(Photo: Addie Russ/WCSN)
TEMPE – As the sun set on Farrington Stadium with a beautiful orange sky, Arizona State geared up for a Veterans Day scrimmage against Pima Community College, a team it beat 15-5 in a fall ball scrimmage last season.
The Devils found victory once again over the Aztecs, defeating them 7-3 in a five-inning scrimmage as they heat up for their Spring season.
Head coach Megan Bartlett makes one thing clear: she’s on a mission to bring her team to Oklahoma City, after being just four outs away last season, something the Sun Devils have not achieved since 2018. Bartlett built this season’s roster with that next step in mind, bringing eight new transfers, five of which came from an SEC school.
“It wasn’t like, oh Arizona State snuck out of that regional,” Bartlett said. “No, Arizona State went into SEC country and flat out won that regional.”
Though the focus on a brand new pitching staff seemed to be the priority for Bartlett, third-year Cameryn Harrison gave them some help from the plate, smashing a two-run home run in the bottom of the second inning.
“The wonderful thing about Cameryn is that not only can she help herself out by hitting balls at the plate, but her profile is totally different; she’s gonna make you guess”, Bartlett said.
Harrison, a right-hand pitcher who transferred from Arkansas, has proven to be efficient from both sides of the field, ending the 25-26 season with a 3.80 ERA and a .304 AVG for the Razorbacks.
Fourth-year transfer Anneca Anderson started on the mound for ASU, pitching through three innings and striking out three batters. In her third year with North Texas, Anderson ended the 25-26 season with a 4.60 ERA through 164.1 innings, showing glimpses of hope that she can eat innings in an attempt to make up for the absence of Kenzie Brown.
“The beautiful part of Anneca is that she’s used to being the 150-inning kid; she’s a healthy kid”, Bartlett said. “You give her some run support, and she’s gonna win a lot of ball games”.
First-year pitcher Addison Burdorf came in to pitch in the fourth inning, showing off her arsenal on the mound. Though struggling towards the end of her outing, leading to three earned runs, she still picked up the save.
The hunt for production on the field doesn’t end with the pitching. Third-year Willa Ford stepped up to the plate with two runners on base, finding the perfect opportunity to extend the
Sun Devils’ lead, annihilating a home run at the left field wall to bring the score to 5-0.
Holding a .357 avg., 5 HR and 16 RBI season at GCU, Ford came to ASU hoping to add to the missing pieces the team needed to compete in yet another postseason.
Fourth-year Katie Chester, last season’s RBI and HR leader for ASU, continued her quality performance at the plate Wednesday night, blasting a two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth– giving her pitchers run support when they most needed it.
As the Sun Devils continue their hunt for a third consecutive postseason run in the Spring, they look to build their team chemistry through the fall.
“I feel like iron sharpens iron, and for the first time, no one gets a day off”, said Bartlett. “They’re going to have to compete, battle every single day”.
