TEMPE -- The No. 19/17 Arizona State University softball team will hit the road for the first time this season as the squad takes part in the annual Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, Calif. The tournament - named after the former Titan Hall of Fame Head Softball Coach and widely regarded as the premiere mid-season collegiate tournament in the country - will be held at the dual diamond Titan Softball Complex from Thursday, March 3, to Sunday, March 6.
The Devils will open up the tournament on Thursday, March 3 at 10 a.m. PT against Long Beach State before taking on host Cal State Fullerton at 3:30 p.m. On Friday, ASU will take on Wisconsin at 8 p.m. and follow that with a contest against No. 18 Missouri on Saturday at 5 p.m. ASU will conclude the weekend on Sunday against Northwestern and No. 24 Baylor starting at 9 a.m. PT.
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION
FLOSoftball will be providing a video stream of some of the games taking place this weekend. Fans may view the stream here: http://www.flosoftball.com/event/252969-judi-garman-classic. Fans should note that FLOSoftball is a paid service.
Fans may also follow @ASUSoftball on Twitter for live updates throughout the weekend.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Pitching has led the way for Long Beach State as both junior Christina Clermont and freshman Cielo Meza are off to great starts this season. Both players rank in the top six in the Big West in ERA, and currently sit No. 2 and No. 3 in strikeouts, having combined for 97 through 14 games. Clermont has opened the season 5-2 and has struck out 48 batters while walking just 9 on the year. Lauren MacLeod has become the team’s primary catcher and is also having a great season at the plate, leading the Beach in hitting with a .387 batting average in 12 games started.
Outfielder Courtney Rodriguez has led the Fullterton offense with a .380 average with 11 RBI while Missy Taukeiaho has provided plenty of pop with a home run and eight doubles this season. Sydney Golden and Desiree Ybarra have done the lion’s share of the work in the circle with Golden leading the team with a 2.72 ERA and Ybarra right behind her at 3.08. As a team. the Titans have been a solid-hitting team and are batting .322 on the season while limiting the opposition to just .266 hitting.
Chloe Miller leads the way with a .372 with a team-leading three home runs and five doubles with 19 RBI - 10 more than any other player on the roster. Opponents have managed to get at the Badger pitching staff this season, posting a .303 average against Wisconsin while the Badgers are hitting just .256. Taylor Page-Stewart and Kirsten Stevens have done alright in the circle, however, posting solid ERAs of 3.61 and 3.78 while striking out 68 batters to just 15 walks between them.
The Tigers hit .425 with 52 runs, 62 hits, eight doubles, two triples, 47 RBI and went 10-for-10 in stolen bases in five games in last weekend at the Mary Nutter Classic. Mizzou’s team .398 average ranks third in the SEC and third in the NCAA. For the past seven seasons, Mizzou has been ranked in each of the major top-25 polls every single week. Beginning with the final 2008 rankings up through the current 2016 rankings, the Tigers have continually been slotted among the nation’s best.
The Wildcats are making their first-ever appearance at the Judi Garman Tournament.NU in ranked in the Top 25 in doubles per game this season (12th), home runs per game (17th), scoring (21st) and slugging (24th). 36 percent of the Wildcats’ hit have gone for extra base hits this season, including Andrea Filler’s 14 out of her 20 total hits. Amy Letourneau has gotten the majority of the team’s nods this season in the circle with seven starts and 11 appearances and the workhorse share with 47.0 innings pitched.
The Bears enter the weekend with the reigning Big 12 Player and Pitcher of the Week in Sarah Smith and Heather Stearns. Smith comes in batting .476 this season with 21 RBI, four home runs and three doubles while Baylor as a team is batting .352 this season. Stearns leads the trio of Bear pitchers this season with 34.0 innings pitched and has a 2.12 ERA with 50 strikeouts to just 13 walks. Kelsee Selman has a team-low 1.61 ERA but has struggled with control at times with 14 walks to 17 strikeouts.
THE VIEW FROM THE TOP
- The Sun Devils have been ranked in the NFCA Coaches Poll 160 consecutive times, a streak that dates back to Week 2 of the 2006 season.
- The Sun Devils entered the top-10 in Week 6 of that season and have since been ranked in the top 10 in 129 of the 160 polls that have taken place since the team entered the rankings in 2006.
- ASU is one of just five programs to lay a claim to being in every poll since early in that 2006 season, joining Michigan, UCLA, Oklahoma and Alabama at the top of the list.
- The Sun Devils inclusion in the Top 25 in this year’s NFCA Preseason Poll marks the 10th consecutive preseason poll the Sun Devils have made an appearance.
