(Photo via Marina Williams/WCSN)
TEMPE – When glancing at Arizona State’s lineup card in Tuesday night’s contest against Grand Canyon, one factor immediately stands out: veteran presence. The starting pitcher as well as six of the nine batters were either seniors or graduate students. However, sitting in the heart of the Sun Devils’ batting order is right fielder Tanya Windle, a sophomore who has become a critical part of the team’s offensive production.
In four at-bats during the contest, Windle notched three hits that drove in four of the eight runs ASU scored versus the Lopes. This strong performance could be considered status quo for how the first half of the season has played out for the former WAC Freshman of the Year. Through 25 games played, Windle’s .415 batting average is first amongst the team, while sustaining a top-five spot in slugging percentage, hits, and RBIs.
“Tanya does incredibly well with up-spin. She’s got amazing hand-eye coordination,” head coach Megan Bartlett said. “She’s a young one, seeing as her strike zone awareness gets a little better and she realizes that she doesn’t have to hit everything.”
Windle also thrived in situational hitting on Tuesday, starting with her very first at-bat. The bottom of the first inning saw the bases loaded for the Sun Devils with two outs as she came up to the plate. After quickly falling behind in the count, Windle hit a ball into the gap in left-center field to clear the bases and give her team an early lead.
“With two strikes on me, I think I’m in my prime just because I know I’m going to hit something,” Windle said.
She struck again in the bottom of the second inning by singling into left field to bring a runner home from scoring position for another two-out rally. Windle collected her third base hit in the fifth inning, and after ASU closed out an 8-2 victory, she was named player of the game for the first time in her Sun Devil career.
“I knew that I had to step it up with two outs, just realizing that the pressure isn’t on me, it’s on them to get me as their last out,” Windle said.
Considering the Sun Devils still have a near full slate of Pac-12 Conference play ahead of them including a pivotal series versus Oregon State this weekend, the lights will only continue to shine brighter on the up-and-coming player Yet, her individual effort against Grand Canyon showed that those are the moments where she shines the brightest.
“As she continues to get older in her career and mature, she’s just going to get better and better,” Bartlett said. “That’s who she is, and that’s why she’s here.”
