TEMPE – With the first week of the season – and the rainy weather that came with it – behind them, Sun Devil softball is set to play five games at the Littlewood Classic this weekend at Farrington Stadium.
Arizona State begins the week by hosting future Big 12 foe BYU on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. MST. Play continues on Saturday with games with No. 21 Virginia Tech at 4 p.m. and Illinois State at 6:30 p.m. ASU will close the weekend on Saturday by facing Memphis at 4 p.m. and Cal State Fullerton at 6:30 p.m.
All five Sun Devil games will be available on the ASU Live Stream and through the Pac-12 Now app.
The Littlewood Classic will feature 20 games over four days at both Farrington Stadium and the GCU Softball Stadium. More details and the full schedule can be found at TheSunDevils.com/littlewood.
ABOUT THE SUN DEVILS
Arizona State enters the weekend after a 2-2 performance during last week's Kajikawa Classic. After having their scheduled opener rained out on Thursday, the Sun Devils split two games on both Friday and Saturday.
ASU ended the opening weekend batting .273 and scoring 5.50 runs per game. They posted a .879 OPS by posting 16 extra-base hits, the second-most in the Pac-12. That includes 11 doubles – 15th in the NCAA – that has the team seventh in the country at 2.75 doubles per game.
In the circle, ASU pitchers recorded a 2.96 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and .257 opponent batting average in the first four games. The staff is second in the Pac-12 with 35 strikeouts, and they lead the conference at 9.42 strikeouts per seven innings.
SERIES HISTORY
All five teams on the schedule for the Littlewood Classic are familiar, as each has faced the Sun Devils at least once in the past three seasons. ASU is 91-33 when playing the five teams with a winning record against each. That record includes a 44-5 mark at Farrington Stadium.
TO 1,600 AND BEYOND
Arizona State's win over St. Thomas on Friday was No. 1,600 for the program in the NCAA era. ASU began competing in the NCAA in 1982 and has gone 1601-846-2 (.654) for an average of 37 wins per season. The team has won two NCAA National Championships (2008, 2011) and advanced to the Women's College World Series 12 times.
FAST STARTS
ASU came out swinging early during the Kajikawa Classic, scoring 18 of the team's 22 total runs in the first three innings. That includes seven runs in the first inning. The Sun Devils scored in the first inning in two of the four games last weekend.
DENBY DEBUT
Alesia Denby stepped right into the Sun Devil lineup last week and delivered. She finished the Kajikawa Classic batting .500 with two doubles and two home runs. She is one of four players in the Pac-12 who recorded at least four extra-base hits during the season's first weekend.
Denby had a hit on all four games with two multi-hit games. She also tallied six RBIs, including the 100th of her career in the win over Maine.
SAME BUT DIFFERENT
While her sister finished her career last season with one of the best two-year runs in program history, Yannixa Acuña kept the family success going by batting .417 with a double and a triple during the Kajikawa Classic. Acuna recorded a hit in each of the weekend's final three games, including a 3-for-4 performance against St. Thomas in which she was a home run shy of the cycle.
Acuña also drove in two runs, scored two runs, and stole three bases. Her five hits match the total she had during the 2023 season.
STARTING A TRADITION
Kylee Magee had a brilliant start in the season opener against No. 20 Northwestern. The sophomore held the Wildcats to two runs on seven hits while striking out a career-high 11. She became the first Sun Devil pitcher with 10 strikeouts in a game in nearly two years. It was also her second consecutive season getting the start in the opener.
OSBORNE IN THE CIRCLE
Mac Osborne provided the Sun Devils a pair of solid starts in the circle to go 2-0 during the Kajikawa Classic. After getting the win with four innings of work against St. Thomas, Orborne dominated Maine in allowing just two hits and recording a career-high 10 strikeouts. She sits second in the Pac-12 with 14 strikeouts and by posting 10.89 strikeouts per seven innings.
AROUND THE DIAMOND
• After coming on as a pinch-hitter in each of the first three games, Shannon Cunningham started and went 3-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs against Maine.
• Kayla Lissy hit the ball hard all weekend and finished with two doubles and two runs scored. She was on base in all four games by adding four walks.
• Ayden Allen appeared in all four games with three starts and finished 3-for-7 with two doubles. She went 2-for-2 with a double and a run scored against St. Thomas.