- The Sun Devils remained squarely at No. 19 in the NFCA Poll and No. 17 in the ESPN.com Poll after a 4-1 weekend last year.
CHELSEA LATELY
Entering the season, there wasn’t much doubt that Chelsea Gonzales would be the top returning bat in the Sun Devil order this year and she has more than lived up to that billing thus far.
- Gonzales leads the Sun Devils with a .467 average on 21-of-45 hitting this season with a team-leading 22 RBI - a total good for third in the Pac-12 this season.
- Her .933 slugging percentage also tops the Pac-12 among players with the minimum number of at bats while her six home runs are tied for the league lead.
- Gonzales has 10 two-out RBI - three more than any other Sun Devil and a staple of her career at ASU.
- In her first season as starting shortstop last year, Gonzales finished with 122 assists and 102 putouts to just 10 errors (.957 fielding percentage). Her .957 fielding percentage was second among Pac-12 shortstops behind only Utah’s Anissa Urtez (.958), who did so in 43 fewer chances.
- With 25 career home runs, the junior is currently 19th in ASU career history in the category.
PUT ME IN, COACH
Senior Jennifer Soria was among ASU’s hottest players to close out the 2015 campaign and looks to carry that into 2016. The recipient of the team’s hardest worker award for two consecutive seasons, Soria perfectly exemplifies the John Fogerty classic at centerfield.
- Soria is batting .395 on the season with a team-leading 12 walks - a total good for second in the league.
- Her 17 runs scored this year rank second on the team and tied for sixth in the Pac-12.
- Despite batting at leadoff, Soria was the most potent offensive member of the Sun Devils as they got off to a 6-1 start on the season with an upset of #8 Tenneesee. Soria finished the opening weekend with a .429 batting average (9-of-21) and led the team with nine runs scored.
- Soria has advanced runners a team-leading 20 times on 27 chances this season for an unreal .741 clip.
- Against #8 Tennessee, Soria drew the lone walk of the game from UT ace Erin Gabriel with two outs in extra innings. Soria would steal second immediately and move to third on an infield single before sliding in headfirst for the winning run on a passed ball.
- Soria’s defense is good for just about a highlight a game and earned her Pac-12 All-Defensive honors last season.
ABS OF SPIEL
Senior Abby Spiel quietly become a steady contributor to the Sun Devils last season and had the hottest bat to kick off 2016.
- Spiel is batting .413 this season - one of six Sun Devils batting over .400 on the year - and leads the team with 19 runs scored on the season, which is good for third in the Pac-12
- She has knocked seven RBI this season, which is notable as she had just five in her career entering 2016.
- Spiel is a perfect 6-for-6 on stolen bases this season, leading the team in the category and tied for third in the Pac-12.
- Spiel has been among ASU’s best batters with runners in scoring position with a team leading 11 hits this season with RISP on 18 chances (.611)
- Last season, she finished the season with the team’s second-highest batting average with a .364 clip on 28-of-77 hitting.
BREE IT ON
Breanna Macha established herself as a legitimate pitching option as a true freshman last season and picked up where she left off following a strong finish in 2015.
- The sophomore is tied for the team lead with five victories this year and has a save to boot while posting a solid 2.84 ERA - a notable improvement through the first three weekends after having over a 4.00 ERA last year at this time.
- Macha led the team as a freshman in wins (18), strikeouts (152) and total ERA (3.69) - the fifth-lowest total in the Pac-12 among pitchers with 40 or more appearances - and earned All-Pac-12 and NFCA All-West Region honors while being named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman team as well.
- Macha (pronounced maw-haw) finished with 152 strikeouts, the fourth highest total in the Pac-12.
- Her 212.1 innings pitched were second most in the conference while she was third in the conference with five saves.
IN THE NIKK OF TIME
The Sun Devils aren’t exactly fielding a true team of veterans in 2016 and the only multi-year starter in the field coming into the season is season Nikki Girard. As a result, her leadership will be heavily relied on to help pace ASU this season.
- A proven gap-hitter, Girard is 13th in ASU history with 35 career doubles.
- Girard was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week after a stellar weekend at the Diamond Devil Invite where she when 10-for-12 with nine RBI and slugging 1.414.
- Girard has been otherworldly with runners in scoring position this season and is 14-for-21 on the year (.667) in that situation. That total is especially impressive when you consider she has 19 total hits on the year.
- She is second on the team with 17 RBI this season and leads the squad with six doubles.
