TEMPE – After finishing last week with a 6-5 loss to New Mexico State to conclude the Sun Devil Classic, Arizona State coach Megan Bartlett’s squad needed a much better showing in its final in-season tournament this year at Alberta B. Farrington Stadium.
ASU turned in its weakest showing of the season at the Sun Devil Classic a week ago, partially due to a flu going around the dugout. Although the bats weren’t affected, the Sun Devils’ defense was.
But with Big 12 play beginning next week, Arizona State needed a strong showing on all fronts to prepare itself for the upcoming grind of conference play. Through the first five games of the ASU Invitational, it’s safe to say that Sparky’s made a statement.
“We came out with a little more fight, knowing that we can’t just play down for teams and that we have to come out and be who we are,” junior infielder Katie Chester said.
Chester was one of four players to knock one out of the park as ASU (18-3) swept Saturday’s doubleheader at the ASU Invitational, run-ruling Wisconsin (12-6) 15-7 in five innings, and then securing a 10-5 victory over Cal Baptist (17-4). The Sun Devils crossed the plate a combined 25 times between the two contests and have scored 52 runs over the past five games.
nothing like a 45-degree launch angle on a solo home run 😳#ForksUp /// #BeElite https://t.co/ZAEgJWOjgl pic.twitter.com/AyAobHJ2OA
— Sun Devil Softball (@ASUSoftball) March 1, 2026
Although ASU entered 2026 with returning faces at the dish, the incoming transfers took center stage in the team’s offensive clinic on Saturday.
The aforementioned Chester stood out as one of the stars of the day, hitting home runs in both games and a total of five RBIs.
The lineup’s aggressive approach proved especially true in the doubleheader, with the entire group buying into the same offensive philosophy.
“We’re not waiting to see where the pitch is, not waiting to see what it is. We’re able to hit multiple speeds, multiple heights, multiple locations,” Chester said. “Having the top of the lineup able to square up balls, even if it’s not a base hit, seeing that they’re squaring up balls, gives the rest of the lineup more confidence.”
Although the offense has been somewhat reliable, ASU’s pitching stood as the big question coming into the weekend. The week before, the Sun Devils staff pitched noticeably worse than usual, including senior right-handed pitcher Kenzie Brown, who went three innings and allowed four runs against Michigan – although she responded by pitching with a complete game the following day.
Another player who needed to rebound was junior right-handed pitcher Meika Lauppe. She’s had an up-and-down season so far, and didn’t have her best showing at the Sun Devil Classic.
In her last three outings, she’s flipped the script, showcasing more command, including in a five-inning shutout out of the bullpen on Friday.
On Saturday, against Cal Baptist, she threw her first complete game of 2026, going seven innings and allowing two runs.
“She threw six or seven beautiful changeups tonight,” Bartlett said. “So I don’t know if I’m the only person jumping out of my shoes at this point, but I mean, if she can throw a changeup on command, and she’s working 71-72, that changes her career, and that changes our stars a little bit.”
With the recent offensive output produced by Bartlett’s squad, it appears the Maroon and Gold are getting hot at the right time.
After four weeks of tournament play, the Sun Devils will begin their first Big 12 series of the season next Friday. And, given how they’re swinging the bat, they enter conference play with immense confidence.
“We can hit any pitcher, up and down the lineup, one through nine, everybody’s having hits, everybody’s spraying up balls, which is good,” Chester, a transfer from Missouri, said.
Another transfer that’s stepped up is junior catcher Emily Schepp. The Arizona transfer has rebounded this spring after a down year in 2025.
She finished with seven RBIs against Wisconsin and Cal Baptist. Although she didn’t leave the yard on Saturday, she provided a couple of two-run singles, including a walk-off in the run-rule win against the Badgers.
“We’re a good team when we get rolling. Trying to keep the lineup rolling over, just keep getting hits for our pitchers,” Schepp said.
ASU will conclude the ASU Invitational tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. MST, hosting CSU Bakersfield. Although the tournament has been a success for the Devils, they want to avoid what happened last Sunday and finish strong before conference play.
“I was certainly pleased with how we swung the bats today, honestly, even a little bit better than I expected we would,” Bartlett said. “So we just need to carry that into the weekend, and then that’s going to be a really fun prep week for Utah.”
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