April 11, 2007
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This Week
The No. 8 Sun Devil Softball squad will take the home diamond again for the first time in two weeks as they open their home Pac-10 schedule Friday night against the Cal Bears followed with games against the Stanford Cardinal on Saturday and Sunday. Friday night's game will be taped by Fox Sports Net with a game time of 7 p.m. Friday night is also the Alumni Night, which will see ASU Softball Alumni honored prior to the first pitch by Mary Littlewood, the first coach and founder of ASU Softball.
Series History
All-time against the Bears, the Sun Devils are 36-57 since their first match-up in 1981. Last year against the Bears, ASU took the first game from the Bears in Berkeley 2-0 with a game-winning two-RBI hit from Kaitlin Cochran. The Sun Devils were unable to take the series though as the Bears stormed back in their trip to Tempe, taking two 4-1, and 3-0.
Against the 17th-ranked Cardinal the Sun Devils hold the edge in the series with an all-time record of 35-19 since 1984. Last year against Stanford, ASU came back to win the series after dropping the first game 3-1. ASU switched the score in the next game before taking the series with a 6-0 win in Palo Alto.
Tickets are Goin' Fast!
This weekend the Sun Devil Softball Family is proud to annouce this weekend's ticket specials:
FRIDAY, APRIL 13TH @ 7:00 PM VS. CALIFORNIA
Ticket Promotions:
- GOLD GAME - $2 admission if wearing gold.
- City of Tempe Night - $2 admission with proof of Tempe Residence/Employment.
- Girl Scout Weekend - Free admission with flyer. Contact Beth at beth.fredricks@asu.edu for more information.
- Softball Alumni Recognition - If you are an ASU Softball Alumni and have not been contacted about this event please contact Beth at beth.fredricks@asu.edu for more information.
SATURDAY, APRIL 14TH @ 7:00 PM VS. STANFORD
Ticket Promotions:
- Team Spirit Night - $2 admission if wearing team uniform.
- Girl Scout Weekend - Free admission with
fl yer. Contact Beth at
beth.fredricks@asu.edu for more information.
SUNDAY, APRIL 15TH @ 1:00 PM VS. STANFORD
Ticket Promotions:
- Pappas School Donations - Donate Water Bottles or Non-Perishable
Food Items and receive $2 admission. All donations received will
go to "Pappas Kids", students who attend the Thomas J. Pappas Regional
Schools devoted to provide education for children of homelessness.
Bring your donations to the ticket window at Farrington Stadium
to receive FREE admission.
- White Out - $2 admission if wearing white.
- ASU Softball Camper Day - Campers receive FREE admission if
wearing ASU Softball camper t-shirt. Family members receive $2 admission.
- Girl Scout Weekend - Free admission with
fl yer. Contact Beth at
beth.fredricks@asu.edu for more information.
Up Next
ASU will remain home next week to
fi nish off the `Duel In the Desert'
as they will face their in-state rival, Arizona on Wednesday, April 18 at
7 p.m. Tickets are almost sold out and the Sun Devils ask that you purchase
your tickets ahead of time to ensure entrance. The Sun Devils will
also home Oregon and Oregon State. Sunday, April 22 the Sun Devils
will face off against the Oregon State Beavers, a game which will be
televised live nationally on ESPN2.
Where they Stack up
As always, the Sun Devils will play one of the toughest schedules in the country, with the always powerful Pac-10 Conference schedule. Currently, the Pac-10 has seven of the eight teams ranked in the top 25, with three in the Top-10 alone.
Non-Stop Until they reach the top
In the
first polls of 2006, the Sun Devils were ranked fi fth in in
both the NFCA and USA Softball polls. The Sun Devils have already
enjoyed a new record in the rankings section for this year as they
attained their highest ranking ever with a #2 ranking coming in
Week 2 and continuing until Week 5. The ranking also marked
the
fi rst time the Sun Devils have ever surpassed the Arizona
Wildcats in ranking and only the second time they have passed
UCLA (Last was in 2002.)
Rankings By Weeks: (NFCA/USA Softball)
Week 1 - 5/5
Week 2 - 2/2
Week 3 - 2/3
Week 4 - 2/4
Week 5 - 3/6
Week 6 - 3/6
Week 7 - 6/8
Week 8 - 7/9
Week 9 - 7/9
Week 10 - 8/10
Leaders of the Pac
After nine weeks of play the Sun Devils have found themselves
at the top of the Pac-10. Only one behind Pac-10 leaders Oregon
in wins, the Sun Devils are also dotting their names in both team
and individual standings.
