Sun Devils struggling to find consistent success in Big 12 play

(Photo: Madison Sorenson/WCSN)

TEMPE – Arizona State softball is a storied program. At Farrington Stadium in Tempe, the four national championships in its history shine in left center field along the wall, serving as a core base for what the team should be competing for.

When current head coach Megan Bartlett was hired on June 22, 2022, the expectations never died down, for she helped Texas reach the Women’s College World Series as an assistant coach a few months prior to her hiring. However, things have not panned out for Bartlett’s program the way she would want them to so far.

Under former head coach Trisha Ford, who led the team from 2017 to 2022, the Sun Devils competed in two NCAA Super Regionals and made the regionals every single year except for the cancelled 2020 season. In her first three years, Bartlett led the team to one regional appearance last year, failing to win a game and falling short of expectations once again.

ASU looked dominant in non-conference play to start out the season, rounding out its record with an impressive 19-3 before Big 12 play kicked off. Despite the strong start, the Maroon and Gold are currently 5-9 in conference play after Saturday night’s 8-1 loss to No. 22 UCF, sitting at a pace to finish worse than last year’s team that clinched the regional berth.

“These kids are certainly going to show up and get after it and compete,” Bartlett said. “There’s nothing mechanically happening. They’re not out of gas. They just need to learn to rebound.”

After the offensive showcase in game one of the series, winning 7-1 with a four-run first inning, Saturday’s loss moved ASU’s record in the second game of a conference series to 1-4 with a lone win over Oklahoma State.

The Sun Devils allowed four runs in the first three innings to UCF, with two long balls carrying the wall in right field to open up the scoring. Senior pitcher Aissa Silva got the nod in the second game of the key Big 12 series and struggled to ever find a rhythm.

The first-year Sun Devil gave up only two hits, but huge ones leading to three earned runs. On a short leash, Bartlett called to the bullpen for junior pitcher Meika Lauppe, hoping for an answer.

Lauppe also could not seem to find a rhythm in the circle, leading to five earned runs on seven hits for the Sun Devils’ usually reliable pitcher.

“[UCF] are good hitters,” Bartlett said. “Sometimes you’re the windshield, and sometimes you’re the bug. Tonight, we were the bugs.”

The “bug” side of the metaphor showed up on the offensive side tonight for ASU. While managing to put hard contact on the ball and produce quality rallies tonight, the Sun Devils were unable to drive in runs during key scenarios.

With runners on the basepaths, including a loaded base opportunity with no outs in the bottom of the fourth, Bartlett’s squad hit .125 and hit two groundouts with a lineout to leave the bases stranded.

The bright positive for ASU was junior catcher Samantha Swan going 3-for-3 with a double. The backstop now has two-plus hits in seven straight games, showcasing her offensive production night after night.

“It’s hard to say, ‘are we just going to adjust Saturday to Sunday,’ ” Bartlett said. “The offensive plans will just be so different. Sammy (Samantha) Swan can do no wrong right now.”

Bartlett had nothing but praise for Swan after the loss.

“She’s not trying to hit a home run every time she’s up to bat,” the fourth-year coach said. “She’s just trying to shoot gaps and hit line drives, which is what we believe in and the staple in the program.

The Sun Devils face a crucial rubber match against UCF on Sunday at noon before heading down the road to Grand Canyon for a midweek contest. If it wants to secure a regional berth for the second consecutive year in an attempt to re-establish the standards set by Bartlett’s predecessors, ASU must seize opportunities when it can and elevate its performance in decisive moments.

“We just didn’t capitalize in big moments,” Bartlett said. “Tomorrow, I expect a higher level of execution and determination from this group.”