(Photo: Liesl Babicka/WCSN)
No. 8 Arizona State softball face off against the Stanford Cardinal in their final regular season home series at Farrington Stadium, May 4-6.
Emotions will fly across the field as six Sun Devil seniors celebrate their last three regular season home contests dawning maroon and gold in front of their friends and family.
Entering the three-game set, ASU (39-9) rides a four-game streak after sweeping Utah and defeating New Mexico State last week. Prior to Stanford (20-25) earning a non-conference victory over Santa Clara in their last effort, the Cardinal lost 10 games in a row, including getting swept by Oregon State, Oregon, and Cal.
It has been a struggle for the Stanford Cardinal, who have not seen a winning season since their 2014 campaign. The last time the Cardinal reached the NCAA Regionals came in 2013 when the team was stunned by higher-seeded Nebraska in the first round.
In 2017, Stanford finished with a 19-32 record and a 2-22 conference record, both of which last among Pac-12 teams. Currently, the Cardinal hold a 2-16 Pac-12 record, the second-worst in the conference rankings, with a win over Utah and an upset over No.1 UCLA on the road.
ASU has dominated Stanford the last nine seasons, winning nine consecutive series and holding a six-game win streak into this matchup against the Cardinal. The last time the Cardinal won against the Sun Devils at Farrington Stadium was in May 13, 2011.
In the most recent series against Stanford, the Sun Devils swept the Cardinal at Smith Family Stadium, outscoring their opponent 26-5. Then-junior Breanna Macha collected two wins, pitching a combined eight innings and allowing no runs while striking out six Cardinal batters. Then-junior Marisa Stankiewicz crushed the ball, going 6-for-8, scoring four times, and knocking in three runs.
Sizing the Competition
The Cardinal bats have died down this season, however some numbers and players have stood out thus far. Despite having the second lowest batting average (.264) and the least amount of home runs (12) in the Pac-12, Stanford holds the most triples (17), the third highest stolen bases (54), and the third most sacrifice bunts (21) in the conference, so the Cardinal utilize speed and small ball to manufacture runs over their opposition.
Stanford’s offense is run through sophomore Hannah Howell, sophomore Teaghan Cowles and junior Whitney Burks. Locking down the third spot in the batting order, Howell maintains the highest batting average (.348) on the team and has crossed home 25 times and brought home 18 Cardinals batters. Cowles possesses a great amount of speed at the top of the order, hitting .329 and leading Stanford with six triples, 29 runs scored and 18 stolen bases. Lastly, Burks brings power to the Cardinal cleanup spot with her team-leading five home runs and 26 RBIs.
In the circle, Stanford’s pitching has floundered with the highest earned run average (3.73) and highest opponent’s batting average (.254). One of the bright spots for the Cardinal starting rotation is freshman Maddy Dwyer. 2017 Orange Lutheran Athlete of the Year, Dwyer has put up consistent numbers to go along with her 12-8 record. The first-year pitcher leads the Cardinal with a 2.10 earned run average, eight complete games, four shutouts, four saves, and 80 strikeouts.
Who’s Hot for The Sun Devils?
In sophomore Kindra Hackbarth’s last four games, the leadoff hitter batted .533 with three runs scored and five RBIs. Junior Morgan Howe also impressed last weekend going 7-for-15 with four runs scored and six Sun Devils driven in.
Sophomore G Juarez continues to shine in the circle for the Sun Devils. The southpaw pitched remarkably in the sweep over Utah, surrendering just three earned runs in 12 innings of work and striking out 18 Utes batters for 20th and 21st wins of the season, which is tied for second among Pac-12 pitchers.
Senior Shout-Out
With the final homestand at Farrington Stadium coming up this weekend, there are seniors who have stepped up and taken a leadership role among the team this season.
Redshirt senior Marisa Stankiewicz has been a cornerstone to the ASU’s success, holding down second base this season with a .935 fielding percentage. Offensively, Stankiewicz hits .260 and shows discipline at the plate, taking a team-leading 27 walks. On the flip side, she also possesses a little pop in her bat with eight big flies and 20 RBIs.
Senior Nicole Chilson has solidified the left field position this season, showing off her arm in the outfield, including a game-saving throw against Oregon State en route to a tightly-contested series victory in Corvallis. Chilson also provided some depth to the middle of the order with her power, hitting .237 with four home runs and knocking in 25 Sun Devils.
While Juarez has been at the helm of ASU’s rotation, seniors Breanna Macha and Dale Ryndak have quietly impressed to complete the Sun Devils pitching prowess. Macha has been a team leader for the last couple of seasons, providing support and motivation on and off the field. Macha holds a 2.50 ERA with nine complete games, three shutouts, and 85 strikeouts. In her last two performances, Macha only allowed three earned runs in 14 innings of work in the circle.
Although her sample size is small, Dale Ryndak has been pivotal piece to the backend to the Sun Devil pitching staff. In 36 innings of work, Ryndak posts a 1.54 ERA with a 4-1 record, four shutouts, and 19 strikeouts.
With sophomore Alyssa Loza capping off the dominating Sun Devil rotation, ASU has recorded a 1.49 earned run average, 16 shutouts, and 363 strikeouts, all of which are among the top 3 in the Pac-12 conference.
ASU crosses swords for the last time this season at Farrington Stadium against Stanford this weekend. The first game of the series is set for Friday, May 4 at 7 p.m. MT. The second game starts Saturday, May 5 at 6 p.m. MT. Lastly, the final home game of the season and rubber matchup of the series wraps up Sunday, May 6 at 1 p.m. MT with Senior Celebration Day.