Pac-10 Team Offensive Standings:
Home Runs - FIRST (53)
RBIs - FIRST (265)
Runs Scored - FIRST (275)
Total Bases - FIRST (579)
Walks - FIRST (189)
Hits - Second (357)
Doubles - Second (53)
Slugging Percentage - Third (.481)
On-base Percentage - Third (.398)
Stolen Bases - Fourth (61)
Triples - Fourth (5)
Batting Average - Fifth (.297)
Pac-10 Team Defensive Standings:
Batters struck out - FIRST (417)
Batters struck out looking - FIRST (114)
Doubles allowed - FIRST (18)
Opposing batting avg. - FIRST (.182)
Wins - Second (36)
Triples allowed - Second (1)
ERA - Third (1.53)
Pac-10 Individual Offensive Standings:
Hits - FIRST (66)
Runs Scored - FIRST (48)
Total Bases - FIRST (116)
Slugging Percentage - Second (.892)
Runs Scored - Second (48)
On-Base Percentage - Second (.602)
Batting Average - Second (.504)
Doubles - Second (12)
Walks - Second (28)
Home Runs - Second (11)
Triples - Third (2)
RBIs - Fourth (42)
Stolen Bases - Fourth (22)
RBIs - Second (51)
Home Runs - Fourth (9)
Total Bases - Sixth (77)
Pac-10 Individual Defensive Standings:
Batters Struck Out - FIRST (291)
Batters Struck Out Looking - FIRST (65)
Opposing Batting Average - FIRST (.138)
Triples Allowed - FIRST (0)
ERA - FIRST (.87)
Doubles Allowed - Second (6)
Saves - Second (2)
Wins - Fourth (18)
Sophomore Slump?
Sophomore First-Team All-American, Kaitlin Cochran has kicked off her sophomore season the same way she
did her freshman: phenomenally. Some of her stats include:
Hits:
Current: 66 (Leads Pac-10)
Career: 149 -17 shy of 14th place in ASU Career History
2006: 83 total - 3 shy of ASU Single-Season Record
Doubles:
Current: 13 -Tied for 8th all-time in ASU Single-Season History
Career: 21 - 4 short of 10th place in ASU Career History
Triples:
Current: 2- (Tied for 2nd in Pac-10)
Career: 6 - 5 short of 7th place in ASU Career History
Home Runs:
Current: 11 (2nd in the Pac-10)
Career: 28 (Tied for third in ASU Career Records)
2006: 17 (New ASU Single-Season Record)
This season alone, Kaitlin has had 14 two-hit games and eight three hit games, as well as 12 games with two
or more RBIs. Her teammate, Bianca Cruz actually has 13 games with two or more RBIs. Kaitlin's longest hitting
streak in the 2006 season was 17 games, she hasn't matched it yet as her longest thus far in 2007 has
been 11 games.
Team With a Dream:
While the 2007 Sun Devil Softball team is chasing the currently elusive NCAA title, they have other goals in
mind. In the 2006 season they broke almost every offensive record in ASU history, and they're looking to break
them yet again. Some of the records they are currently chasing are:
Runs:
ASU Season Record: 307 - Set in 2006
Current total: 275
Doubles:
ASU Season Record: 82 - Set in 1999
Current total: 53
Home Runs:
ASU Season Record: 66 - Set in 2006
Current: 53
RBIs:
ASU Season Record: 285 - Set in 2006
Current: 265
BB:
ASU Season Record: 228 - Set in 2006
Current: 189
Wins:
Record: 53 - Set in 2006
Current: 36
Shutouts:
Record: 24 - Set in 2006
Current: 12
Strikeouts:
Record: 666 - Set in 2006
Current: 417
Runs on First and Third?
This year the Sun Devil offense has had an af
fi nity for starting off ahead. The majority of their 275 runs
scored on the season have come in the
fi rst and third inning, with a total of 59 runs scored in the fi rst and
55 in the third. They've also found themselves in trouble in the
fi rst though as opposing teams have scored
most of their 102 runs in the
fi rst inning with 22 runs scored.
Beat em' to the Scoreboard
So far this season, when ASU scores in the
fi rst inning, they've gone on to win 21 of the 22 games in which
they have. And for games that ASU draws
fi rst blood? They hold a 25-2 record.Don't Call It A Comeback...
The Sun Devils have also proven that they aren't down and out when behind, as they hold an 11-9 record
for when the opposing team scores
fi rst and a winning record when trailing after one, two or three innings.
Same goes for when the are in a deadlock with their opponents, holding an edge in the record when tied in
the
fi rst through fourth inning.Sun Devils to watch
The Amateur Softball Association, the National Governing Body of Softball in the United States, has selected
its `Top 25 List' for the 6th Annual USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year Award. This award,
which is considered one of the most prestigious honors in women's collegiate softball, is designed to recognize
outstanding athletic achievement by female collegiate softball players across the country. On the top
25 in the country list for this season are junior pitcher, Katie Burkhart, sophomore First-Team All-American,
Kaitlin Cochran and Senior third-baseman, Bianca Cruz. Burkhart and Cochran were also named to the
ESPN.com Pre-season All-American List.
Burkhart has also claimed Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week honors twice already this season, the
fi rst week of
the season and Cochran has claimed the award twice this season as well.
At the Helm:
Head Coach Clint Myers enters his second season as the leader of Sun Devil Softball after a 2006 campaign
that saw the Sun Devils set offensive records in: wins with 53 (former record was 46 set in 2002), runs with 307
(former record was 294 in 1996), home runs 66 (former record was 45 set in 2003), RBIs with 285 (former record
was 259 in 1996), walks with 228 (former record was 180 in 2000) and strikeouts pitched with 666 (former
record was 415 in 2004 and 1999). The 2006 team also recorded an 11-10 record in conference play, their
fi rst
winning record in Pac-10 play since 1991, placing them fourth in the Pac-10 after
fi nishing last the year before
and being picked to
fi nish last in the coaches pre-season poll.