(Photo: Alli Cline/WCSN)
The Arizona State softball team put itself in a good position record-wise after a tough opening weekend, rolling into the start of conference play with a mark of 19-8. After splitting the rain-shortened two-game series with Washington last weekend, ASU welcomed the California Bears to Tempe this weekend, and was prepared to head through the gauntlet of their schedule. ASU took a late-game, come-from-behind win in the first game of the series and will play two more in its second conference test of the season.
Conference play will make or break the Sun Devils’ season, and they will need to be prepared for every team they face. Here’s a look at what the Devils will see out of each team in the mighty Pac-12.
*All records and statistics are as of March 19
Washington Huskies (28-5, 1-1)
The Sun Devils have finished their season series with the Huskies, albeit prematurely. With the rubber match of the March 13-15 series rained out, the Huskies were a great opening test for ASU in conference play. Husky shortstop Ali Aguilar provided the punch for the Washington lineup, going 7-10 with three RBI in two games. Kasey Stanchek proved to be a force in the circle, as she hurled 9.2 of 13 innings in the March 13 game that Washington squeaked out 8-7. The Huskies will be a formidable opponent should ASU meet them again down the road.
California Bears (22-3, 1-2)
The Golden Bears are currently sitting in sixth place, but have the second-best winning percentage in the conference (.880) trailing only Oregon (.885) The Bears bring three .400 hitters to Tempe in Jazmyn Jackson (.490), Britt Vonk (.437) and Danielle Henderson (.408). The main power hitter to watch out for with Cal is right fielder Cheyenne Cordes, boasting a .372 average with six home runs and 39 RBI. In the circle, Stephanie Trzcinski and Katie Sutherland-Finch form a formidable 1-2 punch, having 17 of Cal’s 22 wins between them, and Trzcinski holding a 10-1 mark with a 1.48 ERA
-Matchup with Arizona State: March 20-22 in Tempe
Oregon Ducks (23-3, 3-0)
The Ducks are the class of the conference, and they are eliminating the doubters one game at a time with their play this season. The Ducks have 12 hitters batting .306 or better, nine of which are over the .360 mark and 10 players with double-digit RBI. Junior Cheridan Hawkins leads the mighty pitching staff, holding a 0.38 ERA, 11-2 record and 100 strikeouts in 73.1 innings.
Matchup with Arizona State: April 10-12 in Eugene, OR
UCLA Bruins (27-5, 3-0)
The Bruins are a great team top to bottom, but all championship contenders have stellar pitching, and the Bruins might have the best in the conference. Of the four women to take the circle this season, freshman Selina Ta’amilo has the highest ERA at 2.07. Senior Ally Carda leads the way, striking out 150 in 98.2 innings and holding a 1.49 ERA to go with 14 wins. On the offensive side, junior outfielder Allexis Bennett has started all 32 UCLA games, and brings a .551 batting average, .618 slugging percentage and a .568 on-base percentage. The Bruins as a team are batting .370 and only have one player batting under .300 of those with an at-bat on the season (freshman Maddy Jelenicki .298).
-Matchup with Arizona State: May 7-9 in Tempe
Arizona Wildcats (23-7, 2-1)
The Wildcats sit in third place behind UCLA and Oregon, but have the offensive and pitching prowess to overtake both if they get hot as a team. Redshirt senior Chelsea Suitos leads the Cats in batting average at .418, and sophomore Katiyana Mauga provides the pop with 11 home runs and 37 RBI. Arizona is also a serious threat on the base paths, going a perfect 35-35 in attempts so far this year. Suitos leads in that category as well with 11. The pitchers enjoy that offensive production, as sophomore Michelle Floyd and freshman Trish Parks have 22 wins combined and 15 complete games between the two of them.
-Matchup with Arizona State: March 27-29 in Tucson, AZ
Utah Utes (19-9, 0-3)
The Utes fell hard in their opening Pac-12 series against UCLA, scoring only two runs in the three games. The main offensive threats for the Utes are sophomore infielder Hannah Flippen and senior outfielder Kate Dickman, batting .330 and .398, respectively. The Utes do not have another batter with an average above .294, and Dickman and Flippen are the top two Utes in slugging and on-base percentage. Freshman Katie Donovan is the young leader of the pitching staff, holding an 8-3 record, 2.09 ERA, seven complete games and two saves. Her freshman counterpart Miranda Viramontes is the other major starter for Utah, as Viramontes is 7-5 on the season with a 2.47 ERA
-Matchup with Arizona State: April 24-26 in Tempe
Oregon State Beavers (19-9, 0-3)
The Beavers currently sit ahead of only Stanford in the Pac-12. They don’t have the most dominant pitching staff, but they certainly have an offense to hang with any team in the conference. With five batters hitting over .350, led by senior outfielder Dani Gillmore at .446. Junior Sammi Noland leads with 30 RBI and seven home runs. As for the pitching, junior Beverly Miller is the workhorse of the staff with 17 starts, an 11-6 record and 3.57 ERA. Senior Melanie Dembinski is next highest on the team with just seven starts.
-Matchup with Arizona State: April 17-19 in Tempe
Stanford Cardinal (14-14, 0-0)
The Cardinal bring up the back end of the Pac-12, but show the competitive balance of the conference by still being a .500 club. The team’s pitching staff is led by sophomore Madi Schreyer’s 2.09 ERA, though she only has a record of 4-3 in 14 starts and 25 total appearances. Junior Kayla Bonstrom is the prime offensive threat, leading the Cardinal in batting average (.477), home runs (7), RBI (27), slugging (.852) and on-base percentage (.562),
-Matchup with Arizona State: May 1-3 in Stanford, CA
