Stanford Welcomes Wake Forest

SERIES NOTABLES

The Cardinal and Wake Forest have met just one time in program history, opening against one another at the 2023 College World Series ... the Cardinal took a 2-1 lead into the eighth inning of that game, but could not hang on and fell 3-2 to the No. 1 Demon Deacons ... Stanford, which scored in the first inning against Rhett Lowder, looked to be in control of the game before a weather delay due to lightning in the area sent the teams into the locker rooms for an hour and 28 minutes with two outs in the top of the seventh.

LEADING OFF

• Stanford is unranked this week after spending time in the rankings for three straight weeks from March 10 to March 24 and reaching as high as No. 14 in the nation according to D1Baseball on March 17 ... has scored 249 runs in 37 games this season – an average of 6.73 runs per game ... snapped a string of 11 consecutive losses in ACC play with an 11-6 victory at No. 4 Clemson on April 13 (swept by Cal, Virginia and #25 Georgia Tech before losing first two at No. 4 Clemson), but has lost 14 of its last 15 ACC games after being swept by Notre Dame last weekend ... has been swept in four series of three-or-more games this year for just the third time in program history (also swept four times in 1980 and 2015) ... was picked to finish eighth in the ACC standings according to the league’s coaches ... has made 19 College World Series appearances, including having reached Omaha in three of the last four seasons ... 19 appearances are seventh-most in the nation ... returned 1,476 of 1,899 at bats (78%) and 469.2 of 481 innings (97.6%) from last year
• Charlie Bates is currently out of the lineup due to an injury sustained in the series against California ... hit .636 (7-for-11) with six runs scored, two doubles, two triples and one RBI in the four-game series vs. Washington ... has hit safely in 12 of his 18 games played this year
• Temo Becerra has hit safely in five straight games and 30 of the 37 games this season ... has batted .389 and driven in six runs in the last five games ... has managed multiple hits in seven of the last 17 games ... had a 14-game hitting streak dating back to 2024 snapped on February 21 ... has compiled 13 multi-hit games and nine multi-RBI contests this year ... is batting .342 (25-for-73) with 12 runs scored, six doubles, two triples and 13 RBIs in ACC play ... batted .375 (12-for-32) with six runs scored, a double and 11 RBIs in February
• Trevor Haskins has compiled seven extra-base hits (five doubles, two homers) while batting .400 and scoring nine runs in the last 10 games ... ranks 12th in the ACC in slugging percentage (.632) while boasting 10 doubles and 11 home runs ... fell a triple short of the cycle in each of the final two games at Clemson, going 4-for-6 in both contests ... batted .600 (9-for-15) with five runs scored, two doubles, two homers and five RBIs in the series at Clemson to post a 1.133 slugging percentage and a .600 on-base percentage ... homered in five consecutive games from February 21-28 - the first player to hit a homer in five consecutive games since Brock Jones managed the feat in six straight from May 15-25, 2022 ... had an 11-game hitting streak to start the year snapped on March 2 vs. Xavier, but has hit safely in all but five of his games played this season ... leads the team in multi-hit games (17) and multi-RBI contests (10) ... has homered five times, compiled five doubles and driven in 16 runs while scoring 16 and batting .337 (29-for-86) in ACC play ... was named ACC and NCBWA National Player of the Week on February 24 after batting .389 (7-for-18) with five runs scored, two doubles, three homers and 11 runs batted in while guiding Stanford to a 4-0 week that included a victory at Cal State Fullerton and three more vs. Washington ... hit .389 (7-for-18) with six runs scored, a double, four homers (one in each game) and 12 RBIs in a four-game series against Washington from February 21-24 ... finished the month of February hitting .366 (15-for-41) with a team-best 13 runs scored, three doubles, five homers and 17 RBIs to post an .805 slugging percentage ... launched three homers and scored 15 runs while driving in nine in March
• Ethan Hott has connected for two homers after being held homerless in his first 52 games (157 at bats) ... has a hit in 12 of his last 21 games played and has managed seven multi-hit games this season ... batting .388 (19-for-49) with 10 runs scored, three doubles, two homers and 15 RBIs in ACC play ... hit .393 (11-for-28) with five runs scored, two doubles, two homers and nine RBIs in 10 games played in March
• Brandon Larson contributed a pinch-hit, walk-off single to hand Stanford a 6-5 victory in 10 innings over Santa Clara on April 1 ... has managed a pair of three-hit games this season ... homered in back-to-back games vs. Xavier (March 2) and at No. 4 North Carolina (March 7) - the latter being a grand slam as part of a six-RBI day against the Tar Heels
• Luke Lavin went 3-for-3 with the go-ahead RBI in the 10th inning of a come-from-behind victory at Cal State Fullerton on February 17 ... connected for his first career home run - a two-run shot - in a 4-0 victory over UC Davis on April 7
