April 16, 2002
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Saint Mary's (15-16, 7-5) at No. 2 Stanford (25-8, 4-2)
Tuesday, April 16, 6 pm, PT - RHP Matt Dolen (1-3, 6.84) vs. TBA
No. 2 Stanford at Washington (15-17-1, 3-3)
Friday, April 19, 6:30 pm, PT - RHP Jeremy Guthrie (6-0, 3.07) vs. RHP Shawn Kohn (6-2, 3.13)
Saturday, April 20, 1 pm, PT - LHP Tim Cunningham (5-2, 3.94) vs. RHP Sean White (3-2, 6.07)
Sunday, April 21, 1 pm, PT - RHP John Hudgins (6-0, 4.76) vs. RHP Clay Johnson (1-1, 8.65)
*A live audio broadcast of all four Stanford Baseball games this week will be available on KZSU (90.1 FM) as well as online at gostanford.com ... Chad Goldberg will call all the action with Nick Kapur providing color analysis for Tuesday's home game ... Live stats will also be available at gostanford.com.
STANFORD BASEBALL QUICK TEAM NOTES
Stanford will host Saint Mary's in a non-conference game this evening to conclude a five-game homestand before returning to Pac-10 action with a three-game series at Washington this Friday-Sunday ... Stanford is a perfect 3-0 in Tuesday games this year with wins over Brigham Young (2/12), USF (4/2) and San Jose State (4/9) ... Stanford has won 12 straight regular season series after taking two-of-three games over USC last weekend and has won 17 of its last 21 games overall ... Stanford currently is in third place in the Pac-10 with a 4-2 conference record, one game behind first place Arizona State (8-4) and one-half game behind second place USC (6-3) ... The Cardinal is 10-0 in series openers, 7-3 in series finales and 5-5 in the middle game of the series ... Stanford has come from behind in 11 of its 25 victories ... Stanford has scored five or more runs in an inning 16 times this season, most recently with six runs in the bottom of the seventh versus USC (4/14) ... Stanford is averaging 8.5 runs per game, has reached double figure runs 10 times and double figure hits on 24 occasions ... Stanford is currently hitting .326 (.011 behind the school record pace of .337 set in 1981), has a 4.12 ERA and a .970 fielding percentage after going errorless in each of its last two games ... Stanford's 25-8 record this season is one game behind the team's 26-7 mark through 33 games a year ago ... Stanford has yet to lose two games in a row this season and has put together a pair of five-game win streaks (2/24 - 3/8, 3/10 - 3/28) ... Stanford has "won every inning" this year, outscoring its opponents in every frame of action ... Stanford is now the nation's No. 2 team behind Clemson in national polls by Baseball America and Baseball Weekly/ESPN, as well as No. 3 in Collegiate Baseball and No. 4 in the NCBWA rankings ... Stanford is attempting to qualify for the College World Series for the fourth consecutive season as the 2002 senior class is looking to become the first class of Stanford Baseball players to reach Omaha in each of its four years ... Stanford has qualified for the CWS title game in each of the last two years ... Stanford is coming off three straight 50-win seasons for the first time in school history and has compiled a record of 176-56 (.759) since 1999.
STANFORD BASEBALL QUICK INDIVIDUAL NOTES
National Player of the Year candidate Jason Cooper was named Pac-10 and NCBWA National Player of the Week after hitting four homers and driving in 10 runs in four games last week ... Cooper continues to lead the team with a .400 batting average, 10 homers and 39 RBI ... Chris O'Riordan (.362, 224-620) has moved back into second place on Stanford's career batting average list and is only one percentage point behind all-time leader Jack Shepard (.362) ... O'Riordan is second among regulars with a .358 batting average and leads the team in hits (49) and bases on balls (23) ... Stanford's regular starting rotation of Jeremy Guthrie, Tim Cunningham and John Hudgins is a combined 17-2 with a 3.82 ERA ... Guthrie has won 11 consecutive decisions, while leading the team in strikeouts (66) and innings pitched (73.1).
STANFORD-SAINT MARY'S PREVIEW AND HISTORY
Stanford has won 17 of its last 21 games and will face a Saint Mary's team playing its best baseball of the season with six wins in its last seven games. The Gaels have improved to 15-16 by going 15-10 after an 0-6 start. Stanford is hitting .326 with a 4.12 ERA and a .970 fielding percentage. Saint Mary's is hitting .281 with a 5.77 ERA and a stellar .976 fielding percentage. Last year, Stanford defeated Saint Mary's by a final score of 8-3 at Sunken Diamond (3/27) and leads the all-time series, 44-8. The Cardinal has won the last 15 meetings between the schools with the last Saint Mary's victory coming with a 1-0 win at Stanford on February 1, 1994.
