(Photo: Alli Cline/WCSN)
Arizona State University and the University of Arizona have one of the fiercest rivalries in all of college sports, and that carries onto the softball field. This weekend the Sun Devils will face their nemesis in a battle of two ranked teams in Tucson.
ASU currently holds the reign of the rivalry winning two of the three games in 2014, but the teams have changed. The Wildcats are currently ranked as high as No. 9 in the nation, four spots higher than the Devils ranked No. 13.
However, rankings mean nothing when you enter a series so important to both teams. Some players hate the other school and others just want to win, but regardless everyone knows the significance of the duel in the desert.
A big factor in the matchup is where the games will be played and this weekend it will be in favor of the Wildcats. The Sun Devils will have to head to Tucson, and it is not the easiest place to compete.
“You’re going into a hostile environment but you can’t let the crowd dictate how you play,” Coach Craig Nicholson said.
Arizona and Arizona State draw in the biggest crowds in the Pac-12 so fans do play a big factor in these matchups, and to say the least the ASU players do not enjoy playing down south.
“The fans are terrible,” senior Amber Freeman said. “I remember them booing me, yelling my name and facts about me.”
The captain of the team is not afraid to share her thoughts for the opponent, but it is all in good nature of the long-standing rivalry. Still Freeman does not think of the matchup different then any other game.
“I just look at it like another series and I don’t want to get too high or too low about it,” Freeman said.
It seems like Coach Nicholson has implemented that mind set in his players. He says that he tries to treat it like any other game in the Pac-12, but he realizes the emotions will be running high.
There are some players that will be making their first trip down to Tucson including freshman pitcher Breanna Macha. The star pitcher from Mesa considered Arizona during her selection process last year, but ultimately chose ASU and she’s looking forward to the series.
“I’m excited to go down there and show them what I can do,” Macha said.
Regardless of the rivalry and the extra emotions the bottom line is the Sun Devils will be facing a top ten team on the road. This Arizona team has shown they can hit as well as any team in the country.
The Wildcats have 12 players on their roster hitting over .300 who have started in at least 10 games. Not only do they have contact but also Katiyana Mauga and Chelsea Goodacre have provided abundant power hitting 13 and 12 homeruns respectively.
There is sure to be lots of runs scored in the series as both teams rely on their offensive abilities.
“Their question mark is the same as ours,” Nicholson said. “How well is anyone going to pitch at any given time.”
Both teams have the capability to have strong performances from their pitchers but inexperience can lead to inconsistency. The Wildcats feature a sophomore and a freshman to anchor their staff and the Devils will most likely only use their two freshmen.
The rivalry lives on and there is sure to be controversy, hostility and high-quality softball this weekend in Tucson. It all starts Friday, 5:00 p.m. at Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium for game one of the series. You can catch the games on the Pac-12 Network.
