ASU softball kicks off a six-game road trip on Friday against No. 4 Washington. The Huskies come into the game with a 32-6 (9-3 Pac-12) record.
The Sun Devils have been outscored 51-5 in the last two series against Arizona and No. 1 UCLA. ASU has dropped all the way down to the No. 24 spot in the current rankings.
Although the Sun Devils have dropped from the top-ranked hitting team in the country to fourth in the Pac-12, the Huskies are currently fifth in the conference as the team has 285 hits to ASU’s 309 hits.
The Sun Devils’ production has also dropped off in home runs, as the squad has dropped to second in the Pac-12 behind Arizona (77).
Offensively, the first three, Kindra Hackbarth, Skylar McCarty, and Morgan Howe must start finding momentum. They have struggled to reach base and that is mostly due to the pitching sequences that have thrown each batter off.
However, with patience and confidence, these three can take ASU back to the high-powered offense it had before facing Arizona.
Washington must put runners on base and place them in scoring possession. The Huskies do not need to try to make big hits like ASU, but they must add runners in scoring position so batters like Morganne Flores can rack up RBIs. Neither team can play catch-up or they will fall down early and not be able to bounce back.
Defensively, the Sun Devils must pick up the pitching game. ASU has been trying to finish the projects of each pitcher, but not everyone has reached their full potential this season.
Samantha Mejia’s ERA has risen from around a 2.5 to a 4.32 (18th in the Pac-12) while Abby Andersen’s inconsistency has led her to a 3.98 ERA (17th). The two must find a rhythm as neither had their best performance in the last two series. This a must for them to reach that potential for the Sun Devils to earn some wins on the road.
Washington will look to shut down the ASU just like UCLA. The Bruins had the top two pitchers in Pac-12, but Washington has the third and fifth best pitchers in Gabbie Plain and Taran Alvelo. Both have ERAs below 2.0 and will look to shut down the Sun Devils before they get hot.
Overall, it will be another tough series for ASU. But, they have the capability to win if they find the performances before this six-game losing skid.
ASU faces off against the Huskies at 5 p.m. in Seattle, Washington, tonight in the first of three games.