For many players on Arizona State’s softball team, long road trips were common in high school. It’s often where some of the best bonding occurs.
And thanks to their recent schedule, the Sun Devils have put that bonding theory to the test.
ASU just concluded an 11-game stretch of games away from Farrington Stadium. The Sun Devils went 7-4 in those games, including a five-game stretch in which they beat North Carolina State, North Carolina (twice) and Marist twice. That followed a stretch at the start of the season during which ASU played 28 of 29 games at home.
“It’s pretty cool to be able to (win) at home, but to be able to go on the road and to get five wins on the road, it does help,” ASU first baseman Katie Chester said. “Our team is super, super close; there’s never a quiet bus ride. We’re always talking and having fun.”
From club softball to high school competition and on the college level, going on the road is an opportunity for a group of players to truly form a team.
Bonding is crucial.
With ASU lacking road time earlier this season, the small chances players have to connect can be pivotal.
“We’re away from Arizona, a new state, new opportunities, but at the same time we’ve been doing this stuff since we were teenagers in high school, traveling and stuff,” ASU outfielder Ashleigh Mejia said.
Due to favorable weather early in the season in Arizona – and unfavorable weather for teams in other parts of the country – Arizona State began its season with 25 straight home games (winning 19 of them). The Sun Devils won their only road game in their first 29 games, beating UTEP 10-1.
Although playing at home is usually an advantage, with the home team having the crowd on its side, even the best teams need a change sometimes.
Bonding also brings a level of trust. The connection helps players stay level-headed even when facing 2-1 series losses against No.11 Arizona and Kansas that bookended this 11-game stretch.
“I just personally didn’t let that define me and define our team,” Mejia said. “Just knowing that we‘re so close at those wins and so talented, I just feel like we just kind of had a chip on our shoulder this week, like what we lost, but we have an opportunity to win six new games.”
Coming together and getting a mental reset is important for the Sun Devils, approaching what is the hardest stretch in the season with two series against No. 22 UCF and No. 1 Texas Tech (ESPN/USA Today Poll), along with a game against No. 25 Grand Canyon. Coach Megan Bartlett was thankful that her players finally got to experience the feel of the road before a grueling test against three ranked teams.
“A lot of bonding and time together, the reality of college sports is that’s a real thing for how they connect and how they grind and how they work together,” Bartlett said. “We don’t get to do a lot of that here; we certainly play a lot of home games early on.”
The other benefit to road trips is helping the Sun Devils buy into Bartlett’s process, one that the team believes has helped it improve each year, even if the results were not always reflected in the overall record.
“I love the word process and being process-oriented, especially this year, something I had to learn,” Mejia said. “I feel like we’re a team that continues to buy into 1% better every day, then I feel like we’re going to be super successful, and that’s what happened, we didn’t win those games versus U of A, but the process of that hitting, coming back when we’re down, and then getting that success is because of the process.”
With more road trips coming up against Houston and BYU after UCF and Texas Tech, respectively, ASU is better prepared for the struggle, more bonding and, it hopes, more winning.
With more Top 25 matchups to play, more road games and then the Big 12 tournament, the Sun Devils will need to prove that they are bought in and bonded as a team to continue to move forward.
“The margins are so tight when you’re playing top-20 matchups,” Bartlett said. “We talk about five pitches on each side of the ball being what dictates the game. So certainly if they (the players) weren’t aware before, they are aware now.”
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