Freshman infielder Katelyn Boyd and the rest of the No. 6 Sun Devil (25-5) softball team know that each player has a role, and each game has a purpose.
For her team, it was another chance to fine-tune the offense, work on the defense and collect a few more wins.
It was also a chance to improve the things she worked on in practice. It was time to step up the game that has already been impressive.
In the Judi Garman Classic this weekend, Boyd made it a point to focus on what she had worked on in practice.
“Stay loose,” she said. “The looser you are, the more capable your body is of working. I knew what I needed to do, so I tried to get it done as best as I could.”
And it worked.
Boyd hit over .470 with four runs scored and five RBI’s in the games against No. 23 DePaul and Nebraska. She had two solo home runs on the weekend.
Her performance, complemented by the efforts of her team, only proved the Sun Devils’ ability.
“We’re young, but we can compete,” she said. “I think that we have built off of our previous tournaments, and that showed here.”
But Boyd wasn’t the only player to come up strong for her team.
Senior outfielder Kaitlin Cochran continued to produce, boasting a two-run home run in the 11-6 win against Nebraska, in addition to the home run she hit against New Mexico the day before.
For the Sun Devils, the mindset has begun to change.
“Our mindset is changing just because we know we have to step up our game for the Pac-10,” Cochran said. “We are trying to refine and always trying to step up. We start at a certain level and want to reach our highest at the end.”
The more games the team plays, the more the players have to learn from. It has showed as the Sun Devils have won 12 of their last 13 games.
“All of the experience I’ve had this season has really helped me with my confidence,” freshman pitcher Hillary Bach said. “I know I can do it. With experience comes the understanding of who is going to be where and what happens when, so that makes me more confident.”
Bach also acknowledged her teammates, saying that the more they get to work together, the more confidence she has in their abilities.
The Sun Devils finished out the weekend with a 3-0 win against Notre Dame, and a 4-1 overall record in the tournament, the one defeat coming at the hands of Michigan 7-3.
ASU will return home to face the Long Beach State 49ers in a three-game series at Farrington Stadium in Tempe.
Reach the reporter at emiley.darling@asu.edu.
