May 22 | Game 1 vs. Texas
From Arizona to Texas, the Sun Devils have grown familiar with the Lone Star State as they return for the NCAA Austin Super Regionals in the domain of the reigning champs: The Texas Longhorns.
The Sun Devils and ASU head coach Megan Bartlett claimed game one, defeating the Longhorns 4-1 and making it the seventh straight time Texas head coach Mike White lost in an opening super regional game.
Bartlett is no stranger to the Longhorns' home base, Red & Charline McCombs Field. For two seasons, Bartlett worked as an assistant coach under White until taking the lead at ASU softball in the summer of 2022.
"Man is a master tactician, so I just tried to soak in everything I could in the two years I was there and tried to be as valuable to him as possible," Bartlett said.
Texas junior pitcher Teagan Kavan held the Sun Devils off the board until the top of the third, having struck out three batters prior.
But when junior catcher Samantha Swan stepped up to the plate, she hit a single up the middle, sending sophomore infielder Tiare Ho-Ching, who waited on second, home and taking the lead up 1-0 with her.
The Longhorns answered this Sun Devil lead in the fourth with a homer off the bat of freshman utility player Hannah Wells. Unfortunately for Texas, this was the only time they added to the scoreboard.
Pitcher Kenzie Brown shut down this Texas offense, amassing 10 strikeouts from 95 pitches thrown, with six of them following Well's homer.
While ASU’s batters dominated the plate, she dominated the mound, working together to quickly take back the game’s lead.
The Sun Devils were set up for success early in the fifth, with back-to-back base-loading singles from Ho-Ching and senior outfielder Tanya Windle. With two on base and Swan back at the plate, she hit a single that enabled pinch-runner Corie Shull and Windle to run home, taking ASU up 3-1.
Sophomore outfielder Ashleigh Mejia had two runs and two outs; her double to center field took this fifth-inning lead a step further.
A pinch run to home for Swan from junior infielder Nehanda Lewis set the Sun Devils up 4-1, but strikeouts and ground balls set the score in place for the remainder of the game.
ASU's win to open the Super Regionals was fueled by the trust the Sun Devils have for one another, a trust that put White and the defending champs in their usual game one position.
"They put the pieces together," Bartlett said. "I think it's just been a lot of confidence and a lot of belief, and we're certainly playing somewhere."
May 23 | Game 2 vs. Texas
Only one win away from the Women's College World Series, an ambitious ASU softball team looked to end the defending champions' season in game two.
Unfortunately for the Sun Devils, White is known for redemption, and this 4-3 win over ASU improved the Longhorns' game two record under him to 5-1.
The Sun Devils rested future AUSL pitcher Brown after striking out Texas in double digits the night prior. Junior pitcher Meika Lauppe stepped onto the mound, throwing 71 pitches, walking two batters and striking one out.
Lauppe kept the Longhorns off the board through the fourth inning, holding them scoreless while batters supported her by reaching home first.
A double to left center by senior infielder Brooklyn Ulrich allowed junior infielder Katie Chester to score the Sun Devils' first run, bringing the lead to 1-0 to end the second.
"We know we're the underdog going in," Chester said. "So we go in. We have nothing to lose, like we just go in and play how we play."
Ulrich grew up in the valley and always dreamed of playing softball at ASU, so after four years at Marshall University, the infielder transferred to her hometown school.
"When I entered the portal, I said, 'I'm not playing anywhere but Arizona State. I'm going to go play there," Ulrich said. "And it has met every expectation, every dream."
This ASU teamwork continued into the third when Swan sent out a hit that brought Windle home, 2-0.
After a fielding error that put a Longhorn on base, the Sun Devils brought in their star ace in the top of the fifth.
Shortly after the pitching change, things began to go downhill for ASU. Texas had two runs and two hits, tying the game 2-2.
Swan homered her first pitch to break through the tie in the bottom of the fifth, which was the last time a Sun Devil would score in this contest.
Returning Swan’s far-flying hit was Texas' pinch-hitter junior infielder Victoria Hunter.
Hunter's homer into left field brought both her and senior outfielder Ashton Maloney home, uplifting Texas to 4-3, and just one inning shy of fulfilling White's redemption arc.
ASU failed to respond to Texas after a drought of scoring and runs in the sixth and seventh innings, allowing the Longhorns to force a third game.
May 24 | Game 3 vs. Texas
For a win that mattered most, the Sun Devils failed to seal a trip to the Women's College World Series despite their 10-game win streak before their two losses to the Longhorns. They had not been held scoreless since April 24.
The Longhorns reminded those who repped the maroon and gold who the defending champions are after their 5-0 win.
Unlike their first two matchups, the Longhorns struck first with a hit from junior catcher and infielder Katie Stewart that sent two running home, putting Texas up 2-0.
Following Texas' two-run inning, ASU managed to put up one hit before the Longhorns struck again.
Brown, who started the game on the mound, struggled, allowing three of Texas's five runs.
Her 17 pitches to junior infielder Viviana Martinez led to the last one being a run-scoring hit, making for the Longhorns, 3-0.
Lauppe entered the inning and added to Brown's contributions, resulting in 130 pitches and seven strikeouts.
With the star pitcher's lights dimmed and a dwindling ASU at bat, the Longhorns managed to add two more runs to the lead, 5-0.
All that remained was the top of the seventh, replying to Texas's 5-0 lead. ASU had two on base, and Swan, who delivered four hits, one run, and four RBIs throughout the weekend, popped the ball up into the third baseman's hand. This catch meant Swan was last at bat.
The Longhorns ended the game with a walk-off, sealing their trip to Oklahoma City for the third consecutive year.
Despite falling to Texas in the NCAA Austin Super Regionals, the Sun Devils are optimistic about what the future holds.
"Arizona State's back," Bartlett said. "We're going to continue to do nothing but get better."
Correction: A previous version of this story included an incorrect final score of the first game of the series in the subhead. The story was updated to reflect the correct score on May 25 at 8:57 p.m.
Edited by Andi Ruiz, Claire Bixby, Natalia Jarrett and Ellis Preston.
Reach the reporter at cjoneil6@asu.edu and follow @cjojournalism on X.
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Char O’Neil is a junior studying sports journalism with a minor in special events management. This is her third semester with The State Press. She has also reported for AZPreps365, Blaze Radio and Phoenix College Basketball.
