(Photo credit: Madison Sorenson/WCSN)
ASU Softball has hit its stride over the last couple of weeks, and it is doing so at the right time. With just two series left in the regular season, the Sun Devils are looking to be playing their best ball heading into the Big 12 Conference tournament.
ASU has won six of its last seven, including a five-game road trip where it swept UTEP in two games, then did the same to Big 12 rival Utah in three games. The Sun Devils hit a bump in the road Tuesday, losing 4-0 to Grand Canyon after they returned to the valley.
The Sun Devils will now have to gear up for a very hot Baylor team that has won six in a row. Like ASU, the Bears are arguably playing their best softball of the season. Those six straight victories have gotten the Bears to .500 with a 21-21 overall record and a 7-8 Big 12 record.
The Bears will be looking to play spoiler against the Sun Devils while improving their own seed in the upcoming Big 12 tournament.
The Bears’ best offensive piece is senior infielder Shaylon Govan. In 38 games, Govan has a stunning .400 batting average while also leading the team in home runs (6), RBIs (22), and total bases (57). Govan is the piece that keeps the Baylor offense rolling and does so at one of the highest levels in the country.
Other offensive weapons include sophomore infielder Leah Cran and senior catcher Turiya Coleman, who have produced well behind Govan in the lineup.
Pitching-wise, the Bears’ most consistent arm has been senior lefty Lillie Walker. Walker leads Baylor in innings pitched (112.0) and ERA (2.50). Expect to see Walker at least once during this three-game set, as Baylor looks to foil the Sun Devils’ last home series of the season.
For ASU, senior right-handed pitcher Kenzie Brown has put herself among the top pitchers in the country. Her microscopic 1.18 ERA, along with her 16 wins, 130.0 innings pitched, 221 strikeouts and .162 opponent batting average all lead the team. Brown has seen her workload increase over the last couple of weeks, routinely making multiple appearances every series.
Offensively, freshman outfielder Ashleigh Mejia is coming off a week that saw her win D1 Softball Freshman of the Week. Mejia, along with junior outfielder Tanya Windle, senior utility player AJ Murphy, freshman infielder Tiare Ho-Ching, graduate outfielder Kelsey Hall and sophomore catcher Samantha Swan round out a very deep and tough lineup that has hit its stride in recent weeks.
Overall, ASU is 8-4 against Baylor, but the Bears were victorious in the most recent contest. The Bears won 7-2 in 2021 after scoring six runs in the sixth inning.
With both of these Big 12 foes looking to improve their standing before the Big 12 conference tournament, this should be an intense series. Both of these squads are playing very good softball as of late, making this a fascinating series that could coming down to the wire.
