Anticipation fills the No. 5 ASU softball team’s dugout as it prepares to compete in the Littlewood Classic, its second home tournament of the season.
After practicing in the same stadium for the whole year, the Sun Devils (5-2) came out a little flat in the Kajikawa Classic last weekend. Despite suffering from two losses due to inconsistent hitting, the atmosphere surrounding Farrington Stadium is optimistic.
“Right now, we are just kind of trying to get the excitement back into it,” senior outfielder Annie Lockwood said. “We are trying to get that edge back. I think we have gotten so wrapped up in winning.
“The anxiety is taking over the excitement of it and the love of the game that we have always had.”
The outfield has been one of the team’s strengths, despite missing one of its top hitters from last year, sophomore Alix Johnson, due to an injury.
ASU coach Clint Myers said he hopes to have Johnson back this tournament.
In her absence, sophomore Bailey Wigness and freshman Elizabeth Caporuscio helped Lockwood develop the outfield into one of the team’s more dynamic groups.
Wigness uses her speed to create difficulty for opponents. With a slap-style approach in the box, she is the team’s leading hitter with a .667 batting average.
Caporuscio and Lockwood have brought the big bats, knocking four pitches from the opposition over the fence. Caporuscio helps the most by filling the role of starting centerfielder.
However, she can improve by becoming more assertive in the field.
“Liz is definitely not as outspoken as I or a couple of girls on the team would be,” Lockwood said. “(We want) to get her comfortable with being that demanding person in the outfield.
“But a freshman telling a senior something isn’t always the easiest thing.”
Lockwood and Caporuscio bat third and fifth in the lineup, so another important task falls on their shoulders. The team has always scored first in its wins, but it has never had the lead in its losses.
With upcoming opponents who are not at the same talent level as the Sun Devils, playing from ahead is a luxury ASU can ill afford to pass up.
“Scoring early helps everyone,” Myers said. “So that’s one of things we are trying to do better in this tournament.”
The No. 2 hitter, sandwiched between preseason All-America senior shortstop Katelyn Boyd and Lockwood, has been a spot where ASU can improve.
For the most part, senior Christina Zambrana has filled that role after a brilliant first weekend of play in the field. However, a more consistent and timely hitter would mean assured destruction for opponents.
“We are still playing around with that,” Myers said. “We got people on, but we have just failed to maximize our opportunities.”
The team will play against Central Michigan and Iowa on Friday night, Minnesota and Iowa State on Saturday night and Illinois State as the lone Sunday game.
These teams are not among the biggest names in softball, but the Sun Devils aren’t looking past them.
“You can’t take anybody lightly,” Myers said. “There can’t be any difference in our play against UCLA than there is against Iowa State.
“It is about having quality at bats, having great defense, pitching and timely hitting. That’s the one area that we really let ourselves down and we just didn’t have the timely hitting.”
The Sun Devils haven’t worried much about their pitching, as the team recorded four shutouts last weekend and only allowed more than three runs once.
“We were reasonably satisfied with the pitching,” pitching coach Chuck D’Arcy said. “The first time out is always difficult because no matter how much you practice in the bullpen, you do stretch more in the game. We expect to get even better each week as we go forward.”
Reach the reporter at jjmckelv@asu.edu
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