(Photo: Aiden Longbrake/WCSN)
After a historic 2025 season in which it made the NCAA tournament for the first time in three years, Arizona State softball turns the page to a brand-new season. With fresh faces, key returners, and expert coaching returning to Farrington Softball Stadium this weekend, Sun Devil fans have plenty to look forward to.
After being picked to finish eighth out of 11 teams in the 2025 Big 12 preseason poll, ASU finished fifth in the regular season standings before upsetting No. 23 Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Tournament.
Although the Sun Devils lost to top-seeded Texas Tech 18-0 in the semifinals, their season performance was enough to earn an at-large bid to the 2025 NCAA Tournament, being placed in the Los Angeles Regional. ASU lost both games of the regional round, but a spark was still lit within Farrington Stadium.
“I was really proud of the girls,” Bartlett said. “They got some great wins early on. Making the postseason and getting that group was pretty cool. If we’re a little bit older, a little bit stronger and well-seasoned, I think we have a shot to win that regional.”
Not only was it the first tournament birth under head coach Megan Bartlett in the Valley, but it also cemented ASU as a destination for transfers in the offseason.
The two-time NCAA champion Sun Devils put themselves back on the map as a winning program following their postseason appearance, resulting in several new faces arriving in Tempe looking to build on last season’s success.
This solidarity now has hopes and expectations higher than they’ve been in the Bartlett era.
“Winners want to be a part of a winning tradition and culture,” Bartlett said. “The optic nationally was that we’ve got this thing back on track in a meaningful way. You see a lot of talented ball players just ready to jump in and be a part of it, and we were certainly welcoming them with open arms.”
Coming into the 2026 season, Arizona State entered tied for third in the Big 12 preseason media poll, alongside rival Arizona. Two players were also mentioned in the 2026 preseason team: senior pitcher Kenzie Brown and senior outfielder Tanya Windle.
Offense
One of the most challenging things a pitcher in the circle can face is a hitter who won’t go down without a fight. For ASU, its offense this upcoming year looks to be built on contact, speed, and situational hitting, a deadly trio to anyone trying to get outs and limit runs from 43 feet away.
Windle will bring some proven consistency. Last year, she slashed .371/.413/.547 with 63 hits, 15 doubles, three triples and three home runs. Her gap-to-gap power and ability to get on base, extend innings and put pressure on the defense of opponents will play a big factor in this offensive profile. To complement her is senior outfielder Yannixa Acuña, who will add a dynamic element after posting a .336 average and a .388 on-base percentage last season.
Sophomore infielder Tiare Ho-Ching is going to be a key factor in this lineup, as her speed ability with 10 stolen bases last year and a .427 on-base percentage makes her dangerous in the box. If opponents decide to pitch to Ho-Ching, there’s a good chance she’s going to put the ball in play. However, if they try to pitch around her and she ends up on base via a walk, she is now a big speed threat on the base paths.
Against high-level teams, this is where ASU can cause havoc. Pressuring opposing pitchers to place the perfect pieces and adjust is just one of the many things this Sun Devil lineup can do. Utility pieces like senior Sydney Saenz and junior Katie Chester give ASU multiple options in response to the matchups being played, especially in later innings.
The Sun Devils will need to replace some of the slugging that Kelsey Hall and A.J. Murphy provided in 2025, who combined for 15 home runs and 68 runs batted in. While this 2026 roster loses that raw power, it will gain more of an edge in on base percentage and versatility.
Freshman additions such as Brooke Piwowar and Avery Motroni both behind the plate as well as utility JazMarie Roberts, give ASU youth with potential offensive impact as the season develops.
Scrappy and battle-tested are poised to be the characteristics defining the Sun Devils offense this upcoming season, with contact from Windle and Acuña, run production through Ho-Ching’s run tool and timely hitting and depth contributors who can fill multiple roles. With an emphasis on getting on base and creating scoring opportunities rather than solely relying on the long ball, this ASU squad has the tools to stay competitive in a tough Big 12 and make noise in postseason play.
“We have talented ballplayers, but we just have really wonderful human beings,” Bartlett said. “[The returners] wanted to win more than they wanted to just be the star on an average team. They stayed all summer, and they’re training, hosting visits and welcoming people with open arms.”
Pitching
For Bartlett and pitching coach John Bargfeldt, looking to get consistency across every pitcher will be something they will look to continue building. Returning their two top pitchers was an emphasis – one of whom was an All-American – and three total pitchers who had under 4.00 ERAs last season.
