Sun Devils face UCF in first Big 12 away series

(Photo credit: Madison Sorenson/WCSN)

Following a sweep of Tuesday’s doubleheader against the Stetson Hatters, the Arizona State softball team continues its Florida trip with a three-game set against the No. 21 UCF Knights.

In their opening series of Big 12 conference play, the Sun Devils (19-7, 2-1 Big 12) rallied behind excellent pitching and clutch hitting to take two of three games off the BYU Cougars. Senior right-handed pitcher Kenzie Brown was the leading voice behind this rally, giving up only three runs, with 26 strikeouts in 13.2 innings of work in ASU’s two wins.

Brown, who was ranked No. 18 in D1 Softball’s Pitcher Power Rankings, and the rest of her staff will need to shine under the Orlando sun to shut down UCF’s offense. Although they’re ranked ninth in the Big 12 for both batting average (.287) and runs scored (112), the Knights (19-9-1, 2-1 Big 12) turned it on in last weekend’s series on the road against No. 9 Arizona.

In the first game of the series against Arizona, UCF scored nine runs as it won 9-4 over the Wildcats, before they followed it up with a gritty 5-4 win the following day. Redshirt junior Ashleigh Griffin had a pair of solid performances, homering in both wins for the Knights.

Sophomore infielder Sierra Humphreys leads UCF in batting average, with a .391 mark, and in hits, tallying 34 through the first 29 games. Humphreys struggled in game one versus Arizona, going 0-for-3, but rebounded with a 2-for-4 day and scored two runs in game two. ASU’s pitching staff will have to try to limit Humphreys from reaching base, as although she doesn’t deliver through power, she is an effective contact hitter.

The Sun Devils’ offense will be seriously tested by the UCF pitching staff, which has the 44th-best ERA in the nation, posting a mark of 2.63. Led by senior right-hander Kaitlyn Felton, UCF stunted Arizona’s offense with excellent pitching last weekend, as the Knights have done to many of its other opponents this season. Felton has been beyond exceptional, and with an ERA of 0.53 in 53.1 innings, she seems poised to continue her form against ASU.

Redshirt freshman Isabella Vega helps to provide a solid one-two punch for UCF, as she’s got an ERA of 1.39 in 40.1 innings pitched. Although BYU has an elite pitching staff in its own right, the Sun Devils offense was sluggish last weekend, and if it weren’t for late-game magic in game three of the series, they would have lost. To win the series against UCF, ASU will likely need to continue its fire from its doubleheader against Stetson, which saw it put up 19 runs in two games.

The Sun Devils will also look to continue to ride the heat wave of Brown’s pitching and that of seemingly rejuvenated sophomore right-hander Meika Lauppe. In the final non-conference classic of the year, Lauppe gave up six runs in 4.1 innings, followed by giving up three runs in 4.0 innings to BYU. Against Stetson, Lauppe looked to return to her early-season self, as she only gave up two hits and no earned runs across 5.2 innings pitched.

A ranked Big 12 series win can do wonders for ASU’s postseason hopes, but this weekend’s series, which starts Friday will be a test for the Sun Devils on both sides of the ball.