Tempe Regional Breakdown
Arizona State came into the 2012 season as favorites to defend their 2011 title. Through the regular season there has been little reason to believe that Coach Clint Myers and the Sun Devils will stumble during the College World Series. Even in a conference that is full of superb pitchers, Arizona State scores over seven runs per game. It all starts with senior shortstop Katelyn Boyd. She is among the nation’s leaders in batting average and home runs. Pitching isn’t a strong as the offense, but still isn’t bad. Hillary Bach and Dallas Escobedo provide a solid tandem.
Arizona State will be challenged by Syracuse. The Orange went 17-5 in the Big East lead by pitchers Jenna Caira and Stacy Kuwik. Syracuse will need to get the bats going to keep up with Arizona State, during the regular season they finished 211th in bating average (.247) and 75th in scoring (4.62). Also looking to make some noise in Tempe is Long Beach State. They come in as champions of the Big West and sport a 29-23 overall record. They are led by sophomore pitcher Erin Jones-Wesley with a 20-12 record and a 1.97 ERA. Rounding out the field is LIU Brooklyn who won the NEC tournament. It will be a real challenge for the Blackbirds to stay competitive in this region.
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