Junior outfielder Alix Johnson apologized for a suspension that resulted in her absence the last two weekends from the ASU softball lineup.
Johnson and junior outfielder Mary Spiel were suspended for breaking team rules, according to coach Clint Myers. The pair was with the team last weekend.
They watched the Washington series from ASU’s dugout. They joined huddles and remained part of the team.
Myers said the suspended duo was in the dugout, “because they’re still on the team, (and it) doesn’t mean we don’t like them. They made a mistake, and they’re paying for it.”
Myers is not revealing the nature of the suspensions and said they were an “internal” matter.
“They’re doing quite well with it,” Myers said. “Hopefully, we’ll have them back soon. That’s up to them.”
Johnson took to her public Twitter account Sunday night to apologize for breaking team rules. She deleted the account sometime after the apology and before Tuesday afternoon.
“To my friends, my family, teammates, fans, and all my public supporters, I would like to apologize for my poor decisions made recently in breaking our softball team rules,” she tweeted.
“I know that my actions were wrong and affected a lot of people in different ways and for this, I’m truly sorry. I have taken full responsibility for my actions and accepted the consequences I have been given for the poor decision that I made.
“I hope over time that I can convince everyone, especially my teammates, that I have learned from these mistakes and that ASU and ASU softball will be able to count on me to be there for them in an(y) capacity that they may need me. Thank you all for the constant support!”
Freeman named finalist for USA Softball Player of the Year
For some, following up a breakout freshman year can be difficult.
There are added expectations and increased pressures that follow a great season.
In sophomore catcher Amber Freeman’s freshman year, she hit .346 with 12 home runs and was named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team.
As a sophomore, Freeman has one-upped her stellar rookie campaign.
She is hitting .379 with 14 home runs and 52 RBIs. She was recently named a top-25 finalist for the 2013 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year.
“It was exciting,” Freeman said. “I wasn’t really having that many expectations, but to be on the top-25 list with those type of players, that was very exciting for me being only a sophomore, too."
Freeman is the only catcher on the list and is one of six underclassmen to be named a finalist.
The finalists will be narrowed down from 25 players to 10 on May 8. Then the list will be cut to three players May 22, and the winner will be announced May 28 at the Women’s College World Series.
No masks for ASU pitchers
When ASU took the field against Washington, the audience noticed something a little different from a Huskies pitcher.
Washington junior pitcher Kaitlin Inglesby was wearing a pitcher’s mask to protect her on the mound. A mask helps defend the face against line drives.
“(It's) for some people, not for me,” junior pitcher Dallas Escobedo said. “I guess she got hit in the face by her teammate. I’ve been fortunate enough, knock on wood, not to have been hit."
The practice of pitcher’s masks is more common in lower levels of softball and isn't regularly seen at the college level.
The mound sits 43 feet from home plate. On line drives, there may not be enough time for a pitcher to get their glove up to block an incoming softball.
A regulation softball has a circumference between 11.875 inches and 12.25 inches and a weight of between 6.5 and seven ounces, according to the NCAA rulebook.
“I know a lot of young girls and more pitchers are starting to wear them more often,” junior pitcher Mackenzie Popescue said. “It’s whatever makes the pitcher feel comfortable.”
Reach the reporter at justin.janssen@asu.edu or follow on twitter @JJanssen11
