The Sun Devils finished the year with a 48-13 record, that included a 16-8 mark in Pac-12 play. The 48 wins on the year marked the team's 23rd- straight 30 win season, and 24th- straight winning season in program history. The 48 wins marked the most in a single season for ASU since winning 50 games in 2013.
In Pac-12 play, the 2018 season marked the Sun Devils' best record since the 2013 season. The 16 conference wins paced ASU to a third place finish, the 29th- top-five finish in conference play in program history, and first top-three finish since 2014.
REGULAR SEASON RECAP:
The 2018 season got started with a huge test against No. 11 Tennessee right out of the gate. Despite outhitting the Vols, 11-6, Tennessee would escape the meeting with a hard fought 4-7 win.
Following the season-opening loss, ASU would go on to win their next 10 games, before having their streak snapped by No. 1 Oklahoma in late February. The Sun Devils would bounce back in a big way, winning their next 11 games, including a series sweep of Minnesota to lead the Devils into Pac-12 play with a 22 wins in hand.
The then 13th- ranked Sun Devils put the nation on notice with a 2-1 series win over the then No. 1 and undefeated Huskies, to improve to 24-4 on the season. The series win came by way of two, 2-0, shutout victories, both thrown by sophomore pitcher G Juarez.
Following the series win over Washington (the first ASU series win over the Huskies since 2013), the Sun Devils hit the road to take on California in Berkeley. The Sun Devils found themselves in three tightly contested road-contests, but ASU would leave the Bay with a 3-0 series sweep of the Bears. With their game-two victory over Cal, Ford picked up career win No. 200 in her eighth season as a head coach.
After a perfect 4-0 weekend against Coastal Carolina and 2018 WAC Champion New Mexico State, the Sun Devils hit the road again, this time heading up to the Pacific Northwest to take on Oregon State. After topping the Beavers 10-1 in the first of three games in Corvallis, the Sun Devils fell 4-2 in game two to set up an important game three. Fighting rain delays and cold conditions, Juarez led the Sun Devils to a 2-1 win in complete game - 15 inning effort - to seal the series win for ASU.
The Sun Devils then returned to the friendly-confines of Farrington Stadium to host back-to-back top-15 opponents in No. 3 Oregon and No. 13 Arizona. The Sun Devils went toe-to-toe with their opposition in both weekends, but came up just short in both weekend outings.
ASU would get back on track, sweeping Utah in Salt Lake City, followed by a mid-week win on the road at NM State to improve their season record to 39-9 entering the final home stand of the 2018 regular season.
Eyeing their first 40-win season since 2014, the Sun Devils accomplished the feat again with a three-game sweep of Stanford on Senior Weekend, sending the Sun Devils to No. 1 UCLA with a puncher's chance of locking up a first place finish in conference play. after winning their first game against the Bruins, UCLA bounced back to win the final two games on the 2018 regular season.
NCAA POSTSEASON RUN:
Following a successful regular season that saw the Sun Devils fight their way to a 43-11 record, the Sun Devils earned a No. 8 seed in the 2018 NCAA Postseason.
By way of earning the eight-seed, ASU earned the opportunity to host Regionals and Super Regionals in Tempe, the first postseason action hosted at Farrington Stadium since the 2014 season.
The Sun Devils lifted the lid on 2018 postseason play with a 2-0 win over New Mexico State, a win that set up a rematch with 2017 postseason foe Ole Miss. The Sun Devils made quick work of the Rebels in their second game of postseason play, getting past Ole Miss 7-0 in game one, and a 9-0 run-rule victory in Sunday's elimination game to move onto Super Regional play for the first time since 2013.
ASU continued to role in Super Regional competition, sweeping the red-hot South Carolina Gamecocks with back-to-back 5-2 victories to punch their ticket to the 2018 Women's College World Series for their 12th- time in program history.
