Arizona State’s hosted regional will be the first to kick off this postseason, when Virginia Tech and BYU face off on Thursday evening. Arizona State will also face off against Southern Illinois in the first round; the regional includes the conference champions from the West Coast Conference and the Missouri Valley, while Virginia Tech and ASU each earned at-large bids thanks to their bodies of work through the year.
The regional features one of the most balanced groups of teams in any part of the bracket; all four teams finished the season in the top 70 in RPI, and three of the four teams are in the top 50. The hosting Sun Devils are ranked #14 in RPI, while Virginia Tech comes in at 21 and Southern Illinois at 44. Despite being the regional 3-seed, BYU is the lowest-ranked team at 67.
Play-by-play broadcaster John Schriffen and analyst Jennie Ritter are set to (remotely) call the action from Tempe, and the opening round games will be streamed online via ESPN3.
Here are players to watch from each team this weekend:
Arizona State – Kindra Hackbarth
Before the season, the speedy Hackbarth sister was all the rage on preseason all-american lists and expectations were high. As her sister Maddi enjoyed a breakout season at the plate, Kindra faded a bit out of the direct spotlight. Because of that, many might not realize that she still turned in an all-star season, batting .329 with ten home runs and a team-leading 17 stolen bases. Kindra Hackbarth is one of the most electric, veteran players in the PAC-12 – don’t be surprised if she plays a hearty role in ASU’s game plan this weekend.
Virginia Tech – Kelsey Bennett and Keely Rochard
Let’s talk about Bennett first. She batted just .273 this year, but was the far-and-away leader on the Hokies’ roster with eleven home runs to her credit. Bennett anchors the power side of the Hokies’ lineup and she’ll need to power some through in the desert air to help her squad pull off the upset.
In Rochard’s case, she is a known commodity. You would be hard-pressed to find a softball fan who doesn’t at least know *of* Keely Rochard. She has thrown more than two-thirds of her team’s innings this year, and is case in the model of the old-school workhorse pitcher. Arizona State has some potentially-lethal bats, so Rochard will have to be on top of her game this weekend.
BYU – Rylee Jensen
Jensen elected to return for her “super senior” season in 2021, and the fact that she did has paid dividends for the Cougars. Jensen is batting an even .400 on the year, and has never hit lower than .329 in a single season. She has found her groove in the power-hitting department over the last couple of years, but has really broken out in 2021 to the tune of a team-leading 18 home runs. She’s also a speed threat (13 stolen bases), a solid eye at the plate (20 walks/20 strikeouts), and a terrific defender (1.000 fielding percentage). No matter the result of BYU’s play this weekend, you’re going to be glad you got to see Jensen play.
Southern Illinois – Jenny Jansen and Sarah Harness
When Southern Illinois needs a clutch performance on offense, Jansen is the player you want at the plate. When the Salukis need one in the circle, Harness is up for the job. Two outstanding players on a quietly-solid SIU club, Jansen and Harness are two major reasons that Southern Illinois is one of the best 4-seeds in this tournament. Harness is a budding superstar in the circle for the Salukis, and Jansen is a proven commodity at the plate and in the field. And they’re both riding hot streaks, too – Harness earned the championship-game win in the conference tournament, while Jansen hit a trio of home runs to help her Salukis to the title.
