There really is no place like home.
Armed with a No. 1 national ranking and home field advantage, the ASU softball team returns to Farrington Stadium to face the defending national champions.
The Sun Devils (37-4, 4-2 Pac-10) host 2010 NCAA champion UCLA in a three-game series that kicks off Friday night.
It’s the first home Pac-10 series of the season for ASU, and the Sun Devils are hoping to piece together a complete performance against the No. 9 Bruins (28-7, 4-2).
ASU is currently undefeated at home this season with a 25-0 record and would like nothing more than to earn the series sweep. A year ago, the Sun Devils stunned UCLA in Westwood by taking all three games.
And after two weekends on the road, playing on their home field is more than welcome.
“It’s going to be awesome playing in front of a crowd,” ASU coach Clint Myers said. We’re going to have big crowds against UCLA. There’s a lot at stake here, so they’re going to be good ballgames.”
The series will showcase some of the conference’s best pitching, as both UCLA and ASU bring talented hurlers to the circle.
UCLA senior Donna Kerr and freshman Jessica Hall have united to form a formidable 1-2 punch for the Bruins.
The veteran Kerr owns a 10-2 mark with a 1.69 ERA. She took on Stanford and surrendered one run on two hits in 1 1/3 innings pitched in her last start.
Hall has been nothing short of impressive in her first season of collegiate softball. She enters the weekend series with a 14-5 record and a 2.30 ERA. In 109.1 innings, Hall has held opponents to a .207 average.
ASU struggled to hit at times against UO last weekend. But the Sun Devils hope to drive the ball aggressively against the Bruins.
“I’ve seen them for a couple years now, so we’re probably going to try and stay off that rise ball and drive the ball,” senior first baseman Mandy Urfer said. “We’re going to be working hard this week on driving the ball to the other side and really letting the ball get deep.”
The ASU lineup leads the Pac-10 in batting average, base percentage, runs scored and hits.
In the leadoff spot, junior shortstop Katelyn Boyd continues to provide plenty of offense.
The left-handed hitter is hitting an incredible .465 with a team leading 12 home runs and 44 RBIs.
In addition to Boyd, freshman outfielder Alix Johnson and senior third baseman Krista Donnenwirth are hitting .400 and .394 respectively. But the hot hitting doesn’t stop there, as the six other starters are hitting .320 or higher.
ASU’s talented pitching staff will have to face several .400 hitters from the opposing dugout.
Freshman pitcher Dallas Escobedo’s early season success has translated into Pac-10 play, but she will face a loaded Bruin lineup that features the likes of junior outfielder Andrea Harrison, freshman infielder Kellie Fox and senior infielder GiOnna DiSalvatore.
Harrison is sporting a red hot .430 average with 12 homers. Fox is hitting .400, and DiSalvatore enters with a .374 average.
In just her third Pac-10 start, Escobedo unleashed a one-hit shutout over then-ranked No. 15 Oregon last Friday night.
Escobedo heads into her 19th start of the season with an 18-2 record and 1.44 ERA. Opponents are hitting just .185 against her, while she has struck out 172 batters in 117 innings.
While she’s excited to face the Bruins for the first time, Escobedo remains focused in the circle.
“Just mainly hitting my spots,” Escobedo said. “I can’t leave any mistakes over the plate. I just really need to focus on my spins and spots. That’ll get me through.”
In the three-game set, ASU is determined to compete well not only on Friday and Saturday, but in the Sunday finale as well.
“We’re starting strong, but we’re not finishing strong,” Urfer said. “Losing the last two games in the last series really is something we’re all asking ourselves, ‘what are we not doing right?’ We’re not finishing. We want to really finish and be that number one team.”
Reach the reporter at greg.dillard@asu.edu
