A hitting showcase awaits softball fans when the two teams that provide the most power in the Pac-12 collide this weekend in Tempe.
The No. 7 ASU softball team leads the conference in home runs with 53, and No. 13 UCLA tops the country in team batting average with a .376 mark.
This is just another day at the office for ASU coach Clint Myers.
“We don’t prepare any differently if they are hitting (.376), leading the country, or if they’re hitting .222," he said. "Numbers don’t win games. Performances do.”
ASU (37–4, 4–1 Pac-12) is coming off a split last week against Oregon in which the final game was rained out.
The team started off strong in that game, amassing a one-run lead off of senior pitcher Jessica Morgan before the game was cancelled just 13 minutes later.
“As soon as they called it, we were pretty bummed, because we had studied Jessica more the night before,” senior Annie Lockwood said. “We felt a lot more prepared, so the rain was kind of unfortunate for us, and it put a damper on the weekend.”
Lockwood continued on, saying the team needs to take that hot start and apply it against the Bruins (2–7, 2–1 Pac-12) this weekend.
“We need to go in with the mentality that we are already losing,” Lockwood said. “We need to either score runs to catch up or score runs (pretending) it is the sixth inning, because that’s clearly how our mentality has been lately.”
The Sun Devils are 23–0 when leading after the third inning this year, demonstrating how beneficial a lead can be for this team.
Senior leadoff hitter Katelyn Boyd is called on to get things moving for the team and has produced admirable numbers so far this season.
Boyd is second in the conference among starters with a .586 on-base percentage and 30 walks.
“Walks aren’t bad,” Boyd said. “However you can get on … That helps the team.”
The three-game series, which will take place Thursday, Friday and Saturday, will decide second place in the conference standings behind No. 1 California (33–1, 6–0 Pac-12).
“It’s going to be really important to come out and not only prove to the Pac-12, but to the nation, that we want this,” Lockwood said. “We want to be right up there with Cal.”
The team is focused on the here and now, supporting the idea that the Sun Devils are going to take things one step at a time on a journey to win a second straight conference and national title.
“Like we tell the kids at the end of the game, ‘We go out and play the very best we can,’” Myers said. “Once the umpires walk off the field, we look at the scoreboard and see who won …We aren’t going to make any excuses. We will end up where we deserve.”
A position battle to look for is at the bottom spot of the batting order, which both senior outfielder Talor Haro and sophomore Bailey Wigness are competing to pencil in their names for this weekend.
Meanwhile, the pitching staff is having a bit of a battle of its own between senior Hillary Bach (15–0, 1.13 ERA) and sophomore Dallas Escobedo (12–3, 2.44 ERA).
“Both of them are pitching very well,” Myers said. “The nice thing about it is that both of them could still pitch better. So that’s great for us and bad for the opposition.”
Reach the reporter at jjmckelv@asu.edu
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