No. 4/5 softball to open hosting the Kajikawa Classic


The No. 4/5 Sun Devil Softball squad will open up the 2008 home season this weekend as they set to host Western Kentucky on Thursday night at 6 p.m. before hosting the Kajikawa Classic all weekend at both Farrington Stadium and Tempe Sports Complex. The Sun Devils will wrap the weekend with a game against Southern Utah on Monday at 2 p.m. at Farrington Stadium. Teams to be featured in the Kajikawa Classic include five of the eight 2007 WCWS participants, with marquee match-ups of No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 3 Texas A&M and No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 7 Northwestern.

Fans coming to the Feb. 14th match-up against Western Kentucky can bring their date to the game for free! Fans just need to request the Valentine's Day special to buy one ticket and get the other free! In addition ASU will be handing out fl owers to the fi rst 100 women through the gates on Thursday!

Series History The Sun Devils have never faced the Western Kentucky, Memphis, UMKC or Texas State before.

Against the Western Michigan Broncos, ASU is currently 7-2 alltime since their fi rst meeting in 1986. In their last meeting, last season in the Kajikawa Classic, Megan Elliott pitched fi ve innings in a 6-2 win, which saw Heidi Knabe hit a home run to drive in two runs.

Against the Virginia Cavaliers, the Sun Devils hold a 4-2 record since 1987. In their last meeting in 1996, the Sun Devils took the win with a 7-2 fi nal score.

Against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, the Sun Devils are 17-10 alltime since they fi rst locked horns in 1971. In their last meeting in 2004, ASU edged the Huskers 6-3.

Against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds, ASU is a flawless 17-0 since 1977. Last year they played the Thunderbirds in Provo, Utah in the fi rst round of the NCAA Regionals where ASU pulled off a 2-1 win in nine innings.

Up NextThe Sun Devils remain home next weekend to host their second home tournament of the season with the Littlewood Classic on Feb. 22-24. Featured teams are: Radford, Miami of Ohio, Iowa, Buff alo and Illinois State. All games will be played at ASU's Farrington Stadium.