Despite losing senior pitcher Hillary Bach to graduation, the ASU softball team has enough depth on the mound to maintain its high level of play.
Junior pitcher Dallas Escobedo is the ace of ASU’s pitching staff. In her first two seasons, Escobedo compiled a record of 61-11 and a 1.89 ERA. Escobedo also tallied 561 strikeouts in 466.3 innings pitched, which amounts to 8.42 strikeouts per seven innings.
Escobedo’s sophomore season wasn’t nearly as strong as her freshman campaign, however. Escobedo won 13 more games her freshman year, had a slightly better ERA and struck out about 1 more batter more per seven innings.
“I think there’s such a thing as a sophomore jinx, to some degree,” pitching coach Chuck D’Arcy said. “I think she’s better prepared physically, mentally, emotionally and I think last year is a million miles away.”
Escobedo said that while the bar was set extremely high after her freshman year, she shouldn’t try to out-prove herself.
With the departure of Bach, who went 22-1 with a 1.33 ERA last year, junior pitcher MacKenzie Popescue figures to see an increased role on the team.
Escobedo and Popescue are the only pitchers on ASU’s roster with experience at the collegiate level.
“Mack (Popesque) has come a long ways,” D’Arcy said. “She looked very good in fall ball before she got hurt and she looked very good in spring practice. I’d imagine that those two will carry the majority of the workload.”
Popescue added that she’s ready for the opportunity of pitching additional innings and games now that Bach is gone.
“It will be a loss,” D’Arcy said. “That is a factor that may change the way in which we select pitchers to pitch because we want to make sure we keep innings down for our pitchers early this season.”
Escobedo and Popescue complement each other’s pitching styles. Escobedo’s favorite pitch is the rise ball, while Popesque tends to throw a lot of drop ball pitches.
“What’s really cool about us is we are completely opposites,” Popesque said. “If I were to tell my team how to approach Dallas ... I would tell them to look for a down pitch, because her up pitch is so unbelievable.”
Escobedo praised Popescue in return.
“She throws hard,” Escobedo said. “A lot of down pitches, which is her best. If I was hitting against her, I’d move up in the box to try and catch it. But that’s pretty much impossible because (the pitch) is so good.”
Freshman Alexis Cooper and redshirt freshman Jenna Makis round out the team’s pitching staff. The amount of innings each will throw is unknown at this time.
D’Arcy said the team would play it one pitch at a time in regards to its playing roles this season.
The decision to redshirt Makis last year was wise, because the staff that season was so deep with Escobedo, Bach, and Popescue pitching well.
(Left to right) Softball pitchers Makenzie Popescue, Alexis Cooper, Dallas Escobedo and Jenna Makis. (Photos Courtesy of ASU Athletics)
Reach the reporter at justin.janssen@asu.edu
