(Photo credit: Zina Garcia/WCSN)
After a successful first Big 12 Conference series for Arizona State softball last weekend, the Sun Devils now hit the road and set their sights on a two-game series against Stetson.
ASU (17-7, 2-1 Big 12) is coming off a big series win against the BYU, which saw the Sun Devils take two of three contests. All three games were tightly contested with the final scores ending within one run.
The Sun Devils should be feeling confident coming out with two wins against the Cougars who are a very quality Big 12 opponent that had won seven of eight going into that series.
ASU has been rolling recently. An extra-innings loss to Oregon State on March 2 and a one-run loss to BYU last weekend are their only blemishes over the last couple of weeks, compiling a 10-2 record in their last 12.
The Sun Devils will try to ride that momentum as they hit the road for two games in DeLand, Florida on Wednesday.
On the other hand, Stetson (16-9) has played its best softball of the season as of late. The Hatters have won five straight, and six of their last seven, not to mention they played then-No. 14 Georgia very tough on Feb. 28 and March 1.
In two games against the Bulldogs, Stetson lost 5-2 and 1-0. The Hatters showed they could play with the best teams across the country no matter the conference.
With both of these teams playing their best stretch of softball heading into this dual series this should be a very exciting out-of-conference matchup.
Graduate outfielder Kelsey Hall has been the Sun Devils’ best hitter so far this season. Hall leads ASU in average (.423), homeruns (7), RBI (25) and ops (1.255).
In the circle expect to see senior right-handed pitcher Kenzie Brown during the Stetson series. Brown has been dominant in her senior season, boasting a minuscule 1.11 ERA across a team-leading 56.2 innings pitched. Brown has an 8-1 record and like Hall on the offensive side leads ASU in most pitching categories. Brown’s 96 strikeouts are far and away the best figure of a Sun Devil pitcher while her .146 opponent batting average is also the top mark.
For Stetson, junior outfielder Gia Napoli has been the best part of the Hatters offense. Napoli’s .400 average, .483 slugging and .486 on base are all the best in the Stetson lineup.
On the pitching side of things, junior right-hander Caitlyn Kulczyski has been the Hatters best arm to the tune of a 1.79 ERA and .206 opponent batting average over 43.0 innings pitched.
In the history of both of these softball programs, these two schools have only squared off one other time on March 15, 1987. A 1-0 win for the Sun Devils marks the only time these teams have played each other, and now in the present day, there is much more on the line for both of these squads.
Stetson will be looking for a positive result against a quality Power Four opponent while ASU will look to continue its hot stretch before they head back into conference play next week.
