"For us, Coach Littlewood has welcomed us with open arms since we got here," head coach Trisha Ford said. "She has been on board with our efforts to bring the pioneer group back with our players. Last year was kind of a year of stabilization and this year the focus has been on our alumni and trying to bring them back to this special place. This is a very storied place and Coach Littlewood was very successful here in a time where there weren't a lot of softball programs. I think it says a lot about her that she is still contact with a lot of her alums. To have them come out here says a lot about us connecting and bridging that gap with those generations."
The Sun Devils will hit the field for their first game of the classic Friday at 5:30 p.m. before playing in back-to-back games Saturday against Illinois State (4:45 p.m.) and Texas State (7:15 p.m.). Action will conclude for the Sun Devils on Sunday as the classic comes to a close with Arizona State taking on San Diego at 2 p.m.
Leading Off...
• Arizona State Softball will return to action on Friday, following an opening weekend that saw the Sun Devils post a 5-1 record at the Kajikawa Classic.
• The Sun Devils rebounded nicely from a season opening loss to No. 11 Tennessee, winning five straight, including a pair of run-rule victories on the opening weekend of the 2018 season.
• ASU welcomed four transfers to their starting lineup last weekend, including Morgan Howe and Maddi Hackbarth who played important roles in the Sun Devils' opening week success. At the plate, Howe and M. Hackbarth combined for 11 runs on 18 hits, including five of Arizona State's seven home runs on the weekend.
• Sophomore Jade Gotarez also made an impact in her first weekend in the maroon and gold, scoring seven runs on six hits including a home run against Notre Dame on Friday night.
• Through the first six games of the season, the Sun Devil offense has outhit opponents, 51-24.
• To be the best you have got to play the best. That is an idea not lost on the coaches at Arizona State who have unveiled a 2018 schedule that features 22 games against teams ranked in the preseason top-25. Those games include a three-game series against conference foes Oregon, Washington, UCLA and Utah, who check in at No. 3, No. 4, No. 5 and No. 15 respectively.
ABOUT THE LITTLEWOOD CLASSIC....From the beginning of Sun Devil Softball in 1967 to 1989, the founder and leader of ASU Softball was Head Coach, Mary Littlewood. Littlewood was a staple and founder of the majority of the women's sports at ASU today.
Littlewood, the first coach of Sun Devil softball, led the team for 21 years. She is one of just two coaches in program history to date to reach the 500 wins plateau and led the team to back-to-back WCWS national championship titles (before the program entered the NCAA) in 1972 and 1973. Littlewood had winning seasons each of her 21 years with the team and compiled a record of 551-222-1.
Each year since 2006, the Sun Devils have honored the founder of the program by hosting the Littlewood Classic. The annual classic, now in its 13th year, is named in honor of the founder of Sun Devil Softball.
NEW LOOK LINEUP FOR SUN DEVILS IN 2018...
The Sun Devils welcomed three newcomers to their defensive infield this past weekend, filling spots left vacant by seniors Sashel Palacios, Chelsea Gonzales and Margaret Stahm. The new look infield featured sophomores Maddi Hackbarth (behind the plate) and Jade Gotarez (at shortstop) while freshman Danielle Gibson took the bag at first. The trio were joined by a pair of newcomer outfielders in Kindra Hackbarth who debuted in right field, and Morgan Howe who took over in center. When the dust settled this past weekend, the Sun Devil defense looks to be a formidable bunch who possess the tools to shut down opposing offenses, a virtue that will be key to being successful in a conference that combined to score 355 runs on opening weekend, second only to the SEC who plated 380 runs.
LARGE CROWDS ON HAND FOR OPENING WEEKEND ACTION...
The Sun Devils lifted the lid on the 2018 season last weekend, playing host to some of the best fans of college softball in the country. ASU welcomed almost 3,476 fans into Farrington Stadium for the Sun Devils' five home games over the weekend, a mark that ranks eighth in the nation.
PAC-12 MAKES CASE FOR SOFTBALL SUPERIORITY...
Over the course of the first weekend of play, Pac-12 teams combined to post a 36-11 (.766) record, with three of those wins coming against ranked opponents. The Pac-12 tops the NCAA statistics in six team and 11 individual categories after the first week of the season. Washington leads the nation in batting average (.481), home runs per game (3.20), scoring (14.00), slugging percentage (.932), and is tied for first in W-L percentage with Oregon, UCLA and California who each boast an unblemished 1.000 win percentage.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION....
North Dakota
Rolling into the Littlewood Classic with a 3-2 record on the season the Fighting Hawks opened the season in Charleston, South Carolina at the Wingate by Wyndham Invite. North Dakota went 2-2 in the tournament, recording wins over Charleston Southern, 4-2, and North Carolina A&T, 11-3, in six innings. UND then traveled to Orangeburg to take on South Carolina State, sliding past the Lady Bulldogs, 9-0. The Devils and Hawks have faced off twice in school history, with ASU holding a 2-0 series lead. The last time the two programs met was in 2013, when Mackenzie Popsecue threw a no-hitter, propelling the Devils to a 8-0 victory in five innings.
Illinois State
The Redbirds are 1-4 on the season, after opening 2018 in Tampa at the USF Wilson Demarini Tournament. Their lone win came against Georgia State, 7-6, on the second day of the tournament. The Sun Devils and Redbirds have a long history, as ASU enters the weekend in control of a 36-3 series lead over Illinois State. ASU has thrown both a perfect game and a no-hitter against the Redbirds, as one of three of Katie Burkhart's career perfect games came against Illinois State, in February of 2008.
Texas State
The Bobcats began their season at home taking part in the 2018 Bobcat Classic, where they notched a 2-3 record on the weekend. Texas State secured a pair of wins over Sam Houston State, while suffering loses to No. 9 Florida State and Boston College. The Devils hold a 4-1 series lead over the Bobcats in program history, meeting most recently in 2012 where ASU easily defeated the Bobcats, 9-0, in five innings.
San Diego
Boasting the best record of the Devils' opponents in the Littlewood Classic, the Toreros are 5-1 on the season. USD hosted their annual San Diego Tournament two weekends ago, facing off against Campbell and CSU Bakersfield. Their lone loss came on the first day of the tournament against Campbell, 3-1. ASU holds a 5-2 series lead in program history, facing off last in 207. In their last meeting, the Sun Devils topped the Toreros, 6-3, in the 2017 Kajikawa Classic.