ORLANDO – Sun Devil Softball continues its trip to Florida this weekend with a three-game Big 12 series at UCF. The series begins on Friday at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. AZT and continues on Saturday at 2 p.m. / 11 a.m. Sunday's series finale is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. / 8 a.m.
Every game of the series will be played at the UCF Softball Complex.
How to Follow
All three games will be live on ESPN+ with Eric Lopez (play-by-play) and Alex Powers (analyst) calling the action. Live scoring will be available for every game of the series.
Updates will be provided on social media via X/Twitter (@asusoftball) and Instagram (@sundevilsb).
Sun Devil Notes
Arizona State starts its second Big 12 series with a 19-7 overall record. They are one of the five conference teams that started conference play at 2-1. The team has gone 2-1 in road games this season.
ASU begins conference play second in the Big 12 and 30th in the NCAA with a .331 batting average. They also rank 33rd in the country in slugging at .539 and 35th with a .406 on base percentage. The team scores 5.92 runs per game, and they have hit 32 home runs to place 22nd nationally.
ASU maintains a 3.11 ERA in the circle while ranking 36th in the NCAA with a 1.25 WHIP. Sun Devil pitchers average 7.16 strikeouts per seven innings which has them 27th in the country.
Looking Back
ASU began its five-game trip to Florida by sweeping a doubleheader against Stetson on Wednesday at Patrica Wilson Stadium. Arizona State took the first game 5-2 before claiming the nightcap 14-5 in five innings.
Last week, the Sun Devils won its inaugural Big 12 series against BYU. They took the opener 1-0 and the finale 5-4 in eight innings. The Cougars won game two 6-5.
About UCF
UCF welcomes the Sun Devils to Orlando with a 19-9-1 overall record and at 2-1 in Big 12 action. The Knights started conference play by taking two of three at Arizona last weekend.
UCF is batting .287 as a team and they lead the Big 12 with 42 doubles. They are scoring 4.00 runs per game while sitting third in the conference by stealing 1.29 bases per contest. Sierra Humphreys leads the team with 34 hits.
The Knights are third in the Big 12 with a 2.60 ERA and their 1.26 WHIP is fifth in the league. Kaitlyn Felton leads the conference and is third in the NCAA with a 0.53 ERA. She is also tied for the conference lead in wins while throwing three shutouts.
Strike First, Finish Strong
ASU has been jumping on teams early in games this season, outscoring the opposition 31-11 in the first inning. They are 9-1 when scoring in the first inning and 11-3 when scoring first overall. In a weird twist, the Sun Devils are also 5-1 when the opponent scores in the first inning.
And while scoring in the first has been key, ASU has put teams away late. The Sun Devils have outscored their opponents 28-6 in the fifth and 19-6 in the sixth. That 47-12 advantage in the later innings has helped the team go 10-1 when leading after five and 13-0 when leading after six.
Long Ball
ASU has used the long ball to its advantage, with 32 home runs on the year. The team ranks second in the Big 12 and 27th nationally in total homers while hitting 1.25 home runs per game, ranking second in the Big 12 and 28th nationally.
The Sun Devils have homered in 20 games with multiple home runs in a game 10 times. They have gone 16-4 in games they hit a homer and 9-1 when hitting multiple.
Youth Movement
One of the youngest teams in the country, ASU has had eight freshmen make at least one appearance so far this season. Those freshmen have combined to make 103 starts, accounting for 43 percent of all starts for the year.
The freshman class is batting .300 with a .933 OPS. They have combined to hit 15 home runs – half of the team's total – and drive in 53 while also going 5-3 with 48 strikeouts in the circle.
Approaching 1,900
ASU enters the weekend series needing two wins to reach 1,900 in the program's history. One of the most successful programs in the country, the team currently holds a record of 1,898-961-2 (.664) since it began in 1967.
200 and Counting
ASU head coach Megan Bartlett recorded her 200th career victory in the win over BYU last Saturday. Now in her eighth season as a collegiate head coach and third at ASU, Bartlett has a career record of 202-172 (.540).
