TEMPE – The final season of Pac-12 play for Sun Devil softball begins this weekend with a three-game series in Seattle against No. 5 Washington.
The series will begin on Friday, with the first pitch slated for 7 p.m. MST. Saturday's game will begin at 3 p.m. MST, and Sunday's final will start at noon MST.
All three games will be available on the Washington Live Stream and the Pac-12 Now app.
ABOUT THE SUN DEVILS
Arizona State heads to the Pacific Northwest at 14-7 on the season, having played all 21 games at home. The Sun Devils have won four games via run rule and posted three shutouts. The team is coming off a 3-1 performance last weekend at the ASU Invitational.
ASU will enter conference play fourth in the Pac-12 with a .335 batting average and leading the conference with a .563 slugging percentage. They also lead the conference with 71 extra-base hits and 41 stolen bases.
In the circle, ASU pitchers bring a 3.82 ERA and 1.52 WHIP into conference action. The Sun Devils are fourth in the league with 6.11 strikeouts per seven innings and a 2.46 Strikeout-to-Walk ratio.
EARLY OFFENSE
ASU has used the early innings of games to get the offense going this season. Through the season's first month, the team has scored 82 runs in the first three innings of play. That accounts for 59 percent of the total runs scored.
While the first innings have been solid, with 31 runs scored, the third inning is the most prolific for the team. ASU has crossed the plate 34 times in the third – 24 percent of all runs scored – and they are plus-23 in run differential in the frame.
TAKE TWO (OR THREE)
Doubles have been aplenty for the Sun Devils this season. ASU has recorded 38 doubles this season, the most in the Pac-12 and eighth-most in the NCAA. They have at least one double in 18 of the 21 games played with multiple doubles in a game nine times.
ASU has also tallied 11 triples during the year to lead the conference and tie for the NCAA lead with Tulsa. The Sun Devils have recorded multiple triples in the same game three times, including three against New Mexico State on February 25.
THIEVERY
The Sun Devils have also used their speed to rack up 45 stolen bases. That total leads the Pac-12 and is 11th nationally. ASU has stolen at least one base in a game 17 times this season, with multiple steals in a game 12 times. They enter the weekend with a stolen base in nine consecutive games. The 45 steals are more than last season's total of 42.
HALL BALL
Kelsey Hall has her average at .404 entering the weekend, ranking ninth in the Pac-12. She has seven multi-hit games, including a pair of outings with three hits.
Hall is 12th in the conference with 23 hits and 16 runs. She is also tied for fifth with six doubles and seventh with 10 walks.
LIGHTNING LISSY
Kayla Lissy has been locked in at the plate of late, bringing a 10-game hitting streak to Seattle. During the run, Lissy has gone 15-for-30 at the plate with five multi-hit games and six extra-base hits.
Lissy is fourth in the Pac-12 with a 1.224 OPS and she leads the conference and ranks second in the country with four triples. Her 10 stolen bases are good for fifth in the conference.
DYNAMIC DENBY
Alesia Denby has been a solid addition to the ASU lineup with 14 extra-base hits and a .333 average this season. Along with tying for the Pac-12 lead in XBH, Denby is tied for fifth in doubles and third in home runs, with six of each.
Denby has recorded six multi-hit games while leading the Sun Devils with 19 RBIs. She also anchors the ASU defense and was named the No. 10 shortstop in the country by Softball America on Wednesday.
SAME BUT DIFFERENT
Yannixa Acuña leads the team with 25 hits – eighth in the Pac-12 – and has three hits in a game four times this season. Acuña is also a threat on the bases, where she is fourth in the conference with 11 stolen bases.
OSBORNE IN THE CIRCLE
Mac Osborne leads the Sun Devils in the circle with a 7-3 record and a 3.19 ERA. Her seven victories are tied for second-most in the conference and 23rd in the NCAA. Osborne has totaled 48 strikeouts, and she averages 6.38 per seven innings.
AROUND THE DIAMOND
• Tanya Windle has an average of .389 behind her seven multi-hit games. She has knocked in five of her eight RBIs over the past six games while snagging six stolen bases.
• Shannon Cunningham is second on the team and tied for eighth in the Pac-12 with four home runs. Her 15 RBIs are tied for 11th-most in the conference. Cunningham is batting .347 and enters the weekend on a career-best eight-game hitting streak.
• Jordyn VanHook is coming off her most productive weekend of the season. During the ASU Invitational, she posted seven hits and drove in six runs. The reigning Pac-12 home run champ has a 1.025 OPS.
