(Photo: Karli Matthias/WCSN)
With the team’s only two losses coming against the current No. 4 and 5 ranked teams in the country, the No. 14 Arizona State Softball team is in prime position to close out non-conference as one of the best teams in the country.
ASU will look to close out their impressive non-conference schedule against Big-10 opponent Iowa, as the Sun Devils will look to improve their current 11 game winning streak.
“Right now, it’s to enjoy this and to recover they’re a little tired right now,” ASU head coach Trisha Ford said following their last victory over Minnesota. “We’ll recover then get ready for Iowa. Another Big-10 tough matchup that we’re not going to take for granted.”
A big key during the 21-2 start to the season has been the offense for ASU as they have scored five or more runs in 17 of their 23 games.
Two key players for the offensive explosion of the Sun Devils are first baseman Danielle Gibson and catcher Maddi Hackbarth who have combined for 15 of the teams 31 home runs this season.
Not only has the offense been producing, but the pitching staff has had success as well from the circle by only allowing one run in the last seven games. This streak included a five-game streak of shutouts that was ended last Sunday against Minnesota.
In the circle, it’s a trio of pitchers in Dale Ryndak, G Juarez, and Breanna Macha that have led the way for ASU in route to their hot start. The three all have very different approaches and styles of pitching that makes them nearly impossible as a unit to figure out.
“Making sure for G (Juarez) her ball is moving and spinning at the same time because then if it doesn’t then it’s easier to see where that ball is going,” M. Hackbarth said. “For (Breanna) we want to make sure her ball is moving the way it needs to be and she needs to stay within herself, and control what she can control. For Dale, just throw her game.”
As hot as the Sun Devils have been heading into Wednesday’s matchup against the Iowa Hawkeyes, the team will be tested by a Hawkeye team that is better than their 9-8 record suggests.
Iowa has had an up and down non-conference schedule as they have gone just above the .500 mark at this point. The team’s best win came against now ranked No. 12 Baylor at the beginning of March.
The Hawkeyes have struggled so far to put runs on the board as they have only reached five or more runs in five of their 17 games this season. Despite the struggles from the plate, Iowa has three very capable pitchers who can keep their team in the game from the circle.
A combination of a freshman, sophomore, and junior make up the trio in form of southpaw Lauren Shaw, Allison Doocy, and Erin Riding. Out of the three, it is the sophomore Doocy who can be the most elusive as she has 60 strikeouts in her 51-innings pitched so far this season.
The trio will look to cool down the bats of ASU in order to have a chance at knocking off one of the hottest teams in the nation at the moment. On the flip side, it will be the Sun Devils looking to pass that five-run mark yet again to secure two more wins in Wednesday’s doubleheader.
Both games are set for Wednesday, March 14 at Farrington Softball Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. The first pitch for game one will be tossed at 4 p.m. Arizona time with the second game taking place following a brief intermission after game one.
