TEMPE – Sun Devil Softball continues Big 12 play with a three-game series in Salt Lake City against Utah. The series will open on Friday at 4 p.m. AZT with the second game on Saturday at 3 p.m. AZT. Sunday's series finale is slated for 11 a.m. AZT with all three games at the Dumke Family Softball Stadium.
How to Follow
All three games will be live on ESPN+ with Jacob Suomi and Laurel Simmons calling the action. Live scoring will be available for every game of the series. Links for all live features are available on the softball schedule page at TheSunDevils.com.
Updates will be provided on social media via X/Twitter (@asusoftball) and Instagram (@sundevilsb).
Sun Devil Notes
ASU will open the Utah series with a 28-14 overall record and 7-4 in road games. They sit fifth in the Big 12 standings with an 8-7 record in league games with three conference weekends remaining on the schedule.
Offensively, ASU is third in the conference with a .312 batting average while scoring 5.24 runs per game. They rank fourth in the Big 12 with a .489 slugging percentage and with 42 home runs. The team's 55 doubles is second-most in the conference and they have six triples.
Arizona State pitchers have combined to post a 3.15 ERA while ranking fifth in the Big 12 with a 1.30 WHIP. The staff leads the conference – and ranks ninth in the NCAA – with an average of 7.88 strikeouts per seven innings.
Looking Back
ASU won last weekend's series with Kansas 2-1 after winning 6-1 on Friday and 4-3 on Sunday. Kenzie Brown struck our 29 hitters during her two appearances.
The Sun Devils then completed a doubleheader sweep at UTEP on Wednesday. They took the first game by run-rule 8-0 and they claimed a 5-2 win on game two.
About Utah
Utah will begin the series with a 12-27 overall record that includes a 4-2 mark in SLC. They are 4-8 in Big 12 action, tied for eighth, after being swept by Texas Tech last weekend.
The Utes average 4.33 runs per game with a .265 batting average. Kaylah Nelson leads the team with 47 hits and nine doubles while batting .336. Kennedy Proctor is the Utes leader with six home runs and 22 RBIs.
The Utah staff brings a 4.38 ERA and 1.67 WHIP into the series. Hailey Maestretti has thrown 98.1 innings with a 3.20 ERA. Shelbee Jones leads the team with six wins and 75 strikeouts.
Strike First, Finish Strong
ASU has been jumping on teams early in games this season, outscoring the opposition 78-36 in the first two innings. That includes 49 runs scored in the first inning. They are 15-1 when scoring in the first inning and 19-3 when scoring first overall.
And while scoring in the first has been key, the Sun Devils have also scored late to put teams away. ASU has outscored their opponents 40-24 in the fifth and 24-18 in the sixth. That 64-42 advantage in the later innings has helped the team go 18-1 when leading after five and 20-0 when leading after six.
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 220 starts, accounting for 40 percent of all starts for the year.
The freshman class is batting .289 with a .902 OPS. They have combined to hit 24 of the team's 42 home runs while driving in 76. The two freshman pitchers are 7-5 with 50 strikeouts.
Brown is Back
After sitting out last season with an injury, Kenzie Brown has returned as one of the top pitchers in the country. Entering the weekend, Brown is second in the NCAA with 208 strikeouts and at 12.1 strikeouts per seven innings.
Brown had 18 strikeouts against BYU on Mar. 6 to tie the ASU record for strikeouts in a 7-inning game. Her nine games with double-digit strikeouts are the most by a Sun Devil since G Juarez in 2018.
In addition to her strikeout totals, Brown is tied for the Big 12 lead with 15 wins. She is second in the conference with a 0.91 WHIP and third with her 1.16 ERA.
Hall Pass
Kelsey Hall opened the season in the starting lineup just 277 days after tearing her ACL. Having started all 37 games, Hall is batting .366 with a 1.043 OPS. She leads the team with 43 RBIs while adding nine home runs.
In her sixth season of collegiate softball, Hall ranks 24th among players with 149 runs, 155 RBIs, and 357 total bases. She also ranks 29th with 39 career home runs.
Tanya Time
Tanya Windle is tied for the team lead with 48 hits while adding a team-best 12 doubles and three triples. She is batting .358 with a .957 OPS while posting 13 multi-hit games.
Windle ranks 11th among active NCAA players with 12 triples in her career. Her .390 career batting average is also 11th among active players with at least 450 career at-bats.
Freshman Gem
Tiare Ho-Ching is batting .346 with 44 hits and 22 RBIs on the season. The freshman has one of the two 4-hit games by a Sun Devil this season while adding seven multi-RBI outings. Ho-Ching has a hit in 10 of the last 11 games to raise her average by 30 points.
D1 Softball listed Ho-Ching at No. 9 in their latest Second Baseman Power Rankings. She was also named the No. 5 freshman in the Big 12 by Softball America on March 25.
Around the Horn
Samantha Swan has made 41 starts behind the plate. She is fifth in the team with a .310 batting average while adding 11 doubles.
AJ Murphy is batting .372, following a stretch of recording a hit in 14 of the last 18 games she has played. On the season, Murphy has three doubles, three home runs, and 17 RBIs.
Ashleigh Mejia leads the club with 11 home runs and she is second with 34 RBIs. Seven of the freshman's 11 homers have tied the game or given ASU the lead. She has recorded a hit in seven of the past eight outings with an RBI in three straight. Mejia is second on the team with nine multi-RBI games.
Meika Lauppe has emerged as the No. 2 pitcher on the staff with a 6-5 record, three saves, and a 2.71 ERA. Her 60 strikeouts are second on the team, and she limits the opposition to a .263 batting average.
