TEMPE, Ariz. -- The sixth-ranked Arizona State softball team will continue their postseason run this weekend, hosting the 2018 Tempe Super Regionals Friday through Sunday at Farrington Stadium. ASU will welcome South Carolina to the desert, with a trip to the Women's College World Series on the line.
LEADING OFF...
• The Sun Devils will be hosting Super Regional action for the ninth time in program history this weekend, and will be looking to make their 9th- trip to the Women's College World Series.
• This season marks the 30th NCAA postseason appearance for the Sun Devils, and 40th overall appearance in postseason play, including postseason appearances before the NCAA era.
• The weekend matchup provides fans an intriguing matchup between an ASU team that boasts one of the nation's best team ERA's at 1.38 pitted against a Gamecock offense who has blasted a nation-leading 64 home runs.
• Of all of the 16 teams heading to Super Regional play this weekend, ASU is one of 14 to enter the second week of postseason play with a perfect 3-0 record in NCAA postseason play.
• G Juarez enters the weekend series with the second-lowest individual ERA of pitchers still playing in the NCAA Championship at 0.88. Her ERA checks in just a hair behind UGA's Brittany Gray who leads the nation with a 0.48 ERA in just over 100 innings pitched.
• The Sun Devils enter the weekend with a 22-14 record against SEC teams in postseason play. Entering last weekend, the Sun Devils were a combined 20-14 against SEC competition in postseason play, but bolstered their record with a pair of dominant wins over Ole Miss (7-1, 9-0) to secure their 22nd win over SEC competition.
• The weekend series will pit a pair of underrated clubs against each other. Entering the season, both USC and ASU were picked to finish near the bottom of their respected leagues, but both clubs proved the doubters wrong to finish third in the conference standings.
RUNNING WITH THE DEVIL...
Arizona State has looked to hit their stride through the first weekend of postseason play. In their three games last weekend, ASU outhit their opponents, 22-7, leading to an 18-1 advantage in runs scored. The Sun Devils were just as dominate in the circle, with both ASU pitchers heading into the second week of postseason play with ERA's under 1.00. Individually, catcher Maddi Hackbarth leads the Sun Devils at the plate with a .667 batting average in her two games played. Senior Marisa Stankiewicz checks in just behind M. Hackbarth with a .500 batting average in three games played. Her 1.25 slugging percentage leads the Sun Devils.
WE ALL DIG THE LONG BALL...
So far this season, ASU has connected on 63 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 63 home runs on the year, ASU is launching 1.11 home runs per game, a mark that ranks 13th-nationally and third in the Pac-12. The 63 home runs this season marks the 13th consecutive season for ASU to hit at least 60 home runs in a season.
PITCHING POWERING SUN DEVIL SUCCESS...
While the Sun Devil offense has been able to score with some of the nation's premier teams, pitching has been just as impressive through the 2018 season. So far this year, opposing batters have been held to a miniscule .184 batting average, and have only scored a handful of runs. As a staff, the Sun Devil pitchers have posted an impressive 1.39 ERA, a mark that ranks eighth-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 her 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. G carded a stretch of 58 scoreless innings from Feb. 22 to March 24 where G did not allow a single run.
RANKING UP....
Arizona State has been featured in the NCAA Softball rankings every week 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 nine straight-weeks. This week, the Sun Devils check in at No. 6 in the NFCA poll and No. 7 in the 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, Jade Gortarez and DeNae Chatman have been leaders for ASU this season, combining to post 156 runs on 260 hits, including 39 homers on the year.
MACHA MAKING MOVES...
Senior right hander, Breanna Macha, has been a steady force in the Sun Devil pitching rotation since she first arrived on campus. In her four years as a Sun Devil, Macha has amassed 53 career-wins while striking out 378 batters. The 53 wins moves Macha ahead of Carrie Bedlove (1995-98) for 11th- in ASU career-wins, while her 378 strikeouts ranks 10th in Sun Devil softball history.
WELCOME TO OUR HOUSE...
Arizona State has brought the excitement back to the valley in terms of softball support. In just the 2018 regular season, the Sun Devils have played in front of 39,210 fans in the regular season, the ninth-largest accumulated attendance this season. Two weeks ago, 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 people, including a 2018 single-game record 2,121 fans to the Saturday afternoon game. The large crowds have backed the Sun Devils, and helped ASU to a 31-7 home record, including a 3-0 mark in postseason play.
WE ARE GOING TO NEED A BIGGER TROPHY CASE...