Things would get tougher for the Sun Devils in OKC. Arizona State lifted the lid on their first trip to the WCWS with a heartbreaking loss to top-seeded Oregon, setting up an elimination match with defending National Champion, Oklahoma. In what would go down as one of the best pitching duels of the season, ASU came up just short, ending their 2018 season.
SEASON NOTES:As her time with @ASUsoftball comes to a close, senior Breanna Macha reads a letter to the sport that has taught her so much. #WCWS pic.twitter.com/8JK27DZkeq
— NCAA Softball (@NCAAsoftball) June 2, 2018
WE ALL DIG THE LONG BALL...
The Sun Devils connected on 66 home runs in 2018, the most long balls for a Sun Devil team since the 2015 season that saw ASU launch 88 home runs on the year. Of those 66 homers four
So far this season, ASU has connected on 64 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 1.12 home runs per game, a mark that ranks 13th- nationally and third in the Pac-12. The 64 home runs this season marks the 13th consecutive season for ASU to hit at least 60 home runs.
PITCHING POWERS SUN DEVIL SUCCESS...
While the Sun Devil offense was able to score with the nation's premier teams, pitching was the driving force for Arizona State in 2018. Through their 61 games in 2018, opposing batters managed to hit at a miniscule .190 batting average, and only scored a total of 125 runs. As a staff, the Sun Devil pitchers posted an impressive 1.56 ERA, a mark that ranks ninth nationally and third in the Pac-12. The team ERA also checks in as the
(G)REATNESS IN THE CIRCLE...
Sophomore lefty G Juarez was 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.
Following the 2018 season, Juarez's numbers were nothing short of incredible. The lefty ended the year with a 26-6 record and a 1.56 season ERA. Her 305 strikeouts stand as the ninth- highest strikeouts in a single season, checking in just five strikeouts behind Escobedo who struck out 310 batters in 2014. Juarez's 26 wins in 2018 also rank ninth in a single season for ASU.
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.
Adding to her yearly honors, Juarez was also named to the NFCA All-American First Team while in OKC. Juarez joined a long list of First-Team All-Americans, with the last being Amber Freeman in 2015. The last Sun Devil pitcher to be named an All-American was Dallas Escobedo in 2014. With her first team nod, Juarez became the 25th First-Team honoree in ASU softball history.
IN THE RANKS....
Arizona State has been featured in the NCAA Softball rankings every week this season. After debuting at No. 23 to start the year, ASU has steadily climbed in the rankings, including checking in at No. 10 or higher the final ten weeks of the season. In the latest rankings, the Sun Devils checked in at No. 7 in the final NFCA and ESPN polls.
NEW FACES, BIG IMPACT...
In the second year of the Trisha Ford era the future looks incredibly bright for the ASU softball program. In 2018 the Sun Devils welcomed ten newcomers who made an instant impact on the team. Danielle Gibson, Kindra Hackbarth, Morgan Howe, Jade Gortarez and DeNae Chatman leaders for ASU on offense, combining to post 166 runs on 282 hits, including 42 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 54 career-wins while striking out 384 batters. The 54 wins moves Macha ahead of Carrie Bedlove (1995-98) for 11th- in ASU career-wins, while her 387 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 48,027 fans in the regular season, the ninth-largest accumulated attendance this season. 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 5-0 mark in postseason play.
FRESHMAN PHENOMS POWER SUN DEVIL SURGE...
Freshmen aren't normally looked to in big time situations, but that is exactly what ASU experienced with Danielle Gibson and DeNae Chatman in 2018. Gibson, the freshman phenom first baseman from Murrieta Calif., was a force at the plate for the Sun Devils during the 2018 season. Gibson ranked near the top of the Sun Devil in numerous categories, including home runs (12), RBI (39), and slugging percentage (.633). 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 15 extra-base hits in her 41 games played in 2018. Chatman picked up her first collegiate hit in an ASU win over North Dakota and went on to post a .292 batting average on the year.