LEADING OFF...
• Arizona State will step out of Pac-12 play for a pair of doubleheaders Friday and Saturday against BYU and North Dakota State. The weekends matchups will mark the final non-conference home games for the Sun Devils in 2018.
• The Sun Devils enter the weekend atop the Pac-12 standings following a weekend sweep of the Golden Bears in Berkeley last weekend. The 27-4, 5-1 Sun Devils check in just above No. 1 Washington and No. 3 UCLA who have posted identical 4-2 records so far in conference play.
• Sophomore pitcher, G Juarez, has been absolutely lights out in the circle for the Sun Devils in 2018. On Monday, Juarez was named the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week for the third-straight week, and picked up NFCA Pitcher of the Week and ESPN/USA Softball Player of the Week honors for her efforts last week.
• As a team, ASU enters the weekend slate batting .297 on the season, including an eye-popping 1.17 home runs per game, a mark that ranks 11th nationally. Five Sun Devil batters are hitting at or above .300 on the season, including freshman first baseman Danielle Gibson who is hitting at a .413 clip.
• Freshman Danielle Gibson has hit her stride in the Maroon and Gold this season. The Murrieta, Calif., native has gone 33-for-80 at the plate this season, including blasting a team-leading 10 home runs. Her .888 slugging percentage leads the Pac-12 this season and ranks eighth nationally entering the weekend tilt.
• To this point in the season, ASU has outhit opponents, 240-131, leading to a 173-54 ASU lead in runs scored. Entering the weekend series, ASU's 5.58 runs per game average ranks No. 39 in the country, and sixth in the Pac-12.
• As a staff, the Sun Devil pitchers have combined to post a 1.14 ERA, the ninth-lowest ERA in the country entering the weekend. Sophomore G Juarez has anchored the staff, posting a 0.71 ERA through the season, a mark that ranks fifth-nationally and second in the Pac-12.
G-PEAT (G)REATNESS...
After a series sweep of the No. 20 ranked Cal Golden Bears, left-handed pitcher G Juarez received two of the most prestigious NCAA awards for the week, earning both NFCA and USA Softball Division I National Pitcher of the Week honors, announced Tuesday afternoon. The National Pitcher of the Week recognition is the first for Juarez and marks the first time an Arizona State pitcher has received the honor since Dallas Escobedo received the award in 2014. Juarez also earned Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week honors for her third consecutive week, becoming the first Sun Devil to win the award in three straight weeks, and the first Pac-12 pitcher to win it three times in a row since All-America Danielle Lawrie (Washington) won it four straight weeks in 2010.
FORD CLAIMS WIN NO. 200...
With the Sun Devils' 3-1 win over No. 20 California this past weekend, head coach Trisha Ford claimed her 200th career victory. Entering the weekend, Ford has amassed a 201-99-1 career-record that includes a 56-28 record at ASU.
NOTHING'S FREE...
In total, ASU has allowed just 39 walks so far in 2018, while tallying 244 strikeouts. Those numbers translate into an incredible 6.26 strikeout to walk ratio, the third-best in the nation and second-best in the Pac-12.
SUN DEVILS FACE CHALLENGING SCHEDULE IN 2018...
To be the best you have to play the best. That idea is not lost on the coaches at Arizona State who have set out on a 2018 schedule that features 22 games against teams ranked in the preseason top-25. Those games include a three-game series against conference foes Oregon, Washington, UCLA and Utah, who check in at No. 3, No. 4, No. 5 and No. 15 respectively. Entering the week, Arizona State's remaining schedule checks in as the 16th toughest, based on opponent win percentage. Looking at the most recent rankings, ASU has scheduled contests against 12 teams that are currently either ranked or receiving votes. Against that schedule, ASU has carded a .821 win percentage, the eighth best in the nation.
PITCHING POWERING SUN DEVIL SUCCESS...
ASU's pitching has been unbelievably impressive through the first seven weeks of the season. So far in 2018, opposing batters have been held to a miniscule .175 batting average, and have only scored a handful of runs. As a staff, the Sun Devil pitchers have posted an impressive 1.14 ERA, a mark that ranks ninth nationally, and third in the Pac-12. Individually, G Juarez leads the way for ASU with a 0.71 ERA, a mark that ranks No. 5 nationally.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION....
North Dakota State
The Bison enter the weekend winners of six of their last nine outings, including a win over No. 10 LSU. As a team, the Bison are hitting at a .258 clip, while their pitching staff has notched a staff ERA of 2.58. At the plate, NDSU is led by Bre Beatty who has posted a .382 batting average in her 89 at-bats this season. Beatty enters the weekend slate with a three-game hit streak on the line. North Dakota State pitcher Jacquelyn Sertic was named the Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I Pitcher of the Week on March 20, making her the first NDSU player to earn the honor. On the season, Sertic has posted a 1.74 ERA in 124 innings pitched.
BYU
The Cougars of BYU head to Tempe boasting a 17-14 record, that includes a 3-1 upset victory over No. 13 Baylor in their last outing. Sophomore pitcher Kerisa Viramontes has been named the West Coast Conference Pitcher of the Week, her first of the season and second of her career. She pitched three complete games for BYU en route to a 0.28 ERA over 25.1 innings pitched. Viramontes opened the week throwing 199 pitches in a 12-inning walk-off loss at No. 10/11 LSU, giving up no earned runs in the complete game. She also pitched in BYU's 3-1 win against No. 13/14 Baylor, going seven innings with just five hits and one earned run allowed. Viramontes had seven strikeouts on the week while lowering her season ERA to 1.83.
ON DECK...
Following the weekend slate, the eighth ranked Sun Devils will continue Pac-12 play with a road series at Oregon State April 6th through 8th. After the short road-stand, the Sun Devils will return home to host No. 5 Oregon and No. 11 Arizona for back-to-back three-game series.