TEMPE – Sun Devil softball will bring a close to its 21-game homestand that started the season by playing four games this weekend at the ASU Invitational.
ASU will open play on Friday with games against UC San Diego at 4:30 p.m. MST and James Madison at 7 p.m. MST. The Sun Devils will then host North Florida on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. MST and Omaha at 7 p.m. MST.
All four games will be streamed live on the ASU Live Stream.
The ASU Invitational will see 12 games over three days, with action starting at 9 a.m. on Friday and Saturday and 8 a.m. on Sunday. More details and the full schedule can be found at TheSunDevils.com.
ABOUT THE SUN DEVILS
Arizona State brings an 11-6 record into the weekend after sweeping a doubleheader from UTEP and going 4-2 at the Sun Devil Classic last week. They have three run-rule victories and two shutouts on the season.
ASU is batting .331 and scoring 6.59 runs per game on the season. Behind their Pac-12-leading 32 doubles, the Sun Devils have a .962 OPS. That also includes nine triples and 16 home runs.
Sun Devil pitchers have a 4.20 ERA and 1.57 WHIP entering the week. They are allowing the opposition to hit .294 with a .804 OPS. ASU is third in the Pac-12 with 99 strikeouts while posting 6.03 strikeouts per seven innings.
FAST STARTS
ASU bats have been ready to play from the start, as the Sun Devils have scored 31 runs in the first inning of games this season. That accounts for 28 percent of the team's total runs. The team has scored in the first inning nine times this season, including three times in the past four games.
The early dominance extends over the first three innings of action, where ASU has outscored the opposition 66-41. The 66 runs are 59 percent of the team's total.
TAKE TWO (OR THREE)
Doubles have been aplenty for the Sun Devils this season. ASU has recorded 32 doubles this season, the most in the Pac-12 and sixth-most in the NCAA. They have hit a double in 13 consecutive games and 16 of 17 games overall while hitting multiple doubles in a game seven times.
ASU has also tallied nine triples during the year to lead the conference and rank second in the country. Three times, the Sun Devils have recorded multiple triples in the same game, including three against New Mexico State on Sunday.
THIEVERY
The Sun Devils have also used the team's speed to rack up 40 stolen bases. That total leads the Pac-12 and is ninth nationally. ASU has stolen at least one base in a game 13 times this season, with multiple steals in a game 11 times.
DYNAMIC DENBY
Alesia Denby continues to lead the team at the plate with 14 extra-base hits to lead the Pac-12. Denby also leads the conference with 46 total bases, and she is batting .364 with a 1.414 OPS. She is tied for second in the conference in doubles, triples, and home runs while placing third in RBIs.
Denby has recorded a hit in 13 of the 17 games, with six multi-hit games. Her seven multi-RBI games give her 19 for the season to rank 24th in the NCAA.
HALL BALL
Kelsey Hall has her average at .426 entering the weekend, ranking eighth in the Pac-12. She has six multi-hit games, including a pair of outings with three hits.
Hall is ninth in the conference with 20 hits and 13 runs. She is also tied for second with six doubles.
SAME BUT DIFFERENT
Yannixa Acuña leads the team with 21 hits – sixth in the Pac-12 – and she hit her first career home run on Sunday against New Mexico State. Acuñahad has five multi-hit games and is riding a five-game hitting streak entering the weekend. Her nine stolen bases have her fourth in the conference.
OSBORNE IN THE CIRCLE
Mac Osborne leads the Sun Devils in the circle with a 6-2 record and a 3.41 ERA. Her six victories are second-most in the conference and 10th in the NCAA. Osborne has totaled 40 strikeouts, and she averages 6.83 per seven innings.
AROUND THE DIAMOND
• Tanya Windle has an average of .413 behind her six multi-hit games. She has posted multiple hits in five of the last eight games, with two three-hit games on the season.
• Kayla Lissy is riding a six-game hitting streak and has raised her average to .349 this year. Lissy leads the conference and is second in the country with four triples, and she is eighth in the Pac-12 with eight stolen bases.
• Shannon Cunningham has homered in two straight games, including a walk-off grand slam to defeat Idaho State in eight innings. Her 13 RBIs are tied for 10th in the conference, and she is on a four-game hitting streak to get her average to .333.
