TEMPE – Sun Devil Softball is home at Farrington Stadium this weekend for a three-game series against Kansas to begin the second half of Big 12 play. The series begins at 6 p.m. on Friday with the second game slated for Saturday at 5 p.m. The series finale is on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Fans are encouraged to allow for extra time when arriving at the stadium due to changes to available parking due to construction around the stadium. An updated parking map is available at TheSunDevils.com/softballparking.
Promotions
Another busy weekend of fun promotions begins with the annual Salute to Service game on Friday night. Saturday is our 2010's Decade Celebration and Farrington Funday returns on Sunday with $1 Hot Dogs and Kids Run the Bases after the game.
How to Follow
All three games will be live on ESPN+. Live scoring will be available for every game of the series. Links for all live features are available on the softball schedule page at TheSunDevils.com.
Updates will be provided on social media via X/Twitter (@asusoftball) and Instagram (@sundevilsb).
Sun Devil Notes
ASU heads into the series with a 24-13 overall record, but looking to turn around a 4-6 mark over the last 10 contests. They completed the first half of Big 12 play with a 6-6 record where they are sixth in the standings. The Sun Devils are 19-9 at home on the season.
Offensively, ASU is fourth in the conference with a .314 batting average while scoring 5.32 runs per game. They rank third in the Big 12 with a .495 slugging percentage and with 38 home runs. The team's 53 doubles is second-most in the conference.
Arizona State pitchers have combined to post a 3.20 ERA while ranking fifth in the Big 12 with a 1.30 WHIP. The staff leads the conference – and ranks 11th in the NCAA – with an average of 7.52 strikeouts per seven innings.
Looking Back
ASU went 1-2 during last weekend's trip to play Iowa State. They dropped the first and third games by identical 4-3 scores, while taking the second game 18-4 in five innings.
The Sun Devils fell to No. 18/18 Oklahoma State 4-0 on Wednesday in a non-conference game at Farrington Stadium.
About Kansas
Kansas makes its first trip to Tempe since 2020 with a 16-15 overall record and 6-6 in road games. They sit at 3-6 in Big 12 action after being swept by Texas Tech last weekend in Lawrence.
The Jayhawks average 4.65 runs per game with a .280 batting average. Presley Limbaugh leads the team with 38 hits and a .380 average. Hailey Cripe has hit six home runs with 25 RBIs.
The Kansas staff brings a 3.65 ERA and 1.47 WHIP into the series. Kaelee Washington has a 3.29 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 51.0 innings. Katie Brooks has a team-high 53.0 innings with a 4.09 ERA.
Strike First, Finish Strong
ASU has been jumping on teams early in games this season, outscoring the opposition 62-35 in the first two innings. That includes 37 runs scored in the first inning. They are 11-1 when scoring in the first inning and 16-3 when scoring first overall.
And while scoring in the first has been key, the Sun Devils have also scored late to put teams away. ASU has outscored their opponents 38-16 in the fifth and 22-17 in the sixth. That 60-33 advantage in the later innings has helped the team go 14-1 when leading after five and 17-0 when leading after six.
Youth Movement
One of the youngest teams in the country, ASU has had eight freshmen make at least one appearance so far this season. Those freshmen have combined to make 151 starts, accounting for 41 percent of all starts for the year.
The freshman class is batting .281 with a .890 OPS. They have combined to hit 22 of the team's 38 home runs while driving in 76. The two freshman pitchers are 7-5 with 50 strikeouts.
Brown is Back
After sitting out last season with an injury, Kenzie Brown has returned as one of the top pitchers in the country. Entering the weekend, Brown is second in the NCAA at 11.7 strikeouts per seven innings and third with 167 total strikeouts. Her 1.12 ERA is good for seventh in the country.
Brown had 18 strikeouts against BYU on Mar. 6 to tie the ASU record for strikeouts in a 7-inning game. Her six games with double-digit strikeouts are the most by a Sun Devil since G Juarez in 2018.
Hall Pass
Kelsey Hall opened the season in the starting lineup just 277 days after tearing her ACL. Having started all 37 games, Hall is batting .371 with a 1.060 OPS. She leads the team with 38 RBIs while adding eight home runs.
