Sun Devil softball’s stint in the NCAA Tournament was short-lived after suffering two losses.
For the couple of years prior to this season, ASU softball slipped into an average performance, hitting under .500 in the 2023 and 2024 seasons. After the departure of Trisha Ford in 2022 — who just led Texas A&M to the No. 1 overall seed — the program entered a rebuilding period.
Now, three years after Ford’s departure, that rebuild has begun seeing success with a 35-19 record entering the tournament and receiving the No. 2 seed in the Los Angeles Regional, hosted by No. 9 UCLA.
Their first test was against the No. 3 seed San Diego State. The Aztecs jumped early in this game, getting a hit in the first inning and eventually scoring that runner to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the first.
After the first hit by San Diego State, senior pitcher Kenzie Brown started to ease in, striking out 10 batters and allowing only one hit and one walk over the next five innings.
READ MORE: ASU softball pitcher Kenzie Brown leads the team on and off the mound
ASU’s bats, while not on fire, began to spark. In the bottom of the second, it was ASU’s turn to strike back. ASU graduate Kelsey Hall hit a sacrifice fly to bring in junior outfielder Tanya Windle to tie the game at one a piece.
In the bottom of the sixth, Windle came up big again, hitting a double that gave the Sun Devils a 2-1 lead heading into the next inning.
With Brown’s recent success, it seemed as though ASU would be heading for the winner’s bracket to face the top-seed in the regional in No. 9 UCLA.
But the Aztecs wouldn’t go down easy. In the seventh inning, senior pitcher Grace Uribe and freshman catcher Gabriella Terrones hit back-to-back home runs to give San Diego State a 3-2 lead.
The ASU bats continued to stay dormant in the bottom of the seventh, eventually leading to a 3-2 loss and a date with UC Santa Barbara in an elimination game the following night. Despite the loss, Brown was stellar, pitching 13 strikeouts, the second-most by a Sun Devil in a postseason game since 2010.
The team went into the elimination game with a chip remaining on their shoulders and still looking to fight.
"I said that our presence needs to be huge right now rather than just falling down," Windle said in a postgame press conference May 16. "We still had some fight towards the end, and I think that's what really matters rolling into postseason."
With the Sun Devils' season on the line, Brown went out on the mound again for game two, showcasing her mastery. For Brown, it was a similar performance to game one. In her 9.2 innings pitched, the most by a Sun Devil in a postseason game in program history, she struck out 11 batters and only allowed two hits and one unearned run.
However, in the bottom of the fifth as ASU enjoyed a 3-0 lead, sophomore pitcher Meika Lauppe entered the game in relief of Brown, but allowed four straight hits and three runs. The game would see extras after no runs came across for the next four innings. In the bottom of the 10th, UC Santa Barbara got a run across, ending the game and ASU’s season.
Despite the tough losses, the season showed signs of progress and a bright future with head coach Megan Bartlett at the helm.
"It doesn't matter what conference you're in, it doesn't matter what you're playing; Division I softball is a dog fight," Bartlett said in a postgame press conference May 16. "Just got to show up and fight."
Edited by Katrina Michalak, George Headley and Ellis Preston
Reach the reporter at jkmccar2@asu.edu and follow @jackmccarthyasu on X.
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Jack McCarthy is a senior studying sports journalism with a minor in business. This is his third semester with The State Press. He has also worked as a sports reporter.