Hall Pass
Kelsey Hall opened the season in the starting lineup just 277 days after tearing her ACL. Having started all 26 games, Hall leads the team with a .430 batting average, eight home runs, and 32 RBIs. She has recorded a hit in 21 games with 12 multi-hit games.
This is her sixth season of collegiate softball, Hall is 18th among active players with 138 runs scored, 21st with 330 total bases, 24th with 137 RBIs and 37 home runs.
Tanya Time
Tanya Windle has taken over as the starter in center field and she leads the team lead with 36 hits while batting .404. She had hits in both games at Stetson to extend her hitting streak to 11 games. During the streak, Windle is 21-for-38 with seven multi-hit games.
Windle ranks 17th among active NCAA players with 10 triples in her career. Her .397 career batting average is ninth among active players with at least 375 career at-bats.
Brown is Back
After sitting out last season with an injury, Kenzie Brown has been solid in her return to the circle. The senior struck out the first five batters she faced this season and now has 96 strikeouts in 56.2 inning pitched.
Brown had 18 strikeouts against BYU last Thursday to tie the ASU record for strikeouts in a 7-inning game. She has three games this season with double-digit strikeouts, becoming the first Sun Devil to do so since 2018. Brown is second in the NCAA by averaging 11.9 strikeouts per seven innings.
Around the Horn
Tiare Ho-Ching is batting .350 with 28 hits and 16 RBIs while settling in as the team's lead off hitter. The freshman homered to lead-off game one at Stetson on Wednesday.
Samantha Swan has started every game behind the plate and is fourth on the team with her .333 batting average. She has recorded six multi-hit games
AJ Murphy is batting .347 with three home runs and 13 RBIs. She enters the weekend on a four-game hitting streak.
Lillian Holtje has taken over at first base and has hit five home runs while leading the team with 14 walks.
Takyla Davis has posted a hit on 12 of the team's last 15 games to raise her season average to .321.
Meika Lauppe leads the team with 11 starts in the circle while working 53.0 innings. She has a 5-3 record with 38 strikeouts.
Looking Ahead
The Sun Devils will be back at Farrington Stadium for four games next week, starting on Tuesday when they host UNLV at 4 p.m.
Every game of the series will be played at the UCF Softball Complex.
How to Follow
All three games will be live on ESPN+ with Eric Lopez (play-by-play) and Alex Powers (analyst) calling the action. Live scoring will be available for every game of the series.
Updates will be provided on social media via X/Twitter (@asusoftball) and Instagram (@sundevilsb).
Sun Devil Notes
Arizona State starts its second Big 12 series with a 19-7 overall record. They are one of the five conference teams that started conference play at 2-1. The team has gone 2-1 in road games this season.
ASU begins conference play second in the Big 12 and 30th in the NCAA with a .331 batting average. They also rank 33rd in the country in slugging at .539 and 35th with a .406 on base percentage. The team scores 5.92 runs per game, and they have hit 32 home runs to place 22nd nationally.
ASU maintains a 3.11 ERA in the circle while ranking 36th in the NCAA with a 1.25 WHIP. Sun Devil pitchers average 7.16 strikeouts per seven innings which has them 27th in the country.
Looking Back
ASU began its five-game trip to Florida by sweeping a doubleheader against Stetson on Wednesday at Patrica Wilson Stadium. Arizona State took the first game 5-2 before claiming the nightcap 14-5 in five innings.
Last week, the Sun Devils won its inaugural Big 12 series against BYU. They took the opener 1-0 and the finale 5-4 in eight innings. The Cougars won game two 6-5.
About UCF
UCF welcomes the Sun Devils to Orlando with a 19-9-1 overall record and at 2-1 in Big 12 action. The Knights started conference play by taking two of three at Arizona last weekend.
UCF is batting .287 as a team and they lead the Big 12 with 42 doubles. They are scoring 4.00 runs per game while sitting third in the conference by stealing 1.29 bases per contest. Sierra Humphreys leads the team with 34 hits.
