Softball Closes Regular Season with Three against the Beavers in Corvallis

TEMPE – Sun Devil Softball ends its regular season with a three-game series at Oregon State this weekend at Kelly Field. The teams are battling to avoid the play-in game for the upcoming Pac-12 Tournament.

The series begins on Friday at 5 p.m. before moving to 2 p.m. on Saturday and a noon start on Sunday.

Arizona State sits at 21-23 on the season and is looking to snap an 11-game losing skid when the series begins. They are tied for seventh in the Pac-12 with a 5-16 record in league play. The Sun Devils can finish anywhere from sixth to ninth in the final standings.

ASU will avoid playing in the Wednesday game at the tournament by winning at least two games this weekend and having U of A winning one or fewer. The Sun Devils also stay out of the game if they and Arizona sweep this weekend.

ASU carries a .260 average and .818 OPS. They score an average of 4.34 runs per game and scored 10-plus runs in a game four times. They are fifth in the Pac-12 with 55 home runs while posting 106 extra-base hits.

ASU maintains a 3.71 ERA and 1.56 WHIP in the circle this season. The team records 5.78 strikeouts per seven innings with a .262 opponent batting average.

SERIES HISTORY

The Sun Devils own an 86-38 all-time record against Oregon State in a series that dates back to the 1977 season. That includes a 34-20 mark in Corvallis despite winning only one road series since 2009.

ASU swept the three meetings last season and has won six of the past eight going back to the 2019 season.

SECOND TIME THROUGH

The second time through the lineup has benefited the Sun Devils this season. In innings three, four, and five, ASU has scored 106 runs for an average of 2.11 per game.

The Sun Devils are hitting .276 with a .865 OPS and 31 home runs in those three innings. That has helped them outscore the opposition by 18 runs in the time frame.

LATE LEADS

This season, getting an early lead has been crucial for the ASU. The Sun Devils have posted a 15-2 record when leading after four innings. That moves to 10-2 when leading after five and 12-1 when leading after six.

If the game is tied through four innings, ASU has turned that into a 6-2 record. That also carries into a 3-1 mark when tied through five and 2-1 if tied after six.

SIX IS THE MAGIC NUMBER

Six runs have been the determining factor in most ASU games this season. The Sun Devils have gone 14-1 when scoring at least six runs in a game. They are 20-12 when holding the opposition to five runs or less.

LONG BALL A FACTOR

After…