As Willie Nelson once famously said: "On the road again."
Even though tournament play is long over, No. 19/20 ASU softball faces two more sets of road doubleheaders against New Mexico State and UTEP before a trip to Eugene to play the top-ranked Oregon Ducks.
The seven-game road slate will have the Sun Devils traveling a total of just under 2,800 miles round-trip.
Day one: ASU vs. New Mexico State
First off for ASU will be the Aggies of New Mexico State (30-11, 6-0 WAC).
Led by junior first basemen Fiana Finau (.381, 15 HR, 50 RBI), New Mexico State is ranked 55th in the NCAA RPI and has yet to lose a game in conference play this season.
ASU brings a powerful lineup into the doubleheader, but will likely face the Aggies' ace in game one, redshirt junior Karysta Donisthorpe (15-3, 2.80 ERA).
Donisthorpe has 101 strikeouts on the season, so the Sun Devils will need to adjust their game plan and worry more about base hits than their specialty, the long ball.
New Mexico State digs the long ball as well –– even more than Craig Nicholson's explosive Sun Devils. The Aggies have 64 home runs on the season, compared to 52 for ASU.
First pitch of game one will be at 5 p.m. in Las Cruces, New Mexico, with game two scheduled immediately after the first.
Day two: ASU vs. UTEP
Down the road and a state over in El Paso, Texas, the Sun Devils will take on the Miners of University of Texas El Paso (10-27, 5-7 Conference USA).
This pair of games will likely be far less of a challenge for ASU, given that the Miners are struggling mightily to scrap together wins in 2015. Fatigue will definitely be a factor for the Sun Devils, however, this being games three and four in the span of two days.
UTEP's top batter is junior infielder Kawehiokalani Netane, who hits .407, slugs .726, and has six home runs and 23 RBI this season.
A poor performance out of their pitching staff is the main cause for the Miners' struggles, with all four of their starting pitchers holding an ERA above 4.06 with one starter going as high as 15.11.
Senior catcher Amber Freeman and company will look to have a field day with a weak UTEP staff after lighting up Arizona's talent in the circle in the team's 2-1 Territorial Cup series victory.
Getting three to four wins in New Mexico and Texas will be crucial for ASU heading into its series against Oregon. Achieving that would undoubtedly provide a confidence boost to a Sun Devil team that has proven to be formidable at a road or neutral site this season, holding a record of 7-3 in such games.
ASU has taken five of its last seven over three tough Pac-12 opponents in Washington, California and Arizona. A sweep of two inferior southwestern foes would be ideal before traveling up north to face the best team in the Pac-12.
Reach the reporter at rclarke6@asu.edu or follow @rclarkeASU on Twitter.
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