Brown was one of the best pitchers in the country last season, as evidenced by her 1.28 ERA, the fourth-lowest in the nation. Brown led Sun Devil pitchers in almost all major pitching statistics, including ERA, WHIP, strikeouts, wins and batting average allowed.
After stacking her accolades with NFCA First Team All-American, All-Big 12 First Team and Softball America Second Team All-American, Brown was named to the USA Softball Player of the Year Top 50 watchlist, as she looks to anchor ASU’s pitching staff once again.
“She looks great,” Bartlett said. “She has spent a lot of time developing the drop ball, which we’re all pretty excited about. When that thing turns into a drop curve, she’s mowing people down. She’s a consistent worker, she’s a leader and she sacrifices for what she wants.”
Senior pitcher Aissa Silva was one of two talents from Arizona that Bartlett was able to snag away from Tucson. Silva will look to provide the Sun Devils with key innings in relief and as an occasional starter and help ease the load off of Brown and junior pitcher Meika Lauppe this season.
In her prior three seasons in the circle with the Wildcats, Silva pitched in 89 games, providing even more experience to the Sun Devils’ established pitching front. While her breakout season was in 2024 during her sophomore campaign, Silva still went 3-1 in 19 appearances while making three starts last year. Although she only pitched 26 innings, Silva has shown that length is not an issue after amassing over 145 innings pitched in 2024 and showing ace-like potential for the Wildcats.
Silva posted a 3.77 ERA last season, a dip from her 3.27 a year prior. The two biggest areas of weakness for Silva are hits, where she has allowed almost a hit per inning pitched and home runs, where she allowed seven in the 26 innings she pitched last season.
Lauppe emerged as a solid second option for the Sun Devils behind Brown last season, as she showcased performances worthy of being an ace for many teams that do not feature an All-American.
Lauppe logged the most starts for ASU with 24 and pitched in 36 games, one more than Brown. In her 36 games pitched, Lauppe went 9-8 and tallied over 110 innings pitched and had a 3.31 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP.
Lauppe showcased her consistency last season and will surely be primed to start over 20 games yet again for the Sun Devils. Lauppe, along with Brown and Silva, will look to anchor the rotation and help develop incoming freshman Mary Peyton Hodge.
Schedule outlook
ASU is about to begin a season filled with intense competition. Kicking off at Alberta B. Farrington Softball Stadium, the Sun Devils will face a range of ranked nonconference opponents and top Big 12 contenders, putting their skills to the test and setting up for a strong run in conference play this season.
The Sun Devils will host their season opener on Thursday, February 5, to start off the Kajikawa Classic, against Toledo, looking to build early momentum. After their afternoon matchup with the Rockets, they’ll have a quick turnaround against No. 3 Oklahoma Thursday evening, a challenging matchup that will give ASU an early look at its strengths and weaknesses.
Later in their nonconference play, the Sun Devils will host Michigan, which received a pair of votes in the NCAA’s preseason poll.
Once conference play begins, the Sun Devils will compete with the Big 12’s best, featuring several ranked programs. Key matchups include No. 1 Texas Tech, No. 20 Oklahoma State and UCF. Each game can shape the Sun Devils’ place in the conference and their chances in the NCAA tournament, requiring focus and consistent play. The Big 12 series will test the Sun Devils’ depth and resilience, as they compete against some of the strongest programs in the conference.
The schedule also features intense ASU rivalry games, including the annual Territorial Cup against No. 18 Arizona, where tradition and fan excitement elevate the stakes of each game. This rivalry pushes both teams to their limits, making it one of the season’s most intense matchups of the season.
Arizona State will also participate in many tournaments early on in the season, including the Kajikawa Classic, Littlewood Invitational, Sun Devil Classic, ASU Invitational and Mizuno Showdown. The season will wrap up with the Big 12 Tournament, where conference supremacy is on the line, as a strong outing could set the tone for a deep postseason run for the Sun Devils.
The Sun Devils start at home with 25 consecutive games, allowing them to use the home crowd at Club Farrington to their advantage ahead of conference play.
With ranked non-conference opponents, top Big 12 programs, and heated rivalry games, the 2026 schedule promises an exciting and challenging season. Each game will give the Sun Devils a chance to compete and aim for both a Big 12 title and a deep postseason run, building on the momentum they carried into last year’s NCAA Tournament.
“They’re very gritty,” Bartlett said. “They embrace the underdog role a little bit, and they do not back down. We have a phrase in the clubhouse that’s ‘Just keep playing.’ No matter what happens, you get punched, you better learn how to punch back.”
Taylor Gautney, Ashton Sharinn, Julian Khuory and Ava Barhydt collaborated on this article.
