(Photo: Liesl Bacbicka/WCSN)
No. 6 ranked Sun Devil softball hosts the Tempe Regional this weekend as they represent the No. 8 seed in the NCCA Division I tournament field squaring off against New Mexico State Friday, May 18.
ASU (43-11) welcomes in New Mexico State (29-22), No. 20 Long Beach State (42-12), and Ole Miss (30-23) to Farrington Stadium for the opening double-elimination round of the NCAA Softball Championship.
The Sun Devils reach the NCAA postseason for the 30th time in program history. This season marks the first time that head coach Trisha Ford, 2018 Pac-12 Coach of the Year, and the Sun Devils are hosting a NCAA Regional since their 2014 campaign. It is the sixth time in the last 10 years that ASU begins the postseason in Tempe.
ASU came in at No. 6 in the final rankings of the regular season, recording eight straight weeks inside the top 10 among the NFCA Coaches’ Poll.
Scouting the Field
New Mexico State
New Mexico State enters the Tempe Regional on a three-game winning streak after defeating Grand Canyon last weekend to claim their second-straight Western Athletic Conference Tournament title. In head coach Kathy Rodolph’s 15th season steering the helm for NM State, the Aggies finished 29-22 overall and 11-4 in league play. The Aggies have been a dominating force in WAC, going 50-10 over the last four seasons.
For the third time in the last four seasons, NM State advances to the NCAA Regional. In last year’s postseason run, the Aggies participated in the Tucson Regional and lost to Arizona and Saint Francis in the double-elimination first round.
Six Aggies earned All-WAC honors this season. Junior Kelsey Horton collected the WAC Player of the Year award for the second year in a row. Playing in all 51 games for the Aggies, Horton dawns the highest batting average (.402) on the team and leads the WAC with 52 runs scored, 25 home runs, and 64 runs batted in. Horton also was named to NFCA Pacific Region First Team, earning All-Region honors for her second straight season.
Along with Horton, sophomore Nikki Butler, senior Fahren Glackin and junior Kayla Green received Big West first team honors. Junior Victoria Castro and senior Rachel Rodriguez were named to the second team.
NM State stands atop the WAC in batting average (.316), on-base percentage (.396), and home runs (58). Horton was the heart of NM State’s offense, leading in most offensive categories, including batting average, runs scored, home runs, RBIs, and slugging percentage. Horton also set the NM State single season record for her 25 home runs and her 152 total bases.
Horton was not only the main threat at the plate for the Aggies. Butler, Rodriguez and Castro all hit over .300 and scored 25 runs each. While Rodriguez provided speed at the top of the order with 14 stolen bases, Butler and Castro boosted their club with tremendous power, hitting 11 and 10 big flies respectively.
While the Aggies maintained impressive offensive numbers, their pitching took a tumble this season. The starting rotation posted a 4.00 ERA with seven shutouts and six saves
Anchoring the Aggies pitching staff, third-year veteran Green put up a 14-8 record with a 3.52 ERA, one complete game, three saves, and 70 strikeouts. In the two games against ASU this season, the NM State pitchers surrendered eight runs in 13 innings and collected six strikeouts.
The Sun Devils hold a four-game winning streak over the Aggies, who have not won a game against ASU since 2015. The Sun Devils and Aggies go head-to-head for the third time this year. ASU won the prior matchups during the regular season by final scores of 3-0 and 5-1.
Senior Breanna Macha pitched in both performances, collecting two wins and allowing only one earned run in nine innings of work. In her career against NM State, Macha is 4-0 with a 3.38 earned run average in 24 innings in the circle while striking out 14 hitters.
In the two games this year against the Aggies, sophomore Kindra Hackbarth, sophomore Jade Gortarez and redshirt senior Marisa Stankiewicz each launched towering home runs en route to a sweep over this year’s WAC tournament champions.
With previous dominance during the regular season, the Sun Devils will tackle NM State as the first test in the opening matchup of the 2018 NCAA Softball Championship.
Long Beach State
Long Beach State represents the toughest challenge in the Tempe Regional. The No. 20 ranked softball team in the nation finished second in the Big West behind Cal State Fullerton with a 42-12 overall record and 16-5 record in conference play.
