TEMPE, Ariz.-- The ninth-ranked Arizona State softball team will hit the road to continue Pac-12 play at Utah this weekend with a three-game series against the Utes. The conference series will kick off Friday at 4:00 p.m. PT, with games two and three scheduled for Saturday (1:00 p.m.) and Sunday (11:00 a.m.) at Dumke Family Softball Stadium.
LEADING OFF…
• Arizona State enters the weekend looking to get back on track after suffering back-to-back losses for the second time this season. The Sun Devils sit alone in fourth place in the Pac-12 standings, trailing UCLA, Oregon and Washington who sit in the top-three spots in the standings.
• G Juarez continues to chase history this season in numerous categories. This past weekend, Juarez tallied her 232nd strikeout to move her into 11th- place all-time in single season strikeouts. Juarez also picked up her 19th win of the season, moving her just one win away from cracking into the top-20 in single season wins.
• Entering the weekend, Arizona State has out-hit opponents, 328-199, leading to a 233-89 lead in runs scored. On the year, ASU pitchers have combined to post 15 shutouts, the most in a single season for ASU since the 2014 season that saw ASU tally 18 shutouts.
• As a staff, the Sun Devil pitchers have combined to post a 1.47 ERA, the 11th- lowest ERA in the country entering the weekend. If the season ended today the 1.47 ERA would mark the lowest season ERA for an ASU squad since the 2006 season that saw the Sun Devils post a program-best 1.18 team ERA.
• Freshman first baseman Danielle Gibson has continued to excel in her first season of collegiate softball. Entering the weekend, Gibson has carded an incredible .393 batting average, a mark that ranks fifth in the Pac-12 and is just a hair behind the 20th- best single season batting average for a Sun Devil set by Alix Johnson who hit at a .395 clip during the 2014 season.
• ASU checked in at No. 9 in this week's rankings, marking the sixth-straight week for the Sun Devils to rank inside the top-10.
WELCOME TO OUR HOUSE...
Arizona State has brought the excitement back to the valley in terms of softball support. Following last weekend's games, the Sun Devils have played in front of 34,407 fans, the eighth-largest accumulated attendance this season. Last week, ASU welcomed a total of 6,122 fans to Farrington to see ASU take on in-state rival University of Arizona. In the series, the Sun Devils hosted two crowds of over 2,000 fans including a 2018 record 2,121 fans to the Saturday game.
WE ALL DIG THE LONG BALL...
So far this season, ASU has connected on 48 home runs, including three grand slams. Sophomore catcher Maddie Hackbarth launched the first grand-slam of the season against Purdue on just the second day of the 2018 season. During ASU's road trip to face then No. 20 Cal, Skylar McCarty launched a grand-slam in the Arizona State's 4-0 win to complete the series sweep of the Golden Bears. McCarty's effort was followed by a grand-slam by outfielder Kindra Hackbarth, who unloaded on one in ASU's 10-3 win over BYU. In both instances, the home run was the first career-long ball for each player. With the 48 home runs on the year, ASU is launching1.09 home runs per game, a mark that ranks 15th-nationally and third in the Pac-12.
SUN DEVILS FACE CHALLENGING SCHEDULE IN 2018...
To be the best you have got to play the best. This is an idea not lost on the coaches at Arizona State who have set out on a 2018 schedule that has featured 14 games against ranked teams, including seven games against teams ranked in the top-10. Entering the week, Arizona State's past schedule checks in as the eighth-toughest, based on opponent win percentage. Even with the challenging slate, Arizona State has still complied a 0.795-win percentage, the 14th-best percentage in the nation.
PITCHING POWERING SUN DEVIL SUCCESS...
ASU's pitching has been unbelievably impressive through the 2018 season. So far this year, opposing batters have been held to a miniscule .182 batting average, and have only scored a handful of runs. As a staff, the Sun Devil pitchers have posted an impressive 1.44 ERA, a mark that ranks 11th- nationally, and third in the Pac-12.
(G)REATNESS IN THE CIRCLE...
Sophomore lefty G Juarez has been a force to be reckoned with all season, but the Glendale, Ariz., native really got things rolling through the month of March. Through her 70-innings pitched, G notched 11 wins while maintaining a pristine 0.10 ERA and chalking up 122 strikeouts. All of this led to Juarez earning Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week honors in four-consecutive weeks, matching Washington's Danielle Lawrie as the only Pac-12 pitcher to earn the honor in four-straight weeks during the 2010 season. With the latest nod, Juarez became the first ASU pitcher to earn Pac-12 weekly recognition four times in a single season, surpassing Dallas Escobedo (2013) Hillary Bach (2012) and Katie Burkhart (2007 and 2008) as the only pitchers to earn the honor three times in a single season. Katelyn Boyd is the only other Sun Devil to join Juarez with four weekly honors, earning Player of the Week recognition four times during the 2012 season.
RANKING UP....
Arizona State has been featured in the NCAA Softball rankings every week so far this season After debuting at No. 23 to start the season, ASU has steadily climbed in the rankings, including checking in at 10 or higher the last five straight-weeks. This week, the Sun Devils check in at No. 9 in both the NFCA and ESPN polls.
NEW FACES, BIG IMPACT...
In the second year of the Trisha Ford era, things are starting to come together, and the future looks incredibly bright for the ASU softball program. This season, the Sun Devils welcomed ten newcomers who have made an instant impact on the 2018 team. Danielle Gibson, Kindra Hackbarth, Morgan Howe and Jade Gortarez have been leaders for ASU this season, combining to post 117 runs on 188 hits, including 26 homers on the year.
ON DECK...
Following the Weekend series, ASU will make a trip to face New Mexico State for their final non-conference matchup of the season. The Aggies and Sun Devils will play a doubleheader Tuesday afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 2:00 p.m. PT. Following the midweek action, ASU will return to Tempe to host Stanford in their final regular season home matchup, May 4-6.