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ASU softball opens NCAA Tournament with boost from Big 12 tourney win
TL;DR
ASU softball begins NCAA Tournament play on May 15 after winning the Big 12 tournament. They will face McNeese in the Bryan-College Station Regional, led by senior pitcher Kenzie Brown.
Key points
- ASU softball qualified for the NCAA Tournament after winning the Big 12 tournament
- They have an 11-13 regular season record
- Kenzie Brown is the team's standout pitcher with a 2.29 ERA
- The first game is against McNeese on May 15 at 1:30 MST
Arizona State Sun DevilsKenzie BrownNCAA TournamentBig 12 tournament
ASU softball opens NCAA Tournament with boost from Big 12 tourney win
The Arizona State softball team, which barely qualified for the eight-team Big 12 tournament after going 11-13 in the regular season, begins NCAA Tournament play at the Bryan-College Station Regional Friday, May 15, with a 1:30 MST matchup against McNeese.
ASU is led by the standout pitching of staff ace senior Kenzie Brown, who went 15-6 this season with a 2.29 ERA and 238 strikeouts over 143.2 innings.
“She’s epic,” coach Megan Bartlett said. “She has all the tricks. She’s just a great kid. That is a loyal kid, proud Sun Devil. She graduated a year ago, could have left for the highest bidder. She chose to stay. This is her home, this is her family.”
The offense, which came alive in a conference tourney semifinal 11-7 upset over Oklahoma State, is on a roll.
Junior infielder Katie Chester hit .356 this season and leads the team in home runs with 19 and in RBIs with 64. Chester had to overcome a chronic foot injury that plagued her at Missouri.
“I think she deserves Comeback Player of the Year because all the things she went through to get here and how hard she worked,” said sophomore outfielder Ashleigh Mejia, who is also one of the top hitters for the Sun Devils this season, with nine home runs and 36 RBIs.
“Everybody can see how much of a hard worker she is. She’s very deserving of it. The fact that she can come back this hard and this successful is very inspirational.”
Junior catcher/infielder Emily Schepp has been key as well, leading the Sun Devils with 64 hits this season and finishing with 45 RBIs.
Senior infielder Brooklyn Ulrich came up clutch as ASU beat Arizona, 2-1; Oklahoma State, 11-7; and top-seeded Texas Tech, 4-0, in the conference tourney championship run.
In the 2-1 win over Arizona, Ulrich drove in the game-winning run in the top of the seventh inning with a home run, going 3 for 3 in the game. In the wild 11-7 win over Oklahoma State, Ulrich got the scoring started with an RBI single in the top of the second inning. Then, in the top of the fifth inning, she uncorked a two-run home run to put the Sun Devils up 10-2, finishing 3-for-4 with three RBIs in the game.
Q&A
What is ASU softball's record entering the NCAA Tournament?
ASU softball enters the NCAA Tournament with an 11-13 record from the regular season.
Who is the standout player for ASU softball in the NCAA Tournament?
The standout player for ASU softball is senior pitcher Kenzie Brown, who has a 15-6 record and a 2.29 ERA this season.
When does ASU softball play their first NCAA Tournament game?
ASU softball plays their first NCAA Tournament game on May 15 at 1:30 MST against McNeese.
What did ASU softball coach Megan Bartlett say about Kenzie Brown?
Coach Megan Bartlett described Kenzie Brown as 'epic' and praised her loyalty and dedication to the team.
