After sweeping a three-game series against two of the nation's best, the ASU softball team hopes to continue its surging play this weekend when traveling to the Pacific Northwest.
The sixth-ranked Sun Devils will begin a three-game set against the Oregon schools today. They will face the Ducks in Eugene, before playing a pair versus the 14th-ranked Beavers in Corvallis.
ASU (33-9, 3-2 Pac-10) is coming off a weekend in which it disposed of top-ranked UCLA, before picking up two wins over 10th-ranked Washington. Another trio of victories would give the Sun Devils an imposing 6-2 record in Pac-10 play.
"It would mean a lot. It would put us on a good role toward the middle of Pac-10 (play), enable us to finish strong and then roll into Regionals," said ASU junior shortstop Kara Brun, who has a .408 batting average, 38 RBI and five home runs. "We're going to have to remain consistent. We have to keep hitting the ball hard, put it in play and keep a strong defense behind us to help our pitchers out."
Oregon is the only Pac-10 team not nationally ranked. However, the Ducks (18-15, 0-6) pack a heavy punch in their bats.
First baseman Andrea Vidlund has a team-leading .375 batting average, to go along with 32 RBI and seven home runs. Also posing a threat offensively is second baseman Alyssa Laux, who sports a .341 batting average, and left fielder Kristi Hall, who is hitting .319 with 13 RBI. The Ducks can throw any one of three pitchers -- Anissa Meashintub (1.91 ERA), Connie McMurren (2.48) and Lindsey Kontra (2.59) -- whom have each received equal time on the mound.
"They bring the challenge for us to keep the ball in the park," ASU head coach Linda Wells said. "They're big swingers and are always looking to (hit) by putting the ball out of the park and by scoring a lot of runs. They know their pitchers are going to give up runs, so they're going to swing their bats as big as they can."
Competition against Oregon State (31-11, 4-2) has the makings of being much stiffer. Sophomore Monica Hoffman is Oregon State's biggest threat on the mound with a 0.96 ERA. Senior pitcher Crystal Draper (1.73 ERA) and junior pitcher Kristen Hunter (1.74 ERA) will also see ample time this weekend.
Oregon State junior utility player Clare Burnem leads the charge offensively with a .355 batting average and 14 RBI. Beaver junior second baseman Brynnen Guthrie has a .341 batting average and 23 RBI, while junior catcher Shelly Prochaska is hitting .330 with 18 RBI.
"Oregon State has played well. They've been building for a few years now and have some quality pitching," Wells said. "They're capable, like us, of playing a very balanced game. All things being equal, we're the better team, but you have to go up and perform."
The Sun Devils are slated to have senior left-hander Erica Beach (20-6, 1.21 ERA) pitch all three games, but sophomore right-hander Kristen Swetel could get one start. Swetel (6-0, 2.47 ERA) might enter in relief with senior right-hander Kirsten Voak taking the mound in a closing situation. Voak, who is still nursing an injured throwing arm, holds a 0.95 ERA with 90 strikeouts in 73.1 innings.
Beach recorded two of ASU's three wins last weekend, while also bashing a pair of home runs and knocking three RBI. She was named the Pac-10 Softball Player of the Week and the Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I Softball Player of the Week. The award marks the second of Beach's career and the second for the Sun Devils, as sophomore third baseman Phelan Wright landed the accolade earlier this season.
"It's an honor for them to pick me out of all the top athletes," Beach said. "This is a weekend where it's probably a bigger challenge for us to make sure we stay focused and stay just as intense as if we were playing UA, UCLA or Washington. They'll come at us with everything they've got, and we've got to go back at them just as hard."
Reach the reporter at christopher.drexel@asu.edu.
