We continue our best teams from ASU ever this summer with our next matchup. No. 7 2006 Softball beat No. 10 2004-05 Women’s Basketball in our last matchup. Now it’s No. 6 2012 Softball vs. No. 11 2014-15 WBB.
Here’s the current bracket:
No. 6 2012 Softball
Record: 53-11, Reached Second Round of WCWS
Head coach: Clint Meyers
Notable players: Katelyn Jones, Alix Johnson, Amber Freeman
The rundown: Led by Katelyn Jones(.419 avg), Alix Johnson(.395) and the lights-out pitching duo of Hillary Bach(22-1) and Dallas Escobedo(24-8), ASU followed up a Pac-10 and WCWS Championship season with another successful year. The Sun Devils were eliminated in the semifinal round of 2012 WCWS to No. 4 Oklahoma who would then go on and lose to No.2 Alabama in the finals. ASU had one player, Amber Freeman, make the All-Tournament team. The Sun Devils ended the season ranked third in the nation in RPI according to the NCAA.
No. 11 2014-15 WBB
Record: 29-6, Reached Sweet Sixteen
Head coach: Charli Turner Thorne
Notable players: Katie Hempen, Sophie Brunton
The rundown: Following a 23-10 and second-round tournament exit the prior season Turner Thorne and company finished second in the Pac-12 with a 15-3 conference record with two of their loses coming from Oregon State, the only team in the Pac-12 ranked higher than them. No. 3 ASU would go on to blow out No. 14 Ohio by 19 points and pull off a three point victory against No. 11 Arkansas-Little Rock in the first and second round of the tournament respectively. They would end up losing to No. 2 Florida State by one point 66-65 on the Sweet Sixteen.
Vote on Twitter to help decide the best ASU team ever:
Who was better?
— House of Sparky (@HouseOfSparky) June 14, 2019