TEMPE – The inaugural Pac-12 Softball Tournament will start on Wednesday at 6 p.m., with Sun Devil Softball taking on Arizona at Hillenbrand Stadium in Tucson. It will be the first postseason matchup between the two programs since the 1993 NCAA Regional.
Wednesday's game will air on the Pac-12 Network with Elise Woodward (PBP) and Natasha Watley (analyst) calling the action. Complete tournament information, including tickets and parking, can be found on the tournament hub at pac-12.com/23SBTourney.
The winner of Wednesday's game will advance to Game No. 4 of the tournament, where they will play UCLA on Thursday at 4 p.m. The semifinal game of this half of the draw would be played on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and the championship game on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Arizona State finished the regular season with a 22-25 overall record. They tied for eighth in the Pac-12 standings – with Arizona – by going 6-18 in league games. The Sun Devils are 4-10 in road games and 4-3 at a neutral site this season.
ASU heads south with a .263 average and .822 OPS. They score an average of 4.34 runs per game and scored 10-plus runs in a game four times. They are fourth in the Pac-12 with 58 home runs while posting 116 extra-base hits.
ASU has a 3.65 ERA and 1.56 WHIP in the circle. They record 5.69 strikeouts per seven innings with a .264 opponent batting average. The staff is third in the Pac-12 with only 26 home runs allowed.
SERIES HISTORY
Arizona holds a 113-103 edge in the all-time series dating back to the 1972 season. ASU is 17-49 in known games played in Tucson, but have won three straight at Hillenbrand Stadium.
The Wildcats took two of three from the Sun Devils during the regular season, but ASU has won seven of the past 10 meetings.
SECOND TIME THROUGH
The second time through the lineup has benefited the Sun Devils this season. In innings three, four, and five, ASU has scored 113 runs for an average of 2.40 per game.
The Sun Devils are hitting .276 with a .856 OPS and 32 home runs in those three innings. That has helped them outscore the opposition by 22 runs in the time frame.
LATE LEADS
This season, getting an early lead has been crucial for the ASU. The Sun Devils have posted a 16-2 record when leading after four innings. That moves to 11-3 when leading after five and 12-1 when leading after six.
If the game is tied through four innings, ASU has turned that into a 6-2 record. That also carries into a 3-1 mark when tied through five and 2-1 if tied after six.
SIX IS THE MAGIC NUMBER
Six runs have been the determining factor in most ASU games this season. The Sun Devils have gone 15-2 when scoring at least six runs in a game. They are 21-13 when holding the opposition to five runs or less.
LONG BALL A FACTOR
After hitting a program-record 104 home runs in 2022, the Sun Devils have continued to deliver in that department in 2023. With 58 home runs in 47 games, ASU ranks second in the Pac-12 and 20th in the nation, hitting 1.23 per game.
The team is 27th in the NCAA in total home runs, and they have scored 88 runs via the home run this season (42.5% of total runs). ASU homered in 17 consecutive games – one shy of the program record – before being shut out by Arizona on March 10. They have hit multiple home runs in a game 18 times during the season.
STARTS WITH YANNI
Yanni Acuña leads the Sun Devils with a .396 batting average and 53 hits. She has a team-high 17 multi-hit games with 26 RBIs and has reached base in 43 of the 47 games this season, including eight straight entering the tournament.
Acuña is sixth in the Pac-12 in average while ranking fourth in slugging (.716) and second in on-base percentage (.515). Her 42 runs scored is third in the conference, and she is sixth in walks, eighth in total bases, and 11th in home runs.
ALL-TIME SUN DEVIL
Acuña continues to rise to the career leaderboards at ASU despite just two seasons as a full-time starter. She ranks in the program's top 25 in eight statistical categories, including third in on-base percentage (.490) and fourth in slugging (.699).
Her 153 career runs scored are seventh-most at ASU, and Acuña ranks eighth in doubles (44) and 11th with a .362 career batting average.
THE JORDYN RULES
Jordyn VanHook finished the regular season as the Pac-12 home run leader with 19 bombs. That total has her sixth in the country and three off the lead. VanHook also leads the conference while ranking third nationally by hitting 0.40 home runs per game.
VanHook needs one home run to become the fifth player in program history to hit 20 in a season and two to tie the program record of 21.
VanHook is slugging .777 to rank second in the conference and 24th in the NCAA. She is batting .295 with six doubles, 35 RBIs, and 29 runs scored.
IN THE CIRCLE
Kylee Magee has emerged as the leader of the staff, with four starts in the past two weekends. She delivered a two-hit shutout at Oregon State last Friday for her second shutout of the season. Magee is 4-5 with a 3.17 ERA and 55 strikeouts. She has allowed just four home runs, or one every 69.0 at-bats.
