LEADING OFF...
• Arizona State softball will continue their home-stand this weekend, hosting Minnesota for a three-game series. Game one will be Friday at 7 p.m. MST, followed by games two and three on Sunday at 2 and 4 p.m., respectively.
• Following a season opening loss, the Sun Devils have rebounded to win 17 of their last 18 games, with their lone loss coming to defending national champion Oklahoma in a neutral site contest at the Mary Nutter Classic.
• Senior Nichole Chilson has come on strong in the last few weeks for the Sun Devils. In her last five games, Chilson has gone 5-for-10 at the plate, including launching a pair of home runs. Her nine-RBI leads the team in that stretch of games, as does her .571 OBP.
• Sophomore transfer Maddi Hackbarth is doing what she is supposed to with runners on base. She has already tallied a team-leading 22 RBI this season, a mark that checked in at No. 30 in the nation and No. 7 in the Pac-12 entering this week of play.
• Freshman Danielle Gibson has looked to hit her stride through the first month of play. The Murrieta, Calif. native has gone 19-for-48 at the plate this season, including blasting a team-leading six home runs. Her .896 slugging percentage also leads the team this season among players who have met the statistics minimums (2 PA/G and 75% of games played).
• Through the first 18 games of the season, the Sun Devil offense has outhit opponents 167-84, leading to a 129-40 ASU advantage in runs scored. Additionally, the Sun Devil offense has combined to post a team batting average of .326, a mark that ranks 20th nationally.
• Senior Dale Ryndak has held opposing hitters to just 21 total hits this season, en route to a 0.58 ERA, a mark that ranks 9th nationally.
INSIDE THE SERIES...
Dates: March 9 and 11 (Sunday Doubleheader)
Game Times: 7 p.m. (Friday) // 2 p.m. (Sunday) // 4 p.m. (Sunday)
Location: Tempe, Arizona
Venue: Farrington Stadium
Dimensions: 202 (LF), 210 (CF), 202 (RF)
Live Stream: ASU LIVE STREAM-2
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast
All-Time Series: ASU leads, 10-7
Last Meeting: 1992
Result: ASU won, 5-3
PITCHING POWERING SUN DEVIL SUCCESS...
While the ASU bats have been on fire early in the season, ASU's pitching has been equally as impressive through the first month of the season. Through the first 18 games of the season, opposing batters have been held to a miniscule .179 batting average and have only scored a handful of runs. Sophomore G Juarez has made a splash in her second season in the circle, already chalking up 80 strikeouts in her 50 innings pitched. Nationally, Juarez's 3.36 hits allowed per seven innings ranks No. 20, while her total strikeouts checks in at No. 20. Dale Ryndak, who has also hit her stride in 2018, ranks No. 9 nationally with her team-leading 0.58 ERA.
PAC-12 MAKES STRONG CASE FOR SOFTBALL SUPERIORITY...
Six teams form the Pac-12 are ranked in the USA Today/NFCA poll, including four in the top 10 with Washington at No. 1, UCLA No. 3, Oregon No. 6 and Arizona No. 9 for the second-straight week. Also featured in the poll is Arizona State (No. 14) and California (No. 17). The Pac-12's six teams is the second-most of any conference in the rankings, only behind the SEC's nine selections.The Pac-12 tops the NCAA statistics in 10 categories, including one team and 11 individual categories. Washington and UCLA are tied for first in W/L percentage (1.000). On the field, the Pac-12 has combined to score 1086 runs this season, a mark that stands as the second most, behind only the 13-team SEC who has clubbed 1,624 runs.
SUN DEVILS FACE CHALLENGING 2018 SCHEDULE...
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 set out on 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. Entering the week, Arizona State's overall schedule checks in as the 18th- toughest, based on opponent win percentage. Looking at the most recent rankings, ASU has scheduled games against 11 teams that are either ranked or receiving votes in the latest NFCA Coaches Poll.
FORD EYEING WIN No. 200...
With her team perched on an 18-2 record so far this season, head coach Trisha Ford is eyeing career-win 200. Ford enters this weekend's slate with a career-record of 192-97-1, moving her just eight-wins away from her 200th career victory in just her sixth season as a head coach. Since arriving in Tempe, Ford has led the Sun Devils to a 49-24 record that translates into a .671 win percentage.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION....
MINNESOTA
The Sun Devils will host Minnesota for a weekend series. Holding the best record of the Devils' three opponents this week, the Golden Gophers roll into Tempe boasting a 12-7 record. Minnesota got off to a hot start to begin the season, sweeping the UNLV SportCo Kickoff Classic with a 5-0 record. They have also faced some of the top programs in the country including No. 6 Florida State, No. 13 Kentucky, No. 22 Long Beach State and No. 3 UCLA. Minnesota faces off against the Devils' midweek opponent Georgetown on March 10 at the GCU Invitational.
Following a historic 56-5 season last year, the Golden Gophers began the season ranked No. 16, their second consecutive season at No. 16 in the preseason rankings. In 2017, Minnesota recorded their third Big Ten championship in four years, including winning their first Big Ten regular season title since 1991. The Gophers returned 14 players from last season, including seven starters, and welcomed eight newcomers.
ON DECK....
Following the weekend series against Minnesota, the Sun Devils will host Iowa for a Wednesday doubleheader at Farrington Stadium. The Wednesday matchup will stand as the Sun Devil's last non-conference matchup before hosting No. 1 Washington Saturday through Monday (March 17-19) to begin Pac-12 play.