The weekend slate will begin for ASU with a Friday double header, starting with a 4:30 p.m. matchup against Western Michigan, followed by a 7 p.m. tilt against Missouri. The Sun Devils will be back Saturday for games against Kansas (2:30 p.m.) and Weber State (7:30 p.m) before closing out the opening weekend of the season with a 2 p.m. game against CSUN on Sunday, Feb. 10.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE CLASSIC:
| Friday | ASU vs. Western Michigan ASU vs. Missouri |
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| Saturday | ASU vs. Kansas ASU vs. Weber State |
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| Sunday | ASU vs. CSUN | WATCH | Live Stats |
LEADING OFF...
• The Sun Devils will look to continue their winning ways in season openers in Friday night's matchup. The squad enters the 2019 season winners of 22 of their last 23 season opening games. ASU has dropped just eight season-openers in the program's 46-year history, making the Sun Devils a remarkable 39-8 all-time in season openers.
• There will be no shortage of ways to follow the Kajikawa Classic, as 12 games of the classic are scheduled to be broadcast across the Pac-12 Networks. Alongside the Pac-12's coverage of the annual event, FloSoftball will also be streaming five games to subscribers of their online streaming service.
• While the field of teams in 2019 is a bit smaller than in the past, the weekend will feature 12 teams (Including ASU) with 30 games to be played across four fields, still making it one of the nation's largest preseason tournaments.
• The Sun Devils enter the 2019 season picked to finish fourth in the Pac-12 preseason poll. The fourth-place ranking in the coaches poll is the highest since 2018 Pac-12 Coach of the Year Trisha Ford arrived in Tempe. Last season, the Sun Devils fought their way to a 16-8 record in conference play, finishing third in the league standings. The Sun Devils were picked to finish sixth in the 2018 Coaches poll.
• Arizona State has been featured in the NCAA Softball rankings every week since the start of the 2018 season. After debuting at No. 23 to start last season, ASU has steadily climbed in the rankings, including checking in at No. 10 or higher the last nine weeks of the 2018 season.
ABOUT THE KAJIKAWA CLASSIC....
The classic is named in honor of Sun Devil legend Bill Kajikawa, an ASU graduate who earned his bachelor's degree in 1937 before completing a master's degree in 1948. While an undergrad, Kajikawa was a member of the varsity football team. In 1937, Kajikawa began his coaching career at ASU with the Arizona State Teacher's College freshman football team. In addition, he served as head basketball coach from 1948 to 1957, and he was head coach of ASU's club baseball team from 1947 to 1957. Before retiring in 1978, Kajikawa had worked as the freshman football coach under a total nine ASU head football coaches.
During World War II, Kajikawa took his only hiatus from ASU to serve with distinction in the Army's 442nd Regimental Combat Team. The 442nd combat regiment, manned entirely by Japanese Americans, was the Army's most decorated combat unit.
Kajikawa, who was a professor emeritus of physical education at ASU, was recognized on April 6, 1995, in a ceremony that named the Sun Devil football practice field The Bill Kajikawa Practice Facility. He was also inducted into the Arizona Basketball Hall of Fame in 1968 and the ASU Hall of Distinction in 1982.
A LOOK BACK AT 2018...
In their 38th- season of NCAA competition, the Arizona State softball team continued to grow under second-year head coach Trisha Ford. The 2018 campaign ended with a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, culminating in the program's 12th- trip to the NCAA Women's College World Series.
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. 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 saw the Sun Devils' record their best record in the past five seasons. 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.
The season started with a huge test against No. 11 Tennessee. Despite out-hitting the Vols, 11-6, Tennessee escape the meeting with a hard fought, 7-4, win.
Following the season-opening loss, ASU went on to win their next 10 games, before having their streak snapped by No. 1 Oklahoma in late February. The Sun Devils responded again winning their next 11 games, including a series sweep of Minnesota to lead the Sun Devils into Pac-12 play with 22 wins in hand.
The then 13th- ranked Sun Devils put the nation on notice in the second week of March with a 2-1 series win over the then No. 1 (and undefeated) Huskies, to improve to 24-4 on the young season. The series win came by way of two, 2-0, shutout victories.
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-series, but ASU left the Bay with a 3-0 series sweep of the Bears. With their game-two victory over Cal (March 24), 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, the Sun Devils battled their way 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 in mid April. The Sun Devils went toe-to-toe with their opposition in both weekends, but came up just short, emerging from the grueling stretch of games with a 35-9 record, including a 9-6 mark in conference play.
ASU got back on track to close out the month of April, 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.
Following a successful regular season that saw the Sun Devils fight their way to a 43-11 record, Arizona State 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, 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.
ASU continued to roll 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.
Arizona State began their 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.
WHAT'S NEXT...
Following the Kajikawa Classic this weekend, the Sun Devils will host the Littlewood Classic in Tempe next weekend. Action in the second week of the season will get started on Thursday, Feb. 14 with a meeting with Illinois State at 7:00 p.m. AZT. Action will continue on Friday with a game against No. 5 Florida at 7:00 p.m.
The Sun Devils will close out their 10-game home-stand with a Saturday matchup with Western Michigan (2:00 p.m.) and a Sunday doubleheader against Utah State and San Diego on Sunday, Feb. 17.