(Photo: Tyler Rittenhouse/WCSN)
Arizona State is coming home to play in and host its third tournament of the season, the Devil Classic. ASU is riding high from their successes last weekend at the Mary Nutter Tournament in Palms Spring, California, going 4-1 with their only loss to the defending National Champion Oklahoma Sooners.
The Sun Devils were able to secure lopsided victories at the hands of Mississippi State, LIU Brooklyn, Liberty and Cal State Fullerton, outscoring these teams 25-9. According to Sun Devil Athletics, through the first 15 games of the season, the Sun Devil offense has outhit opponents 129-67, leading to a 93-38 ASU advantage in runs scored.
The No. 16 ranked Sun Devils look to improve on their success with a matchup against New Mexico State and two games against Coastal Carolina.
ASU v. Coastal Carolina – Friday, March 2, at 7:30 p.m. MST / Saturday, March 3, at 4:00 p.m. MST
Coastal Carolina enters the Devil Classic riding an 11-5 record overall, with top wins against Iowa State, UConn and Georgetown. The Chanticleers are led by Kaily Mellen and Courtney Dean who currently have a batting average of .394 and .519 respectively. Ashley Guillette and Kaitlin Beasley have a pitched a majority of the innings as they round out CCU’s pitching rotation. Coastal Carolina will be playing five games in three days. Friday and Saturday before playing Arizona State they take on New Mexico State and one final game on Sunday.
ASU v. New Mexico State – Sunday, March 4, at 7:00 p.m. MST
The New Mexico State Aggies roll into Tempe looking to improve on their 9-5 record. The Aggies, out of the Western Athletic Conference hope to build on their recent momentum. The Aggies record may be unassuming, but NMSU took one of two from Texas A&M earlier in the week and took 2 wins from a ranked Kentucky program. Before traveling to Tempe, New Mexico State played in the UTEP Tournament in El Paso winning four out of the five games they played. Sophomore catcher, Shelby Shultes enters the game as the second on the team with three home runs and posting the team’s best average at .407.
Players to Watch
ASU – Maddi Hackbarth – She has been on a tear recently by tallying 22 RBIs this season, which places her in the top 10 in Division 1 NCAA Softball. She also leads the Sun Devils with a total of five home runs on the season.
ASU – Morgan Howe – Leads the Sun Devils with a .426 batting average on just 47 at bats. She also leads the Sun Devils in hits with 20 total and will look to continue her lead on the team against NMST and CCU.
ASU – Dale Ryndak – Ryndak has been ASU’s best pitcher thus far posting an impressive 3-0 record and an ERA slated at 0.89 in four appearances. With only 15 and 2/3 innings thrown this season, expect Ryndak to receive more innings from Trisha Ford this weekend.
CCU – Samantha Slack – Slack has been prominent figure within the Chanticleers offense with a high .275 batting average and a slugging percentage .575 on only 40 bats. She has played all 16 games for CCU and can cause trouble to both the Sun Devils and Aggies.
NMSU – Fahren Glackin – The senior has been played in each of the Aggie’s first 14 games thus far and has posted a batting average just shy of .400 at .395. Look for Glackin to continue her approach as she batted over .300 in both her sophomore and junior seasons.
NMSU – Kayla Green – A Tucson native returns to the Grand Canyon state to stake in a claim. Arguably’s NMSU’s best pitcher, Green has posted a 3.39 ERA, but she has a winning record of 6-3. Green will have to avoid giving up home runs to these two teams, giving up 7 already on the young season.
In the Coming Days:
The Sun Devils are set to take on South Dakota Coyotes and Georgetown Bulldogs after the Devil Classic. ASU is scheduled to play host to the Bulldogs Tuesday night at 6 p.m. MST. ASU then takes Georgetown on Wednesday night 6:00 MST.
Continued coverage of Arizona State softball can be found on Cronkitesports.com and WCSN’s social media outlets.
