TEMPE – It's a top-25 clash on tap this weekend at Farrington Stadium as 22nd-ranked Sun Devil softball welcomes No. 17 Arizona to Tempe for a three-game series. The series is the Pac-12 opener for each team.
First pitch is slated for 7 p.m. on Friday, with the action continuing at 5 p.m. on Saturday at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
The games will be broadcast on Pac-12 Arizona on Friday and Saturday, with Daron Sutton handling the play-by-play. Sunday's game is on Pac-12 Network with Cindy Brunson (PBP) and Kenzie Fowler (analyst) calling the action.
Arizona State opens conference play with a 15-3 overall record after going 4-1 during last weekend's Sun Devil Classic. That includes six run-rule victories and an 11-2 mark at Farrington Stadium. ASU has gone 39-8 at home over the past two seasons.
Entering conference action, ASU sits second in the Pac-12 with a .353 batting average while leading with a .670 slugging. Those are good for 10th and second in the NCAA, respectively. The team is scoring 7.00 runs per game and is No. 1 nationally by hitting 2.00 home runs per game.
In the circle, the staff has a 2.15 ERA and 1.25 WHIP. Sun Devil pitchers strikeout 6.94 batters per seven innings and have allowed only six home runs. The opposition is batting .226 with a .608 OPS.
SERIES HISTORY
Arizona State and Arizona have been playing each other since 1972, with the Wildcats holding a 111-102 lead in those meetings. ASU has gone 31-45 in the series at home and 18-19 at Farrington Stadium.
The Sun Devils have found success in the series of late, winning six of the past seven matchups, including a three-game sweep last season in Tucson.
SCORING STREAK
Scoring runs has been the norm for the Sun Devils of late. After getting shutout three times in the first 16 games last season, ASU has scored a run in 56 consecutive games. That is the longest streak since a 75-game stretch that spanned the 2014 & 2015 seasons.
Entering the weekend, ASU ranks tied for 13th in the country by scoring 7.00 runs per game, and they have scored at least eight runs in a game 10 times while going for 10-plus on three occasions.
STILL LOVE THE LONG BALL
After hitting a program-record 104 home runs in 2022, the Sun Devils have continued to deliver in that department in 2023. With 36 home runs in 18 games, ASU is second in the NCAA in total homers (Virginia Tech, 38) while leading the country at 2.00 per game.
ASU has hit a home run in 17 straight games, with multiple home runs in a game 11 times. The consecutive game streak is one shy of the program record of 18 set during the 2021 season.
NOT JUST HOMERS
While the long ball has been a factor in the team's scoring output this season, ASU is also among the nation's leaders with 31 doubles. That total is good for fifth in the conference and 29th in the NCAA.
ASU's 71 extra-base hits rank second in the Pac-12 behind the 73 of California. Add in the No. 2 on-base percentage in the league (.425), and the Sun Devils are tied for third nationally with a 1.095 OPS.
THE JORDYN RULES
Jordyn VanHook continues to impress with her play this season. The senior leads the country with 13 home runs – three more than second – while ranking sixth in the conference by batting .464 and sitting second in the country with a 1.766 OPS.
VanHook is averaging a home run every 4.3 at-bats and ranks among the Pac-12 leaders with 22 runs (4th), 26 hits (8th), 25 RBIs (4th) and five doubles (13th). She has gone 21-for-41 (.512) with 11 home runs and 23 RBIs during her career-best 13-game hitting streak.
Twice this season VanHook hit home runs in four consecutive games. Her home run tally includes two go-ahead and one game-tying blast.
TOP OF THE LINEUP
Yanni Acuña continues to lead the Sun Devils from her leadoff position with a .475 batting average and a team-leading 28 hits. She has a team-high 10 multi-hit games while recording a hit in all but three games and driving in 16 runs.
Acuña is fifth in the Pac-12 in average and ranks second in home runs (7), slugging (.983), third in total bases (58), fourth in doubles (7), and ninth in runs (20). She has reached base in 35 of the last 36 games dating back to last season.
CLUB FARRINGTON ADVANTAGE
Selected as one of the top college softball venues in the country by Softball America, Farrington Stadium is also among the top home-field advantages in the nation. Since the Sun Devils began playing at Farrington in 2000, they have gone 652-175 (.788) and never had a losing record at home.
ASU is averaging 1,132 fans per game since 2009, creating one of the best atmospheres in the country. Club Farrington – as it has become known – was on full display during the 2022 season with a stadium-record average attendance of 1,362.
LOOKING AHEAD
Next week, the Sun Devils will travel to Stillwater, Okla., to participate in the Oklahoma State Mizuno Classic. The schedule features games against UCF and Oklahoma State on both Friday, March 17, and Saturday, March 18.