In her sixth season of collegiate softball, Hall ranks 24th among players with 145 runs, 150 RBIs, and 349 total bases. She also ranks 28th with 38 career home runs.
Tanya Time
Tanya Windle leads the team with 47 hits, 12 doubles, three triples, and a .376 batting average. Her 13 multi-hit games are tied for the team lead with Hall and she is one of two Sun Devils to record four hits in a game this season.
Windle ranks 10th among active NCAA players with 12 triples in her career. Her .396 career batting average is also 10th among active players with at least 425 career at-bats.
Freshman Gem
Tiare Ho-Ching is batting .336 with 38 hits and 22 RBIs on the season. The freshman has one of the two 4-hit games by a Sun Devil this season while adding seven multi-RBI outings. Ho-Ching has a hit in six straight games – her longest streak of the season – and she has been hitless in a game just five times over the last 22 contests.
Earlier this week, D1 Softball had Ho-Ching at No. 9 in their Second Baseman Power Rankings. She was also named the No. 5 freshman in the Big 12 by Softball America on March 25.
Around the Horn
Samantha Swan continues her impressive run of having started all 37 games behind the plate this season. She is fifth in the team with a .330 batting average while adding 10 doubles.
AJ Murphy is batting .368, following a stretch of recording a hit in 10 of the last 13 games. During the run, Murphy is 13-for-28 (.464) with five RBI. On the season, Murphy has three doubles, three home runs, and 16 RBIs.
Ashleigh Mejia leads the club with nine home runs and she is second with 25 RBIs. Six of the freshman's nine homers have tied the game or given ASU the lead. That includes a 2-run homer to give the Sun Devils the lead in its 3-2 win over No. 10/10 Arizona on March 23. Mejia knocked in a season-best four RBIs in the win at Iowa State last Friday.
Meika Lauppe has emerged as the No. 2 pitcher on the staff with a 5-4 record, three saves, and a 2.94 ERA. Her 51 strikeouts are second on the team, and she limits the opposition to a .253 batting average.
Looking Ahead
The Sun Devils return to the road next week for five games. The stretch begins on Wednesday with a doubleheader at UTEP. The team then heads to Salt Lake City for a three-game series at Utah.
Fans are encouraged to allow for extra time when arriving at the stadium due to changes to available parking due to construction around the stadium. An updated parking map is available at TheSunDevils.com/softballparking.
Promotions
Another busy weekend of fun promotions begins with the annual Salute to Service game on Friday night. Saturday is our 2010's Decade Celebration and Farrington Funday returns on Sunday with $1 Hot Dogs and Kids Run the Bases after the game.
How to Follow
All three games will be live on ESPN+. Live scoring will be available for every game of the series. Links for all live features are available on the softball schedule page at TheSunDevils.com.
Updates will be provided on social media via X/Twitter (@asusoftball) and Instagram (@sundevilsb).
Sun Devil Notes
ASU heads into the series with a 24-13 overall record, but looking to turn around a 4-6 mark over the last 10 contests. They completed the first half of Big 12 play with a 6-6 record where they are sixth in the standings. The Sun Devils are 19-9 at home on the season.
Offensively, ASU is fourth in the conference with a .314 batting average while scoring 5.32 runs per game. They rank third in the Big 12 with a .495 slugging percentage and with 38 home runs. The team's 53 doubles is second-most in the conference.
Arizona State pitchers have combined to post a 3.20 ERA while ranking fifth in the Big 12 with a 1.30 WHIP. The staff leads the conference – and ranks 11th in the NCAA – with an average of 7.52 strikeouts per seven innings.
Looking Back
ASU went 1-2 during last weekend's trip to play Iowa State. They dropped the first and third games by identical 4-3 scores, while taking the second game 18-4 in five innings.
The Sun Devils fell to No. 18/18 Oklahoma State 4-0 on Wednesday in a non-conference game at Farrington Stadium.
About Kansas
Kansas makes its first trip to Tempe since 2020 with a 16-15 overall record and 6-6 in road games. They sit at 3-6 in Big 12 action after being swept by Texas Tech last weekend in Lawrence.
