The three-game series between the two teams will kick off on Friday with a 7:00 p.m. first pitch in game one. Game two is slated for 6:00 p.m. Saturday, with the series final set for a noon start on Sunday.
FOLLOW THE ACTION...
Friday: 7 p.m. / Live Stats / Free Live Stream
Saturday: 6 p.m. / Live Stats / Free Live Stream
Sunday: 12 p.m. / Live Stats / Free Live Stream
LEADING OFF...
• The Sun Devils enter the weekend tied for second in the Pac-12 standings by way of their .778-win percentage. ASU is tied with Oregon, and followed in the standings by UCLA and Arizona. Washington, who lost two of three in Tempe in the first week of Pac-12 play, lead the pack entering the weekend.
• The legend of G Juarez added another chapter this weekend, as the sophomore south paw delivered a Herculean effort to defeat Oregon State on Sunday in Corvallis. Juarez pitched a complete 15-innings, throwing 205 pitches while battling through wet conditions, to seal the Sun Devils' third-consecutive conference series win, 2-1.
• As a team, ASU enters the weekend slate batting .303 on the season, while averaging an eye popping 1.13 home runs per game, a mark that ranks 12th- nationally. Six Sun Devils are hitting at or above .300 on the season, including freshman first baseman Danielle Gibson who is hitting at a team-leading .413 clip.
• To this point in the season, ASU has outhit opponents, 305-158, leading to a 223-66 ASU lead in runs scored. Entering the weekend series, ASU's 5.87 runs per game average ranks No. 27 in the country, and fourth in the Pac-12.
• As a staff, the Sun Devil pitchers have combined to post a 1.17 ERA, the seventh- lowest ERA in the country entering the weekend. Sophomore G Juarez has anchored the staff, posting a 0.70 ERA through the season, a mark that ranks sixth-nationally and second in the Pac-12.
• With the pair of wins last weekend, ASU improved to 32-5 on the year, matching their win total from 2016 with 17 games still left on the regular season schedule.
(G)REATNESS ALL MARCH...
Sophomore lefty G Juarez has been a force to be reckoned with all season, but the Glendale, Ariz., native really hit her stride through the month of March. Through her 70-innings pitched, G notched 11 wins while maintaining a pristine 0.10 ERA and chalking up 122 strikeouts. All of this led to Juarez earning Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week honors in four-consecutive weeks, matching Washington's Danielle Lawrie as the only Pac-12 pitcher to earn the honor in four-straight weeks during the 2010 season. With the latest nod, Juarez became the first ASU pitcher to earn Pac-12 weekly recognition four times in a single season, surpassing Dallas Escobedo (2013) Hillary Bach (2012) and Katie Burkhart (2007 and 2008) as the only pitchers to earn the honor three times in a single season. Katelyn Boyd is the only Sun Devil to join Juarez with four weekly honors, earning Player of the Week recognition four times during the 2012 season.
NO WALK ZONE...
In total, ASU has allowed just 52 walks so far in 2018, while tallying 298 strikeouts. Those numbers translate into an incredible 5.73 strikeout to walk ratio, the fifth-best in the nation and second-best in the Pac-12. Individually, G Juarez has allowed just 25 walks in her 130-innings pitched, translating to a 8.04 strikeout to walk ratio, a mark that ranks sixth in the nation entering the weekend series.
AIN'T IT GRAND...
On the season ASU has connected on three grand slams, with the last two coming from two of the Sun Devils' most unlikely of places. During ASU's road trip to face then No. 20 Cal, Skylar McCarty launched a grand-slam in the Arizona State's 4-0 win to complete the series sweep of the Golden Bears. McCarty's effort was followed by a grand-slam by outfielder Kindra Hackbarth, who unloaded on one in ASU's 10-3 win over BYU. In both instances, the home run was the first career-long ball for each player.
SUN DEVILS FACE CHALLENGING SCHEDULE IN 2018...
To be the best you have got to play the best. That is an idea 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 checked in at No. 3, No. 4, No. 5 and No. 15 respectively. Entering the week, Arizona State's past schedule checks in as the 13th- toughest, based on opponent win percentage. Looking at the most recent rankings, ASU still has scheduled contests against three teams that are currently either ranked or receiving votes, and meetings with a total of nine teams that are currently ranked. Against that schedule, ASU has carded a .868 win percentage, the fifth best in the nation.
PITCHING POWERS SUN DEVIL SUCCESS...
ASU's pitching has been unbelievably impressive through the 2018 season. So far this year, opposing batters have been held to a miniscule .169 batting average, and have only scored a handful of runs. As a staff, the Sun Devil pitchers have posted an impressive 1.18 ERA, a mark that ranks ninth- nationally, and third in the Pac-12.
FORD CLAIMS WIN NO. 200...
With the Sun Devils' 3-1 win over No. 20 California earlier this season, head coach Trisha Ford claimed her 200th- career victory. Entering the weekend, Ford has amassed a 205-99-1 career-record that includes a 62-26 record at ASU.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION....
Oregon enters the weekend tilt as one of the hottest teams in the nation following a series sweep of Arizona last weekend. Riding a six-game win streak, the Ducks have outscored Pac-12 opponents, 47-19, including outscoring the Wildcats, 23-2, last weekend. The Ducks enter the weekend series as one of the most balanced teams in the country, batting at a .324 clip, a mark that ranks 13th in the nation. In the circle, Oregon is just as impressive, boasting a 1.02 ERA, the fourth-best ERA in the nation entering the week.
ON DECK...
Following the weekend series against the Ducks, ASU will stay home to host No. 9 Arizona, April 20-22. All three games of the Arizona series will be aired by the Pac-12 Network.