A CLOSER LOOK AT LAST YEAR'S STANFORD-SAINT MARY'S GAME
at Stanford 8, Saint Mary's 3 (March 27, 2001) - Stanford extended its win streak to eight games with an 8-3 win over Saint Mary's. Stanford trailed 3-2 before scoring three times in the bottom of the fifth inning to take a 5-3 lead. Stanford's Arik VanZandt (2-3) and Tim Spooner (2-4, HR, RBI) of Saint Mary's were the only players from either team with more than one hit. Jason Luker (1-0), the second of five Stanford pitchers, was credited with the win by tossing a pair of shutout innings. Saint Mary's reliever Mike Byer (2-3) suffered the loss, giving up six hits and six runs (five earned) in 4.0 innings.
Saint Mary's.......... 012 000 000 - 3 7 2 Stanford.............. 101 030 12x - 8 9 0Win-Luker(1-0) Loss-Byer(2-3) Save-None T-2:43 A-1765
BATTERIES: Saint Mary's - Yourkin, Shaffer (3), Byer (5) and Houle. Stanford - Wodnicki, Luker (4), Hudgins (6), McCally (8), Willcox (9) and Garko. HRs: Saint Mary's - Spooner (2nd, solo in 2nd).
STANFORD-WASHINGTON BASEBALL SERIES PREVIEW AND HISTORY
Stanford will travel to Washington for a three-game Pac-10 series this Friday-Sunday, April 19-21 (6:30 pm, 1 pm, 1 pm, PT). Stanford currently sits in third place in the Pac-10, one game behind first place Arizona State (24-13, 8-4 Pac-10) and one-half game behind second-place USC (20-16, 6-3 Pac-10), but has the least losses in the conference with a 4-2 Pac-10 mark. Washington has evened its Pac-10 record at 3-3 after taking two-of-three games against Washington State. The Huskies have still lost nine of their last 12 games and recently suffered through a seven-game losing streak. Stanford has won eight straight games between the clubs with the last Washington victory coming in a 3-2 win at Washington on April 9, 1999. Last year, the Cardinal swept the Huskies in a three-game series at Sunken Diamond (3/23, 9-3, 3/24, 9-0, 3/25, 13-4). Stanford leads the all-time series, 28-9.
A CLOSER LOOK AT LAST YEAR'S STANFORD-WASHINGTON GAMES
at Stanford 13, Washington 4 (March 25, 2002) - Stanford completed a three-game sweep over Washington with a 13-4 victory. Carlos Quentin led the club's offensive attack, going 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBI. Mike Gosling picked up his first win of the season by striking out six in 3.1 innings of middle relief. Stanford jumped out to an 11-0 lead after the first four innings. Jason VanMeetren (2-2, 2B) and Scott Dragicevich (2-4, 2B, 2 RBI) also had multiple-hit days for the Cardinal. VanMeetren reached base all five times, also walking twice and being hit by a pitch. Ben Miller (3-5, 2 2B, RBI) and John Otness (2-3, 2B) led Washington's offense.
Washington............. 000 022 000 - 4 9 2 Stanford............... 024 500 02x - 13 13 0Win-Gosling(1-0) Loss-Carlsen(1-1) Save-None T-3:14 A-2487
BATTERIES: Washington - White, Carlsen (2), Gardner (3), Kohn (4) and Yarbrough, Rice (8). Stanford - Cunningham, Gosling (5), Willcox (9) and Tirpack. HRs: Stanford - Quentin (3rd, 2-run in 8th).
at Stanford 9, Washington 0 (March 24, 2002) - Stanford collected 16 hits and cruised to a 9-0 victory over Washington. Jeff Bruksch pitched 7.0 scoreless innings to pick up the victory, scattering three hits and striking out nine. Jason VanMeetren (3-5, 2B, HR, 2 RBI), Carlos Quentin (3-5, RBI) and Sam Fuld (3-5) led Stanford's hitting attack, while Scott Dragicevich (2-3, 2B) and Andy Topham (2-5, RBI) added two-hit days. Jay Garthwaite (2-3) had two of the three Husky hits. Clay Johnson suffered his first loss of the season, giving up six runs (five earned) and eight hits over the first 4.0 innings.
