TEMPE, Ariz. -- In their 37th- season of NCAA competition, the Arizona State softball team took a big step forward under first-year head coach Trisha Ford in the team's 2017 campaign.
The Sun Devils finished the year with a 31-22 record, that included a 9-15 mark in Pac-12 play. The 31 wins on the year marked the team's 22nd- straight 30 win season, and 23rd- straight winning season for ASU.
The season, and the Ford era, got off to a perfect start as junior right hander Dale Ryndak blanked UTEP in ASU's seventh perfect game in program history. The perfect game was aided in large part by a grand slam off the bat of junior outfielder Nichole Chilson, the first of four grand slams from the Sun Devil offense in 2017.
Following the season opening win, ASU would go on to win their next eight contests to start the year with an impressive 9-0 record following their first two weekends of play. The 9-0 start to the season marked the longest win-streak for the Sun Devils on the season, and was the longest combined win streak for ASU in the past three seasons. The nine-win start to the year also marked the best start to the season for ASU since the 2014 season when the team started the year with 18 wins.
Following the non-conference portion of the 2017 season, the Sun Devils embarked on the gauntlet that is Pac-12 Softball play. The Devils got things started with a three-game road trip to Seattle to face Washington, their first of five series in Pac-12 play that featured a top-10 opponent in conference play.
After being picked to finish eighth in Pac-12 play, the Sun Devils battled through the challenging conference slate to earn their 13th- consecutive postseason postseason berth, earning a spot as the No. 2 seed in the 2017 Oxford Regional.
The Sun Devils lifted the lid on postseason play with a decisive, 9-3, win over North Carolina, but the season would eventually end with back-to-back losses to Ole Miss and UNC to end the Sun Devil run just short of reaching their ninth Super Regional in program history.
When the dust settled, the Sun Devil statistics revealed just how far the program had come in just one season under Ford. As a staff, the ASU pitching rotation dropped their ERA to a combined 2.32, a full point lower than their 3.66 mark from the 2016 season.
While being undoubtedly powered by pitching, the Sun Devil offense did a great job backing up their pitchers throughout the season, clubbing an impressive 62 home runs on the season, ASU's 12th straight season with at least 60 long balls. Senior Chelsea Gonzales and sophomore Fa Leilua lead the way for the Sun Devils with 13 home runs each, but were closely followed by senior catcher Sashle Palacios with 10 homers.
The close of the 2017 season also brought the playing careers of Gonzales, Palacios and Margaret Stahm to an end. Collectively, the trio of Sun Devils accounted for 132 hits, 91 runs and 111 RBI in 2017. Leading the way was Gonzales, who accounted for 53 hits and 49 RBI. Her 44 career-home runs rank sixth all-time in ASU history, while her 183 RBI check in at No. 7 in ASU's storied history.
While the Sun Devils will turn the page on the 2017 season, the future is bright for the team heading into 2018. The Sun Devils look to build on their success in 2017 with the majority of their pitching and outfield returning next season. Fans can stay up to date with the team through the off-season by following the team at @ASUSoftball on Twitter.
The Sun Devils finished the year with a 31-22 record, that included a 9-15 mark in Pac-12 play. The 31 wins on the year marked the team's 22nd- straight 30 win season, and 23rd- straight winning season for ASU.
The season, and the Ford era, got off to a perfect start as junior right hander Dale Ryndak blanked UTEP in ASU's seventh perfect game in program history. The perfect game was aided in large part by a grand slam off the bat of junior outfielder Nichole Chilson, the first of four grand slams from the Sun Devil offense in 2017.
Following the season opening win, ASU would go on to win their next eight contests to start the year with an impressive 9-0 record following their first two weekends of play. The 9-0 start to the season marked the longest win-streak for the Sun Devils on the season, and was the longest combined win streak for ASU in the past three seasons. The nine-win start to the year also marked the best start to the season for ASU since the 2014 season when the team started the year with 18 wins.
Looking to build on their impressive start to the season, the Sun Devils went on to record a 19-5 record in non-conference play, with three of those losses coming against teams that finished inside the top-20 in the final NFCA poll released following the Women's College World Series.#ForksUp to @ASUSoftball on a perfect start to the season. ?? #7-0 #KajikawaClassic pic.twitter.com/BNOX0InGuz
— Sun Devil Athletics (@TheSunDevils) February 13, 2017
Following the non-conference portion of the 2017 season, the Sun Devils embarked on the gauntlet that is Pac-12 Softball play. The Devils got things started with a three-game road trip to Seattle to face Washington, their first of five series in Pac-12 play that featured a top-10 opponent in conference play.
After being picked to finish eighth in Pac-12 play, the Sun Devils battled through the challenging conference slate to earn their 13th- consecutive postseason postseason berth, earning a spot as the No. 2 seed in the 2017 Oxford Regional.
Off to Ole Miss! @ASUSoftball faces off against UNC at the Oxford Regional. #GoDevils #RoadToTheWCWS pic.twitter.com/NIf0JEEUxi
— Sun Devil Athletics (@TheSunDevils) May 15, 2017
The Sun Devils lifted the lid on postseason play with a decisive, 9-3, win over North Carolina, but the season would eventually end with back-to-back losses to Ole Miss and UNC to end the Sun Devil run just short of reaching their ninth Super Regional in program history.
When the dust settled, the Sun Devil statistics revealed just how far the program had come in just one season under Ford. As a staff, the ASU pitching rotation dropped their ERA to a combined 2.32, a full point lower than their 3.66 mark from the 2016 season.
While being undoubtedly powered by pitching, the Sun Devil offense did a great job backing up their pitchers throughout the season, clubbing an impressive 62 home runs on the season, ASU's 12th straight season with at least 60 long balls. Senior Chelsea Gonzales and sophomore Fa Leilua lead the way for the Sun Devils with 13 home runs each, but were closely followed by senior catcher Sashle Palacios with 10 homers.
The close of the 2017 season also brought the playing careers of Gonzales, Palacios and Margaret Stahm to an end. Collectively, the trio of Sun Devils accounted for 132 hits, 91 runs and 111 RBI in 2017. Leading the way was Gonzales, who accounted for 53 hits and 49 RBI. Her 44 career-home runs rank sixth all-time in ASU history, while her 183 RBI check in at No. 7 in ASU's storied history.
While the Sun Devils will turn the page on the 2017 season, the future is bright for the team heading into 2018. The Sun Devils look to build on their success in 2017 with the majority of their pitching and outfield returning next season. Fans can stay up to date with the team through the off-season by following the team at @ASUSoftball on Twitter.
Sun Devils check in at No. 23 in both the @NFCAorg and @USASoftball polls following the 2017 season! #IgniteTheFight pic.twitter.com/Aon5T1kvkV
— Sun Devil Softball (@ASUSoftball) June 13, 2017