The Beach make their 24th postseason appearance with 42 wins, the sixth-most in program history, and hit the 40-win mark for the ninth time since their first season in 1981. Head coach Kim Sowder earned Big West Coach of the Year honor for her third time in 12-year tenure managing the team.
LBSU is led by two superior performers on the field: sophomore Cielo Meza and freshman Naomi Hernandez. Awarded Big West Pitcher of the Year and selected onto the NFCA All-Region First Team, Meza portrays as a pivotal piece to the 49ers pitching staff that posted a Big West-leading 2.27 ERA. Anchoring LBSU’s starting rotation, Meza leads the Big West with a 22-4 record with a 1.48 ERA and 217 strikeouts, which ranked 27th nationally.
On the offensive side of things, the nimble centerfielder Hernandez paces the Beach with her .388 batting average and demonstrates patience at the dish drawing a team-high 23 walks and maintaining a .462 on-base percentage. Hernandez also earned the Big West Freshman of the Year title, ranking 32nd in the nation with 71 hits and being a catalyst at the top of the lineup for the 49ers.
Bringing power to LBSU’s lineup, sophomore Taylor Rowland crushed 12 round trippers and slugged .642 during the regular season. Given First-Team NFCA All-Region honors, Rowland has been a primary run produce, hitting .358 and knocking in a program-record 58 RBIs, which marked among the top 20 in the nation.
In the last five years, the Sun Devils and the 49ers have met only once in the 2016 Judi Garman Classic. Despite crawling back in a high-scoring contest, the Sun Devil bats fell just short to LBSU, 8-10. The Beach sparked on offense early thanks to a six-run first inning.
The last time ASU won against LBSU came in 2011 during the postseason. The then-No. 1 ranked Sun Devils blasted past Long Beach State 8-0 in five innings to reach the championship. During that 2011 campaign, the Sun Devils climbed on to win the Women’s College World Series over Florida, which is the last time the Sun Devils brought the national title back to Tempe.
ASU and LBSU also locked horns in 2009 in Tempe. The Sun Devils managed to sweep the Beach, outscoring their opponent 26-16 in the three-game set. During their 2009 campaign, ASU advanced to the WCWS, but were eliminated with losses against Washington and Alabama.
Long Beach State will start off against Ole Miss in the opening night of Tempe Regional play.
Ole Miss
Ole Miss completes the four softball teams taking part in the Tempe Regional. It is the third-straight NCAA bid for a Rebels squad that finished the season at 30-23. With a 7-17 record in Southeastern Conference play, the Rebels were ahead only of Missouri within their league standings.
For the third season in a row, Ole Miss advances to the NCAA Softball Championship.
Under head coach Mike Smith, the softball program has turned around, becoming a national contender all three years under his belt. Smith led Ole Miss to its first-ever NCAA tournament appearance and advanced to softball’s “big dance” in 2016, collecting two victories before falling to eventual national champion Oklahoma in the title game.
This year, Ole Miss, as a team, offensively dipped. The Rebels batted .261, the lowest among SEC schools, and saw a loss of power at the plate, collecting a conference-low 24 home runs and 192 RBIs.
At the forefront of the Rebels offense is senior Elantra Cox. Cox was named to the NFCA All-South Region third-team, receiving a spot for the third consecutive season. Ole Miss’ all-time leader in hits, runs. and stolen bases, Cox leads the Rebels .339 on top of scoring a team-high 39 runs. Cox also poses as a threat on the base paths, successfully stealing 27 bases, which tied for 4th among SEC players. Through the year, Cox set the table for sophomore Autumn Gillespie, who paced the Rebels with 29 RBIs.
Stolen bases were a key weapon for Ole Miss’ offense as the team had three players had double-digit steals, which fueled the run production at the top of the Rebels batting order.
Another bright side for Ole Miss came in the circle, posting a team 2.70 ERA, 18 wins, and nine shutouts, and a .249 opponent’s batting average. Senior Kaitlin Lee guides the Ole Miss starting rotation, boasting a 16-win total to accompany 2.32 ERA, 12 complete games, three shutouts, and 81 strikeouts. With a team-high 171.2 innings pitched and leading the way in the majority of pitching categories among Ole Miss arms, Lee has been a big part to the Rebels success in the circle as they take dominate pitching to the postseason for their third consecutive year.
