Before Arizona State Softball kickstarted its 2025 season on Thursday evening, freshman infielder Tiare Ho-Ching experienced a whirlwind of emotions that left her feeling anxious ahead of her collegiate debut.
So much so that the first-year Sun Devil could be found vomiting before the maroon and gold took the field against Maryland.
Even though the freshman hailing from Long Beach, Calif. may have had jitters at the start of the game, she saw her doubts quickly subside after she belted a home run and brought in four RBIs in the Sun Devils’ 7-1 season opening victory against Maryland.
“It was exciting to have my team pipe me up,” Ho-Ching said. “I’m underestimated when it comes to hitting for power, so I really appreciate [my teammates] for being happy for me.”
Junior outfielder Tanya Windle opened the first inning with a home run into right field for ASU. Ho-Ching extended the Sun Devils lead in the following inning after hitting a double to center field, allowing two runs to score.
The freshman recorded her first collegiate home run two innings later with a rocket over the right field fence, giving ASU a 7-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth.
HAVE A NIGHT @tiarehoching 😈
— Sun Devil Softball (@ASUSoftball) February 7, 2025
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“I am the type of hitter who likes to attack early,” she said. “It felt good to jump on the pitch, get my jitters out and get a good swing off.”
Another freshman making her debut, right-handed pitcher Cambree Creager, started on the mound for the Sun Devils and kept Maryland off the scoreboard for two innings. Creager pitched the first four innings of her debut, tallying two strikeouts and conceding four hits.
In relief, senior right-handed pitcher Kenzie Brown served up three scoreless innings to close out the win. Brown, who missed the entirety of last season due to injury, made her long-awaited return to the mound and hopes to inspire the next era of ASU pitchers.
“I try to keep it simple,” Brown said on giving Creager advice ahead of the game. “I know how it was in my freshman year. I needed to experience it myself, so I gave her this opportunity, and she did great.”
“Creager set me up well to go in and do my best,” Brown said. “I threw my pitches and some went in my favor. Going alongside [Creager] will be super special this season.”
Thursday night’s game kicked off the first of five games this weekend for ASU in the 20th edition of Kajikawa Classic. The Sun Devils return to the diamond tomorrow, Feb. 7, at 6:30 p.m. MST, to take on Miami (Ohio).
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