Looking at the faces and attitudes of the ASU softball team this week, there’s little sign of a team that lost two out of three games to its in-state rival last weekend.
The No. 9 Sun Devils have taken two losses at the hands of UA as further motivation to improve as they prepare for what will certainly be a challenging road series this weekend with No. 5 UCLA.
“It was good to get the first series out of the way,” sophomore right fielder Annie Lockwood said. “Now we have a good indication of what we need to work on and how much better we’re going to get.”
Spending little time dwelling on what could have been against UA, the Sun Devils (32-6, 1-2 Pac-10) have set their sights on the Bruins and pinpointed what adjustments must be made.
“We’ve got to shore up the defense,” ASU coach Clint Myers said. “We’re just making too many silly errors.” ASU committed four errors against UA, including one bobbled two-out groundball to set up a grand slam. ASU’s defense ranks fifth in the Pac-10 in fielding percentage at .968.
More key than the defense, though, is offensive consistency. ASU has struggled against elite pitchers like Texas freshman Blaire Luna and UA freshman Kenzie Fowler. In Pac-10 play, the Sun Devils will see elite pitchers nearly every weekend.
UCLA (27-6, 1-2 Pac-10) features possibly the deepest pitching staff in the Pac-10. Junior Donna Kerr has led the staff with a 13-3 record, 1.47 ERA and 9.2 strikeouts per seven innings. Freshman Aleah Macon has gone 8-1 in nine starts and leads the Pac-10 with a 0.81 ERA.
Facing that staff, which holds the Pac-10’s second-best team ERA at 1.35, ASU will have to overcome offensive droughts like it had against Fowler. ASU scored eight total runs off Fowler in two games, only five of them earned.
“We’re ready to really break out and have one of those big scoring games,” Lockwood said. “Hitting is contagious. If we can get a few hits in a row, the runs will come.”
A key to the ASU offense so far, senior left fielder Caylyn Carlson, has been battling a back injury and missed two games against UA, but she is expected to play this weekend. Myers said Carlson saw a doctor Tuesday and took two days off in preparation for the weekend.
The ASU offense ranks second in the nation in scoring (8.11 runs per game), just behind UA. But with the level of pitching in Pac-10 play, runs will be harder to come by.
UCLA scored just four runs in three games against Washington last weekend, which Myers said gives a clearer portrayal of the team. UW took the series 2-1.
“The numbers they put together this past weekend are a true indicator because it’s Pac-10 [play].”
UCLA senior first baseman and pitcher Megan Langenfeld, who has been limited by injury this season, leads the Bruins’ offense with a .533 batting average, 28 RBI and nine home runs.
Myers said the responsibility to improve does not fall solely on the players. He also said the level of play needs to increase on a week-to-week basis.
“We’ve got to coach better, and they’ve got to play better,” Myers said. “This is the Pac-10, so the game has got to step up.”
ASU opens the series in Westwood, Calif., at 7 p.m. Friday and follows with games at 6 p.m. Saturday and 12 p.m. Sunday.
Reach the reporter at tyler.lockman@asu.edu
