Devils in Detail
Fansided

ASU Softball: Devils improve mightily in Ford’s second season

By Carson Field

TEMPE, AZ - OCTOBER 10: Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky performs on the field during the first half of the college football game against the Colorado Buffaloes at Sun Devil Stadium on October 10, 2015 in Tempe, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
TEMPE, AZ - OCTOBER 10: Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky performs on the field during the first half of the college football game against the Colorado Buffaloes at Sun Devil Stadium on October 10, 2015 in Tempe, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

After losing to Oklahoma in the Women’s College World Series, ASU softball’s season has come to an end, but the Sun Devils made great strides in their second season under Trisha Ford.

For ASU, it may seem like it’s the end, but the journey is far from over.

In Oklahoma City, the Sun Devils were the first team eliminated from the WCWS, losing to Oregon and Oklahoma in their first two games. While ASU’s goal was to win the tournament, the team improved tremendously from last year.

The 2018 season was just the second under head coach Trisha Ford. In her first year, ASU was decent, finishing 31-22 overall. This was good enough for ASU to make the Ole Miss Regional, but the Sun Devils were quickly bounced after three games.

Arizona State improved on that by 17 wins in 2018 and qualified for its first WCWS appearance since 2013.

Not only did the Sun Devils win many more games in 2018, they also improved on hitting and pitching.

More from Devils in Detail

At the plate, the Sun Devils posted a .286 batting average as a team, compared to last year’s .274. In the circle, ASU’s team ERA lowered to 1.53, an improvement from last year’s 2.32.

In particular, Giselle “G” Juarez was a player who stepped up this year. After a strong freshman campaign in which she posted a 2.79 ERA, Juarez was a star in 2018 finishing as a Top 10 Finalist for Player of the Year with an ERA of 1.23.

Transfers Kindra Hackbarth, Jade Gortarez and Morgan Howe also helped bring this team to another level. Each of the three batted above .280 and combined for 20 home runs.

Senior Marisa Stankiewicz said Coach Ford has been the catalyst for the revival of the program.

“Bringing in Coach Ford was probably the best thing that this program needed to get back on track to coming to the World Series,” Stankiewicz said. “It means a lot because without a great leader you’re not going to go anywhere.”

Coming into the WCWS, a lot of people saw the Sun Devils as a team that could create magic in Oklahoma City. Although ASU was unable to win in the WCWS, there is a lot to look forward to for this program.

The Sun Devils graduate only six seniors, only two (Breanna Macha and Stankiewicz) of which received substantial playing time. With the majority of the lineup returning next year, the sky is really the limit for ASU softball.

Several of ASU’s key players this year were sophomores, and Ford said she is excited about bringing a young team back next season.

Next: ASU Softball: Sooners shut out Sun Devils in WCWS ending their season

“If you look at the starting lineup we have a lot of sophomores starting,” Ford said. “For me, that’s exciting. So we’re going to push them harder and just make more adjustments and just keep learning.”

All quotes in this article were obtained firsthand by Devils in Detail unless otherwise noted.

Home/ASU Softball