Sun Devils close out regular season on the road at Texas Tech

(Photo credit: Madison Sorenson/WCSN)

After taking two out of three contests from the Baylor Bears, ASU Softball will hit the road for its final series of the regular season.

The Sun Devils (33-16 overall, 13-8 Big 12) sit third in the Big 12 Conference. One of the teams they are behind in the conference is Texas Tech. The Red Raiders (37-10, 16-2) are ranked No. 12 and have won 14 of their last 15 contests.

The Red Raiders are one of the hottest teams in the country, and not only that, but Texas Tech has also been one of the best teams at home. The Red Raiders have a near-perfect 15-1 home record in 2025.

To make matters worse for ASU, it is likely the Sun Devils will face junior right-handed pitcher NiJaree Canady at least once. Canady, in her first year at Texas Tech, has a sparkling 0.83 ERA over an astounding 144.0 innings pitched.

Not only that, but her 209 punchouts and 19-5 record are also great indicators of how dominant she has been for the Red Raiders.

Her dominance hasn’t been anything new in 2025. Over her first two years at Stanford, her 41-10 record and .67 ERA speak for themselves as some of the best marks in the country.

Canady won NFCA Freshman of the Year in 2023 before taking home USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year in 2024. It is an understatement to say that Canady will be a tough matchup against the Sun Devil lineup. However, the Sun Devils are still confident.

“We are just as good,” freshman outfielder Ashleigh Mejia said. “Knowing we can compete just as good as them. … Chin up, chest out, and play our best softball.”

Junior outfielder Tanya Windle shared a similar sentiment to Mejia.

“We have been putting in the work this week,” Windle said. “We are set and ready for sure.”

The rest of the Texas Tech pitching rotation is no slouch either. Junior lefty Chloe Riassetto and freshman lefty Samantha Lincoln have been fantastic in 2025 when the Red Raiders decided to go with alternatives from Canady.

Offensively, a slew of Red Raiders are able to do damage. Sophomore infielder Lauren Allred, sophomore infielder Raegen Jennings, junior outfielder Mihyia Davis, sophomore outfielder Logan Halleman, senior infielder Alexa Langeliers, freshman utility Bailey Lindemuth and freshman infielder Hailey Toney round out a very talented, deep and well-rounded lineup.

For the Sun Devils, senior right-handed pitcher Kenzie Brown has arguably been the team’s MVP. Brown has a 1.19 ERA over 140.2 IP and 237 strikeouts. Her main rotation partner this season has been sophomore righty Meika Lauppe, who has a 2.71 ERA in 106.0 IP.

On the offensive side, the Sun Devils are much like Texas Tech in that it is a very deep lineup that will make opposing pitchers work up and down the order.

The combination of Windle, senior utility AJ Murphy, freshman infielder Tiare Ho-Ching, graduate outfielder Kelsey Hall, junior outfielder Yannixa Acuna, sophomore catcher Samantha Swan, and Mejia will present a formidable challenge against the Red Raiders’ pitching staff.

This will be the first time these teams will face each other as Big 12 rivals. The last time these squads squared off was in 2019, a game that saw Texas Tech win 8-0. However, before that contest, the Sun Devils were perfect against the Red Raiders, going 12-0 against Texas Tech.

With just a few days left in the regular season, ASU will look to get back to its winning ways against Texas Tech. The Sun Devils are trying to lock up a top spot in the Big 12 standings and earn a bye heading into the tournament. This series will be a good test for ASU against one of the best teams in the country before heading into postseason play.