• Cort MacDonald missed 21 games from February 21 to March 29 due to injury ... went 0-for-24 upon his return to the lineup on April 1, but has since posted a pair of doubles in his last two at bats entering the weekend against Wake Forest
• Tatum Marsh ranks fourth in the ACC in batting average (.386) entering the weekend ... has hit safely in 16 of his last 17 and has reached in 33 straight entering the series with Wake Forest ... has hit safely in all but seven of his games played this season ... has amassed multiple hits in nine of his last 15 games ... is batting .415 (27-for-65) with 14 runs scored, three doubles, two homers and 13 RBIs in ACC play ... fell a single short of the cycle on February 16 at Cal State Fullerton, including connecting for a go-ahead three-run home run in the sixth inning for his first collegiate round-tripper ... had a seven-game hit streak snapped in the finale vs. Duke on March 16 ... has been hit by 14 pitches this year to rank fifth in the ACC while averaging .40 hit-by-pitches per game ... batted .370 (10-for-27) with a team-high 13 runs scored, two doubles, two triples, a homer and seven RBIs while managing a .528 on-base percentage (aided by five walks and four hit-by-pitches) in February ... hit .356 (16-for-45) with 10 runs scored, four doubles, a homer and eight RBIs in March
• Jimmy Nati has homered twice and driven in 10 runs while batting .368 in the last five games ... had a 14-game hit streak snapped on April 6 vs. #25 Georgia Tech ... has hit safely in all but five games this season ... fell a triple shy of the cycle while driving in six runs agains UC Davis on April 21 ... has contributed 18 extra-base hits (eight doubles, 10 home runs) ... has driven in a run in all but 13 games this season, including 13 of his last 21 overall ... ranks second on the team in home runs (10) ... has homered seven times and scored 19 runs while driving in 15 in ACC play ... had an 11-game hitting streak to start the year snapped on March 2 vs. Xavier, also ending a 15-game hitting streak dating back to 2024 ... batted .351 (13-for-37) with eight runs scored, three doubles and seven RBIs in the month of February ... connected for seven home runs and three doubles while scoring 18 runs and driving in 16 during the month of March
• Brady Reynolds fell a double short of the cycle against UC Davis on April 21 ... had a six-game hit streak snapped at No. 4 North Carolina on March 8 ... owns 14 multi-hit games and has posted multiple hits in six of his last 12 entering the weekend ... has contributed 18 extra-base hits (eight doubles, two triples, eight home runs) and ranks 10th in the ACC in slugging percentage (.648) ... is batting .343 (23-for-67) with 21 runs scored, six doubles, a triple, two homers and nine RBIs in ACC play ... homered in back-to-back games to close the series at Cal State Fullerton on February 16 and 17 and ranks third on the team in homers (8) ... has compiled six multi-RBI games this year and has contributed 27 RBIs in total ... drove in 13 runs while batting .364 (12-for-33) with eight runs scored, two doubles and three homers in February ... batted .375 (21-for-56) with 16 runs scored, four doubles, four home runs and 10 RBIs in March
• Rintaro Sasaki has driven in six runs over the last five games ... posted a multi-homer game on March 15 vs Duke, including a walk-off three-run homer to hand Stanford an 11-1 run-rule victory ... batted .429 (6-for-14) with three runs scored, three homers and eight RBIs vs. Duke ... had a seven-game hit streak snapped at No. 4 North Carolina on March 8 ... has hit safely in 25 of his first 37 collegiate games and has reached in all but five contests after opening his career with a string of 14 straight games reaching safely ... drove in four runs in his collegiate debut at Cal State Fullerton on February 15 and owns seven multi-RBI games ... has compiled multiple hits in 11 games this season, including each of his last two entering the weekend ... batted a team-best .378 (14-for-37) with six runs scored, two doubles and 11 RBIs while posting a .477 on-base percentage in the month of February ... connected for four home runs while scoring six runs and driving in 14 during the month of March ... named Preseason National Freshman of the Year according to Baseball America and is the favorite to win ACC Freshman of the Year according to Baseball America and D1Baseball
• Charlie Saum was listed on the midseason watch list for the Buster Posey Award ... broke a scoreless game with a fifth-inning solo home run at No. 4 North Carolina in Stanford's series-clinching 7-0 shutout victory over the Tar Heels on March 9 ... owns nine extra-base hits (five doubles, four homers) this year ... has compiled seven multi-hit games this season ... connected for three home runs while scoring 11 runs and driving in 10 during the month of March
• Matt Scott was a preseason All-American according to Baseball America (second team) and Perfect Game (third team) … spent the summer as a teammate of Wake Forest's Marek Houston with the U.S. Collegiate National Team
• Joey Volchko was a preseason All-American according to Baseball America (second team) and Perfect Game (third team)