- Girard finished with 11 doubles last season and was a menace to strike out, doing so just five times in the regular season in 149 at bats and was ranked as the second-toughest person to strikeout in the Pac-12 and 10th-toughest nationally enetering the postseason.
- She was one of just two players nationally from a power conference school with five or fewer strikeouts with a minimum of two at bats per game.
- Perhaps the most exciting aspect of her game, however, is her ability to post at least one highlight reel defensive play per game at second base as she finished the year with a solid .963 fielding percentage last season and earned a spot on the All-Pac-12 Defensive team as a result.
TAYLOR GANG
True freshman Taylor Becerra became the first frosh to earn a starting nod opening weekend and did so at third base. She became the first true freshman to start for the Sun Devils at third since the person she replaced at that position: Haley Steele back in 2012.
- Becerra has been a pleasant surprise early this season and finds herself third on the team with a .432 average and a .533 OBP.
- Becerra’s speed makes her a threat to reach any time she can get the ball into play and caused two errors against Montana that helped ASU open the game up in a 9-2 victory.
ADIOS, PALACIOS
Junior catcher Sashel Palacios was perhaps one of the biggest surprises of the 2015 campaign as she went from a reserve role as a freshman to the starting catcher by the midway point of her sophomore season.
- Palacios didn’t necessary get off to a hot start this year but has been among the hottest hitters on the team and comes into the weekend with a nine-game hitting streak.
- Palacios is batting .314 on the year with two homers and 13 RBI and is a perfect 7-for-7 this season with a runner on third and less than two outs - leading the Devils in the category.
- She finished fifth on the team with a .323 average last season. Her .459 on-base percentage was good for third on the team and she was incredibly proficient at advancing baserunners, doing so 52 times in 93 opportunities, a .559 average that was third among the team’s starters.
- Her 141 putouts were second on the team and she led the team with five runners thrown out attempting to steal base.
- Palacios doesn’t have an error during the regular season, earning Pac-12 All-Defensive team honors while also being named a Third-Team All-West Region selection.
RYNDAK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN
Sophomore RHP Dale Ryndak had a solid freshman campaign last season and is looking to build upon that in year two.
- Ryndak has opened 2016 with a solid 2.39 ERA and is the only undefeated pitcher on the roster at 5-0
- The sophomore has been near impossible to get a hit off of when she has runners in scoring position as the opposition is 4-for-30 against her when she gets in a jam this year.
- She’s also efficiently closed out innings as opponents are just 1-of-14 (1-for-14) against her when they have runners in scoring position and two outs.
- Ryndak finished with a 14-8 record last season and was fourth in the Pac-12 with 37 batters struck out looking.
- She finished with 143.1 innings pitched on the season, ninth in the conference, and her 82 total strikeouts were 10th in the Pac-12.
KICKING IT INTO AGUIRRE
Senior catcher Katee Aguirre looks to have a much larger role in 2016 behind the plate in both senses.
- Katee Aguirre has been solid early for the Sun Devils, second on the team with four doubles this season while posting a .385 overall average. She has thrived with being the first person to get on base for ASU with eight hits on 14 chances (.571) this season.
- Her 13 RBI are fourth on the team and notable as she had just 13 total RBI in all of 2015.
- Last year, Katee Aguirre and Sashel Palacios combined for 173 recorded putouts and 13 assists with ZERO errors during the regular season for a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. The duo’s perfect fielding percentage was notable as there were just seven players in the Pac-12 conference with 50 or more chances during the regular season that did not have a single error.
KEL’S BELLS
Redshirt junior transfer Kelsey Kessler made her Sun Devil debut a memorable one and figures to be a major part of the pitching rotation this season.
- Kessler threw an absolute gem in a complete game, 6-0 shutout of Illinois State. The redshirt junior struck out 12, walked none and was dominant in the effort.
- Kessler is 5-1 on the season with a team-leading two saves, which is good for fifth nationally.
- The junior leads the way with 50 strikeouts, a total that is 29 more than any other pitcher on the squad and currently good for fouth in the conference. She has just seven walks this season for over a 7:1 strikeout to walk ratio.
GET ON BASE AND CHIL
Nichole Chilson has been perhaps the biggest surprise this season and quickly becoming a staple in the Sun Devil order.
- Chilson is second on the team with a .459 average this season with 13 RBI and a team-leading .545 OBP - a total good for fifth in the Pac-12 this season.
- The sophomore has been ASU’s most consistent batter with two outs this year, batting 7-for-10 on the season when it’s up to her to keep the inning alive.