Looking Ahead
The Sun Devils are back at Farrington Stadium next week for the final four times of the season. They host GCU on Tuesday before Baylor comes to Tempe on April 17-19.
How to Follow
All three games will be live on ESPN+ with Jacob Suomi and Laurel Simmons calling the action. Live scoring will be available for every game of the series. Links for all live features are available on the softball schedule page at TheSunDevils.com.
Updates will be provided on social media via X/Twitter (@asusoftball) and Instagram (@sundevilsb).
Sun Devil Notes
ASU will open the Utah series with a 28-14 overall record and 7-4 in road games. They sit fifth in the Big 12 standings with an 8-7 record in league games with three conference weekends remaining on the schedule.
Offensively, ASU is third in the conference with a .312 batting average while scoring 5.24 runs per game. They rank fourth in the Big 12 with a .489 slugging percentage and with 42 home runs. The team's 55 doubles is second-most in the conference and they have six triples.
Arizona State pitchers have combined to post a 3.15 ERA while ranking fifth in the Big 12 with a 1.30 WHIP. The staff leads the conference – and ranks ninth in the NCAA – with an average of 7.88 strikeouts per seven innings.
Looking Back
ASU won last weekend's series with Kansas 2-1 after winning 6-1 on Friday and 4-3 on Sunday. Kenzie Brown struck our 29 hitters during her two appearances.
The Sun Devils then completed a doubleheader sweep at UTEP on Wednesday. They took the first game by run-rule 8-0 and they claimed a 5-2 win on game two.
About Utah
Utah will begin the series with a 12-27 overall record that includes a 4-2 mark in SLC. They are 4-8 in Big 12 action, tied for eighth, after being swept by Texas Tech last weekend.
The Utes average 4.33 runs per game with a .265 batting average. Kaylah Nelson leads the team with 47 hits and nine doubles while batting .336. Kennedy Proctor is the Utes leader with six home runs and 22 RBIs.
The Utah staff brings a 4.38 ERA and 1.67 WHIP into the series. Hailey Maestretti has thrown 98.1 innings with a 3.20 ERA. Shelbee Jones leads the team with six wins and 75 strikeouts.
Strike First, Finish Strong
ASU has been jumping on teams early in games this season, outscoring the opposition 78-36 in the first two innings. That includes 49 runs scored in the first inning. They are 15-1 when scoring in the first inning and 19-3 when scoring first overall.
And while scoring in the first has been key, the Sun Devils have also scored late to put teams away. ASU has outscored their opponents 40-24 in the fifth and 24-18 in the sixth. That 64-42 advantage in the later innings has helped the team go 18-1 when leading after five and 20-0 when leading after six.
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 220 starts, accounting for 40 percent of all starts for the year.
The freshman class is batting .289 with a .902 OPS. They have combined to hit 24 of the team's 42 home runs while driving in 76. The two freshman pitchers are 7-5 with 50 strikeouts.
Brown is Back
After sitting out last season with an injury, Kenzie Brown has returned as one of the top pitchers in the country. Entering the weekend, Brown is second in the NCAA with 208 strikeouts and at 12.1 strikeouts per seven innings.
Brown had 18 strikeouts against BYU on Mar. 6 to tie the ASU record for strikeouts in a 7-inning game. Her nine games with double-digit strikeouts are the most by a Sun Devil since G Juarez in 2018.
In addition to her strikeout totals, Brown is tied for the Big 12 lead with 15 wins. She is second in the conference with a 0.91 WHIP and third with her 1.16 ERA.
Hall Pass
Kelsey Hall opened the season in the starting lineup just 277 days after tearing her ACL. Having started all 37 games, Hall is batting .366 with a 1.043 OPS. She leads the team with 43 RBIs while adding nine home runs.
In her sixth season of collegiate softball, Hall ranks 24th among players with 149 runs, 155 RBIs, and 357 total bases. She also ranks 29th with 39 career home runs.
Tanya Time
Tanya Windle is tied for the team lead with 48 hits while adding a team-best 12 doubles and three triples. She is batting .358 with a .957 OPS while posting 13 multi-hit games.
Windle ranks 11th among active NCAA players with 12 triples in her career. Her .390 career batting average is also 11th among active players with at least 450 career at-bats.
Freshman Gem
Tiare Ho-Ching is batting .346 with 44 hits and 22 RBIs on the season. The freshman has one of the two 4-hit games by a Sun Devil this season while adding seven multi-RBI outings. Ho-Ching has a hit in 10 of the last 11 games to raise her average by 30 points.
D1 Softball listed Ho-Ching at No. 9 in their latest Second Baseman Power Rankings. She was also named the No. 5 freshman in the Big 12 by Softball America on March 25.
Around the Horn
Samantha Swan has made 41 starts behind the plate. She is fifth in the team with a .310 batting average while adding 11 doubles.
AJ Murphy is batting .372, following a stretch of recording a hit in 14 of the last 18 games she has played. On the season, Murphy has three doubles, three home runs, and 17 RBIs.
Ashleigh Mejia leads the club with 11 home runs and she is second with 34 RBIs. Seven of the freshman's 11 homers have tied the game or given ASU the lead. She has recorded a hit in seven of the past eight outings with an RBI in three straight. Mejia is second on the team with nine multi-RBI games.
Meika Lauppe has emerged as the No. 2 pitcher on the staff with a 6-5 record, three saves, and a 2.71 ERA. Her 60 strikeouts are second on the team, and she limits the opposition to a .263 batting average.
Looking Ahead
The Sun Devils are back at Farrington Stadium next week for the final four times of the season. They host GCU on Tuesday before Baylor comes to Tempe on April 17-19.