THIS WEEK

• Stanford will continue an eight-game homestand this weekend when it welcomes Wake Forest to Sunken Diamond for a three-game ACC series
• The opener of the series is set for 6:05 p.m., followed by 2:05 p.m. and 1:05 p.m. first pitches on Saturday and Sunday, respectively
• All three games against the Demon Deacons will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra and broadcast on KZSU 90.1 FM

UP NEXT

• After the series with Wake Forest, Stanford will conlude the eight-game homestand with a 6:05 contest against Sacramento State on Monday
• The game against the Hornets will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra and broadcast live on KZSU 90.1 FM

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS

• Get to Sunken Diamond early on Friday, April 25 vs. Wake Forest to grab a Stanford Script Long Sleeve Tee, while supplies last!
• Our third trading card giveaway day is set for Sunday, April 27 vs. Wake Forest, so get to Sunken to receive 10 more cards in the set, while supplies last
• Kids 8th grade and under can participate in our next Sunday Runday of the season and run the bases after the game on April 27 against Wake Forest
• Snag a beach towel, courtesy of Stanford FCU, on Friday, May 9 vs. Grand Canyon, while supplies last!

A LOOK BACK

• Stanford was swept by Notre Dame at home last weekend, having now dropped 14 of its last 15 in ACC play
• The Cardinal hit .239 in the series and was outscored 30-12 - including suffering its first shutout of the year (11-0) on Saturday
• Freshman Tatum Marsh hit .455 (5-for-11) with one run scored and one RBI
• Aided by a 3-for-5 day on Sunday, Ethan Hott finished the series batting .375 with a double and one RBI
• The Cardinal pitching staff managed to strike out 30 hitters in 25 innings, but posted a 9.00 ERA while allowing six doubles, a triple and six homers
• The Cardinal rebounded with an 11-1 run-rule victory over UC Davis on Monday
• Junior Nick Dugan turned in a gem on Monday night, tossing seven innings and allowing just six hits, one run and no walks with four strikeouts ... Dugan faced the minimum in three of the seven frames, turning in the longest outing by a Stanford starter this season
• Stanford’s offense supported Dugan in a big way, tallying 11 runs on 14 hits – including seven extra-base hits ... the run-rule victory was the third of the season for Stanford ... Jimmy Nati and Brady Reynolds each finished a leg short of the cycle, with Nati going 3-for-4 with a run scored and six RBIs

BIG INNINGS KEYING VICTORIES, HURTING LATELY

• Stanford has managed 21 different innings scoring at least four runs this season, posting a 14-3 record in games in which is manages at least one big inning
• The Cardinal's high-water mark for a single inning is seven runs - managed twice this season on February 23 vs. Washington and February 28 vs. Xavier
• Big innings have also been the undoing of Stanford lately, as the Cardinal has allowed 14 such innings in the last 19 games, going 5-14 over the span
• The Cardinal led in all three games of a series at Virginia from March 27-29, but the Cavaliers used a big inning each contest to erase the deficit and eventually earn a series sweep over Stanford
• Stanford enters the weekend carrying a 4-12 record when allowing a big inning this season, having dropped 12 of the last 13 when allowing a big inning

CALIFORNIA KINGS

• Stanford is the winningest Division I program in California since the 2017 season, compiling 310 victories
• UC Santa Barbara has won 300 games since 2017, followed by UC Irvine (287) UCLA (286) and Sacramento State (262)

MIDWEEK MAGNIFICENCE

• Stanford has been outstanding in midweek contests this year, going 4-0 with a pair of victories over UC Davis and one apiece over Santa Clara and San Jose State
• The Cardinal has batted .298 with eight doubles, a triple and five home runs in midweek contests, outscoring the opposition 26-7 in the four contests
• Stanford's pitching staff has been stellar, registering a 1.54 ERA while limiting opponents to a .189 average against and striking out 40 hitters in 35 innings
• Junior Nick Dugan has started all four midweek games this season, going 3-0 with a 2.76 ERA and one complete game