DOUBLE THE FUN
Without question, one of the biggest turnarounds for the Sun Devils last season came on the defensive end of the ball in being able to turn double plays.
- ASU is currently third in the Pac-12 with six double plays this season - good for 22nd nationally.
- ASU turned 35 double plays in 2015, a 0.60 per game average that was good for fourth nationally on the year.
- In 2014, ASU was ranked 203rd out of 289 programs in double plays per game, turning just 13 total on the season for a 0.22 double play per game average.
WALK THIS WAY
While ASU’s strikeout numbers may be up a bit compared to last season, the team is still exceptional on getting on base without having to swing the bat
- The Devils are currently second in the Pac-12 with 70 walks this season, a total that is good for 12th nationally.
- ASU had 276 walks overall in 2015 --the eighth-highest total nationally- to create nearly a 2:1 walk to strikeout ratio.
- During the regular season, ASU worked the count full 214 times (11 percent of 1,798 total plate appearaces) and on the 113 of those full counts where the ball was not put into play, ASU drew 87 walks on the payoff pitch to just 25 strikeouts, an incredible 3.5 to 1 ratio.
ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US
ASU lost 64 percent of its extra base hits to graduation following last season and returns just 29 of the 81 home runs the Devils hit on the season (35.8 percent). That said, fans can expect a slightly different offense than they might be accustomed to and part of that success is going to come on the base path.
- The Devils stole 22 bases through the first three weekends of action, a very notable tally as ASU had just 12 TOTAL steals in the 2015 campaign. The total is currently third in the Pac-12 and 41st nationally out over over 200 teams after finishing as one of the 10 worst clubs in the category in 2015.
- Abby Spiel’s six stolen bases this season are tied for third in the Pac-12.
- ASU has used pinch runners 24 times in 17 games thus far and brought those pinch runners home on 16 occasions (.667).
TAKE IT FOR A RIDE
The storyline around the Sun Devils entering the season was that the squad would need to utilize small ball to win games. While the sample size is still small, ASU is winning games in all manner of ways and the long ball in certainly playing a big role in that
- The Devils have hit 24 home runs in 2016, good for fifth nationally and second in the Pac-12.
- Arizona State has developed a reputation for knocking the ball out of the park and did so 81 times last regular season, a total that was second in the Pac-12 and 17th in the nation.
KEEPING IT IN THE PARK
One area the Sun Devil pitching staff will certainly need to improve in is keeping the ball in the park after a terrible year in the category last season.
- The sample size is small but the results look to be there early in 2016 as ASU allowed just 13 home runs in 17 games thus far. Through 17 games last season, ASU over 20 home runs.
- ASU gave up 81 bombs in 2015 and that ranked as the worst total in the entire nation.
- Of the 266 runs scored against the Devils last season, 130 came as a result of home runs - nearly half of the total runs scored against the Devils on the year.
SUCCESS WITH BASES JUICED
The Sun Devils have done their fair share of work with the bases loaded in recent seasons, but have also struggled mightily at times as well.
- While there have been no grand slams this season, ASU is 13-for-31 (.419) with the bases loaded while allowing opponents to load the bases just four times.
- The ASU offense knocked six grand slams in 2014, two more than the 2013 season and just two shy of the total from 2012 and 2013 combined (8).
- The Devils hit eight grand slams in 2015 and lived and died by their success with the bases loaded.
- Three of those grand slams resulted in “walk-off” victories, two by the true definition and one forcing a run-rule ending.
- The Devils were just 2-for-30 (.067) with the bases loaded in the team’s 20 losses during the regular season while hitting 33-for-782 (.402) with the bases loaded in the team’s wins.
- All eight grand slams came in victories.
GAZING INTO THE CRYSTAL BALL
Robert Wagner has had some pretty impressive success with his pinch-hitting choices this season.
- ASU’s pinch hitters are batting 10-for-28 (.357) this season.
- Nichole Chilson and Sashel Palacios both have pinch hit home runs this season and are both 2-for-2 on the year when getting the call from the dugout.
- Opponent pinch hitters are just 1-of-8 against ASU thus far.
SCORE MORE TO WIN MORE
Much of ASU’s success this season has been made while capitalizing on having runners in scoring position while limiting the opposition in those circumstances.
- ASU is batting .388 as a team (71-of-183) with runners in scoring position this season while limiting opponents to just 19-of-95 hitting (.200) with RISP.
- Nikki Girard has paved that attack with 14 hits on 21 at bats with the bases loaded while Jennifer Soria and Nichole Chilson both have double digit hits this season with RISP.