ASU softball looks to start off the year right at the Kajikawa Classic where they will play five games in the span of three days.
The Sun Devils start off the 2019 season on Friday when they take on Western Michigan. The Broncos were polled fourth in the MAC softball preseason poll.
The Broncos have taken part of the Kajikawa nine of the last 10 years. Last year, they won two games, most notably over No. 19 BYU, and lost four games which they will look to improve on this go around.
They set team season records of doubles (76), RBIs (215) and home runs (43). The Broncos will look to increase those stats this season with a solid start against the Sun Devils this Friday.
The second game of the doubleheader on Friday is against Missouri. The Tigers went 30-29 last year, in which their last go around in this classic was two wins and three losses.
The new Tigers coach is Larissa Anderson who will have 18 players coming back from last year’s team.
Their main stars is senior infielder Kolby Romaine, a second-team All-SEC selection, sophomore infielder Brooke Wilmes, an SEC All-Freshman team selection and junior outfielder Cayla Kessinger, also a second-team All-SEC selection
The Sun Devils then have another doubleheader on Saturday that kicks off with a matchup against Kansas. Kansas went 27-25 last year and got hurt by conference play when they went 2-16.
The Jayhawks lost two of their three best batters of last year and two pitchers who combined started 46 of 52 games last year. They will need to find production elsewhere and this classic will tell them where they can find it.
The second game of the doubleheader on Saturday is versus Weber State. The Wildcats have won three consecutive Big Sky Conference regular season titles and have made four consecutive postseasons.
They have many returning players to roster and added seven new freshmen to the team.
The final game of the tournament is versus Cal State Northridge Sunday. The Matadors return eight starters and five pitchers to squad who went 23-36.
The squad is picked to go fifth in Big West Conference preseason poll.
The Sun Devils will look to build off of a successful season last year in that they went 48-13 and made it to the College World Series. They will have to do it without junior pitcher Giselle Juarez and sophomore infielder Danielle Gibson who both transferred.
One name to watch for this weekend is Sun Devils junior pitcher Cielo Meza who was named to Top 50 Watch List for 2019 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year.
She, as well as the rest of the team, will look to make up for the spots that were left behind and start of the year right at the Kajikawa Classic this weekend.