The Jayhawks average 4.65 runs per game with a .280 batting average. Presley Limbaugh leads the team with 38 hits and a .380 average. Hailey Cripe has hit six home runs with 25 RBIs.
The Kansas staff brings a 3.65 ERA and 1.47 WHIP into the series. Kaelee Washington has a 3.29 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 51.0 innings. Katie Brooks has a team-high 53.0 innings with a 4.09 ERA.
Strike First, Finish Strong
ASU has been jumping on teams early in games this season, outscoring the opposition 62-35 in the first two innings. That includes 37 runs scored in the first inning. They are 11-1 when scoring in the first inning and 16-3 when scoring first overall.
And while scoring in the first has been key, the Sun Devils have also scored late to put teams away. ASU has outscored their opponents 38-16 in the fifth and 22-17 in the sixth. That 60-33 advantage in the later innings has helped the team go 14-1 when leading after five and 17-0 when leading after six.
Youth Movement
One of the youngest teams in the country, ASU has had eight freshmen make at least one appearance so far this season. Those freshmen have combined to make 151 starts, accounting for 41 percent of all starts for the year.
The freshman class is batting .281 with a .890 OPS. They have combined to hit 22 of the team's 38 home runs while driving in 76. The two freshman pitchers are 7-5 with 50 strikeouts.
Brown is Back
After sitting out last season with an injury, Kenzie Brown has returned as one of the top pitchers in the country. Entering the weekend, Brown is second in the NCAA at 11.7 strikeouts per seven innings and third with 167 total strikeouts. Her 1.12 ERA is good for seventh in the country.
Brown had 18 strikeouts against BYU on Mar. 6 to tie the ASU record for strikeouts in a 7-inning game. Her six games with double-digit strikeouts are the most by a Sun Devil since G Juarez in 2018.
Hall Pass
Kelsey Hall opened the season in the starting lineup just 277 days after tearing her ACL. Having started all 37 games, Hall is batting .371 with a 1.060 OPS. She leads the team with 38 RBIs while adding eight home runs.
In her sixth season of collegiate softball, Hall ranks 24th among players with 145 runs, 150 RBIs, and 349 total bases. She also ranks 28th with 38 career home runs.
Tanya Time
Tanya Windle leads the team with 47 hits, 12 doubles, three triples, and a .376 batting average. Her 13 multi-hit games are tied for the team lead with Hall and she is one of two Sun Devils to record four hits in a game this season.
Windle ranks 10th among active NCAA players with 12 triples in her career. Her .396 career batting average is also 10th among active players with at least 425 career at-bats.
Freshman Gem
Tiare Ho-Ching is batting .336 with 38 hits and 22 RBIs on the season. The freshman has one of the two 4-hit games by a Sun Devil this season while adding seven multi-RBI outings. Ho-Ching has a hit in six straight games – her longest streak of the season – and she has been hitless in a game just five times over the last 22 contests.
Earlier this week, D1 Softball had Ho-Ching at No. 9 in their Second Baseman Power Rankings. She was also named the No. 5 freshman in the Big 12 by Softball America on March 25.
Around the Horn
Samantha Swan continues her impressive run of having started all 37 games behind the plate this season. She is fifth in the team with a .330 batting average while adding 10 doubles.
AJ Murphy is batting .368, following a stretch of recording a hit in 10 of the last 13 games. During the run, Murphy is 13-for-28 (.464) with five RBI. On the season, Murphy has three doubles, three home runs, and 16 RBIs.
Ashleigh Mejia leads the club with nine home runs and she is second with 25 RBIs. Six of the freshman's nine homers have tied the game or given ASU the lead. That includes a 2-run homer to give the Sun Devils the lead in its 3-2 win over No. 10/10 Arizona on March 23. Mejia knocked in a season-best four RBIs in the win at Iowa State last Friday.
Meika Lauppe has emerged as the No. 2 pitcher on the staff with a 5-4 record, three saves, and a 2.94 ERA. Her 51 strikeouts are second on the team, and she limits the opposition to a .253 batting average.
Looking Ahead
The Sun Devils return to the road next week for five games. The stretch begins on Wednesday with a doubleheader at UTEP. The team then heads to Salt Lake City for a three-game series at Utah.