ASU softball heads to Austin for super regional

TEMPE –  For the first time since 2022, and the first time under coach Megan Bartlett, Arizona State softball is headed to a super regional to take on the University of Texas in Austin.

Bats continue to heat up for the Sun Devils after finishing the regular season on a high note, sweeping BYU on the road, extending their winning streak to nine and claiming the Big 12 title. It is ASU’s fourth conference title in program history.

“We’ve been saying the Devils are getting hot, and we got hot at the right time of the season,” junior first baseman Katie Chester said about heading into Friday’s game. “We know we’re the underdog so we have nothing to lose. We just go in and play how we play, and that’s why we’ve been winning all the games we have.”

Although ASU hasn’t faced the Longhorns since 2022, Bartlett is all too familiar with the Texas squad.

Before taking over as the eighth head coach in ASU softball history, Bartlett served as an assistant coach for the Longhorns alongside current coach Mike White and was part of the staff when Texas advanced to the Women’s College World Series her last season with the team in 2022.

“Whitey and I have a great relationship, and he’s a mentor of mine,” Bartlett said after morning practice Wednesday. “It’s all love, but don’t get me wrong, I want to hop right over him into Oklahoma City.”

Reflecting on her time with Texas, Bartlett had nothing but praise for White.

“Mike taught me a lot about roster management and how to compete at a really high level,” Bartlett said. “The man is a master tactician, so I just tried to soak in everything I could in the two years I was there and tried to be as valuable to him as possible.”

Although Bartlett is familiar with this Texas team, some things have changed since she was around.

In 2024, Texas moved from the Big 12 Conference to the SEC.

Going into this weekend, the Sun Devils are not only focused on getting momentum going but preparing for the atmosphere of a notoriously loud SEC crowd.

“It’s definitely going to be loud, just like it was at A&M, “Chester said. “It’s SEC ball, their fans are big on them. It’s gonna be really fun, we just got to shut it out and zone into ourselves.”

Another unique challenge that the Sun Devils will have to face in Longhorns territory is the outfield seating that brings fans closer to the action.

“The crowd’s tough,” Bartlett said. “They are very engaged. It’s very loud. That’s a very proud place and a very proud program.”

Even with the challenge of facing a highly-seeded Texas team, the Sun Devils are embracing the underdog role, as five of their last nine wins have been considered upsets, defeating higher ranked opponents.

 “We’re going to throw everything we have at them, but if I was him, I wouldn’t want to see us coming,” Bartlett said. “We’ve got talent, we’ve got momentum and the girls have a lot of belief that we can get to Oklahoma City right now.”

Going into the weekend, there is one thing left for Bartlett’s crew to do.

“Just kind of being dogs out there,” redshirt senior shortstop Brooklyn Ulrich said. “Just going after it, and pushing their defense, pushing their offense to be better than us.”

With a trip to Oklahoma City and a national championship on the line, Bartlett will return to Austin but this time hoping to surge past the team she once helped build.

“Arizona State’s back, and we’re going to continue to do nothing but get better,” Bartlett said.

ASU will take on Texas in Game 1 of the best-of-three series at 6 p.m. MST Friday.

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