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Congratulations to the ASU Sun Devils softball team for winning their second NCAA National Championship.
All season long, the Arizona State Sun Devils (55-6) have battled.
The pitching has been remarkable -- Dallas Escobedo has won 32 games in 2011, with many more to come in the future for the talented freshman out of Phoenix.
The offense has come alive at key junctures -- First Team All-American shortstop Katelyn Boyd is hitting nearly .500 on the season, while Annie Lockwood has added 16 home runs in this campaign.
Flat out, this is a team that knows how to win, and executes their plan. A lot of that has to do with coach Clint Myers.
Here's some interesting quotes from anArizona Republic article that came out yesterday:
The Sun Devils know the drill, but it doesn't make it any easier.
"There are no easy games when you get here," catcher Kaylyn Castillo said.
With potential second-round matchups against Florida or Missouri awaiting ASU should it get by Oklahoma Thursday, [Clint] Myers wouldn't mind having a different vantage point.
"It is a very good side of the bracket," Myers said. "I would rather be on the other side of the bracket. It is tough."
One thing's for sure: no matter who the Devils face, they will be the favorite to win the 2011 Women's College World Series.
Photo of Annie Lockwood hitting a home run, courtesy of Steve Rodriguez.
The Arizona State Sun Devils run to the finals of the 2011 NCAA Softball World Series begins Thursday, as the hometown favorites square off against the Oklahoma Sooners at 4 p.m. MST. The action will be broadcast on ESPN2.
Thus far it has been a magical run for the lady Sun Devils. Arizona State railed off a 55-6 record for the year, claimed the Pac-10 title, and -- for the first time in team history -- entered the tournament with the number one seed. Expectations were high, but the girls have held up to them, bulldozing their way through the postseason with a perfect 5-0 record.
Now they face eighth-ranked Oklahoma, a tough opponent who ousted the in-state rival Arizona Wildcats in the Super Regionals. Though, these two teams are no strangers. The Sun Devils faced the Sooners back in early February, during the Kajikawa Classic, defeating them 4-3 on the backs of a spectacular four RBI performance from right-fielder Annie Lockwood and a complete game from pitcher Dallas Escobedo. Now, eying much higher stakes, they look to improve to a perfect 2-0 record against the Big-12 standout.
The 2011 NCAA Softball World Series 2011 TV Schedule:
WCWS follows the rules of double-elimination
June 2-8 | Oklahoma City
Thursday, June 2
Game 1: California vs. Alabama, 10 a.m. MST (ESPN2)
Game 2: Oklahoma State vs. Baylor, 12:30 p.m. MST (ESPN2)
Game 3: Oklahoma vs. Arizona State, 4 p.m. MST (ESPN2)
Game 4: Missouri vs. Florida, 6:30 p.m. MST (ESPN2)
Friday, June 3
Game 5: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 4 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Saturday, June 4
Game 7: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 9 a.m. (ESPN)
Game 8: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 loser, 11:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 9: Game 5 loser vs. Game 7 winner, 4 p.m. (ESPN2)
Game 10: Game 6 loser vs. Game 8 winner, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
Sunday, June 5
Game 11: Game 5 winner vs. Game 9 winner, 10 a.m. (ESPN)
Game 12: Game 6 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 12:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 13 (if nec.): Game 11 winner vs. Game 11 loser, 4 p.m. (ESPN2)
Game 14 (if nec.): Game 12 winner vs. Game 12 loser, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
Championship
June 6-8 (TBD)
The 2011 NCAA Softball Women's College World Series starts Thursday morning at 10:00 a.m. MST, as the (7) California Golden Bears square off against the (2) Alabama Crimson Tide in the opening game. The action will press on throughout the day, with (11) Baylor vs. Oklahoma State, (9) Oklahoma vs. (1) Arizona State, and (5) Missouri vs. (4) Florida. Games will continue on Thursday and Friday, matching up the corresponding winners and losers.
As the top seed, Arizona State enters the WCWS as the prohibitive favorites. The lady Sun Devils have ripped through the season, finishing first in the Pac-10, posting a 55-6 record for the year, and an undefeated 5-0 mark in their postseason march. History is also on Arizona State's side, as the Sun Devils are one of three teams in the field -- California and Oklahoma being the other two -- to have one won a previous WCWS.
While history is one thing, experience is an entirely different beast. On that side of the spectrum, Florida and Missouri are the only two teams to have repeated a run to this year's series after making the 2010 WCWS. However, luckily for the rest of the field, the Gators and the Tigers will be facing off against each on day one.
The eight teams roads to the WCWS:
Alabama: 5-1 postseason record; def. (15) Stanford, 2-1, in Super Regional
Arizona State: 5-0 postseason record; def. (16) Texas A&M, 2-0, in Super Regional
Baylor: 5-1 postseason record; def. (6) Georgia, 2-1, in Super Regional
California: 5-1 postseason record; def. Kentucky, 2-1, in Super Regional
Florida: 5-1 postseason record; def. (13) Oregon, 2-1, in Super Regional
Missouri: 6-1 postseason record; def. (12) Washington, 2-1, in Super Regional
Oklahoma: 5-1 postseason record; def. (8) Arizona, 2-1, in Super Regional
Oklahoma State: 5-1 postseason record; def. Houston, 2-1, in Super Regional
Arizona State Softball Takes Home NCAA Title With Win Over Florida
The Arizona State Sun Devils softball team took home the NCAA National Championship by sweeping Florida in the Women's College World Series. The Sun Devils completed a 10-0 run through the NCAA Tournament and continued their domination with the 7-2 win in their final game.
Freshman pitcher Dallas Escobedo (37-3) led the way with a seven inning complete game with just two earned runs allowed along with five strikeouts and five walks allowed. She scattered just four hits in the win.
The ASU offense broke through early with three runs in the second inning with a couple of hits and fielders choice to load the bases and then an RBI walk. Another hit drove in two more runs and the Devils had the margin of victory that would prove to be enough for the win.
The ASU Sun Devils last won an NCAA Championship in softball in 2008 and join Arizona, UCLA and Texas A&M as the only schools to win multiple titles in the sports.
Jun 07 9:26p by Seth Pollack