• Sara Kinch has hit three home runs and driven in 13 runs. She delivered a two-run walk-off home run to defeat Ohio State.
ASU will open play on Friday with games against UC San Diego at 4:30 p.m. MST and James Madison at 7 p.m. MST. The Sun Devils will then host North Florida on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. MST and Omaha at 7 p.m. MST.
All four games will be streamed live on the ASU Live Stream.
The ASU Invitational will see 12 games over three days, with action starting at 9 a.m. on Friday and Saturday and 8 a.m. on Sunday. More details and the full schedule can be found at TheSunDevils.com.
ABOUT THE SUN DEVILS
Arizona State brings an 11-6 record into the weekend after sweeping a doubleheader from UTEP and going 4-2 at the Sun Devil Classic last week. They have three run-rule victories and two shutouts on the season.
ASU is batting .331 and scoring 6.59 runs per game on the season. Behind their Pac-12-leading 32 doubles, the Sun Devils have a .962 OPS. That also includes nine triples and 16 home runs.
Sun Devil pitchers have a 4.20 ERA and 1.57 WHIP entering the week. They are allowing the opposition to hit .294 with a .804 OPS. ASU is third in the Pac-12 with 99 strikeouts while posting 6.03 strikeouts per seven innings.
FAST STARTS
ASU bats have been ready to play from the start, as the Sun Devils have scored 31 runs in the first inning of games this season. That accounts for 28 percent of the team's total runs. The team has scored in the first inning nine times this season, including three times in the past four games.
The early dominance extends over the first three innings of action, where ASU has outscored the opposition 66-41. The 66 runs are 59 percent of the team's total.
TAKE TWO (OR THREE)
Doubles have been aplenty for the Sun Devils this season. ASU has recorded 32 doubles this season, the most in the Pac-12 and sixth-most in the NCAA. They have hit a double in 13 consecutive games and 16 of 17 games overall while hitting multiple doubles in a game seven times.
ASU has also tallied nine triples during the year to lead the conference and rank second in the country. Three times, the Sun Devils have recorded multiple triples in the same game, including three against New Mexico State on Sunday.
THIEVERY
The Sun Devils have also used the team's speed to rack up 40 stolen bases. That total leads the Pac-12 and is ninth nationally. ASU has stolen at least one base in a game 13 times this season, with multiple steals in a game 11 times.
DYNAMIC DENBY
Alesia Denby continues to lead the team at the plate with 14 extra-base hits to lead the Pac-12. Denby also leads the conference with 46 total bases, and she is batting .364 with a 1.414 OPS. She is tied for second in the conference in doubles, triples, and home runs while placing third in RBIs.
Denby has recorded a hit in 13 of the 17 games, with six multi-hit games. Her seven multi-RBI games give her 19 for the season to rank 24th in the NCAA.
HALL BALL
Kelsey Hall has her average at .426 entering the weekend, ranking eighth in the Pac-12. She has six multi-hit games, including a pair of outings with three hits.
Hall is ninth in the conference with 20 hits and 13 runs. She is also tied for second with six doubles.
SAME BUT DIFFERENT
Yannixa Acuña leads the team with 21 hits – sixth in the Pac-12 – and she hit her first career home run on Sunday against New Mexico State. Acuñahad has five multi-hit games and is riding a five-game hitting streak entering the weekend. Her nine stolen bases have her fourth in the conference.
OSBORNE IN THE CIRCLE
Mac Osborne leads the Sun Devils in the circle with a 6-2 record and a 3.41 ERA. Her six victories are second-most in the conference and 10th in the NCAA. Osborne has totaled 40 strikeouts, and she averages 6.83 per seven innings.
AROUND THE DIAMOND
• Tanya Windle has an average of .413 behind her six multi-hit games. She has posted multiple hits in five of the last eight games, with two three-hit games on the season.
• Kayla Lissy is riding a six-game hitting streak and has raised her average to .349 this year. Lissy leads the conference and is second in the country with four triples, and she is eighth in the Pac-12 with eight stolen bases.
• Shannon Cunningham has homered in two straight games, including a walk-off grand slam to defeat Idaho State in eight innings. Her 13 RBIs are tied for 10th in the conference, and she is on a four-game hitting streak to get her average to .333.
• Sara Kinch has hit three home runs and driven in 13 runs. She delivered a two-run walk-off home run to defeat Ohio State.