Seven Arizona State softball players garnered All-Pac-12 Honors this season, highlighted by Trisha Ford being named the Pac-12 Coach of the Year. Sophomore G Juarez and freshman Danielle Gibson each earned All-Pac-12 First Team honors, while Jade Gortarez, Morgan Howe and Kindra Hackbarth each earned Second Team recognition. Senior Marisa Stankiewicz was named to the All-Pac-12 Third Team, while freshman DeNae Chatman joined Gibson in earning All-Pac-12 Freshman Team accolade.
Six more Sun Devils racked up honors with the NFCA All-Region awards. Juarez and K. Hackbarth notched First-Team awards while Gibson and Howe earned Second-Team honors. Stankiewicz and Breanna Macha rounded out the awards with Third-Team honors.
FRESHMAN PHENOMS MAKING BIG IMPACT...
Freshmen aren't normally looked to in big time situations, but that is exactly what ASU does with Danielle Gibson and DeNae Chatman. Gibson, the freshman phenom first baseman from Murrieta Calif., has been a force at the plate for the Sun Devils this season. Gibson leads the Sun Devils in numerous categories, including home runs (12), RBI (39), and slugging percentage (.660). The first-year slugger burst onto the scene amassing 14 hits through the first month of the season. She went on to add to that total, securing 16 multi-hit games through the regular season. Chatman added a ton of power to the ASU lineup, contributing 11 extra base hits in her 39 games played in 2018. Chatman picked up her first collegiate hit in an ASU win over North Dakota and went on to post a .293 batting average on the year.
FORD EARNS WIN NO. 200 IN 2018 REGULAR-SEASON...
With the Sun Devils' 3-1 win over No. 20 California earlier this season, head coach Trisha Ford claimed her 200th- career victory. Entering the weekend, Ford has amassed a 217-106-1 career-record that includes a 74-33 record at ASU.
HIT THE GROUND RUNNING…
Arizona State has scored first in 40 games this season. In those 40 games, ASU has gone on to post a 39-1 record, including a 23-1 record when scoring in the first inning of play. The lone loss for the Sun Devils when scoring first came in a hard fought 2-4 loss to Arizona on April 22.
PAC-12 MAKING WAVES IN NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP RUN...
Five Pac-12 softball teams will compete in the 2018 NCAA Softball Super Regionals, as announced this evening by the NCAA Division I Softball Committee. Four teams are hosting the series' – No. 1 Oregon, No. 3 UCLA, No. 5 Washington and No. 8 Arizona State – and are joined by No. 14 Arizona in the 16-team field.
LEADING OFF...
• The Sun Devils will be hosting Super Regional action for the ninth time in program history this weekend, and will be looking to make their 9th- trip to the Women's College World Series.
• This season marks the 30th NCAA postseason appearance for the Sun Devils, and 40th overall appearance in postseason play, including postseason appearances before the NCAA era.
• The weekend matchup provides fans an intriguing matchup between an ASU team that boasts one of the nation's best team ERA's at 1.38 pitted against a Gamecock offense who has blasted a nation-leading 64 home runs.
• Of all of the 16 teams heading to Super Regional play this weekend, ASU is one of 14 to enter the second week of postseason play with a perfect 3-0 record in NCAA postseason play.
• G Juarez enters the weekend series with the second-lowest individual ERA of pitchers still playing in the NCAA Championship at 0.88. Her ERA checks in just a hair behind UGA's Brittany Gray who leads the nation with a 0.48 ERA in just over 100 innings pitched.
• The Sun Devils enter the weekend with a 22-14 record against SEC teams in postseason play. Entering last weekend, the Sun Devils were a combined 20-14 against SEC competition in postseason play, but bolstered their record with a pair of dominant wins over Ole Miss (7-1, 9-0) to secure their 22nd win over SEC competition.
• The weekend series will pit a pair of underrated clubs against each other. Entering the season, both USC and ASU were picked to finish near the bottom of their respected leagues, but both clubs proved the doubters wrong to finish third in the conference standings.
RUNNING WITH THE DEVIL...
Arizona State has looked to hit their stride through the first weekend of postseason play. In their three games last weekend, ASU outhit their opponents, 22-7, leading to an 18-1 advantage in runs scored. The Sun Devils were just as dominate in the circle, with both ASU pitchers heading into the second week of postseason play with ERA's under 1.00. Individually, catcher Maddi Hackbarth leads the Sun Devils at the plate with a .667 batting average in her two games played. Senior Marisa Stankiewicz checks in just behind M. Hackbarth with a .500 batting average in three games played. Her 1.25 slugging percentage leads the Sun Devils.
WE ALL DIG THE LONG BALL...