AN EARLY SIGH OF RELIEF

• Stanford's relief corps impressed through 18 games this season, with 10 relievers combining for a 7-0 record with a 3.86 ERA and six saves over 81 2/3 innings of work
• The Cardinal bullpen did not allow a run over four games and 13 2/3 innings from March 9-16, surrendering just seven hits and two walks while striking out 19 batters
• The early success did not continue over the next seven games, with Stanford relievers sporting an 0-4 record and an 8.63 ERA over 32 1/3 innings from March 21-29
• Stanford’s bullpen was once again stellar on April 1 vs. Santa Clara, with seven relievers combining for 9 2/3 innings of one-run baseball – the only blemish being an unearned run charged in the seventh inning
• Stanford's bullpen accounted for 9 2/3 innings in a three-game series against No. 25 Georgia Tech from April 4-6 allowing 22 runs (21 earned) on 22 hits, including six doubles, a triple and four home runs as it was tagged for a 19.55 ERA and one loss
• Stanford's bullpen sported a 9.75 ERA and was saddled with one loss over 12 innings pitched at No. 4 Clemson from April 11-13, allowing 13 runs on 17 hits, including seven doubles and two homers, while issuing 11 walks
• Most recently, the bullpen was 0-1 and allowed 16 runs (12 earned) on 11 hits, including a double, a triple and four home runs, with 17 strikeouts over 12 innings to post a 9.00 ERA vs. Notre Dame from April 18-20
• The Cardinal bullpen has been instrumental in helping Stanford to a 4-0 record in midweek games, combining for 18 2/3 innings while allowing two runs (one earned) on eight hits with 27 strikeouts to post a 0.48 ERA and limit opponents to a .127 average against
• Aidan Keenan has allowed 28 baserunners over 16 appearances and 24 2/3 innings while striking out 31 batters, limiting opponents to a .200 average against, and converting four saves to go along with one victory
• Keenan has inherited 16 runners this year, allowing just six to score
• Ty Uber has recorded a victory and converted a pair of saves over 17 appearances, surrendering 10 runs on 19 hits with 25 strikeouts over 24 1/3 innings to manage a 3.70 ERA

TOUGH WITH TWO

• The Cardinal is hitting .308 with two outs this season and has compiled 104 two-out RBIs
• Brady Reynolds has totaled 17 two-out RBIs, while Jimmy Nati has contributed 15, followed by Trevor Haskins with 13 and Rintaro Sasaki with 12
• Reynolds has been especially clutch with two outs, batting .388 (19-for-49)
• Haskins is 16-for-40 (.400), Brandon Larson is 7-for-18 (.389) and Ethan Hott is 8-for-22 (.364)
• Included in the two-out totals are a 5-for-10 (.500) for Larson, a 12-for-25 (.480) for Reynolds, a 12-for-23 (.391) for Nati, an 11-for-16 (.375) for Temo Becerra and an 11-for-19 (.368) for Sasaki with runners in scoring position and two outs
• In the final two games of a series at No. 4 Clemson, Stanford scored 15 of its 21 runs with two outs - including nine of 10 on Saturday and six of 11 on Sunday ... the Cardinal batted a combined 16-for-35 (.457) with two outs in those two games (8-for-18 on April 12 and 8-for-17 on April 13)
• On the mound, starter Christian Lim has allowed six hits with two outs this season, limiting the opposition to a .150 average (6-for-40) ... Aidan Keenan has also excelled at closing the door, allowing a 3-for-30 clip (.100) with two outs ... other notable relievers include Ben Reimers (.111), Ryan Speshyock (.143), Nick Dugan (.200), Kassius Thomas (.200) and Ty Uber (.219)
• Looking only at hitting with runners in scoring position and two outs, Stanford is batting .333 as a team in the situation while allowing a .261 average to its opponents

