TEMPE, Ariz. – The Arizona State Softball team capped an exciting alumni weekend Sunday afternoon with their first ever Golden Fork Awards Banquet.
The weekend festivities kicked off Friday evening, and carried through Saturday's alumni game. The team celebrated the success of the 2017 season on Sunday, and officially welcomed in the 2018 campaign with the Golden Fork Awards Banquet.
About the 2017 Season:
ASU had a lot to be proud of in the 2017 season, including their 31-22 record, a mark that stands as the program's 22nd- straight 30-win season, and 23rd- straight winning season.
The Sun Devils battled through their challenging conference slate to earn their 13th- consecutive postseason berth, earning a spot as the No. 2 seed in the 2017 Oxford Regional.
After all was said and done, the Sun Devil statistics revealed just how far the program had come in one season under Coach Ford. As a staff, the ASU pitching rotation dropped their ERA to a combined 2.32, a full point lower than their 3.66 mark from the 2016 season.
The Sun Devil offense did a great job backing up their pitchers throughout the season, clubbing an impressive 62 home runs on the year, ASU's 12th- straight season with at least 60 long balls.
2017 Award Winners:
Senior pitcher Dale Ryndak claimed the 2017 Mary Littlewood Award for her efforts on and off the field during the 2017 season. The Downers Grove, Ill., native started the 2017 season in the circle for the Sun Devils where she delivered ASU's seventh perfect game in a five-inning shutout over UTSA. She built on her success, ending her junior campaign with 94.2 innings pitched, where she combined to record a career-best 2.37 ERA on the season.
Junior Skylar McCarty and sophomore Randi Farricker were both honored by being named co-recipients of the Bill Kajikawa Sun Devil Award, given to players who works incredibly hard, and in turn, show tremendous growth through the season.
McCarty, a Peoria native, was one of four-players who started all 53 games for the Sun Devils in 2017. Hitting primarily in the top-half of the lineup, McCarty carded 53 hits on the year, including an impressive 14 multi-hit performances on the season.
In just her first season of collegiate softball, Farricker burst on the scene with her first home run in just the second weekend of the season. Appearing in pinch hit situations and as a designated hitter, Farricker finished her freshman season with 16 runs on 15 hits and will look to grow her game in her sophomore campaign.
The 2017 Pitchfork Award, given to a player whose all-around effort contributed to the success of the season, was awarded to junior Taylor Becerra. Becerra, one of the four 53-game starters in 2017, ranked second on the team with an impressive 331 batting average, while leading the team with .989 fielding percentage on the season.
Following a season that saw her collect a team-high 81 strikeouts, sophomore G Juarez claimed Newcomer of the Year honors. Juarez, who pitched in some of the Sun Devil's biggest games and established herself as a force to be reckoned with, made clear in her 8.1 inning complete game effort against No. 18 Texas A&M early in the season. The freshman lefty built on her success, culminating in an impressive 2.79 ERA in just over 90 innings pitched on the season.
After etching her name in multiple places in the Sun Devil softball record book, 2017 graduate Chelsea Gonzales was named the team's Offensive Player of the Year. Gonzales, now a member of the coaching staff, blasted a team-leading 13 home runs in 2017 which moved her into sixth place all-time in homers, while her 83 career RBI rank seventh in ASU's storied history. Gonzales also led the team with a .353 batting average her senior season.
Fellow senior, Sashel Palacios, collected Defensive Player of the Year honors following a season that saw her start every game behind the plate for the Sun Devils. Palacios' leadership on defensive help guide the pitching staff to 2.32 combined ERA, a mark that ranked 35th- nationally.
Senior pitcher Breanna Macha claimed Pitcher of the year accolades for her efforts in 2017. Macha led the Sun Devil pitching staff with 122.1 innings pitched. The Mesa, Ariz., native threw 11 complete games en route to a stellar 13-8 record on the season.
2017 graduate Margaret Stahm collected the Scholar Athlete of the Year award, as well as the Richard Berger Exceptional Community Service Award. Stahm earned First Team All-Academic Honors in 2017 after recording an incredible 3.76 GPA while completing her Management degree. She has also joined the Sun Devil coaching staff as a graduate manager as she continues her education at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at ASU.
Complete List of Honorees:
Mary Littlewood All-Encompassing Award
Dale Ryndak
Newcomer of the Year Award
Giselle Juarez
Scholar Athlete Award
Margaret Stahm
Offensive Player of the Year Award
Chelsea Gonzales
Defensive Player of the Year Award
Sashel Palacios
Team MVP
Sashel Palacios and Chelsea Gonzales
Richard Berger Exceptional Community Service Award
Margaret Stahm
Diamond Devils Booster Club MVP Award
Sashel Palacios and Chelsea Gonzales
Pitcher of the Year
Breanna Macha
The Pitchfork Award
Taylor Becerra
The weekend festivities kicked off Friday evening, and carried through Saturday's alumni game. The team celebrated the success of the 2017 season on Sunday, and officially welcomed in the 2018 campaign with the Golden Fork Awards Banquet.