So far this season, ASU has connected on 63 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 63 home runs on the year, ASU is launching 1.11 home runs per game, a mark that ranks 13th-nationally and third in the Pac-12. The 63 home runs this season marks the 13th consecutive season for ASU to hit at least 60 home runs in a season.
PITCHING POWERING SUN DEVIL SUCCESS...
While the Sun Devil offense has been able to score with some of the nation's premier teams, pitching has been just as impressive through the 2018 season. So far this year, opposing batters have been held to a miniscule .184 batting average, and have only scored a handful of runs. As a staff, the Sun Devil pitchers have posted an impressive 1.39 ERA, a mark that ranks eighth-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 her 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. G carded a stretch of 58 scoreless innings from Feb. 22 to March 24 where G did not allow a single run.
RANKING UP....
Arizona State has been featured in the NCAA Softball rankings every week 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 nine straight-weeks. This week, the Sun Devils check in at No. 6 in the NFCA poll and No. 7 in the 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, Jade Gortarez and DeNae Chatman have been leaders for ASU this season, combining to post 156 runs on 260 hits, including 39 homers on the year.
MACHA MAKING MOVES...
Senior right hander, Breanna Macha, has been a steady force in the Sun Devil pitching rotation since she first arrived on campus. In her four years as a Sun Devil, Macha has amassed 53 career-wins while striking out 378 batters. The 53 wins moves Macha ahead of Carrie Bedlove (1995-98) for 11th- in ASU career-wins, while her 378 strikeouts ranks 10th in Sun Devil softball history.
WELCOME TO OUR HOUSE...
Arizona State has brought the excitement back to the valley in terms of softball support. In just the 2018 regular season, the Sun Devils have played in front of 39,210 fans in the regular season, the ninth-largest accumulated attendance this season. Two weeks ago, 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 people, including a 2018 single-game record 2,121 fans to the Saturday afternoon game. The large crowds have backed the Sun Devils, and helped ASU to a 31-7 home record, including a 3-0 mark in postseason play.
WE ARE GOING TO NEED A BIGGER TROPHY CASE...
Seven Arizona State softball players garnered All-Pac-12 Honors this season, highlighted by Trisha Ford being named the Pac-12 Coach of the Year. Sophomore G Juarez and freshman Danielle Gibson each earned All-Pac-12 First Team honors, while Jade Gortarez, Morgan Howe and Kindra Hackbarth each earned Second Team recognition. Senior Marisa Stankiewicz was named to the All-Pac-12 Third Team, while freshman DeNae Chatman joined Gibson in earning All-Pac-12 Freshman Team accolade.
Six more Sun Devils racked up honors with the NFCA All-Region awards. Juarez and K. Hackbarth notched First-Team awards while Gibson and Howe earned Second-Team honors. Stankiewicz and Breanna Macha rounded out the awards with Third-Team honors.
FRESHMAN PHENOMS MAKING BIG IMPACT...
Freshmen aren't normally looked to in big time situations, but that is exactly what ASU does with Danielle Gibson and DeNae Chatman. Gibson, the freshman phenom first baseman from Murrieta Calif., has been a force at the plate for the Sun Devils this season. Gibson leads the Sun Devils in numerous categories, including home runs (12), RBI (39), and slugging percentage (.660). The first-year slugger burst onto the scene amassing 14 hits through the first month of the season. She went on to add to that total, securing 16 multi-hit games through the regular season. Chatman added a ton of power to the ASU lineup, contributing 11 extra base hits in her 39 games played in 2018. Chatman picked up her first collegiate hit in an ASU win over North Dakota and went on to post a .293 batting average on the year.
FORD EARNS WIN NO. 200 IN 2018 REGULAR-SEASON...
With the Sun Devils' 3-1 win over No. 20 California earlier this season, head coach Trisha Ford claimed her 200th- career victory. Entering the weekend, Ford has amassed a 217-106-1 career-record that includes a 74-33 record at ASU.
HIT THE GROUND RUNNING…
Arizona State has scored first in 40 games this season. In those 40 games, ASU has gone on to post a 39-1 record, including a 23-1 record when scoring in the first inning of play. The lone loss for the Sun Devils when scoring first came in a hard fought 2-4 loss to Arizona on April 22.
PAC-12 MAKING WAVES IN NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP RUN...
Five Pac-12 softball teams will compete in the 2018 NCAA Softball Super Regionals, as announced this evening by the NCAA Division I Softball Committee. Four teams are hosting the series' – No. 1 Oregon, No. 3 UCLA, No. 5 Washington and No. 8 Arizona State – and are joined by No. 14 Arizona in the 16-team field.