LEADING OFF...
• The Sun Devils have successfully finished their third-straight 20-win non-conference slate under Trisha Ford. This season's non-conference strength of schedule ranks fifth in the Pac-12 (based on opponents win percentage) and featured nine games against teams that were either ranked or receiving votes at the time of competition.
• While the 2018 version of Sun Devil softball made their mark in the circle, the 2019 team has made a name for themselves as an offensive juggernaut. Entering Pac-12 play, the Sun Devil offense has combined to post a .334 team batting average, a mark that ranks 15th- nationally, and second in the Pac-12.
• To win games, you have to score runs, a feat that ASU has more than excelled at this season. Entering league play, Arizona State leads the nation with a remarkable 8.33 runs scored per game average. That scoring pace is made even more incredible when compared to last season's WCWS team that averaged more than three-runs less per game (5.16).
• Individually, junior outfielder Kindra Hackbarth has continued to impress at the plate. Through Tuesday's win, K. Hackbarth has recorded a team-leading 37 hits on the year. Her hit-total checks in second in the Pac-12 and fourth nationally.
• The Sun Devils have shown a ton of power at the so far this season. The team's .634 slugging percentage checks in as the second highest in the nation, and just .014 behind Florida State who is the national leader in that category.
SERIES INFORMATION...Date: March 15-17
Game Times: 7 p.m. // 5 p.m. // 12 p.m.
Location: Tempe, Ariz.
Venue: Alberta B. Farrington Softball Stadium
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast
Live Stream: Friday / Saturday / Sunday
All-Time Series: ASU Leads, 77-32
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION....
The Beavers will arrive in Tempe with a 16-5 record in hand, and riding a four-game win streak. At the plate, senior Lovie Lopez leads the team with a .367 batting average in her 18 games played. The outfielder has been a spot hitter through the season, breaking through with three multi-hits games on the season, including a 3-for-4 outing against Loyola Marymount last weekend. In the circle, Mariah Mazon and Meehra Nelson anchor the Beaver defense. Mazon has put together a really nice 2019 campaign, posting a team leading 1.49 ERA in her 65.2 innings pitched.
LAST TIME WE MET...
The series between the two teams in Corvallis in 2018 proved to provide all of the drama you would come to expect from a Pac-12 matchup. With showers forecast during the weekend, ASU and Oregon State agreed to play a Friday doubleheader, before closing the weekend series on Sunday. In Friday's first game, the Sun Devils rolled to a 10-1 run-rule victory. Game two would not be so kind to ASU, as Oregon State struck back to win, 4-2. Following a full day of rain on Saturday, the two teams battled through a 15-inning epic, that actually saw two stoppages of play for rain. In the end, the Sun Devils did prevail, winning the rubber match, 2-1.
SLUGG LYFE...
After building their identity with pitching last season, the pendulum seems to have swung back in 2019 to see the Sun Devils find their success in the batters box. Not only have the Sun Devils combined to record 222 hits, they have also shown an ability to hit for power. The team's 45 home runs on the year put the Devils on pace for 1.67 long balls per game, a mark that ranks second in the Pac-12 and third in the nation. Apart from their long ball prowess, the team has also combined to record 50 doubles and seven triples. All of this adds up to a 0.634 slugging percentage, the second highest in the country trailing only Florida State in that category.
ANDERSENS' TERRIFIC TUESDAY...
Freshman pitcher Abby Andersen was nearly perfect in Tuesday's win over Lehigh. The right-hander allowed just one hit in the shutout victory that closed out the non-conference slate. The feat was the second impressive performance by an Andersen that day, as just hours before the game, her brother Mason Andersen won the Lamkin Grips San Diego Classic in a shootout against Cole Hammer (Texas) and Blake Hathcoat (St. Mary's). The win helped the Sun Devil men's golf team capture their second victory of the year by just one stroke.
Following this weekend's series against Oregon State, the Sun Devils will turn their sites to week two of conference play with another home stand against Utah. Action in week two of league play will begin with a 5:00 p.m. meeting with the Utes, followed by game two Saturday at 2:00 p.m. PT. The series will conclude Sunday at noon. All three games are scheduled to be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network