About the 2017 Season:
ASU had a lot to be proud of in the 2017 season, including their 31-22 record, a mark that stands as the program's 22nd- straight 30-win season, and 23rd- straight winning season.
The Sun Devils battled through their challenging conference slate to earn their 13th- consecutive postseason berth, earning a spot as the No. 2 seed in the 2017 Oxford Regional.
After all was said and done, the Sun Devil statistics revealed just how far the program had come in one season under Coach Ford. As a staff, the ASU pitching rotation dropped their ERA to a combined 2.32, a full point lower than their 3.66 mark from the 2016 season.
The Sun Devil offense did a great job backing up their pitchers throughout the season, clubbing an impressive 62 home runs on the year, ASU's 12th- straight season with at least 60 long balls.
2017 Award Winners:
Senior pitcher Dale Ryndak claimed the 2017 Mary Littlewood Award for her efforts on and off the field during the 2017 season. The Downers Grove, Ill., native started the 2017 season in the circle for the Sun Devils where she delivered ASU's seventh perfect game in a five-inning shutout over UTSA. She built on her success, ending her junior campaign with 94.2 innings pitched, where she combined to record a career-best 2.37 ERA on the season.
Junior Skylar McCarty and sophomore Randi Farricker were both honored by being named co-recipients of the Bill Kajikawa Sun Devil Award, given to players who works incredibly hard, and in turn, show tremendous growth through the season.
McCarty, a Peoria native, was one of four-players who started all 53 games for the Sun Devils in 2017. Hitting primarily in the top-half of the lineup, McCarty carded 53 hits on the year, including an impressive 14 multi-hit performances on the season.
In just her first season of collegiate softball, Farricker burst on the scene with her first home run in just the second weekend of the season. Appearing in pinch hit situations and as a designated hitter, Farricker finished her freshman season with 16 runs on 15 hits and will look to grow her game in her sophomore campaign.
The 2017 Pitchfork Award, given to a player whose all-around effort contributed to the success of the season, was awarded to junior Taylor Becerra. Becerra, one of the four 53-game starters in 2017, ranked second on the team with an impressive 331 batting average, while leading the team with .989 fielding percentage on the season.
Following a season that saw her collect a team-high 81 strikeouts, sophomore G Juarez claimed Newcomer of the Year honors. Juarez, who pitched in some of the Sun Devil's biggest games and established herself as a force to be reckoned with, made clear in her 8.1 inning complete game effort against No. 18 Texas A&M early in the season. The freshman lefty built on her success, culminating in an impressive 2.79 ERA in just over 90 innings pitched on the season.
After etching her name in multiple places in the Sun Devil softball record book, 2017 graduate Chelsea Gonzales was named the team's Offensive Player of the Year. Gonzales, now a member of the coaching staff, blasted a team-leading 13 home runs in 2017 which moved her into sixth place all-time in homers, while her 83 career RBI rank seventh in ASU's storied history. Gonzales also led the team with a .353 batting average her senior season.
Fellow senior, Sashel Palacios, collected Defensive Player of the Year honors following a season that saw her start every game behind the plate for the Sun Devils. Palacios' leadership on defensive help guide the pitching staff to 2.32 combined ERA, a mark that ranked 35th- nationally.
Senior pitcher Breanna Macha claimed Pitcher of the year accolades for her efforts in 2017. Macha led the Sun Devil pitching staff with 122.1 innings pitched. The Mesa, Ariz., native threw 11 complete games en route to a stellar 13-8 record on the season.
2017 graduate Margaret Stahm collected the Scholar Athlete of the Year award, as well as the Richard Berger Exceptional Community Service Award. Stahm earned First Team All-Academic Honors in 2017 after recording an incredible 3.76 GPA while completing her Management degree. She has also joined the Sun Devil coaching staff as a graduate manager as she continues her education at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at ASU.
Complete List of Honorees:
Mary Littlewood All-Encompassing Award
Dale Ryndak
Newcomer of the Year Award
Giselle Juarez
Scholar Athlete Award
Margaret Stahm
Offensive Player of the Year Award
Chelsea Gonzales
Defensive Player of the Year Award
Sashel Palacios
Team MVP
Sashel Palacios and Chelsea Gonzales
Richard Berger Exceptional Community Service Award
Margaret Stahm
Diamond Devils Booster Club MVP Award
Sashel Palacios and Chelsea Gonzales
Pitcher of the Year
Breanna Macha
The Pitchfork Award
Taylor Becerra