The Knights are third in the Big 12 with a 2.60 ERA and their 1.26 WHIP is fifth in the league. Kaitlyn Felton leads the conference and is third in the NCAA with a 0.53 ERA. She is also tied for the conference lead in wins while throwing three shutouts.
Strike First, Finish Strong
ASU has been jumping on teams early in games this season, outscoring the opposition 31-11 in the first inning. They are 9-1 when scoring in the first inning and 11-3 when scoring first overall. In a weird twist, the Sun Devils are also 5-1 when the opponent scores in the first inning.
And while scoring in the first has been key, ASU has put teams away late. The Sun Devils have outscored their opponents 28-6 in the fifth and 19-6 in the sixth. That 47-12 advantage in the later innings has helped the team go 10-1 when leading after five and 13-0 when leading after six.
Long Ball
ASU has used the long ball to its advantage, with 32 home runs on the year. The team ranks second in the Big 12 and 27th nationally in total homers while hitting 1.25 home runs per game, ranking second in the Big 12 and 28th nationally.
The Sun Devils have homered in 20 games with multiple home runs in a game 10 times. They have gone 16-4 in games they hit a homer and 9-1 when hitting multiple.
Youth Movement
One of the youngest teams in the country, ASU has had eight freshmen make at least one appearance so far this season. Those freshmen have combined to make 103 starts, accounting for 43 percent of all starts for the year.
The freshman class is batting .300 with a .933 OPS. They have combined to hit 15 home runs – half of the team's total – and drive in 53 while also going 5-3 with 48 strikeouts in the circle.
Approaching 1,900
ASU enters the weekend series needing two wins to reach 1,900 in the program's history. One of the most successful programs in the country, the team currently holds a record of 1,898-961-2 (.664) since it began in 1967.
200 and Counting
ASU head coach Megan Bartlett recorded her 200th career victory in the win over BYU last Saturday. Now in her eighth season as a collegiate head coach and third at ASU, Bartlett has a career record of 202-172 (.540).
Hall Pass
Kelsey Hall opened the season in the starting lineup just 277 days after tearing her ACL. Having started all 26 games, Hall leads the team with a .430 batting average, eight home runs, and 32 RBIs. She has recorded a hit in 21 games with 12 multi-hit games.
This is her sixth season of collegiate softball, Hall is 18th among active players with 138 runs scored, 21st with 330 total bases, 24th with 137 RBIs and 37 home runs.
Tanya Time
Tanya Windle has taken over as the starter in center field and she leads the team lead with 36 hits while batting .404. She had hits in both games at Stetson to extend her hitting streak to 11 games. During the streak, Windle is 21-for-38 with seven multi-hit games.
Windle ranks 17th among active NCAA players with 10 triples in her career. Her .397 career batting average is ninth among active players with at least 375 career at-bats.
Brown is Back
After sitting out last season with an injury, Kenzie Brown has been solid in her return to the circle. The senior struck out the first five batters she faced this season and now has 96 strikeouts in 56.2 inning pitched.
Brown had 18 strikeouts against BYU last Thursday to tie the ASU record for strikeouts in a 7-inning game. She has three games this season with double-digit strikeouts, becoming the first Sun Devil to do so since 2018. Brown is second in the NCAA by averaging 11.9 strikeouts per seven innings.
Around the Horn
Tiare Ho-Ching is batting .350 with 28 hits and 16 RBIs while settling in as the team's lead off hitter. The freshman homered to lead-off game one at Stetson on Wednesday.
Samantha Swan has started every game behind the plate and is fourth on the team with her .333 batting average. She has recorded six multi-hit games
AJ Murphy is batting .347 with three home runs and 13 RBIs. She enters the weekend on a four-game hitting streak.
Lillian Holtje has taken over at first base and has hit five home runs while leading the team with 14 walks.
Takyla Davis has posted a hit on 12 of the team's last 15 games to raise her season average to .321.
Meika Lauppe leads the team with 11 starts in the circle while working 53.0 innings. She has a 5-3 record with 38 strikeouts.
Looking Ahead
The Sun Devils will be back at Farrington Stadium for four games next week, starting on Tuesday when they host UNLV at 4 p.m.