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ASU Softball: April will be Critical for the Sun Devils

By Hunter Robinson

Sep 24, 2016; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky cheers against the California Golden Bears during the second half at Sun Devil Stadium. The Sun Devils won 51-41. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 24, 2016; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky cheers against the California Golden Bears during the second half at Sun Devil Stadium. The Sun Devils won 51-41. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /
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The ASU softball team looks primed for success in April, but they need to be careful.

ASU softball currently sits at 23-9 and is ranked as the No. 21 team in the country. With a bulk of the Pac-12 season happening in April it is important that the Sun Devils don’t get ahead of themselves.

Arizona State has 18 games left, all against Pac-12 schools, and they need to only win nine more games to match last year’s record. While that seems very possible, ASU plays in the Pac-12, potentially the best conference in all of college softball.

Last season’s team went on an 11 game losing streak starting April 8. It isn’t out of the realm of possibility that this season’s team may go through the same issue.

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There are a couple of differences from this year’s team compared to last year’s. One, they only have a singular coach. There were multiple times last season where the two-coach system left the softball team without an identity. Conflicting views between the coaches plagued the team. Having a singular coach, and a competent one at that, goes a long way in having a clear vision for this season.

Head coach Trisha Ford’s vision has been a good one. She believes that this season will go smoothly if the team only takes it a game at a time and is fully committed to each game instead of looking ahead to the next game or next series.

Another difference is that this year’s team doesn’t rely on a singular pitcher. Last season, Kelsey Kessler was the pitcher for the Sun Devils, this season there are four pitchers for ASU who are legitimately good. This gives the team some flexibility if a certain pitcher isn’t on top of their game on a certain day.

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Once April is over, we will all know what type of team the 2017 softball team is. They could either be a team we are talking about to potentially go far in the postseason, or they could be a team that started off hot but couldn’t compete in the competitive Pac-12. Only time will tell.

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