Devils in Detail
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ASU Softball Kicks Off Season With Kajikawa Classic

By Hunter Robinson

Oct 15, 2016; Boulder, CO, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky poses for a photo during the first half against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 15, 2016; Boulder, CO, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky poses for a photo during the first half against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /
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The wait is over, after a long offseason full of storylines, the ASU softball team returns to action as the host of the Kajikawa Classic.

If you have been dying for some softball, the Kajikawa Classic will give you the fix you need. Over the course of four days a total of 51 games will be played in Tempe. Out of those 51 games, ASU will play in seven. With teams coming from all over the nation, the Kajikawa Classic truly is a spectacle to see.

The Sun Devils will play two games on Thursday, two games on Friday, two games on Saturday, and a game on Sunday. All of their games will take place at Farrington Softball Stadium and they will all be live-streamed.

ASU will have the upper hand in all seven games as they are all against teams who didn’t make the postseason in 2016. This will be the perfect opportunity for new head coach Trisha Ford to figure out which way her team will work best.

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Last season for the Sun Devils, consistent pitching was an issue. Depending on the reliable pitching of Kelsey Kessler game in and game out caught up with them in the postseason. Kessler left the team this offseason and transferred to Cal State Fullerton, so all the pressure will be on juniors Dale Ryndak and Breanna Macha to perform this season.

While pitching was a concern last season, hitting was not. Bolstered by the strong bat of Chelsea Gonzales, the Sun Devils were able to score runs but sometimes weren’t able to give their pitchers enough of a cushion. With Gonzales back looking to continue her great ASU career, expect the hitting to be lights-out once again.

For ASU, everything will be about momentum. Last season the team was looking like a solid group of players before hitting a 12-game skid in the middle of the season that impeded them from possibly hosting a regional. If the Sun Devils can avoid a long losing streak, then we might see the postseason back in Tempe.

The Kajikawa Classic begins Thursday at 4:45 p.m. MST for the Sun Devils as they take on the UTEP Miners. All of ASU’s Kajikawa games can be streamed through the ASU Live Stream.

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