First pitch is slated for 7 p.m. on Friday, with the action continuing at 5 p.m. on Saturday at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
The games will be broadcast on Pac-12 Arizona on Friday and Saturday, with Daron Sutton handling the play-by-play. Sunday's game is on Pac-12 Network with Cindy Brunson (PBP) and Kenzie Fowler (analyst) calling the action.
Arizona State opens conference play with a 15-3 overall record after going 4-1 during last weekend's Sun Devil Classic. That includes six run-rule victories and an 11-2 mark at Farrington Stadium. ASU has gone 39-8 at home over the past two seasons.
Entering conference action, ASU sits second in the Pac-12 with a .353 batting average while leading with a .670 slugging. Those are good for 10th and second in the NCAA, respectively. The team is scoring 7.00 runs per game and is No. 1 nationally by hitting 2.00 home runs per game.
In the circle, the staff has a 2.15 ERA and 1.25 WHIP. Sun Devil pitchers strikeout 6.94 batters per seven innings and have allowed only six home runs. The opposition is batting .226 with a .608 OPS.
SERIES HISTORY
Arizona State and Arizona have been playing each other since 1972, with the Wildcats holding a 111-102 lead in those meetings. ASU has gone 31-45 in the series at home and 18-19 at Farrington Stadium.
The Sun Devils have found success in the series of late, winning six of the past seven matchups, including a three-game sweep last season in Tucson.
SCORING STREAK
Scoring runs has been the norm for the Sun Devils of late. After getting shutout three times in the first 16 games last season, ASU has scored a run in 56 consecutive games. That is the longest streak since a 75-game stretch that spanned the 2014 & 2015 seasons.
Entering the weekend, ASU ranks tied for 13th in the country by scoring 7.00 runs per game, and they have scored at least eight runs in a game 10 times while going for 10-plus on three occasions.
STILL LOVE THE LONG BALL
After hitting a program-record 104 home runs in 2022, the Sun Devils have continued to deliver in that department in 2023. With 36 home runs in 18 games, ASU is second in the NCAA in total homers (Virginia Tech, 38) while leading the country at 2.00 per game.
ASU has hit a home run in 17 straight games, with multiple home runs in a game 11 times. The consecutive game streak is one shy of the program record of 18 set during the 2021 season.
NOT JUST HOMERS
While the long ball has been a factor in the team's scoring output this season, ASU is also among the nation's leaders with 31 doubles. That total is good for fifth in the conference and 29th in the NCAA.
ASU's 71 extra-base hits rank second in the Pac-12 behind the 73 of California. Add in the No. 2 on-base percentage in the league (.425), and the Sun Devils are tied for third nationally with a 1.095 OPS.
THE JORDYN RULES
Jordyn VanHook continues to impress with her play this season. The senior leads the country with 13 home runs – three more than second – while ranking sixth in the conference by batting .464 and sitting second in the country with a 1.766 OPS.
VanHook is averaging a home run every 4.3 at-bats and ranks among the Pac-12 leaders with 22 runs (4th), 26 hits (8th), 25 RBIs (4th) and five doubles (13th). She has gone 21-for-41 (.512) with 11 home runs and 23 RBIs during her career-best 13-game hitting streak.
Twice this season VanHook hit home runs in four consecutive games. Her home run tally includes two go-ahead and one game-tying blast.
TOP OF THE LINEUP
Yanni Acuña continues to lead the Sun Devils from her leadoff position with a .475 batting average and a team-leading 28 hits. She has a team-high 10 multi-hit games while recording a hit in all but three games and driving in 16 runs.
Acuña is fifth in the Pac-12 in average and ranks second in home runs (7), slugging (.983), third in total bases (58), fourth in doubles (7), and ninth in runs (20). She has reached base in 35 of the last 36 games dating back to last season.
CLUB FARRINGTON ADVANTAGE
Selected as one of the top college softball venues in the country by Softball America, Farrington Stadium is also among the top home-field advantages in the nation. Since the Sun Devils began playing at Farrington in 2000, they have gone 652-175 (.788) and never had a losing record at home.
ASU is averaging 1,132 fans per game since 2009, creating one of the best atmospheres in the country. Club Farrington – as it has become known – was on full display during the 2022 season with a stadium-record average attendance of 1,362.
LOOKING AHEAD
Next week, the Sun Devils will travel to Stillwater, Okla., to participate in the Oklahoma State Mizuno Classic. The schedule features games against UCF and Oklahoma State on both Friday, March 17, and Saturday, March 18.