Game one is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday night, followed by game two at 5 p.m. Friday night. The series will conclude Saturday, with first pitch slated for 2 p.m. PT. Saturday will also serve as Senior Day, with a presentation to honor the contributions of catcher Sashel Palacios, shortstop Chelsea Gonzales and first baseman Margaret Stahm to the Sun Devil softball program after the season finale on Saturday.
LEADING OFF:
• The 22nd-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils will close out the 2017 regular season with a three-game series against the No. 12 UCLA Bruins, Thursday through Saturday at Farrington Stadium.
• Despite having already faced six of the nations top-25 scoring offenses, the Sun Devil pitching staff still boasts a 2.02 team ERA, a mark that ranks No. 26 nationally.
• The Sun Devils blasted seven home runs last weekend to extend their total this season to 53 on the year. So far, the ASU offense has tallied 1.13 homers per outing, a mark that ranks tenth in the nation entering the final weekend of play.
• With the ability to hit the long ball, comes the ability to bring runs in. In 2017, Arizona State has scored a combined 243 runs in their 47 games played. This means that the Sun Devil offense is accounting for 5.17 runs per game.
• Last weekend, the Arizona State softball team eclipsed the 30 win plateau, a feat the team has accomplished every season since 1996. The three-game series this weekend serves as another milestone opportunity with a chance to win their 10th Pac-12 game of the season. With just one win this weekend, the Sun Devils would reach a double-digit conference win mark for the 23rd- time in program history, and 11th- time since the 2005 season.
• Senior shortstop Chelsea Gonzales continued her climb on the all-time ASU leader boards this weekend, recording her 179th career-RBI, a mark that ranks seventh in ASU history. With 42 homers, Gonzales has passed ASU legends Phelan Wright (2001-04) and Krista Donnenwirth (2008-11), and is now tied with Annie Lockwood (2009-12) in sixth place.
• ASU checked in at No. 22 in this week's NFCA Poll, marking the 12th straight week that the Sun Devils have appeared in the poll. With a pair of wins last weekend, the Sun Devils improved their RPI to No. 20, marking the sixth Pac-12 team in the top-20.
WEEKEND SCOUTING REPORT:
UCLA enters the final weekend of the 2017 regular season, boasting a 39-13 record, including a 13-8 mark in Pac-12 play this season. Their stellar record has the Bruins in a tie with Washington for the fourth spot in the league standings.
The Sun Devils will need to be cautious win working with a lead this weekend, as the Bruins have proven to be proficient in late game heroics through the 2017 season. So far this season, UCLA has recorded 12 come from behind wins, a few shy of their 17 last season, and have secured three walk-off wins on the year.
The Bruins have been led at the plate this season by Kylee Perez, who has maintained a .401 batting average in her 172 at-bats this season. Perez has appeared in all 52 UCLA games to this point in the season and will arrive in Tempe looking to extend her four-game hit streak.
The Bruins have also been strong in the circle, combining to tally an impressive 2.59 ERA as a staff. Freshman Rachel Garcia has been a bright spot for the Bruins as she leads the team with 16 wins and a minuscule 1.86 ERA through her 142.2 innings pitched this season.
Both teams stack up well next to each other, providing a perfect weekend for softball fans in the valley for the final weekend of regular season action. UCLA checks in just one spot ahead of the Sun Devils in scoring, with both team's offenses ranked inside the top-10 in home runs.
SERIES INFORMATION:
Dates: May 11-13
Game Times: 6 p.m. // 5 p.m. // 2 p.m.
Location: Tempe, Ariz.
Venue: Alberta B. Farrington Stadium
Dimensions: 192 (LF), 208 (CF), 192 (RF)
Streaming: Pac-12 Network
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast
All-Time Series: UCLA leads, 96-36
Last Meeting: 2016
Result: UCLA won, 9-4
FOR THE FANS:
It's a throwback series at Farrington Stadium. Take a trip down memory lane and celebrate the trends of the 80's, 90's, and 2000's. It all starts Thursday with 80's night, fans can expect classic songs from that decade all evening. Friday, the 90's makes a return, and the night will conclude with the senior class signing autographs for their final time. The season wraps up Saturday when we celebrate the careers of our three seniors.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Following the weekend series against the Bruins, the Sun Devils will await their fate in the 2017 NCAA Tournament. The Selection Show to announce the field of 64 teams will be aired live on ESPN 2 Sunday night. Of the 64 teams, 32 teams will receive automatic qualification with the remaining best 32 teams selected on an at-large basis by the Division I Softball Committee. Sixteen teams will be seeded and each of the seeded teams will be placed at one of the regional sites.