TEMPE, Ariz. -- Following a 17-game home-stand, the No. 17 Sun Devils will head down south for their first true road contests of the season with a three-game set at No. 11 Arizona. The series will begin with a 5:00 first pitch Friday, before closing out the weekend with game two Saturday (5:00 p.m.) and Sunday at 4:00 p.m. PT.
LEADING OFF...
• Last weekend the Sun Devils extended their win-streak to five games with a sweep of the Utah Utes. ASU was dominant through the series, outscoring Utah 45-21 on the weekend. Aiding in the barrage of runs on the weekend was ASU's incredible 12 homers hit through the three games.
• Leading the Sun Devil offense last week was catcher Maddi Hackbarth who earned both Pac-12 and USA Softball Player of the Week honors. The junior finished the weekend going 5-for-9 at the plate with every hit finding its way out of the ballpark. Her nine-RBI led the team, as did her remarkable 2.222 slugging percentage.
• To win games, you have to score runs, a feat that ASU has more than excelled at this season. Entering this week, Arizona State leads the nation with an average of 9.12 runs scored per game. 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. Entering the eighth week of the season, K. Hackbarth has recorded 48 total hits, a mark that ranks second in the Pac-12, and fourth nationally. Additionally, her .449 batting average checks in as third-best in the Pac-12 and ranks 32nd in the country.
• The Sun Devils have shown a ton of power at the so far this season. Entering this week, ASU ranks first in slugging percentage (.696), on base percentage (.461) and home runs per game (1.94). This all adds to the Sun Devils leading the Pac-12 in runs scored by a margin of over 80 runs.
Keeping it 100....
A hand full of Sun Devils enter the week looking to track down, or having recently eclipsed the century mark in a few statistical categories. For example...
• Senior infielder Taylor Becerra has amassed 94 runs in her ASU career, leaving her just six shy of reaching 100 runs scored.
• Junior infielder Jade Gortarez has carded 87 hits in her two years in the maroon and gold, leaving her just 13-hits shy of reaching 100.
• Junior Outfielder Kindra Hackbarth has crossed the plate 90 times in her two years in Tempe, leaving her with just 10-runs shy of reaching 100.
+ Head coach Trisha Ford has picked up her 100th win as the head coach of ASU with the team's 12-2 run-rule victory over Oregon State Saturday night.
+ Senior outfielder Morgan Howe picked up her 100th- hit this past weekend in ASU's win over South Dakota.
+ Junior outfielder Kindra Hackbarth picked up her 100th- hit two weekends ago in ASU's loss to Wisconsin.
HITTING THEIR STRIDE....
The Sun Devils have been lights out in the batter's box through the 2019 campaign. If the season ended today, the team's .355 team batting average would set a new season record, topping the programs previous high of .340 set during the 2011 season. Additionally, the team's 301 runs scored marks the 13th- season the Sun Devils have scored 300 or more runs in a season. The team's impressive 64 home runs stands as the 12th season with 60 or more long balls in season.
LAST TIME WE MET...
Last season the Sun Devils and Wildcats battled through a very tightly contested series in Tempe. After winning game one, 2-1, ASU stumbled through the rest of the weekend, dropping game two, 4-1, before ultimately falling in the series finale, 2-4.
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 301 hits, they have also shown an ability to hit for power. The team's 64 home runs on the year leads the Pac-12, and puts the Devils on pace for just under two long balls per game. Apart form their home run game, the team has also combined to record 69 doubles and nine triples. All of this adds up to a .696 slugging percentage, the highest of any team in the country.
GRAND SLAMMIN...
The Sun Devils have combined to hit a total of 64 home runs this season, a mark that give the squad a very good chance of chasing down their 67 home runs hit just a season ago. More impressive than driving the ball out of the park, has been ASU's ability to do so with runners on base. So far this season, the Sun Devils have combined to launch six grand slams, already doubling their three grand slams from a year ago, and leaving ASU just two slams shy of matching the program record of eight hit in 2015.
PAC-12 LEADING THE WAY, AGAIN, IN COLLEGIATE SOFTBALL
Seven of the league's nine teams own a top-50 NCAA RPI including three teams ranked in the top-10, which ties for the most of any conference, with No. 3 UCLA, No. 4 Washington and No. 7 Arizona. Additionally, No. 18 Stanford, No. 29 Arizona State, No. 40 Oregon State and No. 43 Oregon join the list. Five Pac-12 softball teams rank in the latest top-25 poll with No. 1 UCLA, No. 8 Washington, No. 9 Arizona, No. 13 Arizona State and newest addition No. 24 Stanford, earning its first top-25 mark this season.
ON DECK...
Following the team's trip down to Tucson, Arizona State will return home to host top-ranked UCLA in the team's penultimate Pac-12 home series, April 5-7. The three-game series will begin with a 5:00 p.m. matchup on Friday, before finishing the series with a 2:00 p.m. meeting Saturday and a 4:00 p.m. first pitch on Sunday. Fans can follow all of the action from the 2019 softball season by following @ASUSoftball on Twitter.