COMEBACK CARDINAL

• The Cardinal has managed nine come-from-behind victories this season
• With that said, most of the comebacks have come in the first two-thirds of the game as the Cardinal is 1-13 when trailing after six innings and 1-8 when trailing after seven
• Stanford erased a pair of five-run deficits in the final two games of a four-game set at Cal State Fullerton on February 16 and 17
• The Cardinal trailed 8-4 after two innings and 11-6 after three on February 16, but scored four in the fifth, three in the sixth and one in the seventh to earn a 14-11 victory
• The Cardinal trailed 5-0 after two innings, 6-3 after six and 7-3 after eight on February 17, but scored four in the ninth and two in the 10th to win 9-7
• The comebacks continued in week two of the season, as Stanford erased two more late-inning deficits against Washington
• Stanford trailed 9-7 in the sixth inning on February 22 before scoring four in the bottom of the sixth to eventually earn an 11-9 victory
• The Cardinal trailed 3-0 headed to the sixth on February 23, but scored seven runs in the sixth en route to a 9-5 victory over the Huskies
• Stanford allowed the first two runs in a game vs. Xavier on February 28, trailing 2-0 in the third, before responding with 10 unanswered runs to earn the 10-2 victory
• Stanford allowed three runs in the first inning at No. 4 North Carolina on March 7 before outscoring the Tar Heels 7-3 over the final five frames to win 13-9
• The Cardinal allowed the first run on March 14 vs. Duke, but responded with five unanswered to defeat the Blue Devils 5-1
• Stanford trailed 4-0 headed to the third inning, but scored five in the third and four in the fourth to eventually defeat Duke 10-5 on March 16
• Most recently, Stanford allowed four runs in the top of the first inning vs. Santa Clara on April 1, and trailed 5-4 in the seventh, before walking off with a 6-5 victory in 10 innings
• The comeback in the finale at Cal State Fullerton on February 17 marked the first comeback in the ninth inning or later since defeating Washington State 5-3 in nine innings on April 5, 2024 despite trailing 3-1 headed into the final frame
• The Cardinal managed 10 come-from-behind victories a year ago, including two in the seventh inning or later

A ROCK BEHIND THE DISH

• Catcher Charlie Saum was named to the Buster Posey Award Midseason Watchlist, the Wichita Sports Commission announced in April
• Saum was one of 56 Division I catchers to earn a spot on the watch list, including one of four from the Atlantic Coast Conference
• The award has been presented annually to the nation's most outstanding catcher since 2000; it was previously known as the Johnny Bench Award until renaming it after the famous Florida State and San Francisco Giants catcher, Buster Posey, in 2019
• Stanford has garnered the Buster Posey Award once in program history, with Ryan Garko earning the honor in 2003
• Malcolm Moore was a semifinalist for the award in 2024

THE BATS HAVE BEEN CONSISTENT

• The Cardinal offense has been pretty strong through the first 10 weeks of the season, batting .305 with 249 runs scored, 378 hits, 63 doubles, nine triples, 47 home runs and 235 RBIs while slugging .483 and posting a .384 on-base percentage ... batting average is fifth-best in the ACC while the .483 slugging ranks eighth
• Stanford is averaging 6.73 runs per game, 10.22 hits per game, 1.70 doubles per game and 1.27 home runs per game
• The Cardinal had a string of 16 straight games with a home run snapped on March 21 (29 home runs over the span) - the longest streak of games with a homer since belting 52 homers in an 18-game span from May 1 - June 3, 2022 ... Stanford has homered in all but 11 games this season
• Trevor Haskins has been one of the most dangerous hitters this year, compiling 38 runs scored, 10 doubles, 11 homers and 34 RBIs, while Brady Reynolds has scored 33 runs to go along with eight doubles, two triples, eight homers and 27 RBIs while batting .352 and slugging .648
• Jimmy Nati has scored 36 runs to go along with eight doubles, 10 homers and 35 RBIs while batting .322 and slugging .587
• Reynolds has hit safely in 23 of his 34 games this season, compiling 14 multi-hit games and six multi-RBI contests
• Haskins leads the team in multi-hit games with 17 and also paces the squad in multi-RBI games with 10
• Nati and Haskins have hit safely in all but five of their games played this season, and Temo Becerra and Tatum Marsh have hit safely in all but seven
• Nati has driven in at least one run in all but 13 games this season - including 13 of the last 21 entering the series vs. Wake Forest
• Freshman Tatum Marsh paces the squad in average, batting .386 with eight doubles, two triples and three homers while scoring 32 runs and driving in 21 ... Marsh has hit safely in all but seven of his games played this year, including seven straight, while reaching in 33 consecutive entering the weekend
• Rintaro Sasaki reached in each of his first 14 collegiate games, and has reached in all but five while posting 11 multi-hit games and seven multi-RBI contests
• Sasaki has hit safely in all but 12 contests to start his career, and posted his first three home runs in a series vs. Duke - including a two-homer game on March 15 - before adding one against Cal on March 22 and another vs. Notre Dame on April 20
• The Cardinal offense guided Stanford to a 9-0 start in the month of February, batting .340 with 81 runs scored, 19 doubles, five triples and 10 homers to post a .529 slugging percentage and a .434 on-base percentage
• Stanford's offense batted .291 with 102 runs scored, 22 doubles, a triple and 26 home runs in the month of March to boast a .478 slugging percentage
• Stanford hit .355 with 42 runs scored, 55 hits, 10 doubles, two triples and four home runs in four games to open the season at Cal State Fullerton
• The Cardinal hit .315 with 29 runs scored, seven doubles, two triples and five home runs to post a .524 slugging percentage in a four-game sweep of Washington in week two
• Stanford split a four-game series with Xavier in week three, batting .305 with 25 runs scored, seven doubles, a triple and six home runs
• The Cardinal managed 10 extra-base hits (five doubles, five home runs) and scored 21 runs over three games in a road series victory at No. 4 North Carolina to start ACC play
• Stanford swept an ACC home series against Duke, hitting .323 with two doubles, a triple and nine home runs to outscore the Blue Devils 26-7

