When rivals square off, emotions often run high.
When the No. 3/5 ASU softball team (42-7, 13-5 Pac-12) faces rival UA in Tucson May 3-5, one player will have a different set of feelings permeating in her mind.
Senior outfielder Becca Tikey used to play for the Wildcats. Now she's a Sun Devil.
The Tucson Citizen reported in fall of 2011 UA coach Mike Candrea “cut” Tikey, along with seven other players, which trimmed their roster to 15 at the time.
Tikey then went to ASU, where she had to sit out for a season due to transferring within the conference.
The Scottsdale Horizon product said she grew up with a lot of ASU’s players. It also didn’t hurt that ASU was coming off a national title.
“I was just happy they took me in when I was vulnerable and needed a place to go,” Tikey said. “They’ve taught me a lot and I’ve been a better ballplayer since.”
For Tikey, the series means a lot, whether she sees action or not.
“It’s always been a pretty big rival,” Tikey said. “It’s always been fun, especially this year. I’ve got a lot of hard feelings towards coach – nothing towards the girls.”
Tikey might play in the series; she might not play. ASU and UA utilize vastly different roster philosophies.
While Candrea has a small roster (only 14 players have seen game action this year), ASU coach Clint Myers has one of the largest rosters in college softball with 27 players (24 non-redshirts).
The small roster may have hurt UA (28-22, 5-13 Pac-12) this season because two players’ absence significantly decimated the team’s offense and pitching staff.
UA senior pitcher Kenzie Fowler, the team’s ace over the past three years, took a redshirt season due to an injury.
Sophomore shortstop Shelby Pendley left for Oklahoma in the winter. Pendley, allowed to play because an out-of-conference transfer, is hitting .397 with 18 home runs for the top-ranked Sooners.
UA sits last in the conference standings, and are second to last in the conference in runs (4.72) and ERA (3.77).
ASU trails No. 5/4 Oregon by two games in the Pac-12 standings with two weeks remaining.
The Sun Devils need a sweep and Oregon to drop a game to Oregon State this weekend to make the Oregon-ASU series winner next week capture the Pac-12 title.
Johnson speaks
Junior outfielder Alix Johnson spoke for the first time since being suspension prior to the Stanford series April 6-7 on Tuesday.
Johnson was suspended for six games, and has now played in the last six games for ASU, hitting 4-for-20 since returning.
“Coach Myers is very strict with his team rules and if you break it only one time, you’ll serve the consequences that he feels are necessary,” Johnson said. “I definitely learned from what I did and it will never happen again.”
Johnson said there are ongoing consequences for the rest of the season, akin to probation, but she said it’s not a legal matter.
“I’m able to play now, but I still have to serve the consequences,” Johnson said.
Johnson was an All-American last season as a sophomore. She considers herself a leader on the team, despite the suspension.
“It’s hard being suspended and being in trouble when younger players look up to you,” Johnson said. “It’s hard to gain their respect back. Each day in practice and in the game I am trying to do my best to lead this team and show them that they can follow me.”
On the Screen
All three games in the series air on Pac-12 network. Friday and Saturday’s games begin at 6 p.m., while Sunday’s starts at 3 p.m.
Reach the reporter at Justin.Janssen@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @jjanssen11
