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Cochran is Devils offensive juggernaut

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PICTURED: ASU Sophomore outfielder Kaitlin Cochran.

At the beginning of last season, ASU sophomore outfielder Kaitlin Cochran was just another wide-eyed freshman trying to make a dent in the Pac-10.

By the end of it, she was responsible for leaving a full-blown crater.

The All-American terrorized opposing pitchers on her way to compiling some gaudy season-ending totals.

She set school records with 17 home runs and 61 RBIs while leading the Pac-10 with a .437 batting average, en route to being named to the All-American and Pac-10 first teams.

If you were to tell Cochran that 15 months ago, she never would have believed you.

"Last year nobody expected me to do anything," Cochran said. "I didn't expect myself to do anything - I really didn't.

"I was just trying to come in and help them out any way I could."

Cochran was the driving offensive force behind the 2006 Sun Devils, who set school records in wins (53), runs (307), home runs (66) and RBIs (285). The team reached the second round of the College World Series.

Cochran admitted to being a bit more nervous at the start of this season, yet she avoided a dreaded "sophomore slump" and proved last year was no fluke.

"I knew it was only going to be harder and not easier," Cochran said. "But I felt with the experience from my freshman year, all I had to do was learn from my experiences, and I could still put up the numbers - or at least help the team out just as much as I did last year."

Cochran's 66 hits are the most for any Pac-10 batter, and she currently holds the conference's second-best batting average at .504.

Her 11 home runs and 42 RBIs are good for fourth in the Pac-10.

Those statistics haven't gone unnoticed, as Cochran was recently named one of the Amateur Softball Association's top 25 finalists for the 2007 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year. Also receiving the honor were ASU's junior pitcher Katie Burkhart and senior third baseman Bianca Cruz.

"It's nice to be recognized," Cochran said. "But I don't like to get caught up in that stuff - it's not really important to me.

"What's important is the team and how we're doing. Just winning the College World Series is definitely No. 1."

If it wasn't for a club softball team Cochran played for in high school, she could have been leading another Pac-10 school toward the national championship.

Growing up, Cochran also thought about attending UCLA, Cal and UA.

But Cochran's traveling softball team also included two current Sun Devils - Burkhart and senior catcher Heide Knabe - that made her decision a little easier.

"I played with them in club ball," Cochran said. "They convinced me to come here. Knowing them and having them here I felt a lot more comfortable.

"I love the program. With coach Myers and everything, it's really worked out for me, and I've been lucky."

During Cochran's senior year in high school, the Sun Devils went 30-26 overall and just 4-17 in Pac-10 play. Yet Cochran saw the program's potential for greatness.

"Even the year before I came, I knew we had a lot of talent," Cochran said. "I knew we had the ability. It was just a matter of honing our skills and coming together as a team.

"I think that's what coach Myers helped us with. He helped us become a team and become smarter and more knowledgeable of the game - that's what brought out our talent and all of our abilities."

Myers and Cochran both arrived before the start of the 2006 season, and it's no coincidence the ASU softball team has been a national powerhouse since.

But such success comes with a price.

Cochran and the Sun Devils have gone from the hunters to the hunted.

Her 28 walks are the second most in the Pac-10 and further evidence that pitchers are approaching Cochran with a bit more caution than last year.

"I know they're going to pitch to me a little bit differently," Cochran said. "Overall, it does get a little frustrating. But it's a team sport and we have plenty of other people.

"They can step up at anytime - and they have."

Although Cochran and the Sun Devils are currently focused on winning the national title, she has some lofty aspirations for the future.

Much like Burkhart, Cochran relishes in the thought of representing the United States in the Olympics.

"It's my ultimate goal," Cochran said. "I know it's going to be tough, but I'm definitely going to go for it. We'll see what happens.

"To play beside the best players in the world would definitely be an honor."

Reach the reporter at: alex.espinoza@asu.edu.


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