READY TO PLAY RIGHT AWAY

• David Esquer wrote three freshmen into his Opening Day lineup, as Charlie Bates, Tatum Marsh and Rintaro Sasaki earned starts in their collegiate debuts
• The three freshmen are the most for the Cardinal in an Opening Day lineup since Adam Crampton, Kody Huff and Brock Jones started game one in 2020
• All three players have been key contributors this season, with Marsh batting a team-best .386 with 32 runs scored, eight doubles, two triples, three home runs and 21 RBIs ... Marsh fell a single short of the cycle on February 16 at Cal State Fullerton, including connecting for a go-ahead three-run home run in the sixth inning for his first collegiate round-tripper, and has made a handful of spectacular defensive plays in the outfield - including a diving catch at Virginia on March 29 that earned the No. 3 spot on SportsCenter's Top 10 plays
• Sasaki has driven in 31 runs while batting .272 with 15 runs scored, four doubles - including a three-RBI double to help spark a comeback victory over Cal State Fullerton on February 16 - and five home runs ... Sasaki homered three times in the series vs. Duke from March 14-16 while batting .429 with three runs scored and eight RBIs
• Bates hit .636 (7-for-11) with six runs scored, two doubles, two triples and one RBI in the four-game series vs. Washington from February 21-24 and has totaled a team-best three triples to go along with three doubles and 12 runs scored through his 18 games played

STACKED WINS TO START THE YEAR

• Stanford began the season 9-0 for the first time since opening the 2018 campaign at 10-0 - the first season under Clarke and Elizabeth Nelson Director of Baseball David Esquer
• The nine-game win streak to start the season was the longest win streak for Stanford since winning 17 straight from May 3 – June 3, 2022

FIREMEN AT THE BACK OF THE BULLPEN

• Stanford relievers Trevor Moore and Toran O’Harran were among the 76 players named to the initial 2025 Watch List for the 20th Annual National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award, presented to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I Baseball
• The list was updated on April 23, and although Moore and O'Harran were no longer listed, Aidan Keenan was added to the midseason watch list consisting of 56 pitchers
• There are 21 conferences represented on the midseason watch list, with the Southeastern Conference leading the way with nine relief pitchers ... the Atlantic Coast Conference follows with eight, while the Big 12 Conference has five
• The NCBWA will announce the finalists on Wednesday, June 4, with the winner being named on Friday, June 13 at the 2025 College World Series

CARDINAL TABBED EIGHTH IN PRESEASON POLL

• Preparing for its first season in the ACC, Stanford was picked to finish eighth in the conference standings according to the league’s coaches
• The Cardinal, which has made a trip to the College World Series in three of the last four seasons, is looking for a bounce-back year after missing the NCAA Tournament in 2024
• Virginia, one of four ACC squads to reach the College World Series a year ago, was selected as the 2025 ACC preseason favorites after garnering 13 of the 16 possible first-place votes ... Florida State and North Carolina, both of which made the College World Series in 2024, were slotted in second and third places, respectively ... the Seminoles logged 230 total points and two first-place votes, while the Tar Heels earned 217 total points
• Clemson recorded the final first-place vote and totaled 214 points as they were projected as the fourth-place finisher ... reigning ACC Champion Duke was slotted as the fifth-place team, earning 182 total points
• Wake Forest was tabbed as the sixth-place finisher with 171 total points, while NC State was picked narrowly behind the Demon Deacons with 168 total points ... like Florida State, North Carolina and Virginia, NC State also made a trip to the 2024 Men’s College World Series
• Stanford (143 points), Louisville (128) and Georgia Tech (113) rounded out the top 10 of the ACC’s preseason poll
• Seven of the 16 ACC teams entered the 2025 season ranked in the D1Baseball and Baseball America Top 25 polls, including Virginia checking in at No. 2 according to D1Baseball and No. 5 by Baseball America ... Clemson, Duke, Florida State, NC State, North Carolina and Wake Forest also entered the year ranked by the publications

