ASU softball lands in Top 25 for first time since 2023
Arizona State softball woke up on Tuesday to find itself in the Top 25 of the Division I poll. The Sun Devils came in at No. 23, the first time it’s been nationally ranked since March 14, 2023.
It’s well deserved too. ASU won its first Big 12 road series over the weekend, taking two of three games against UCF in Orlando. At 21-8, the Devils look like they could be a force to be reckoned with.
Their 4-2 conference record has them currently sitting third in the Big 12 standings, a solid position to be in with roughly half the season left to be played.
Top 25 ranking has ASU softball fans thinking a resurgence is in the works
The last couple seasons have been very forgettable for ASU softball. After finishing atop the Pac-12 in 2022, the team regressed to a 22-26 record in 2023 and then 20-31 in 2024.
Clearly, this season is a massive improvement having already surpassed last year’s win total just 29 games into the schedule.
Senior utility AJ Murphy was one of the brightest spots from ASU’s recent form. The San Diego State transfer recorded eight hits, four RBIs and scored two runs of her own against UCF.
Fans of the program hope she and the rest of the roster head coach Megan Bartlett has pieced together will be able to challenge for a Big 12 title and possibly more. The team hasn’t appeared in a Women’s College World Series since 2018, last lifting the national championship trophy in 2011.
ASU is set to face UNLV in a standalone game Tuesday at Farrington Stadium. Then a three-game Territorial Cup series (Friday-Sunday) at home against No. 8 Arizona is to follow. That series will be a critical test of the Sun Devils’ new national recognition.