Washington............. 000 000 000 - 0 3 3 Stanford............... 024 500 02X - 9 16 2Win-Bruksch (5-0) Loss-Johnson (3-1) Save-None T-2:55 A-1835
BATTERIES: Washington - Johnson, Daniels (5) and Rice, Yarbrough (7). Stanford - Bruksch, McCally (8) and Tirpack. HRs: Stanford - VanMeetren (5th, 2-run in 3rd).
at Stanford 9, Washington 3 (March 23, 2002) - Stanford began its quest for a fifth straight Pac-10 baseball title with a 9-3 victory over Washington. Jeremy Guthrie improved to 6-0 on the season by striking out nine while scattering seven hits and three runs (two earned) over the first 8.0 innings. Guthrie tossed six straight scoreless innings from the second through the seventh frames. Eight of Stanford's nine starters combined for 10 hits with Brian Hall (2-3, 2 RBI) and Arik VanZandt (2-5, RBI) leading the attack. Stanford's five-run fourth inning snapped a 1-1 tie and gave the Cardinal the lead for good. Tim Rice (2-4) and Brian Johnson (2 RBI) led Washington's offensive attack. Tyler Shepple (0-3) suffered the loss for the Huskies, giving up seven hits and six runs in 3.2 innings.
Washington............. 100 000 020 - 3 7 1 Stanford............... 010 510 20x - 9 10 1Win-Guthrie(6-0) Loss-Shepple(0-3) Save-None T-2:33 A-1946
BATTERIES: Washington - Shepple, Bomar (5), Gibson (8) and Rice. Stanford - Guthrie, Wodnicki (9) and Tirpack. HRs: None.
2002 STANFORD-USC PAC-10 SERIES GAME REVIEWS
at Stanford 15, USC 4 (April 14, 2002) - Stanford rolled to a 15-4 victory over USC in the finale of a three-game set to extend its regular season series win streak to 12 dating back to last year. Arik VanZandt (3-4, HR, 3 RBI, SB), Jason Cooper (2-3, HR, 3 RBI) and Brian Hall (2-4, 2B, HR, 4 RBI) all hit three-run homers for Stanford as the Cardinal tallied 11 long balls in the three-game series. Cooper's homer was his 10th of the season to set a new career-high. John Hudgins (6-0) picked up the victory, winning for the fifth time in his last six starts as he allowed four runs and scattered nine hits over the first 7.0 innings. Four USC players - Anthony Lunetta (2-3), Concepcion (2-4, HR, 2 RBI), Brian Barre (2-4, HR, RBI) and Michael Moon (2-4) - had two hits each. Sam Fuld (2-3, 3 RBI), Andy Topham (2-5, 2B) and Danny Putnam (2-6, RBI, SB) added two hits each for the Cardinal. J.P. Howell (3-4) suffered the loss for the Trojans.
USC................... 001 100 020 - 4 11 2 Stanford.............. 020 043 60x - 15 14 0Win-Hudgins(6-0) Loss-Howell(3-4) Save-None T-3:21 A-3348
USC - Howell, Olson (5), Clark (6), Campos (8) and Bonovich. Stanford - Hudgins, McCally (8) and Garko, Lucy (9). HRs: USC - Barre (8th, solo in 3rd), Concepcion (6th, solo in 4th). Stanford - VanZandt (3rd, 3-run in 5th), Cooper (10th, 3-run in 7th), Hall (3rd, 3-run in 7th).
USC 16, at Stanford 11 (April 13, 2002) - USC held on for a wild 16-11 victory over Stanford. The Trojans jumped out to an 11-0 lead after the first inning and a half, scoring six runs in the top of the first inning and five more in the second. David Gordon (4-5, 2 2B, 4 RBI) led the USC offense, while Jason Cooper had his second two-homer game of the season as the Cardinal homered a season-high five times as Carlos Quentin, Arik VanZandt and Brian Hall also went deep. Chris O'Riordan (3-5, RBI) had three hits for the Cardinal. USC's Matt Chico picked up the victory, while Stanford's Tim Cunningham suffered the loss.
