(Photo via Nicole Mullen/WCSN)
After going 2-5 since the start of conference play and dropping out of the top 25 in multiple polls, Arizona State Softball will look to gain some momentum back against the California Golden Bears in Berkeley
The Sun Devils excelled in the first leg of the season, starting 15-3 and averaging seven runs per game. However, they have struggled in their last two weekends, particularly on offense. They have been shut out four times and went on a five-game stretch with just four runs scored.
The issues come down to the cornerstones of ASU’s offense not replicating the results produced earlier in the season. The team’s top five hitters in batting average have recorded a total of 17 hits across the last two weekends. This includes senior outfielder Yannira Acuña, who leads the team with a .436 batting average and has six hits in the last two weekends, graduate student infielder Alexa Milius with four, and senior infielder Jordyn VanHook, who recently dropped to second in the NCAA in home runs with 14. She has just two hits over the Sun Devils’ last few outings. The Sun Devil offense will need production from its stars if it wants to put pressure on the Bears’ defense.
ASU’s pitching has also been tested in this recent stretch, but there have been more bright spots. Junior right-hander Mac Osborne is coming off a weekend where she gave up just one run and seven hits in two games. That one run came against No. 2 Oklahoma State, where Osborne held the Cowgirls to their lowest run total of the season. She now has an ERA of 2.10 on the season.
Sophomore right-hander Kenzie Brown is a team-best 7-1 this season but has struggled recently, giving up 10 hits and 11 runs in her past 10 innings pitched. Freshman right-hander Kylee Magee has also cooled off since the start of the season, with her ERA rising from 3.23 before conference play to 3.69. Graduate right-hander Marissa Schuld has been the closer all season. She has a WHIP of 1.86, the second-best on the team behind Osborne.
The Golden Bears, who are 20-7-1, give up an average of 3.5 runs per game and have thrown seven shutouts this season. Their top pitcher is junior right-hander Haylei Archer. She boasts an ERA of 1.91 and has struck out 40 batters this season. In California’s last series against Oregon State, Archer gave up ten hits and three runs in seven innings.
Sophomore right-handers Annabel Teperson and Anna Reimers have each appeared 12 times this season. They have an 11-3 combined record, and both have an ERA below 2.80 and a WHIP below 1.50.
California’s offense is headlined by junior catcher Kacey Zobac. She leads the team in batting average (.384), on-base percentage (1.237) and is tied for first in hits (28). Sophomore outfielder Mika Lee and junior infielder D’Asha Saiki both bat above .345 and have over 20 hits on the year. Senior catcher Makena Smith is the Bears’ big hitter, leading the team in home runs (9) and RBIs (24).
The Sun Devils season has quickly ramped up in terms of competition, and things will not get easier. ASU currently sits at seventh in the Pac-12 Conference with a 17-8 record and has six more Pac-12 series after California. This weekend serves as an opportunity for the Sun Devils to win their first conference series of the season and kickstart the offense back into rhythm.
