Junior pitcher Mackenzie Popescue launches a pitch during the Sun Devils' 13-0 win over East Carolina on March 2. The Sun Devils swept No.10 Cal over the weekend after dropping their last series to Utah. (Photo by Abhiram Chandrashekar)Sophomore catcher Amber Freeman has taken her talents to the web.
The USA Softball Player of the Year top-25 finalist has begun blogging for ESPNW.com.
“I’m not much of a writer, but I thought it would be a cool experience,” Freeman said.
Freeman said she will be writing weekly blogs for ESPNW until the Women’s College World Series concludes, which ends in early June.
Freeman posted her first blog April 26 and titled it, “We win because we have fun doing it.”
“Not only is performance a vital part of game day, but for Arizona State softball, there is something equally as important: game hair,” Freeman wrote. “I kid you not, our team prides itself on having the best hair and makeup on game days."
"In the locker room, you will see girls lined in front of the mirrors with curling irons, straighteners, crimpers — you name it. Not only does your hair have to be perfect, you have to get the ‘OK’ by (junior) pitcher Dallas Escobedo. If she does not feel like it’s up to standard, she will fix it for you.”
Caporuscio slumping
Sophomore outfielder Elizabeth Caporuscio was once one of the offensive leaders on a potent Sun Devil lineup.
Caporuscio hit .451 in her first 20 games of the season, but she has since headed into a dreadful slump. She is 14-for-70 (.200) in the team’s last 27 games and is hitting just .213 in conference play.
Caporuscio has dealt with a couple injuries in her sophomore season. She hurt her quad before the season and has a lingering back injury. Late in games, she is often taken out for a defensive replacement.
“Her back’s still a little sore,” coach Clint Myers said. “When we give her an opportunity to give her a break, we’re going to do that. Running hurts it, so that’s why we’re running for her.”
Caporuscio hit .323 as a freshman with 16 home runs. She has a .318 clip currently, but that number has been trending downward. She also hasn't had too much power this year with just five home runs.
Coyle named Pac-12 Player of the Week
For the second time this season, junior shortstop Cheyenne Coyle was named Pac-12 Player of the Week.
In ASU’s three-game sweep of Cal, she went 5-for-7 at the plate with two home runs. She also scored six runs and drove in four.
RPI update
As the regular season concludes in two weeks, ASU will be closely watching its standing in the RPI.
When ASU lost two of three from Utah, the Sun Devils dropped from sixth to 13th in RPI. After their sweep of Cal last week, they propelled up to eighth.
RPI is so important is because of seeding in the NCAA tournament. A top-eight ranking likely means a team will host the two rounds before the Women’s College World Series.
In last week’s action, ASU benefited from the RPI’s simplistic formula.
Cal isn’t a top-15 team (No. 14 in current standings) without senior pitcher Jolene Henderson. ASU faced the Golden Bears three times without having to face the star pitcher.
The only numbers RPI takes into account are wins, opponent’s wins and opponent’s opponent’s wins.
ASU got the benefit of beating Cal, whose RPI number was largely determined by Henderson.
Reach the reporter at Justin.Janssen@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @jjanssen11
