I visited with Arizona State softball coach Clint Myers for a writing project on Thursday (Jan. 24) and realized that the season  is just around the corner for the state’s high school teams and for the programs at ASU and Arizona.

You can underline and bold-face Arizona for the Sun Devils and Wildcats, because the two schools seemingly have more and more high school athletes from Arizona on their rosters each year. Both schools open the season on Feb. 8 in the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe.

ASU is No. 4 in the National Fast Pitch Coaches Association NCAA Division I preseason poll, while Arizona is No. 13.

ASU had 14 Arizona players on its 2013 roster:

Junior catcher Lucy Aubrecht (Mesa Red Mountain), freshman infielder Rainna Dobbs (Queen Creek), sophomore infielder Lindsey Edgerton (Tempe McClintock), junior pitcher Dallas Esbobedo (Phoenix St. Mary’s), freshman outfielder Mandi Grebe (Gilbert Perry), freshman outfielder Kenzy Kaler (Queen Creek), redshirt freshman pitcher Jenna Makis (Phoenix Pinnacle), senior infielder Danielle Muniz (Phoenix Mountain Pointe), senior infielder Sam Parlich (Chandler Basha), junior pitcher Mackenzie Popescue (Scottsdale Chaparral), freshman outfielder Abby Spiel (Tempe Corona del Sol), senior outfielder Mary Spiel (Tempe Corona del Sol), senior transfer infielder Becca Tikey (Phoenix Horizon) and junior outfielder Bailey Wigness (Casa Grande).

In addition, recent Sun Devils Katelyn Boyd (Phoenix Horizon) and Annie Lockwood (Phoenix Paradise Valley) are continuing their careers as team administrators.

Myers was baseball coach at Casa Grande High before going on to a nearly two-decade career as baseball and softball coach at Central Arizona College. And Myers’ son, Casey, is a volunteer coach. He played at Casa Grande High, was a two-time Pac-10 Baseball Player of the Year as a catcher for the Sun Devils, and this summer will be a hitting instructor in the Oakland Athletics’ minor-league system.

The University of Arizona has seven Arizona players:

Senior third baseman Brigette Del Ponte (Peoria Sunrise Mountain), senior pitcher Kenzie Fowler (Tucson Canyon del Oro), junior utility player Alex Lavine (Glendale Mountain Ridge), junior pitcher Estela Pinon (Tucson Sunnyside), freshman utility player Courtney Rodriguez (Chandler Seton Catholic), junior transfer catcher-utility player Kelsey Rodriguez (Chandler Seton Catholic), and freshman outfielder Gabbie Sanstedt (Glendale Independence).

Also, Stacy Iveson, an assistant coach for head coach Mike Candrea, is a graduate of Tucson Catalina.

It’s great to see ASU and Arizona harvesting the home-grown talent!

Go Sun Devils and Go Wildcats!