ASU Softball: Former Alabama pitcher Madison Preston transfers to ASU

A year removed from finishing ranked 227th in the country in ERA, Arizona State continues to look for an arm to help put themselves back on track to Oklahoma City. After the team lost All-American Giselle “G” Juarez, who transferred to Oklahoma before the 2019 season, Trisha Ford put together a pitching staff of transfers Cielo Meza and Samantha Mejia joined by freshmen Abby Andersen and Mikayla Santa Cruz.

There were high moments for the staff, but it was clearly the weakness in the Sun Devil team the entire season. Although, Ford has brought in more help with the announcement of Alabama transfer Madison Preston joining ASU for the 2020 campaign on Monday.

Preston only pitched 12.2 innings for the Crimson Tide in their College World Series season last year. In 2017, she tossed 75 innings in her freshman season and finished with a 7-5 record and 3.17 ERA.

The rising junior seemed to be pushed out of the Alabama rotation due to freshman star Montana Fouts and transfers Sarah Cornell and Krystal Goodman.

The new Sun Devil adds a left-handed presence that ASU didn’t have last season. Ford, who mans the pitching coach responsibilities as well, will now have a selection of seven pitchers for next year. All four pitchers from a year ago return with the addition of Preston and incoming freshmen Lindsay Lopez and Morgan Leinstock.