RETURNERS GALORE

• Having used new faces across the diamond in 2024, Stanford now features a 2025 squad rich with experience
• Stanford returns all but one start and 469.2 of 481 innings (97.6%) from last year, with the lone lost start being Nate Fleischli’s 1.0 IP vs. UNLV on February 19, 2024
• The Cardinal returns 1,476 of 1,899 at bats (78%) from last year, including 85 of its 110 doubles, five of its seven triples, and 32 of its 55 home runs

REPPING THE RED, WHITE AND BLUE

• Matt Scott and Joey Volchko were selected to play with the 2024 United States Collegiate National Team following the conclusion of the season
• Scott pitched for the U.S. in the International Friendship Series vs. Chinese Taipei while Volchko played for Team USA in a Summer League tour
• Scott's squad swept all five games against Chinese Taipei and Volchko and the U.S. went 3-1 in four games on the summer circuit
• The International squad also defeated the Summer Tour group 4-3 in a Fourth of July game
• Scott got the start in the finale against Chinese Taipei, working four scoreless innings and allowing just one hit and a walk with two strikeouts
• Volchko got the start against the Coastal Plain League's best, allowing one run on one hit with seven strikeouts over four innings in a 2-1 victory for the Collegiate National Team
• Scott was a teammate of Wake Forest's Marek Houston with the U.S. Collegiate National Team

RINTARO HAS ARRIVED

• Rintaro Sasaki, the top-ranked high school baseball player in Japan, is in his first season on The Farm
• Sasaki has been tabbed the preseason National Freshman of the Year according to Baseball America and is the preseason Freshman of the Year pick in the ACC according to D1Baseball and Baseball America
• He entered the year ranked No. 1 among freshmen according to Baseball America and No. 3 according to Perfect Game
• Rintaro made his stateside debut last summer for the Trenton Thunder in the Draft League before finishing with an outstanding nine-game stint in the Appy League over which he slashed .391/.913/1.508 with three home runs and eight RBIs
• The power-hitting first baseman graduated from Hanamaki-Higashi High School in March of 2024, enrolled at Stanford for the spring quarter last year, and began practicing with the program upon his arrival in March
• While he practiced with the team during the 2024 campaign, Sasaki did not play in a game for the Cardinal
• "We are excited to welcome Rintaro into our Stanford family," David Esquer said following Sasaki's signing. "He may be the most high-profile international prospect to play college baseball in the United States in a long time. His power bat plays right into our style of play, and we look forward to him contributing immediately to help us achieve our goals of competing for and winning national titles."
• Sasaki hit a Japanese high school record 140 home runs, and was projected to be selected first overall in the Nippon Professional Baseball Draft, but forewent the Draft to attend Stanford
• According to scouts, in addition to boasting elite raw power, Sasaki has also shown an advanced approach at the plate - walking twice as many times as he struck out
• Training under his father, Hiroshi Sasaki, Sasaki posted an impressive slash line of .413/.514/.808 during his high school career
• Shohei Ohtani starred for Hanamaki-Higashi (while being coached by the elder Sasaki) before signing with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, while Yusei Kikuchi also prepped under Sasaki at Hanamaki-Higashi before playing for the Saitama Seibu Lions
• Helping to blaze a trail for Japanese high school players looking to play in the United States, Sasaki chose to attend Stanford for the quality of education and to take steps toward achieving his dream of playing in Major League Baseball

NO PLACE LIKE HOME

• Often considered one of the most beautiful college baseball facilities in the country, Klein Field at Sunken Diamond is the home to Stanford baseball
• The “Sunken Diamond” name comes from the excavation to provide fill for the earthen berm within which Stanford Stadium was built in 1921, leaving a large, sunken field
• The fixed seating capacity of Klein Field at Sunken Diamond is 2,113 ... with the addition of disabled seating and general admission lawn seating, the total capacity of the facility is 4,000
• The original dimensions were 360 feet to left field, 350 to right field, and 500 feet to center field ... in 1978, a new seven-foot high fence was installed, bringing the dimensions to the current 335 to both left and right fields, and 400 to center field ... the outfield fence was increased to 10 feet in 1995
• Sunken Diamond features ample foul ground from first to third base, with home plate sitting approximately 70 feet from the backstop

