When the ASU softball team claimed the 2008 NCAA National Championship, strong pitching was at the center of the team’s success.
Flash forward three seasons later to 2011, and the Sun Devils are armed with three right-handed hurlers who look to lead ASU back to Oklahoma City.
Under the direction of new ASU pitching coach Chuck D’Arcy, junior Hillary Bach is joined by freshmen Dallas Escobedo and Mackenzie Popescue to form a formidable rotation this season.
As the Sun Devils gear up for another season in the Pac-10 conference, pitching will be paramount to success once again, especially in a conference that features talented pitchers such as Arizona sophomore Kenzie Fowler and UCLA senior Donna Kerr.
However, the Sun Devils feel they will be able to combat the league’s strong pitching with an elite staff of their own.
“Everybody knows that pitching is extremely important,” ASU coach Clint Myers said. “If you can have the pitchers of our caliber, you’re starting the year off right.”
Bach is by far the most experienced pitcher on the staff. She burst onto the scene during her freshman campaign in 2009 when she made 41 starts, 36 of which were complete games, and finished with an impressive 31-11 record.
She sported a 2.82 ERA and struck out 163 batters that season.
Bach is no stranger to pitching on the big stage as she made three starts in the 2009 Women’s College World Series, and pitched ASU to its fifth straight NCAA Super Regional appearance last year.
Having prior experience in big games is something she believes will benefit her down the stretch.
“Pitching in a lot of big games has provided me confidence,” Bach said. “The experience will be beneficial when we come to another big game, hopefully less nerves.”
Last season, Bach continued to lead the ASU pitching staff with a 25-8 record and a solid 2.37 ERA. With those 25 wins, Bach enters 2011 with 56 career victories, which places her ninth on the ASU career wins list.
Bach remains focused on the mental side of pitching as she looks to add to her win total this season.
“A big key in pitching is mental toughness,” Bach said. “It’s something coming in as a freshman you can’t read about in a book. It’s learned. It’s honed in practice over the years. I think that will be a big influence on this year’s performance.”
Escobedo brings an impressive resume to ASU after a stellar high school career at St. Mary’s High School in Phoenix, where she garnered Gatorade Arizona Softball Player of the Year honors last season.
Escobedo also pitched at the national level over the summer when she pitched for the USA Softball Junior Women’s Team in the 2010 Pan American Championships.
Escobedo’s 3-0 record during the tournament helped USA win a gold medal.
Although she has yet to throw a pitch in a collegiate game, Escobedo believes she has already improved since coming to ASU.
“I’ve been working with Chuck for only a few months,” Escobedo said. “Everything he’s really suggested and thoughts he’s given me has really worked. He’s making me a better pitcher each day. Pitching wise, I’ve improved greatly from high school.”
Popescue is yet another talented pitcher on the Sun Devil squad who redshirted last season due to injury.
Like Escobedo, Popescue also had a strong high school career. She is a product of Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, where she was a four-time All-State recipient and All-City Player of the Year in 2008 and 2009.
Sophomore Sam Parlich, who saw time in the circle last season as freshman and experienced success, is not currently penciled in as a regular hurler on D’Arcy’s staff.
“Sam is a kind of the last resort type of thing,” Myers said. “Right now she’s been playing an outstanding second base and hitting the ball really well. You’d like to keep that going.”
With a surplus of quality pitchers on staff, the question of who assumes the role of staff ace is yet to be answered.
“Everybody’s going to be given an early opportunity to shine, and performance and things like that will indicate it,” Myers said. “Everybody is going to get their innings so it’s how you do when you get your innings is going to really determine that. It’s not where you start, it’s where you finish.”
While Myers said the final decision on who assumes the role of No. 1 pitcher is a long way from being decided, there will be benefits to having quality pitching.
“You have injuries and matchups that have a lot to do with it,” Myers said. “That’s one of the nice things that we’ve got the ability to do now is actually match up certain pitchers with certain teams which we haven’t been able to do in the past.”
Matchups will certainly be vital for the ASU pitching staff as they prepare for another challenging new season.
Although it’s a new year, Bach was quick to point out that the ultimate goal of national championship remains the same.
“Yes sir,” Bach said. “Every year.”
Reach the reporter at gregory.dillard@asu.edu
