In the last weekend of the regular season, the No. 5 ASU softball team will get a taste of postseason softball.
ASU (43-9, 14-7 Pac-12) takes on No. 2 Oregon at home May 9-11 and will likely need to win the series to assure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
It’s not a slam-dunk ASU will be one of the top eight teams hosting both regionals and Super Regionals if the Sun Devils advance in the playoffs.
Despite its gaudy top-five poll ranking, ASU’s No. 12 RPI could hold the Sun Devils back. However, defeating Oregon (45-7, 18-3 Pac-12) multiple times would put the Sun Devils in great position heading into the postseason.
“It’s important to us, but I think if we end up having to travel, we’re just going to win on the road,” junior pitcher Mackenzie Popescue said. “That is something that we are definitely going for and we would rather stay here, but in the end it’s not a home game, it’s not an away game, it’s a softball game.”
ASU plays significantly better at home than on the road. In Tempe, ASU is 33-2, while it has a 10-7 record everywhere else.
Some of the inflated home record is due to stockpiling easy wins in non-conference play, but the Sun Devils still are 8-1 in Pac-12 play at home, compared to 6-6 on the road.
“I’m looking for answers as well,” ASU coach Clint Myers said. “Why does it happen on the road and not here? I think the preparation for everything has been good. It’s the inability to perform to the level of our expectations. We haven’t had this problem in the past so it’s kind of a new problem.”
One of the more concerning issues for ASU recently is on the mound, where junior pitchers Dallas Escobedo and Popescue have been inconsistent.
After starting the season 15-0 with a 0.92 ERA, Popescue is 3-5 with a 4.16 ERA since the calendar turned April. She has as many strikeouts (21) as earned runs in that stretch and twice, opposing teams had walk-off hits facing Popescue.
All season long, opponents bit Escobedo with home runs. In Friday’s 10-9 loss, ASU scampered an eight-run lead to UA, partly due to the two home runs she allowed.
“They hit a lot of pitches that I missed over the plate,” Escobedo said. “Anyone’s going to hit a ball that’s on the white.”
Both Escobedo and Popescue are excited for the pitching matchup against Oregon, featuring some of the top arms in softball.
Oregon freshman pitcher Cheridan Hawkins (17-4, 1.56 ERA) and senior pitcher Jessica Moore (24-3, 1.53 ERA) are one of the main reasons the Ducks won the Pac-12 this season for the first time in program history.
“Moore pitches on both sides of the plate,” Myers said. “She’s got four pitches. There’s a reason why she’s been an all-Pac-10, all-Pac-12 pitcher since she’s been at Oregon.”
Moore was named a top-10 finalist for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year.
“Jessica Moore is a great athlete, all-around pitcher,” Popescue said. “They mix it up. They have speed, they’ve got movement.”
Note:
Friday and Saturday’s 5 p.m. games air on Pac-12 Networks, while Thursday’s game begins at 7 p.m., but is not broadcasted.
The NCAA softball bracket will be revealed at 7 p.m. PT Sunday, with the selection show airing on ESPNU.
Reach the reporter at Justin.Janssen@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @jjanssen11
