How they got here: As the #8 overall seed in the NCAA tournament, the Sun Devils were the last team to earn a national seed and played host to South Carolina for the Super regionals. The Devils swept the Gamecocks to advance to the Women’s College World Series.
After beginning their season with a loss against Tennessee, the Sun Devils built a ten-game winning streak that included victories over Notre Dame, Indiana, Mississippi State, and Texas State. A three-game sweep over Minnesota was a highlight of the Devils’ pre-conference slate and a split over Iowa finished the team’s non-conference slate.
The Sun Devils lost conference series’ to UCLA, Arizona, and Oregon, but enjoyed conference series wins, in sweeping style, over Cal, Utah, and Stanford and taking a series win over Oregon State and Washington.
In the regional, the Devils hosted Long Beach State, Ole Miss, and New Mexico State. The Devils made easy work of their opponents, going 3-0 and outscoring their opponents 18-1 during the trio of matchups.
Awards and accolades: Trisha Ford was named the PAC-12’s Coach of the Year, while Danielle Gibson and Giselle Juarez were named first-team all-conference. Jade Gortarez, Kindra Hackbarth, and Morgan Howe all earned a nod to the all-conference second team.
Team strengths: The PAC-12 put four conference teams in the tournament, and as we’ve said for each of the others, that will be a positive thing for some of the team and a potential negative for others, for as many looks as the hitters have gotten against the opposing pitchers, greats of the game as they are, those same pitchers have been able to get looks at the offenses. It will certainly be a battle as to which side and who will emerge victorious… in addition, ASU is the lowest seed in the tournament and is a team that few, if any, predicted to be a seeded team, much less in the World Series, prior to the season. They can afford to play with nothing to lose, something that they’ve done well in the regular season.
Team weaknesses: Arizona State, once a postseason mainstay, has not been to Oklahoma City since 2013. This is Trisha Ford’s first trip as a head coach, as well as the inaugural journey for the entirety of the Sun Devils roster. It will take a deliberate effort not to let the pressure of the game’s biggest stage effect them..
Players to Watch:
Giselle Juarez — The emergence of the one they call “G” has played no small part in the Sun Devils’ breakout as a team. Juarez, named a first-team all-American by the NFCA on Wednesday, boasts a 0.91 ERA on the year. She’s thrown more than 200 innings, but has 297 strikeouts on the season. She holds a nearly 8/1 strikeout/walk ratio and has only allowed twenty-six extra base hits. It will be a tall task, but she will need to maintain similar numbers in Oklahoma City if her team is to hoist the trophy.
Danielle Gibson — Just a freshman, the 6’0″ infielder leads her team in home runs and slugging percentage, with twelve long balls and a .646 slugging mark. She also leads the team in doubles and is tied for the top spot in the RBI category. The Devils will need her to continue her productive ways in Oklahoma City..
X-Factor: Giselle Juarez — Juarez’s breakout campaign was a huge catalyst to the Sun Devils’ breakout as a team this season, and she will play a major role in her team’s potential success in Oklahoma City.