Magee became the first freshman since Dale Ryndak in 2015 to start a season opener for the Sun Devils when she opened in the circle against CSUN.
Wednesday's game will air on the Pac-12 Network with Elise Woodward (PBP) and Natasha Watley (analyst) calling the action. Complete tournament information, including tickets and parking, can be found on the tournament hub at pac-12.com/23SBTourney.
The winner of Wednesday's game will advance to Game No. 4 of the tournament, where they will play UCLA on Thursday at 4 p.m. The semifinal game of this half of the draw would be played on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and the championship game on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Arizona State finished the regular season with a 22-25 overall record. They tied for eighth in the Pac-12 standings – with Arizona – by going 6-18 in league games. The Sun Devils are 4-10 in road games and 4-3 at a neutral site this season.
ASU heads south with a .263 average and .822 OPS. They score an average of 4.34 runs per game and scored 10-plus runs in a game four times. They are fourth in the Pac-12 with 58 home runs while posting 116 extra-base hits.
ASU has a 3.65 ERA and 1.56 WHIP in the circle. They record 5.69 strikeouts per seven innings with a .264 opponent batting average. The staff is third in the Pac-12 with only 26 home runs allowed.
SERIES HISTORY
Arizona holds a 113-103 edge in the all-time series dating back to the 1972 season. ASU is 17-49 in known games played in Tucson, but have won three straight at Hillenbrand Stadium.
The Wildcats took two of three from the Sun Devils during the regular season, but ASU has won seven of the past 10 meetings.
SECOND TIME THROUGH
The second time through the lineup has benefited the Sun Devils this season. In innings three, four, and five, ASU has scored 113 runs for an average of 2.40 per game.
The Sun Devils are hitting .276 with a .856 OPS and 32 home runs in those three innings. That has helped them outscore the opposition by 22 runs in the time frame.
LATE LEADS
This season, getting an early lead has been crucial for the ASU. The Sun Devils have posted a 16-2 record when leading after four innings. That moves to 11-3 when leading after five and 12-1 when leading after six.
If the game is tied through four innings, ASU has turned that into a 6-2 record. That also carries into a 3-1 mark when tied through five and 2-1 if tied after six.
SIX IS THE MAGIC NUMBER
Six runs have been the determining factor in most ASU games this season. The Sun Devils have gone 15-2 when scoring at least six runs in a game. They are 21-13 when holding the opposition to five runs or less.
LONG BALL A FACTOR
After hitting a program-record 104 home runs in 2022, the Sun Devils have continued to deliver in that department in 2023. With 58 home runs in 47 games, ASU ranks second in the Pac-12 and 20th in the nation, hitting 1.23 per game.
The team is 27th in the NCAA in total home runs, and they have scored 88 runs via the home run this season (42.5% of total runs). ASU homered in 17 consecutive games – one shy of the program record – before being shut out by Arizona on March 10. They have hit multiple home runs in a game 18 times during the season.
STARTS WITH YANNI
Yanni Acuña leads the Sun Devils with a .396 batting average and 53 hits. She has a team-high 17 multi-hit games with 26 RBIs and has reached base in 43 of the 47 games this season, including eight straight entering the tournament.
Acuña is sixth in the Pac-12 in average while ranking fourth in slugging (.716) and second in on-base percentage (.515). Her 42 runs scored is third in the conference, and she is sixth in walks, eighth in total bases, and 11th in home runs.
ALL-TIME SUN DEVIL
Acuña continues to rise to the career leaderboards at ASU despite just two seasons as a full-time starter. She ranks in the program's top 25 in eight statistical categories, including third in on-base percentage (.490) and fourth in slugging (.699).
Her 153 career runs scored are seventh-most at ASU, and Acuña ranks eighth in doubles (44) and 11th with a .362 career batting average.
THE JORDYN RULES
Jordyn VanHook finished the regular season as the Pac-12 home run leader with 19 bombs. That total has her sixth in the country and three off the lead. VanHook also leads the conference while ranking third nationally by hitting 0.40 home runs per game.
VanHook needs one home run to become the fifth player in program history to hit 20 in a season and two to tie the program record of 21.
VanHook is slugging .777 to rank second in the conference and 24th in the NCAA. She is batting .295 with six doubles, 35 RBIs, and 29 runs scored.
IN THE CIRCLE
Kylee Magee has emerged as the leader of the staff, with four starts in the past two weekends. She delivered a two-hit shutout at Oregon State last Friday for her second shutout of the season. Magee is 4-5 with a 3.17 ERA and 55 strikeouts. She has allowed just four home runs, or one every 69.0 at-bats.
Magee became the first freshman since Dale Ryndak in 2015 to start a season opener for the Sun Devils when she opened in the circle against CSUN.