Arizona State softball heads to super regionals at Texas with momentum

• ASU is on a nine-game winning streak, including a Big 12 tournament championship.
• Coach Megan Bartlett believes the team is playing with incredible momentum and confidence.

Momentum is not tangible. It is not something that can be picked up and felt. It cannot literally be seen, but while hard to grasp and seize, momentum is certainly building in Tempe.

No. 19 Arizona State softball (44-16) is preparing to head to the Austin Super Regional in the 2026 NCAA Softball Tournament to take on No. 3 Texas (42-10), with a spot in the Women’s College World Series on the line. It’s a homecoming for coach Megan Bartlett, who coached at Texas before moving to ASU.

Ahead of last week’s Bryan-College Station Regional, after shocking everybody by winning the Big 12 tournament, Bartlett said to The Arizona Republic, “When you have momentum at your back in the postseason, you become real dangerous, real quick.”

Those words proved to be prescient. 

ASU opened up the Bryan-College Station Regional with a run-rule win over McNeese. In the next game, ASU beat No. 15 Texas A&M, coached by former ASU coach Trisha Ford, 4-3, setting up a potentially decisive game in a rematch.

ASU softball shocked the field and won the Big 12 tournament

After an 11-13 regular season, Arizona State softball shocked the field and won the Big 12 tournament. Next up is the Bryan-College Station Regional.

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Then came redshirt senior Brooklyn Ulrich. 

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Ulrich uncorked a titanic grand slam – ending the game right there, 9-1, and sending ASU to the next round.

Just like that, the Sun Devils have become real dangerous, real quick.

Sun Devils underdogs again — and that’s OK

“They just keep doing their thing,” Bartlett said May 20. “People keep asking, ‘What’d you do with these kids?’

“Nothing. It was the same message over and over again. We got healthy, they put the pieces together. At that point, it’s been a lot of confidence and belief. They’re certainly playing with some incredible momentum at their back right now.”

Since losing three straight to Texas Tech in the second-to-last series of the regular season late last month, ASU has won nine games in a row, including the takedown of Texas Tech to win the Big 12 tournament.

The temperature is quickly rising in Arizona, with the end of spring and the start of summer looming. But that’s not the only thing getting hot.

Arizona State softball thrives with Red Mountain alum Brooklyn Ulrich

Arizona native Brooklyn Ulrich talks about her time growing up at Red Mountain and her journey to playing at Arizona State.

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“We feel really confident going into the weekend,” said junior infielder Katie Chester, who hit a two-run home run in the first game against Texas A&M. “We’ve been saying, ‘The Devils are getting hot.’ And we got hot at the right time in the season.”

Despite the confidence built over the past few weeks, ASU is still an underdog. Texas is the defending NCAA champion, coming off ending Oklahoma’s dynastic run of four consecutive NCAA titles.

ASU is trying to use the outsider tag to its advantage.

Brooklyn Ulrich exemplifies ASU’s personality

“We know we’re the underdog going in,” Chester said. “We have nothing to lose. We just go in and play how we play. That’s why we’ve been winning all the games we have.”

For Ulrich, a Mesa native who attended Mesa Westwood and then Red Mountain, this is a moment that she was told wasn’t possible. 

As a kid, she hoped to attend ASU. There’s even a photo of a young Ulrich, sporting a Mesa Mountain View shirt, along the fence at an ASU game. But Ulrich was told by Ford’s Sun Devils coaching staff at the time that she wasn’t good enough to play at ASU.

Ulrich shifted her plans and decided to attend Marshall, where she played for the next four years. When she went into the transfer portal for her final season of eligibility, she was the first player Bartlett targeted. 

A homegrown talent shining for the hometown team could have a far-reaching impact for Bartlett to retain in-state athletes.

“We would love all those Brooklyns to just stay home from the get-go,” Bartlett said. “BK is such a proud Sun Devil. This was the dream from when she was little. We were so thrilled to get her. She’s a super resilient kid. She’s been a tremendous asset. We want those superstar, Arizonian kids to stay home. Be the next BK.”

Ulrich, typically soft-spoken, is trying to soak it all in. She’s been thinking of this for years — helping lead ASU.

“When I entered the portal, I said I’m not playing anywhere but Arizona State. I’m going to go play there,” Ulrich said. “It has met every expectation, every dream. I used to come here as a little girl, watch softball. We had season tickets right in front of the press box. I just loved it. It’s everything that I could have ever dreamed of.”

This season isn’t over yet — there’s still a national championship in the balance.

But Bartlett was blunt when asked how people should remember this season.

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

Logan Stanley is a sports reporter with The Arizona Republic who primarily focuses on high school, college and Olympic sports. To suggest ideas for human-interest stories and other news, reach out to Stanley at logan.stanley@usatodayco.com or 707-293-7650. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @LSscribe.