Then- Junior third baseman Haley Steele happily runs to home plate after hitting a home run during game two of the NCAA Tempe Regional Championships against the Michigan Wolverines on Sunday, May 18, at Farrington Stadium. ASU lost to Michigan 4-5. (Photo by Becca Smouse)
The infield will be filled with veterans for the ASU softball team in 2015.
Senior catcher and 2013 First Team All-American Amber Freeman will lead the Sun Devils in 2015. Freeman enters the season as ASU's undisputed leader, with a career slash line of .372/.464/.675, all three of those numbers leading the team by a considerable margin.
Freeman isn't just leading the team statistically, either. She's the emotional leader for the Sun Devils and understands what it takes to win. Nonetheless, she has also experienced plenty of adversity in her career.
From the five surgeries she's had to repair a number of injuries, to being the final out in a stunning 5-4 loss to Michigan in the Tempe Regional last season, Freeman is no stranger to overcoming hardship. She even sees that final play from last season as a sort of motivational tool.
"That's what has kind of pushed me this fall," Freeman said. "Remembering what that felt like and not wanting to feel that again."
Freeman will undoubtedly feel comfortable this season knowing that on her left at third base will be a four-year starter in senior Haley Steele.
Among regulars, Steele boasts the second-highest career slugging percentage on the team (.583) and the third highest career batting average (.319), but has been somewhat under the radar this season given the turnover in the pitching staff and the visually evident leadership provided by Freeman.
Steele hopes to continue to cash in on as many opportunities as she can in the batter's box this year.
"I'm not going to waste my at bats," Steele said. "I'm not going to have a wasteful out. Through the duration of the season that's my main goal: to not take an at bat for granted."
Wasted at-bats will be hard to come by for this Sun Devil team, especially considering they return six of its top nine batters from last season.
Steele sees plenty of significance in bringing back two-thirds of what was an already experienced lineup from last spring.
"I think we're going to hit even better this year than we did last year to be honest," Steele said. "Our hitting technique and our power has definitely improved. I'm excited –– offense is what makes this game fun."
Transitioning from offense to defense will be a challenge for dinger derby champion sophomore Chelsea Gonzales, who is moving from designated player to shortstop. Now, Gonzales will have to make important contributions on both sides of the plate for ASU to have consistent success.
Another player with experience as a DP early in her ASU career is junior second baseman Nikki Girard, whose defensive prowess has slowly surpassed her offensive contribution entering her third year as a starter.
Finally, as Abbott and Costello once famously said, "Who's on first?" Well, for the Sun Devils, it's none other than senior Bethany Kemp, whose enters her third year as starter.
The sky is the limit for the ever-improving Kemp this season, and the same goes for the rest of her team. The infield for ASU is lucky enough to be bursting at the seams with experience, which will undoubtedly make the jobs of the young pitching staff much easier.
The first challenge for ASU will be a doubleheader in the Kajikawa Classic against Creighton and Western Michigan on Thursday, Feb. 5, at Farrington Stadium in Tempe.
Reach the reporter at rclarke6@asu.edu or on Twitter @RClarkeASU.
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