TEMPE, Ariz. -- Chelsea Gonzales' long-ball acumen does not come at the expense of other parts of her game. The Sun Devils senior has struck out just eight times in 82 at-bats, she leads or is tied for the team lead in virtually every offensive category, she has a .950 fielding percentage from the shortstop position and you'd have an easier time pulling her teeth than getting her to talk about any of those statistical realities.
All the same, with six home runs already this season, Gonzales has climbed into eighth place on ASU's all-time home run list with 37, and with six more shots she could take over sixth place before her career ends. When you're delivering the coolest play in softball, it's OK to admit it feels good.
"It's always an awesome feeling," Gonzales said, laughing. "We obviously don't try and hit home runs. We just work on mechanics and other parts of our game. I've always been a line drive hitter, but there are times when the ball just goes out and it's always like a bonus; it's really cool."
It's hard to poke holes in any part of Gonzales' game this season. She leads the team in batting average (.390), slugging percentage (.756) RBI (28), doubles (eight), triples (2), sacrifice flies (3), runs (22) and total bases (62). Along with homers, she is also tied for the team lead in hits with 32.
Those numbers don't surprise Sun Devils coach Trisha Ford; she's just happy for her do-everything shortstop.
"You want to have that kind of season to put your stamp on the program and she has," Ford said. "She puts in the work, she's intense and she's a team leader -- she does all the things necessary to succeed -- but more importantly she comes out here and has fun with the girls and she sets such an important example."
Gonzales' greatest gift to her teammates may be the way she handles pressure.
"We always tell them pressure is a privilege, and what we mean by that is not everybody gets to come out here and do this," Ford said. "In those pressure situations, just as in life, you can either think great things are about to happen or you can think the world is going to end. [Assistant] coach [Carly] Wynn will talk to them about taking a deep breath, feeling that pressure and feeling the excitement in the air and thinking 'how cool is this?'
"Gonzo has figured out a way in pressure situations to look at it as something exciting is about to happen. When there are people on base and she's up to bat, we all know what's about to happen. From a freshman's standpoint, you have somebody who has really come through in pressure situations and they get to see that, they get to be around it, they get to talk to her about it and she talks to them and tells them, 'I feel the same things you do, the same pressures, but I've learned how to channel them this way or deal with it this way.' That's what you want. You want players to pass that baton of excellence down the lines and that's how you become a great program."
Gonzales has witnessed plenty of change in her four seasons as a Sun Devil. Former coach Clint Myers (now at Auburn) recruited her and she admits it was hard to watch him leave before she arrived.
"In that transition period, it was different and then seeing Auburn doing really well was hard," she said. "As I got older, I understood it more. They left for a reason and the change was just a new opportunity."
Ford represents the fourth coach for whom Gonzales has played at ASU after Craig Nicholson and co-interim coaches Robert Wagner and Letty Olivarez. With all that change, she could have approached the new staff with skepticism.
"Selfishly from a coaching standpoint, having a senior that has gone through all that transition and was still here to welcome us in with open arms and really buy in, you really can't script it any better," Ford said. "She's even going to stay with us next year and be a GA and I love that. That's the mama bear in me. I want to help shape them into great, strong, decisive women. I want them to be around greatness, become that greatness and share that greatness. Chelsea does a great job of sharing. She understands it's a family and I think we lost that for a couple of years here."
Home runs are not the only category in which Gonzales has etched her name in the Sun Devils record books. She is currently tied for ninth all-time in RBI with 162; three behind eighth-place Kara Brun.
"That's awesome that I'm in it but I don't tend to think about that stuff; that's just not who I am," she said. "My team is so much fun that it's fun to come out for game days. With coach Ford coming in it has been another change but it's been a good change and I love her. This is my last year so I want to make sure I have a good and fun year."
In Gonzales' perfect world, the year will end with her achieving the one goal she always figured she would achieve at ASU.
"All I know is softball so it will be cool to stick around after I'm done playing," Gonzales said. "But my goal was to go to the World Series and it's my last year. We're going to try and push it this year."
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All the same, with six home runs already this season, Gonzales has climbed into eighth place on ASU's all-time home run list with 37, and with six more shots she could take over sixth place before her career ends. When you're delivering the coolest play in softball, it's OK to admit it feels good.
"It's always an awesome feeling," Gonzales said, laughing. "We obviously don't try and hit home runs. We just work on mechanics and other parts of our game. I've always been a line drive hitter, but there are times when the ball just goes out and it's always like a bonus; it's really cool."
It's hard to poke holes in any part of Gonzales' game this season. She leads the team in batting average (.390), slugging percentage (.756) RBI (28), doubles (eight), triples (2), sacrifice flies (3), runs (22) and total bases (62). Along with homers, she is also tied for the team lead in hits with 32.
Those numbers don't surprise Sun Devils coach Trisha Ford; she's just happy for her do-everything shortstop.
"You want to have that kind of season to put your stamp on the program and she has," Ford said. "She puts in the work, she's intense and she's a team leader -- she does all the things necessary to succeed -- but more importantly she comes out here and has fun with the girls and she sets such an important example."
Gonzales' greatest gift to her teammates may be the way she handles pressure.
"We always tell them pressure is a privilege, and what we mean by that is not everybody gets to come out here and do this," Ford said. "In those pressure situations, just as in life, you can either think great things are about to happen or you can think the world is going to end. [Assistant] coach [Carly] Wynn will talk to them about taking a deep breath, feeling that pressure and feeling the excitement in the air and thinking 'how cool is this?'
"Gonzo has figured out a way in pressure situations to look at it as something exciting is about to happen. When there are people on base and she's up to bat, we all know what's about to happen. From a freshman's standpoint, you have somebody who has really come through in pressure situations and they get to see that, they get to be around it, they get to talk to her about it and she talks to them and tells them, 'I feel the same things you do, the same pressures, but I've learned how to channel them this way or deal with it this way.' That's what you want. You want players to pass that baton of excellence down the lines and that's how you become a great program."
Gonzales has witnessed plenty of change in her four seasons as a Sun Devil. Former coach Clint Myers (now at Auburn) recruited her and she admits it was hard to watch him leave before she arrived.
"In that transition period, it was different and then seeing Auburn doing really well was hard," she said. "As I got older, I understood it more. They left for a reason and the change was just a new opportunity."
Ford represents the fourth coach for whom Gonzales has played at ASU after Craig Nicholson and co-interim coaches Robert Wagner and Letty Olivarez. With all that change, she could have approached the new staff with skepticism.
"Selfishly from a coaching standpoint, having a senior that has gone through all that transition and was still here to welcome us in with open arms and really buy in, you really can't script it any better," Ford said. "She's even going to stay with us next year and be a GA and I love that. That's the mama bear in me. I want to help shape them into great, strong, decisive women. I want them to be around greatness, become that greatness and share that greatness. Chelsea does a great job of sharing. She understands it's a family and I think we lost that for a couple of years here."
Home runs are not the only category in which Gonzales has etched her name in the Sun Devils record books. She is currently tied for ninth all-time in RBI with 162; three behind eighth-place Kara Brun.
"That's awesome that I'm in it but I don't tend to think about that stuff; that's just not who I am," she said. "My team is so much fun that it's fun to come out for game days. With coach Ford coming in it has been another change but it's been a good change and I love her. This is my last year so I want to make sure I have a good and fun year."
In Gonzales' perfect world, the year will end with her achieving the one goal she always figured she would achieve at ASU.
"All I know is softball so it will be cool to stick around after I'm done playing," Gonzales said. "But my goal was to go to the World Series and it's my last year. We're going to try and push it this year."
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