Sun Devil softball returns to the road this weekend for a three-game Pac-12 series against California. The trip is the first to Berkeley for Arizona State since 2018.
Play begins at Levine-Fricke Field on Friday at 3 p.m. MST. The games move to a 2 p.m. MST first pitch on Saturday and Sunday.
The games on Friday and Sunday will be broadcast on Pac-12 Network with Kylen Mills (PBP) calling the action. Saturday's game will feature Jordan Watkins on the call on Pac-12 Arizona.
ASU makes the trip with a 17-8 overall record after a 1-3 trip to the OSU Mizuno Classic last weekend. The Sun Devils opened Pac-12 play by going 1-2 against Arizona. They are 1-1 when playing on the road this season.
Heading into the road trip, ASU is batting .312 and scoring 5.56 runs per game. The team is second in the Pac-12 with 39 home runs while sitting fourth with 75 extra-base hits. Their .566 slugging is second in the conference.
In the circle, the staff has a 2.86 ERA and 1.43 WHIP. The team has thrown five shutouts and averages 6.47 strikeouts per seven innings. The opposition is batting .241 with a .676 OPS and hitting a home run every 51.5 at-bats.
SERIES HISTORY
Arizona State and California have played each other since 1981, with the Golden Bears leading the all-time series 70-65. ASU has had the more recent success with an 8-2 mark in the past 10 matchups, including a 3-0 sweep last season in Tempe.
The Sun Devils have been outscored 395-392 in the 135 previous meetings and are 25-31 against Cal in Berkeley. Since 1999, ASU has gone 25-3 when scoring five-plus runs in a game against the Bears.
FAST STARTS
The Sun Devils have outscored the opposition 22-11 in the first inning of games this season. They are 10-0 when scoring in the first inning, which has led to a 12-1 record when scoring first.
The first-inning success has been bolstered by the team hitting six home runs in the opening frame.
SETTING IT UP
ASU has been successful this season at getting the first batter of the inning on base. Through 149 innings at the plate, the Sun Devils have seen the first batter reach base 51.7 percent of the time.
In contrast, ASU opponents have seen their first batter in an inning reach base in 35.2 percent of their 159 opportunities.
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 39 home runs in 25 games, ASU is seventh by hitting 1.56 per game.
ASU homered in 17 consecutive games – one shy of the program record – before being shutout by Arizona on March 10. At the current pace, the Sun Devils will end the regular season with 75 home runs. They are tied for eighth in the country in total homers.
NOT JUST HOMERS
While the long ball has been a factor in the team's scoring output this season, ASU has totaled 75 extra-base hits to place fourth in the Pac-12.
All those extra-base hits have the team second in the conference and 15th in the NCAA with a .963 OPS. The Sun Devils have at least one XBH in 20 of the team's 25 games this season.
NEARING 1,600
Arizona State, one of the most successful programs in NCAA history, needs eight wins to reach 1,600 since joining the NCAA in 1982. During those 42 seasons, the Sun Devils are 1592-826-2 (.658).
ASU has averaged 38 wins per season, made 17 consecutive postseason appearances and won two national championships in 2008 and 2011.
TOP OF THE LINEUP
Yanni Acuña continues to lead the Sun Devils from her leadoff position with a .436 batting average and a team-leading 34 hits. She has a team-high 12 multi-hit games while recording a hit in all but six games and driving in 18 runs.
Acuña is sixth in the Pac-12 in average, and she ranks fourth in slugging (.821) and total bases (64), eighth in doubles (7) and ninth in home runs (7).
Dating back to last season, Acuña has reached base in 41 of the last 43 games.
THE JORDYN RULES
Jordyn VanHook continues to lead the country with 14 home runs and home runs per game at 0.56. She is hitting a home run every 5.2 at-bats, and twice this season, she homered in four consecutive games.
VanHook leads the Pac-12 and sits fifth nationally with her 1.027 slugging percentage, and she is batting .384 with 27 RBIs. Her 1.479 OPS is tops in the conference and ninth in the NCAA.
