against New Mexico United at 7:30 p.m. Arizona time on Saturday, May 31, at Phoenix Rising Stadium. Broadcast coverage will be available on AZFS and ESPN+, with radio coverage available on KDUS 1060 AM (English) and La Onda 99.5 FM (Spanish).

—José M. Romero

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