ASU will face UCF, Minnesota and No. 2 Oklahoma State in Stillwater
After hitting 16 consecutive home games, No. 22 Sun Devil softball will head to Stillwater, Okla., to play four times in the OSU Mizuno Classic at Cowgirl Stadium.
The weekend schedule was adjusted Wednesday afternoon. ASU will now face UCF on Friday at 10:00 AM MST and Saturday at 3:00 PM MST. The Sun Devils will play No. 2 Oklahoma State on Friday at 12:30 PM MST and Minnesota on Saturday at 10 AM MST.
Friday’s game against Oklahoma State will be broadcast live on ESPN+, with Chris Deal (PBP) and Allison McCutcheon (Analyst) directing the action.
The Sun Devils hit the road 16-5 on the season after going 1-2 against Arizona last weekend to open Pac-12 play. ASU is 1-0 in road games and 3-1 at a neutral site this season. They won six games by run rule.
Heading into Oklahoma, ASU is batting .333 while leading the Pac-12 with its .622 hitting percentage. They average 6.19 runs per game while ranking second in the nation with 1.81 home runs per game.
In the circle, the staff has a 2.77 ERA and 1.42 WHIP. Sun Devil pitchers are striking out 6.58 batters per seven innings, allowing just nine home runs. The opposition is batting .244 with a .667 OPS.
SERIES HISTORY
Arizona State won the only previous meeting with UCF, 10-7, during the 2009 Kajikawa Classic.
The Sun Devils split the all-time 16 meetings against Oklahoma State. The teams have never met in Stillwater, with ASU going 1-5 at home and 7-3 at a neutral site. OSU defeated the Sun Devils 5-2 at last year’s Kajikawa Classic for its second straight series victory.
ASU is 14-7 in 21 meetings with Minnesota, including a 3-2 mark on a neutral site. The teams split two games during last season’s Littlewood Classic in Tempe.
RUNS ALONG THE BOARD
The Sun Devils scored a run in each of the first 18 games of the season to extend their streak to 56 straight games dating back to last season. It was the team’s longest hitting streak at 75 games, which spanned the 2014 and 2015 seasons.
Entering the weekend, ASU ranks 28th in the nation in scoring at 6.18 runs per game, and they’ve scored at least eight runs in a game 10 times while going 10-plus on three occasions.
I STILL LOVE THE LONG BALL
After hitting a program-record 104 home runs in 2022, the Sun Devils continued to excel in that department in 2023. With 38 home runs in 21 games, ASU is fourth in the NCAA in total home runs while second at 1.81 of a game.
ASU had won 17 straight games – one short of the program record – before being shut out on Friday. At the current pace, the Sun Devils will finish the regular season with 85 home runs.
NOT JUST THE HOMERS
While the long ball has been a factor in the team’s scoring this season, ASU also is among the nation’s leaders with 32 doubles. That total is good for sixth in the conference.
ASU’s 74 extra kicks rank third in the Pac-12 behind California (80) and Washington (76). Add in the league’s No. 4 on-base percentage (.408), and the Sun Devils are sixth nationally with a 1.030 OPS.
NEAR 1600
Arizona State, one of the most successful programs in NCAA history, needs nine wins to reach 1,600 since joining the NCAA in 1982. In those 42 seasons, the Sun Devils are 1,591-823-2 (.659) .
ASU averages 38 wins per season, has made 18 consecutive postseason appearances and won two national championships in 2008 and 2011.
JORDIN’S RULES
Jordyn Van Hook continues to impress with his play this season. The senior leads the nation with 14 home runs while ranking eighth in the conference with a .438 batting average and sitting third in the nation with a 1.665 OPS.
VanHook averages a home run every 4.6 at-bats and ranks among the Pac-12 leaders with 23 runs (8th), 28 hits (12th) and 27 RBI (7th). She went 21-for-41 (.512) with 11 home runs and 23 RBI during her career-best 13-game hitting streak, which was snapped last Friday.
Twice this season, VanHook has hit a home run in four consecutive games. At his current pace, VanHook will finish the regular season with 31 home runs.
ON THE COMPOSITION
Yanni Acuna continues to lead the Sun Devils from his leadoff position with a .448 batting average and a team-leading 30 hits. She had a team-high 10 multi-hit games, recording a hit in all but four games and driving in 16 runs.
Acuña is fifth in the Pac-12 in batting average and ranks third in hitting (.896), fourth in total bases (60), fifth in doubles (7) and seventh in home runs (7).
Dating back to last season, Acuña has reached base in 38 of his last 39 games.