ACC BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

• Beginning this spring with the 2025 ACC Baseball Championship in Durham, N.C., all 16 teams in the ACC will compete in a single-elimination championship
• The championship will remain six days as it has in previous years, running from Tuesday, May 20, through Sunday, May 25, 2025, from Durham Bulls Athletic Park
• Since 2006, the ACC Baseball Championship has been played in a pool play or round-robin style format ... the tournament last expanded its field size in 2017, moving from 10 to 12 teams
• Under the new format, the top four seeds in the championship will be based off the performance in the regular season and will receive a double-bye into the quarterfinal round, which is scheduled to be held on Thursday and Friday ... seeds five through eight will earn a bye into Wednesday’s second round ... seeds 9-16 will begin play with four first-round games on Tuesday
• The single-elimination championship format will feature four games per day on Tuesday (first round) and Wednesday (second round) ... two quarterfinal games will take place on both Thursday and Friday, while Saturday will host the two semifinal contests ... Sunday will host the championship game
• The ACC Baseball Championship returns to Durham for the 14th time overall and the ninth time since 2009

GOODBYE PAC-12, HELLO ACC

• The 2024 season was Stanford's final in the Pac-12 conference, as the Cardinal joined Bay Area rival California as new members of the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2025
• Stanford was one of the oldest members of the Pac-12 Conference, joining the then Pacific Coast Conference, founded in 1915, for the 1918 season
• The Cardinal won 21 Pac-12 titles, with the first coming in 1924 and the last in 2023
• The ACC sent eight teams to the NCAA Tournament in 2024, including an NCAA-record tying four teams to the Men’s College World Series
• Five ACC baseball programs competed in the Super Regional round with four teams earning the right to host a year ago
• The ACC has placed at least one team in each of the last 18 College World Series and at least six teams in each of the last 20 NCAA Tournaments

HOME OF CHAMPIONS

• Stanford is the all-time leader with 136 NCAA team championships (71 men, 65 women), and 168 national championships overall (77 men, 89 women, 2 coed)
• So far this athletic year, Stanford has won a national title in artistic swimming
• The Cardinal owns the most recognizable streak in college athletics, having won at least one NCAA team title during each of the last 48 seasons, dating back to the 1976-77 campaign
• Entering the 2024-25 athletic year, the Cardinal has also produced 562 NCAA individual champions and 645 overall
• Stanford has won the Learfield Directors’ Cup in 26 of the possible 30 seasons, including a 25-year streak from 1995-2019

#OLYMPIANSMADEHERE

• Stanford concluded the 2024 Paris Olympic Games with a school-record 39 medals, shattering its previous best while cementing its reputation on the world’s biggest stage as the nation’s top collegiate program
• The 39 medals were 12 more than the previous record of 27 at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games
• Stanford’s haul of 39 medals (12 gold, 14 silver, 13 bronze) was the most by any school at one Olympics
• Cardinal student-athletes medaled in 13 of Stanford's 36 varsity sports: artistic swimming, women’s basketball, women’s fencing, men’s gymnastics, sailing, men’s rowing, women’s soccer, women’s swimming and diving, men’s track and field, men’s volleyball, women’s volleyball, men’s water polo, women’s water polo
• The Cardinal boasted 19 first-time medalists - a total that ranks second in school history behind the 21 at the 2008 Beijing Games
• If Stanford was a country in the 2024 Games, it would have finished tied with Canada for 11th place
• Boasting a school-record 59 Olympians with Cardinal ties, Stanford won at least 20 medals for the sixth time in school history (2020, 2016, 2008, 1996, 1924)
• The Cardinal’s 59 Olympians (20 male, 39 female) represented 14 countries across 20 varsity sports
• In addition to the 59 qualifiers, Stanford’s Olympic representation also included five alternates, one national team head coach and three national team assistant coaches
• For the third straight Olympics, Stanford totaled more Team USA selections (37) than any other school, reinforcing its status as the preeminent training ground for U.S. national team competition
• Stanford has won 128 medals combined over the last five Summer Games
• All told, Stanford’s affiliates have captured 335 overall medals (162 gold, 93 silver, 80 bronze) from 196 medalists, and the Cardinal has produced at least one medalist in every Olympics in which the U.S. has competed since 1912