Former ASU softball coach Clint Myers pictured in 2012. His Auburn Tigers will play ASU in the Judi Garman Classic. (Sam Rosenbaum/The State Press)
No. 22 ASU softball (15-7) faces its toughest tournament test of the season this weekend in Fullerton, California, at the Judi Garman Classic.
On the schedule for the Sun Devils are No. 3 Michigan (18-1), No. 9 Baylor (12-2) and No. 14 Auburn (21-1). This weekend provides the highest number of ranked teams that ASU has faced in its five tournaments so far this year.
Thursday, March 5
ASU vs. No. 3 Michigan – 12 p.m. MT
This game will be the third for the Sun Devils against the Wolverines in the last two weeks. ASU fell 7-5 and 6-2 in its games against Michigan in the Louisville Slugger Invitational last weekend, and will be hoping to rebound with an upset victory to open up the Judi Garman Classic. Junior Sierra Romero leads the Wolverines in the batters box, hitting .500 on the season to go along with six home runs and 23 RBI. Michigan's ace is sophomore Megan Betsa, who is 8-0 this season with a 1.63 ERA and 58 strikeouts.
ASU vs. Cal State Fullerton – 7:30 p.m. MT
The home team for the Judi Garman Classic and ASU's second opponent in this tournament are the Titans of Cal State Fullerton (13-8). The Titans notched six wins in its last eight games after going on a four game losing skid in the early part of the season. The Titans' top batters are juniors Missy Taukeiaho and Courtney Rodriguez, who boast slash lines of .407/.554/.815 and .389/.416/.500, respectively. The majority of the pitching load for Fullerton has rested on the arm of junior Desiree Ybarra, who has a 5-4 record with 30 strikeouts and a 2.78 ERA.
Friday, March 6
ASU vs. No. 9 Baylor – 1:30 p.m. MT
The Bears are a power hitting team with a gauntlet of talented pitchers, which has helped them get out to a hot start in 2015. Baylor has three batters slugging over .725 this season, led by sophomore Lindsey Cargill who has both a batting average and on-base percentage of .537. Baylor's four starting pitchers have an average ERA of 1.04, allowing opponents to bat .166 while splitting the 14 starts fairly evenly among each other.
Saturday, March 7
ASU vs. San Jose State – 4 p.m. MT
The Spartans (14-6) won't be an easy out for ASU despite not receiving any votes in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 poll. San Jose State junior first baseman/designated player Jessie Hufstetler leads the charge on offense, batting .533 and slugging 1.017 to go along with seven home runs. The Spartans' starting pitchers have struggled a bit to keep the run count down compared to other teams in this tournament, with ERA's ranging from 3.09 to 6.44.
ASU vs. No. 14 Auburn – 9 p.m. MT
ASU's matchup with Auburn has a much bigger storyline than just being a battle of two ranked teams. The Tigers are coached by former ASU coach Clint Myers, who led the Sun Devils to two national championships (2008, 2011) during his tenure in Tempe. Myers's time as ASU's head coach featured seven appearances in the Women's College World Series over the span of eight years.
Auburn's best batter statistically is junior outfielder Tiffany Howard, who hits .559 and has yet to commit an error on the other side of the plate as well. The Tigers' top two pitchers this season are juniors Rachael Walters and Lexi Davis, who have achieved a 1.68 combined ERA and a 17-0 record.
After the Judi Garman Classic, ASU softball will head up north to Seattle to face the Washington Huskies in a three game series to begin Pac-12 play.
Reach the reporter at rclarke6@asu.edu or follow @RClarkeASU on Twitter.
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