ASU Sun Devil In Profile: Pitcher Dallas Escobedo

The Sun Devils earned a berth in the Women’s College World Series in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2011. The 2008 team won the national championship for the first time in school history.

In many ways, Dallas Escobedo has become the face of Arizona State softball in recent years. The ace pitcher threw the final strike in a victory over Florida in the 2011 Women’s College World Series.

A 2010 graduate from Saint Mary’s High School in Phoenix, Escobedo was a four-time letter winner in softball and two-time letter winner in basketball. She captained her softball team for two of her four seasons in which time she was named the 2007 Arizona Player of the Year and an All-American from 2007-2009.

Some of Escobedo’s records as a prep star include 501 strikeouts in one season in 2007 and 500 in 2010, as well as winning a state championship and the MaxPreps tournament in 2010. She also brought home the gold medal in 2011 for the USA Softball women’s junior team at the Pan American Championships.

At ASU, Escobedo is in the process of rewriting the Sun Devil record books. She had a standout freshman season in 2011, helping her team win the WCWS Championship and finishing with a 37-3 record and 1.51 ERA. Escobedo started 38 of 66 games, notching 326 total strikeouts and allowing only 58 runs.

As a sophomore, Escobedo gained additional recognition after posting a 24-8 record in 211.0 innings pitched with a 2.32 ERA on the year, ranking her eighth all-time at ASU in wins (61) and fifth in strikeouts (561). In single-season marks, her 2012 campaign was ninth in wins (24) and eighth in strikeouts (237).

To start the 2013 campaign, Escobedo was named Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week during ASU’s opening series last weekend, her third weekly Pac-12 honor. She pitched a no-hitter with Alexis Cooper against Boise State on Sunday, with a perfect game going through five innings. She had 15 strikeouts in her season debut against New Mexico.

It seems Escobedo was always meant to play softball. When she was nine, her father, Rich, made a strike zone out of masking tape on the inside of the front door. Dallas would stand in a hallway that led to the door and throw Nerf balls at the target.

“I think that’s what started it for me,” Escobedo said. “He always said, ‘Aim for the corners,’ and that’s still my mentality.”

Dallas is the second of four children in her family, with a younger brother, Austin, and two sisters, Richelle and Raegan. When she isn’t attending the ESPY Awards like she has in the past, she enjoys hobbies that include laughing, dancing and watching movies.