(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)
On this date five years ago, Sun Devil softball took the field dawning maroon and gold in front of a packed Farrington Stadium for a Super Regional showdown.
Now, the No. 8-seeded Sun Devils will do the same today as they host No. 9-seeded South Carolina for the Super Regional in Tempe this weekend, May 25-27.
Led by head coach Trisha Ford, ASU (46-11) squares off against South Carolina (49-15) in a best-of-three series for the second round of the 2018 NCAA Softball Championship. No matter the competition, the Sun Devils are ready to take the field and compete at their best.
“We always say we are going to stay in our bubble,” senior veteran Breanna Macha said representing her team. “We are not going to worry about whose on the other side of the field. We prepare the same way every weekend. We are ready to play Sun Devil softball.”
The Sun Devils reach the Super Regionals for the eighth time in program history. It also marks the first time since 2013 that ASU gets the opportunity to host a Super Regional.
During their 2013 campaign, the Sun Devils finished second in the Pac-12 conference with a 50-12 overall record and went 16-8 in conference play. ASU advanced to the postseason, defeating San Jose State and Georgia in the first round before taking on Kentucky in the Super Regionals at Farrington Stadium.
Sun Devils topped the Wildcats in both games, winning 5-4 and 5-2. In the first game, ASU jumped out to an early advantage. Kentucky crawled back, but it was not enough as the Sun Devils prevailed to take 1-0 series lead.
In game two, the softball squads rallied back and forth and deadlocked throughout the evening. A big two-run blast in the top of the seventh inning punched the Sun Devils’ ticket to the Women’s College World Series for the 11th time in school history.
Scouting South Carolina
For the second time ever and first time since 2007, the Gamecocks advanced to the Super Regionals. Holding the third spot in the Southeastern conference, SC collected a 49-15 overall record and ranked at the No. 11 spot in the NFCA Coaches’ Poll.
Under six-year head coach Beverly Smith’s wing, SC captured the Columbia Regional Championship last Sunday with two wins over Liberty. Smith has led Gamecocks to five NCAA Tournaments in seven years and represents the second winningest coach in SC softball history.
The Gamecocks maintain a loaded roster with five players selected to the All-SEC teams. Redshirt sophomore Kenzi Maguire, sophomore Mackenzie Boesel, and senior Alyssa VanDerveer were named Second-Team All-SEC honors while freshmen Jana Johns and Kelsey Oh collected SEC All-Freshman Team accolades.
South Carolina paced the SEC with 61 home runs, drove in the fourth-most runs (293), and crossed home 308 times for the fourth highest run total in their conference. Although they batted .277 as a team, the Gamecocks utilized power at the plate to deliver victories past their opposition. Hitting in the heart of the lineup, VanDerveer led SC with 14 home runs and a .597 slugging percentage. Setting the table, Boesel has manufactured a team-high .350 batting average, 65 hits, 50 runs scored, 16 doubles, and 45 RBIs.
Among a tremendous pitching conference, the Gamecocks found their success this season in the circle. The team boasts a 2.03 earned run average and a .209 opponent’s batting average. All four pitchers in the Gamecocks’ rotation possess sub-three ERAs and combine for 33 complete games, 15 shutouts, and three saves. At the helm of their stellar starting staff, the freshman right-hander Kelsey Oh posts a 14-5 record with a 1.84 ERA, 10 complete games, four shutouts, and 125 strikeouts.
Behind Oh, sophomore Cayla Drotar has put up 20 wins, a 2.13 ERA, 15 complete games, and 51 strikeouts. Drotar presents two-way potential on the softball diamond. Similar to UCLA’s superstar Rachel Garcia that ASU saw this year, Drotar can pitch and hit with power, proving to be a dynamic catalyst for the Gamecocks. The sophomore bats .272 with 17 runs, eight big flies, and 26 RBIs to accompany her impressive pitching totals. Drotar will be an ex-factor that the Sun Devils will need to focus on throughout the Super Regional round.
Although ASU and SC did not cross paths during this year’s regular season, the Sun Devils and Gamecocks have met twice in the last five seasons. In 2014, the two squads faced off in the Louisville Slugger Invitational. The Sun Devils rallied late in the contest, but their offense just fell short, 3-2.
In their most recent matchup, the Sun Devils and Gamecocks went head-to-head in the 2017 Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton. The Sun Devils won 4-3 on walk-off fashion in nine innings thanks to then-junior Marisa Stankiewicz’s clutch RBI single. In that contest, then-junior Breanna Macha came in relief to earn the victory, throwing five scoreless frames and striking out a season-high nine batters.
Who’s Hot for the Sun Devils?
The Sun Devils exploded on offense during the Tempe Regional, average six runs and seven hits per game against New Mexico State and Ole Miss.
At the lead-off spot, sophomore Kindra Hackbarth hit .375 scoring four times and crushing a three-run homer to seal a win over Ole Miss. The everyday right fielder has been a key component to the Sun Devils’ success, setting the table at the top of the batting order and locking down on defense in the outfield.
Redshirt senior Marisa Stankiewicz had a terrific weekend as well, reaching base six times through the three games. Stankiewicz drew a team-high three walks and unloaded with a solo shot over the right field wall to close out a 7-1 victory on the second night of the NCAA Tournament. Stankiewicz is excited to get the opportunity to play in the Super Regionals and follow her family’s footsteps in ASU athletics.
“I felt like I have a point to prove. I play for ASU on the front and Stankiewicz on the back,” Stankiewicz said. “For every family member that plays baseball or softball, we leave everything out there on the field. We have a lot of scrap to our game and that’s just the ‘Stankie-way’.”
Freshman DeNae Chatman also joined the home run party, capping a five-run rally in the top of first inning over Ole Miss with a three-run moonshot in the Tempe Regional Championship. Going 3-for-8 and executing in the designated player role nicely over the weekend, Chatman has been one of the bright first-year stars for the Sun Devils that dazzle with their talented young roster.
Once again, ASU dominated in the circle, surrendering just one run over the entire Tempe Regional. Sophomore sensation G Juarez and senior leader Breanna Macha pitched perfectly, combining for three wins, .36 ERA, and 25 strikeouts in 19 innings of work in the circle. Ford loves how much Juarez has improved this season as she represents one of the outstanding faces of Sun Devil softball.
“Juarez has single-handedly taken this team on her shoulders and we are running with her,” Ford said. “She obviously can’t do it without her teammates, but you talk about someone who has stepped up to the plate, we have hit a home run with her. She has not gotten as much recognition as she should have in my opinion. To me, I feel sorry for our opponents because she uses that as fuel to win.”
Look for Juarez and Macha to continue their pitching prowess as they square off with the tough pitching task of South Carolina.
Super Regional Times
The Sun Devils and Gamecocks lock horns for the Super Regional round at Farrington Stadium this weekend, May 25-27. The opener of the best-of-three series starts Friday, May 25 at 8 p.m. MST. The second game follows on Saturday, May 26 at 6 p.m. MST. And, if necessary, the series closes out Sunday, May 27 at 6 p.m. MST. The winner of the Tempe Super Regional will have their ticket punched to Oklahoma City for the 2018 Women’s College World Series and continue their run at the national title.
