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ASU Softball: Oxford Regional Day Two Preview

By Hunter Robinson

Sep 3, 2016; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky performs during the first half against the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks at Sun Devil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 3, 2016; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky performs during the first half against the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks at Sun Devil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports /
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After winning their game yesterday against North Carolina, ASU softball will be back in action Saturday as they square off against Ole Miss to determine who will move on to the regional championship.

With Ole Miss winning their game yesterday over Southern Illinois, they will face Arizona State in the 1-0 game Saturday.

Because of the format of the NCAA Women’s College Softball Tournament, the Regionals are set up in a double-elimination format.

With North Carolina and Southern Illinois being the two teams that lost their respective games yesterday, they will square off against each other to see who will be packing their bags.

For ASU, their game is just as crucial despite not being in a loser-goes-home situation.

If Arizona State beats Ole Miss, they will advance to the regional championship game, and have to lose two times in a row to be eliminated.

If the Sun Devils lose, however, they will face the winner of the loser-goes-home game between North Carolina and Southern Illinois Saturday night with that game also being a loser-goes-home situation.

Luckily Arizona State isn’t in a situation where they need to worry about what happens after their game against Ole Miss, they can just focus at the task at hand.

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Ole Miss is seeded as the 12th seed and was 40-18 during the regular season.

In the SEC tournament, Ole Miss ran the table and won the tournament.

When you win the conference championship is arguably the best softball conference in the nation, you are a team to keep an eye on.

Unfortunately for Ole Miss, they are going up against the Sun Devils, a team that has proven they can hold their own against the top teams in the country.

The big key for ASU will revolve around the pitching.

After Macha went against North Carolina, it is unclear as to whether head coach Trisha Ford will use the veteran experience of Dale Ryndak or use the stellar pitching of freshman Giselle Juarez.

Both offer quality pitching, it is just a matter of how much stock you put into postseason experience,  which is what Ryndak offers.

Regardless of the pitching, the offense can carry the team.

After the Sun Devils belted four home runs Friday, they are a team that can do some damage with a single swing of the bat, and they will look to do that again in today’s game.

Next: Home Runs Power ASU Softball Past UNC

Game time for ASU-Ole Miss is 11:30 a.m. PST. That game can be seen live on ESPN and WatchESPN. If Arizona State wins then they will wait to find out their opponent in the regional championship game, which will take place on Sunday. If ASU loses, they will be in action again at 4:30 p.m. PST against the winner of North Carolina-Southern Illinois.

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