• Marissa Schuld made two relief appearances and allowed just two runs (one earned) in 6.2 innings. She tallied seven strikeouts and picked up the save against St. Thomas.
Arizona State begins the week by hosting future Big 12 foe BYU on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. MST. Play continues on Saturday with games with No. 21 Virginia Tech at 4 p.m. and Illinois State at 6:30 p.m. ASU will close the weekend on Saturday by facing Memphis at 4 p.m. and Cal State Fullerton at 6:30 p.m.
All five Sun Devil games will be available on the ASU Live Stream and through the Pac-12 Now app.
The Littlewood Classic will feature 20 games over four days at both Farrington Stadium and the GCU Softball Stadium. More details and the full schedule can be found at TheSunDevils.com/littlewood.
ABOUT THE SUN DEVILS
Arizona State enters the weekend after a 2-2 performance during last week's Kajikawa Classic. After having their scheduled opener rained out on Thursday, the Sun Devils split two games on both Friday and Saturday.
ASU ended the opening weekend batting .273 and scoring 5.50 runs per game. They posted a .879 OPS by posting 16 extra-base hits, the second-most in the Pac-12. That includes 11 doubles – 15th in the NCAA – that has the team seventh in the country at 2.75 doubles per game.
In the circle, ASU pitchers recorded a 2.96 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and .257 opponent batting average in the first four games. The staff is second in the Pac-12 with 35 strikeouts, and they lead the conference at 9.42 strikeouts per seven innings.
SERIES HISTORY
All five teams on the schedule for the Littlewood Classic are familiar, as each has faced the Sun Devils at least once in the past three seasons. ASU is 91-33 when playing the five teams with a winning record against each. That record includes a 44-5 mark at Farrington Stadium.
TO 1,600 AND BEYOND
Arizona State's win over St. Thomas on Friday was No. 1,600 for the program in the NCAA era. ASU began competing in the NCAA in 1982 and has gone 1601-846-2 (.654) for an average of 37 wins per season. The team has won two NCAA National Championships (2008, 2011) and advanced to the Women's College World Series 12 times.
FAST STARTS
ASU came out swinging early during the Kajikawa Classic, scoring 18 of the team's 22 total runs in the first three innings. That includes seven runs in the first inning. The Sun Devils scored in the first inning in two of the four games last weekend.
DENBY DEBUT
Alesia Denby stepped right into the Sun Devil lineup last week and delivered. She finished the Kajikawa Classic batting .500 with two doubles and two home runs. She is one of four players in the Pac-12 who recorded at least four extra-base hits during the season's first weekend.
Denby had a hit on all four games with two multi-hit games. She also tallied six RBIs, including the 100th of her career in the win over Maine.
SAME BUT DIFFERENT
While her sister finished her career last season with one of the best two-year runs in program history, Yannixa Acuña kept the family success going by batting .417 with a double and a triple during the Kajikawa Classic. Acuna recorded a hit in each of the weekend's final three games, including a 3-for-4 performance against St. Thomas in which she was a home run shy of the cycle.
Acuña also drove in two runs, scored two runs, and stole three bases. Her five hits match the total she had during the 2023 season.
STARTING A TRADITION
Kylee Magee had a brilliant start in the season opener against No. 20 Northwestern. The sophomore held the Wildcats to two runs on seven hits while striking out a career-high 11. She became the first Sun Devil pitcher with 10 strikeouts in a game in nearly two years. It was also her second consecutive season getting the start in the opener.
OSBORNE IN THE CIRCLE
Mac Osborne provided the Sun Devils a pair of solid starts in the circle to go 2-0 during the Kajikawa Classic. After getting the win with four innings of work against St. Thomas, Orborne dominated Maine in allowing just two hits and recording a career-high 10 strikeouts. She sits second in the Pac-12 with 14 strikeouts and by posting 10.89 strikeouts per seven innings.
AROUND THE DIAMOND
• After coming on as a pinch-hitter in each of the first three games, Shannon Cunningham started and went 3-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs against Maine.
• Kayla Lissy hit the ball hard all weekend and finished with two doubles and two runs scored. She was on base in all four games by adding four walks.
• Ayden Allen appeared in all four games with three starts and finished 3-for-7 with two doubles. She went 2-for-2 with a double and a run scored against St. Thomas.
• Marissa Schuld made two relief appearances and allowed just two runs (one earned) in 6.2 innings. She tallied seven strikeouts and picked up the save against St. Thomas.