Softball coach Clint Myers at a game against UCLA March 5, 2012. (Photo by Sam Rosenbaum)The ASU softball team released quite the bombshell when its non-conference schedule came out today.
The Sun Devils play Auburn for the first time since former head coach Clint Myers left for the Tigers following the 2013 season. Myers guided the Sun Devils to the Women’s College World Series in seven of his eight seasons (most of any program) and won two national championships. His Tigers qualified for an NCAA regional last season after the team missed the playoffs the prior season.
The other non-conference opponent that will mean a lot to the ASU players is Michigan. ASU actually gets the Wolverines for three games, spread over two tournaments. Michigan eliminated ASU in each of the past two seasons.
In 2013, Michigan knocked ASU out of the WCWS in a game that started a few minutes before midnight locally. Last season, ASU entered started the regional 2-0 and needed to win one of two games against Michigan to move on, but couldn’t.
The other marquee opponent on the non-conference schedule is Oklahoma, which eliminated ASU in 2012 and won the national championship in 2013. ASU, though, won last season’s regular season meeting.
Here’s the full schedule, with last season’s RPI (a rough gauge of how well teams perform) in parenthesis.
Kajikawa Classic (Feb. 5 – 8, Tempe):
ASU opens the season against Creighton (117), Western Michigan (211), San Diego (106), Ole Miss (103), Indiana (183), Texas (26) and Cal State Northridge (102).
Littlewood Classic (Feb. 13 – 15, Tempe):
ASU stays home to play North Texas (75), Illinois State (62), Boston (156) and Oklahoma (6) twice
Feb. 19 vs. Indiana State (178, not part of a tournament)
Diamond Devil Invitational (Feb. 20 – 22, Tempe):
For the third-straight week, ASU is at home. It plays Boise State (81), Colorado State (78), Minnesota (17), Indiana State (178) and New Mexico State (151).
Louisville Slugger Invitational (Feb. 27 – March 1, Tempe):
ASU plays two games apiece against Michigan (11) and Binghamton (175) and one against Toledo (234).
Judi Garman Classic (March 5-7, Fullerton, California):
ASU plays Michigan (11) again, Baylor (9), Cal State Fullerton (53), San Jose State (79) and Auburn (18).
On April 6, ASU plays against New Mexico State (151) again, this time on the road, and the next day the team takes on UTEP (185) in El Paso.
Conference Play:
ASU tentatively plays Washington (15), Arizona (14), Oregon (3) and Stanford (49) on the road and Cal (67), Oregon State (74), Utah (63) and UCLA (5) at home.
Reach the reporter at jmjanss1@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @jjanssen11
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