The series will begin on Friday, with the first pitch slated for 7 p.m. MST. Saturday's game will begin at 3 p.m. MST, and Sunday's final will start at noon MST.
All three games will be available on the Washington Live Stream and the Pac-12 Now app.
ABOUT THE SUN DEVILS
Arizona State heads to the Pacific Northwest at 14-7 on the season, having played all 21 games at home. The Sun Devils have won four games via run rule and posted three shutouts. The team is coming off a 3-1 performance last weekend at the ASU Invitational.
ASU will enter conference play fourth in the Pac-12 with a .335 batting average and leading the conference with a .563 slugging percentage. They also lead the conference with 71 extra-base hits and 41 stolen bases.
In the circle, ASU pitchers bring a 3.82 ERA and 1.52 WHIP into conference action. The Sun Devils are fourth in the league with 6.11 strikeouts per seven innings and a 2.46 Strikeout-to-Walk ratio.
EARLY OFFENSE
ASU has used the early innings of games to get the offense going this season. Through the season's first month, the team has scored 82 runs in the first three innings of play. That accounts for 59 percent of the total runs scored.
While the first innings have been solid, with 31 runs scored, the third inning is the most prolific for the team. ASU has crossed the plate 34 times in the third – 24 percent of all runs scored – and they are plus-23 in run differential in the frame.
TAKE TWO (OR THREE)
Doubles have been aplenty for the Sun Devils this season. ASU has recorded 38 doubles this season, the most in the Pac-12 and eighth-most in the NCAA. They have at least one double in 18 of the 21 games played with multiple doubles in a game nine times.
ASU has also tallied 11 triples during the year to lead the conference and tie for the NCAA lead with Tulsa. The Sun Devils have recorded multiple triples in the same game three times, including three against New Mexico State on February 25.
THIEVERY
The Sun Devils have also used their speed to rack up 45 stolen bases. That total leads the Pac-12 and is 11th nationally. ASU has stolen at least one base in a game 17 times this season, with multiple steals in a game 12 times. They enter the weekend with a stolen base in nine consecutive games. The 45 steals are more than last season's total of 42.
HALL BALL
Kelsey Hall has her average at .404 entering the weekend, ranking ninth in the Pac-12. She has seven multi-hit games, including a pair of outings with three hits.
Hall is 12th in the conference with 23 hits and 16 runs. She is also tied for fifth with six doubles and seventh with 10 walks.
LIGHTNING LISSY
Kayla Lissy has been locked in at the plate of late, bringing a 10-game hitting streak to Seattle. During the run, Lissy has gone 15-for-30 at the plate with five multi-hit games and six extra-base hits.
Lissy is fourth in the Pac-12 with a 1.224 OPS and she leads the conference and ranks second in the country with four triples. Her 10 stolen bases are good for fifth in the conference.
DYNAMIC DENBY
Alesia Denby has been a solid addition to the ASU lineup with 14 extra-base hits and a .333 average this season. Along with tying for the Pac-12 lead in XBH, Denby is tied for fifth in doubles and third in home runs, with six of each.
Denby has recorded six multi-hit games while leading the Sun Devils with 19 RBIs. She also anchors the ASU defense and was named the No. 10 shortstop in the country by Softball America on Wednesday.
SAME BUT DIFFERENT
Yannixa Acuña leads the team with 25 hits – eighth in the Pac-12 – and has three hits in a game four times this season. Acuña is also a threat on the bases, where she is fourth in the conference with 11 stolen bases.
OSBORNE IN THE CIRCLE
Mac Osborne leads the Sun Devils in the circle with a 7-3 record and a 3.19 ERA. Her seven victories are tied for second-most in the conference and 23rd in the NCAA. Osborne has totaled 48 strikeouts, and she averages 6.38 per seven innings.
AROUND THE DIAMOND
• Tanya Windle has an average of .389 behind her seven multi-hit games. She has knocked in five of her eight RBIs over the past six games while snagging six stolen bases.
• Shannon Cunningham is second on the team and tied for eighth in the Pac-12 with four home runs. Her 15 RBIs are tied for 11th-most in the conference. Cunningham is batting .347 and enters the weekend on a career-best eight-game hitting streak.
• Jordyn VanHook is coming off her most productive weekend of the season. During the ASU Invitational, she posted seven hits and drove in six runs. The reigning Pac-12 home run champ has a 1.025 OPS.