Tips on preparing for the Phoenix heat?

I know it's more of a dry heat compared to the high humidity and high temps we have back east, but in hot conditions it always advised to hydrate, hydrate, and hydrate more.  In other words, drink lots of water before, during and after.    Also stay in the shade (if any) as much as possible.  Maybe have an umbrella to shade themselves from the sun if no shade available.

Take a small cooler with ice/cool water and a couple of hotel hand towels soaked in the water.  Wrap around backside of your neck every once in a while and you should be fine.

Works great for the players too.

Also, one of the best items I've found as a fan is a UV umbrella from these guys.  Extremely high quality and you can feel the temp drop 15+ degrees as soon as you pop it open.  I have nothing to do with this company, so this is truly an honest opinion

http://www.uv-blocker.com/

A fan mister bottle that you can get at Walmart.

A Frogg Togg.

The Phoenix desert was the only place I have been where I drank 3 bottles of water and didn't have to pee (sorry if tmi).

Stay hydrated!

LOVE the umbrella on the link that Nuke83 posted, and may have to get one.  We use a Joe Shade, which may be a little hard to travel with.

Love our Joe Shade but kind of difficult to set up in some stands.  Have an older model with no tilt but have seen newer models with tilt.  Can practically seat two folks under one of these.

There are also pressurized mister that you can attach to the umbrella when it starts getting unbearable.  Drops the temp another 10-15 degrees as long as you don't mind a little dampness on your clothes.

Come spend this weekend in SE GA, the dry heat of the desert will feel tropical.

Seriously, lots of water, lots of sunscreen, light colored clothing (I like the Dry Fit-type material).

Expect the unexpected. . . typical high temperatures at around 105 but it's not unusual to be 110+ at this time of year.  At night it typically doesn't fall below 90 until after midnight ( no trade-winds)  ;-)  Bring umbrella for shade and to stay dry in case it rains.  It IS monsoon season where rains can be heavy though they come and go relatively quickly.  If it does rain on you,  the air will then feel somewhat familiar to you as the air will still be hot but now humid for a while.  Dress as you might on a hot day at at your local beach.

As mention, it's very important to stay well hydrated (even the parents) as there is little shade to use depending on which fields you're on at that complex. Even though you're hydrated, bring plenty of water to the games to stay that way.  There's plenty of shopping, fast foods and restaurants all around the complex (e.g. Target) to be able to buy drinks and snacks. 

It's not unusual for parent some parent to have a folding tent to use for shade in the stands.  Being able to sit in the shade really helps and if you have a little portable mister, those will help too.  I highly recommend too what Just Baseball did.. . . have a cooler (even if you just buy a cheep throwaway foam one) for ice water to put some hotel hand towels in for wrapping around your neck.  This by far really keeps you feeling cool and fresh and it's particularly helpful to the players if they have one in the dugout to use every time they come off the field.

PS: Now that I live in the general area, I will probably try to get over there to see some of those games.

Back to the original question, my son was born and raised in SC heat and humidity.  His freshman year in college they travel to Arizona State for a super regional.  Unfortunately, his mom and I could not make the trip.  His first day there I asked about the weather.  His response was "It's not bad, it's a dry heat."  But, after a couple of days that changed to "this place is a blast furnace."

My college roommate now lives in Chandler AZ. He comes home for visits and says he will take the AZ heat anytime over of that of SE GA. 98°F, 95% humidity, and no breeze makes for miserable living outside.

If the complex will allow coolers, a small cooler with Frog Togs in a bag works wonders. A tent is great if permitted as well

Yup, that's a very good description of how it feels.... particularly immediately when stepping out into the weather from some air-conditioned environment like your hotel or car. 

Thanks, everyone.  Gonna be a blast (furnace)!

I'm hoping that it's like jumping into cold water, uncomfortable at first, but then you get used to it.  Yeah, right.

Hate to say it but it's essential to avoid adult beverages until the sun goes down. They'll dry you out quicker than a pottery kiln.

I played in Arizona heat my entire life (110 plus multiple times), just be happy you will be observing and not playing

Hydrate well before, during and after. Id bring an ice chest with way more water than you need and some small towels to put on your neck if needed. Bring a blanket or something to cover whatever you are sitting on. Bleachers get hot. Light colored clothing that is light and breathable. It isn't nearly as bad if you are in the shade, so I would have an umbrella or something else that could provide such. They sell those battery operated hand fans, I remember a lot of moms using those. Also, a spray bottle with Ice water inside is nice to spray on yourself every once in a while.

It is a dry heat and not as miserable as the south when it gets really hot in the summer, but it is still no joke. Shade alone literally makes 110 feel like 100 though, that will be your biggest friend.

You can put one or both hands in the ice water in the cooler, for approx one minute.  This will circulate cooler blood throughout the body.

You can also freeze your water bottles.  Then hold it with your bare hands, or even drink it that way.  Again, this will cool the entire body.

Have the players remove their hats every time they enter the dugout.  Some heat escapes via the top of the head.

Also, be on the lookout for any players/parents that are yawning excessively during the day.  That can be an early symptom of heat exhaustion.

Our solution was to move to San Diego many years ago   I lived thru more PHX summers than I care to remember.Your son's games will probably be at night which is more bearable than the during the day.

Pedialyte, if you can stand the taste.

That's what I thought some years ago when my son and I came to this very same complex.  Most games were in the a.m. and ended around 1 or 2 p.m.  Then one day, for some reason I don't recall, son's team was to play a team out in Surprise with a start time of 2:00 p.m.!  AND.  . . the temperature at game time hit 116 for two days (BTW, this was in August).  I couldn't believe they scheduled the game then and as hot as it was they didn't reschedule when they could have for the evening after sundown.  Whew!   The game was on artificial turf and can estimate the infield was approaching 130 degrees.  The ice chest of cold towels REALLY helped the players get through the game.