The Sun Devils and Rebels met last year in the Oxford Regional. In the second game of the regional, Ole Miss defeated ASU in a pitching duel, 0-2. Then-juniors Dale Ryndak and Kaitlin Lee went head-to-head, both starters going the distance. The only blemish for Ryndak came in the bottom of the 6th as Ole Miss stringed together a two-run rally on back-to-back triples. The Rebels eventually swept the Oxford Regional and advanced to the Super Regional in Los Angeles.
Over the last decade, the Sun Devils and Rebels have squared off just one time in the regular season. In the 2015 Kajikawa Classic, ASU defeated Ole Miss 6-4. In that contest, then-freshman Breanna Macha pitched a complete game, allowing three runs while striking out five Ole Miss hitters.
Stepping Up to the Challenge on Home Turf
The Sun Devils seek to use home field to their advantage during the Tempe Regional. During the regular season, the Sun Devils established a dominate 28-7 record at Farrington Stadium. Their only non-conference home losses came against No. 7 Tennessee and Iowa.
The Sun Devils finished winning five out of their last seven home games, including a sweep of the Stanford Cardinal in their final home series of the regular season.
Arizona State friends and family pack the seats at Farrington Stadium. During the 2018 regular season, the Sun Devils have taken the field to a total of 39,210 fans, which marks the eight-largest accumulated attendance this year. At home, ASU recorded 14 shutouts to tough teams such as NM State, Washington, Oregon, and Stanford.
ASU’s bats came alive in front of their friends and family, run-ruling nine opponents, including a 13-0 victory over Georgetown, marking their largest win of the regular season.
Two Keys to Sun Devil Success
Freshman phenoms and power pitching have been two pivotal pieces to the foundation of Sun Devil softball. Earning All-West Region Second Team honors, first-year first baseman Danielle Gibson solidified a spot in the heart of the Sun Devils batting order. Gibson paced the Sun Devils in several offensive categories with 12 home runs, 39 RBIs, and a .675 slugging percentage. Along with sophomore Jade Gortarez, Gibson received All-Pac 12 First Team recognition in her first season dawning maroon and gold.
Freshman Denae Chatman rose late on the scene, crushing timely home runs to boost the Sun Devils with clutch performances. In 36 games, Chatman hit .284 with 7 big flies and 18 RBIs. Chatman provided key moments toward the end of the season, powering the Sun Devils with crucial homers against Stanford and No. 1 UCLA in the final two weeks.
In the circle, the Sun Devils dominate with the terrific arms bringing power to pitching. As a staff, ASU boasts a 1.47 ERA, which ranks ninth in the nation and third in the Pac-12 conference. Along with Breanna Macha, Dale Ryndak, and Alyssa Loza, the Sun Devil starting rotation stands as one of the most difficult pitching staffs to tackle nationally.
Sophomore sensation G Juarez has been lights out all season in the circle. The southpaw was named to the All-West Region First Team for her impressive .92 ERA and 276 strikeouts in 197.1 innings of work. Juarez’s strikeout total, earned run average, and 12 shutouts led the Pac-12 and were among some of the best of the elite pitchers in the nation.
Juarez also is recognized as a Top-10 Finalist for USA Softball’s Player of the Year Award and earned Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week honors in four consecutive weeks. Juarez continues to build on her legacy as a Sun Devil. Along with veteran pitchers Breanna Macha and Dale Ryndak, and sophomore Alyssa Loza, the Sun Devil starting rotation stands as one of the most difficult staffs to tackle nationally.
Tournament Times
The Sun Devils and Aggies square off in the opening round of the Tempe Regional, starting Friday, May 18th at 6:30 p.m. MT. The winner of Friday’s game face off against the winner of the contest between Long Beach State and Ole Miss on Saturday, May 19th at 2 p.m. MT. The losers of the two games compete in an elimination matchup on Saturday, 5:30 p.m. MT.
