Two-thirds of the way through the regular season, ASU softball finds itself ranked 10th in the NCAA RPI, third highest among Pac-12 teams behind Oregon and California.
The Sun Devils have a worse overall record (24-11) than every other team in the RPI top 25 except No. 17 Notre Dame (also 24-11), but their strength of schedule has been daunting.
ASU has faced nine teams ranked 29th or better this season, holding a record of 8-9 in those games.
Few people expected the Sun Devils to contend for a third NCAA championship this season. However, ASU is starting to look like the second or third-best team in its conference, even if that isn't on paper.
According to the RPI, the Sun Devils are among the 10 best teams in the nation.
ASU head coach Craig Nicholson discussed the 2015 season for his team with 13 games remaining.
"I think we've bought into the fact that expectations weren't through the roof for us," Nicholson said. "I think our team is enjoying the ride rather than worrying about outside pressure."
The ride for this Sun Devil team has been one with a few bumps in the road, but excellent team chemistry and a fun-loving attitude have been keys to their success.
"This group just plays loose and has fun," Nicholson said. "Obviously, when you're winning and having some success, it's fun."
It's always fun beating your rival, and the most recent sign of continued success from the Sun Devils was a 2-1 series victory on the road over Arizona, who is ranked No. 12 in the latest RPI.
Game three told a much different story than game two and ASU fell apart in five innings by a score of 11-1.
Nicholson talked about the disappointment of not being able to leave Tucson with a sweep of the Wildcats, but sees legitimate progress in his team as a whole.
"We didn't play great on Sunday," Nicholson said. "But overall, I think we've made great strides in the first seven or eight weekends of the season."
Nicholson understands that consistency will be the most important thing for his team to address down the stretch.
"We definitely need to be more consistent," Nicholson said. "As a coaching staff I think we see flashes of the fact that we can be a pretty good ball club but then we still sometimes have some letdowns."
According to Nicholson, a difficult strength of schedule has provided the necessary adversity for the Sun Devils to grow collectively.
"This schedule we've played this year has been super challenging," Nicholson said. "We've faced some good pitching, we've faced some really good hitting ball clubs, and we've had to find different ways to win games. I think that's a big piece for us, that this team believes."
ASU's team mantra is "All That Matters is What We Believe," which fits exactly what Nicholson is talking about. Two players that Nicholson himself has belief and faith in, are freshmen pitchers Dale Ryndak and Breanna Macha, have basically shared all of the possible time in the circle this season, maturing along the way.
"The first couple weeks of the season when (Macha and Ryndak's pitches) got hit hard it was just kind of a shock," Nicholson said. "Now, they've gotten over that, and they're just going out and competing. They're willing to go and compete and battle –– they're not worried about their numbers."
The numbers that Nicholson can be excited about are those coming from the batters' box. ASU boasts an explosive lineup that often makes up for shaky pitching from the youngsters in the circle.
"I think early on in the season (Macha and Ryndak) pressed because our offense wasn't quite doing what our offense is doing now," Nicholson said. "Now I think they're like, 'Oh, OK, they're gonna score some runs for me' and they can just compete, make pitches and be a little bit more relaxed."
Nicholson rejects the notion that this team has a ceiling.
"There have been lots of instances where it wasn't the best team that won a national championship," Nicholson said. "It's the team that played the best that given weekend. For us, we don't want to put ceilings on what we're capable of doing."
Nicholson also believes that if the Sun Devils continue to learn and grow as a unit, anything is possible.
"If we can continue to grow, we'll see where we get to in May," Nicholson said. "It's not a matter of effort; it's a matter of execution. We've got to make sure that we can remain consistent with our execution in all phases of the game."
ASU's next game will be the first of a doubleheader against New Mexico State on Monday, April 6, in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Reach the reporter at rclarke6@asu.edu and follow @RClarkeASU on Twitter.
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