Play begins at Levine-Fricke Field on Friday at 3 p.m. MST. The games move to a 2 p.m. MST first pitch on Saturday and Sunday.
The games on Friday and Sunday will be broadcast on Pac-12 Network with Kylen Mills (PBP) calling the action. Saturday's game will feature Jordan Watkins on the call on Pac-12 Arizona.
ASU makes the trip with a 17-8 overall record after a 1-3 trip to the OSU Mizuno Classic last weekend. The Sun Devils opened Pac-12 play by going 1-2 against Arizona. They are 1-1 when playing on the road this season.
Heading into the road trip, ASU is batting .312 and scoring 5.56 runs per game. The team is second in the Pac-12 with 39 home runs while sitting fourth with 75 extra-base hits. Their .566 slugging is second in the conference.
In the circle, the staff has a 2.86 ERA and 1.43 WHIP. The team has thrown five shutouts and averages 6.47 strikeouts per seven innings. The opposition is batting .241 with a .676 OPS and hitting a home run every 51.5 at-bats.
SERIES HISTORY
Arizona State and California have played each other since 1981, with the Golden Bears leading the all-time series 70-65. ASU has had the more recent success with an 8-2 mark in the past 10 matchups, including a 3-0 sweep last season in Tempe.
The Sun Devils have been outscored 395-392 in the 135 previous meetings and are 25-31 against Cal in Berkeley. Since 1999, ASU has gone 25-3 when scoring five-plus runs in a game against the Bears.
FAST STARTS
The Sun Devils have outscored the opposition 22-11 in the first inning of games this season. They are 10-0 when scoring in the first inning, which has led to a 12-1 record when scoring first.
The first-inning success has been bolstered by the team hitting six home runs in the opening frame.
SETTING IT UP
ASU has been successful this season at getting the first batter of the inning on base. Through 149 innings at the plate, the Sun Devils have seen the first batter reach base 51.7 percent of the time.
In contrast, ASU opponents have seen their first batter in an inning reach base in 35.2 percent of their 159 opportunities.
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 39 home runs in 25 games, ASU is seventh by hitting 1.56 per game.
ASU homered in 17 consecutive games – one shy of the program record – before being shutout by Arizona on March 10. At the current pace, the Sun Devils will end the regular season with 75 home runs. They are tied for eighth in the country in total homers.
NOT JUST HOMERS
While the long ball has been a factor in the team's scoring output this season, ASU has totaled 75 extra-base hits to place fourth in the Pac-12.
All those extra-base hits have the team second in the conference and 15th in the NCAA with a .963 OPS. The Sun Devils have at least one XBH in 20 of the team's 25 games this season.
NEARING 1,600
Arizona State, one of the most successful programs in NCAA history, needs eight wins to reach 1,600 since joining the NCAA in 1982. During those 42 seasons, the Sun Devils are 1592-826-2 (.658).
ASU has averaged 38 wins per season, made 17 consecutive postseason appearances and won two national championships in 2008 and 2011.
TOP OF THE LINEUP
Yanni Acuña continues to lead the Sun Devils from her leadoff position with a .436 batting average and a team-leading 34 hits. She has a team-high 12 multi-hit games while recording a hit in all but six games and driving in 18 runs.
Acuña is sixth in the Pac-12 in average, and she ranks fourth in slugging (.821) and total bases (64), eighth in doubles (7) and ninth in home runs (7).
Dating back to last season, Acuña has reached base in 41 of the last 43 games.
THE JORDYN RULES
Jordyn VanHook continues to lead the country with 14 home runs and home runs per game at 0.56. She is hitting a home run every 5.2 at-bats, and twice this season, she homered in four consecutive games.
VanHook leads the Pac-12 and sits fifth nationally with her 1.027 slugging percentage, and she is batting .384 with 27 RBIs. Her 1.479 OPS is tops in the conference and ninth in the NCAA.