USC.................. 650 003 011 - 16 16 1 Stanford............. 030 040 103 - 11 12 0Win-Chico(5-3) Loss-Cunningham(5-2) T-3:21 A-2930
USC - Chico, Bt. Bannister (6), Rummonds (7), Campos (9) and Bonovich. Stanford -Cunningham, Jecmen (2), Ehrlich (6), Dyer (8) and Garko. HRs: USC - Metropoulos (3-run in 1st), Stanford - Cooper 2 (solo in 2nd, 3-run in 9th), Hall (2-run in 2nd), Quentin (3-run in 5th), VanZandt (solo in 7th).
at Stanford 6, USC 5 (April 12, 2002) - Sam Fuld singled down the left field line with one out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th inning to lift Stanford to a 6-5 victory over USC. Stanford had three solo homers in the contest by Danny Putnam, Chris O'Riordan and Chris Carter. Ryan Garko (2-4, 2B), O'Riordan (2-4, HR, RBI), Putnam (2-5, HR, 2 RBI) and Andy Topham (2-5) had two hits each as the Cardinal registered 13 hits. Michael Morales (2-4), Brian Barre (2-5, 2B, 2 RBI) and Michael Moon (2-5, RBI) had two hits each for the Trojans. Stanford reliever Ryan McCally (3-0) earned the victory, while Jon Williams (4-2) took the loss.
USC.................. 200 020 000 1 - 5 7 3 Stanford............. 010 001 110 2 - 6 13 3Win-McCally(3-0) Loss-Williams(4-2) Save-None T-3:25 A-3001
BATTERIES: USC - Reyes, Bt. Bannister (7), Howell (8), Williams (8), Rummonds (10) and Bonovich. Stanford - Guthrie, McCally (10) and Garko, Lucy (10). HRs: Stanford - Putnam (1st, solo in 2nd), O'Riordan (6th, solo in 6th), Carter (2nd, solo in 7th).
STANFORD REMAINS AT NO. 2 IN TWO OF FOUR MAJOR NATIONAL POLLS
Stanford remains at No. 2 this week in the latest national polls released April 15 by Baseball America and Baseball Weekly/ESPN. The Cardinal dropped one spot to No. 3 in the most recent Collegiate Baseball and two spots to No. 4 in this week's NCBWA poll. Stanford began the season as the nation's unanimous No. 1 team and stayed on top of the Baseball America poll for the first seven weeks of the season. Stanford spent two weeks (4/9 - 4/16) last year as the nation's unanimous No. 1 team and six weeks as Baseball America's top team (3/12 - 4/16) before finishing the year at No. 2 in all four polls. Stanford has been ranked No. 1 at one point during each of the past six years (including 2002). Stanford's poll history includes a run as "king of the polls" in 1998 when the team held the top spot in the Baseball America poll for the entire regular season (a record 14 consecutive weeks). Arizona State (No. 23 Baseball America, No. 14 Baseball Weekly/ESPN, No. 22 Collegiate Baseball, No. 15 NCBWA) is the only other Pac-10 team currently ranked.
STANFORD EXTENDS REGULAR SEASON SERIES WIN STREAK TO 12
Stanford has extended its regular season series win streak to 12 after defeating USC two-of-three games (4/12 - 4/14) in its most recent Pac-10 series. The Cardinal began the streak last season with series victories over Arizona (5/11 - 5/13/01) and at Washington State (5/18 - 5/20/01). This year, the Cardinal has won its first 10 regular season series versus Cal State Fullerton (2/1 - 2/3), at Florida State (2/8 - 2/10), at Fresno State (2/15 - 2/18), versus Santa Clara (2/22 - 2/24), versus Cal Poly (3/1 - 3/3), at California (3/8 - 3/10), at USC (3/23 - 3/24), versus Texas (3/28 - 3/30), at Arizona (4/5 - 4/7) and versus USC (4/12 - 4/14). Stanford has three sweeps (first Arizona series, Cal Poly, first USC series) during the stretch and has won two-of-three games in the other nine series. Stanford had previously won 17 consecutive series before being defeated two-of-three games in back-to-back series at USC (4/20 - 4/22/01) and at California (4/27 - 4/29/01) last season and has now 29 of its last 31 regular season series overall.
STANFORD WINNERS 17 TIMES IN LAST 21 GAMES
Stanford has won 17 of its last 21 games after starting this season with a moderate 8-4 record. The Cardinal began a five-game win streak with a win over Santa Clara (2/24) before sweeping Cal Poly (3/1 - 3/3) and taking the first game in a series at California (3/8). After dropping the middle game of the series at California (3/9), Stanford won another five straight games with a victory at California (3/10), a three-game sweep at USC (3/23 - 3/24) and a win in the series-opener versus Texas. The Cardinal then dropped the middle game of the series versus Texas (3/29) before four straight wins over Texas (3/30), USF (4/2) and the first two games of a series at Arizona (4/5 - 4/6). Stanford then dropped a game at Arizona (4/7) before defeating San Jose State (4/9). Most recently Stanford won the series opener (4/12) and series finale (4/14) versus USC (4/14) with a loss to the Trojans squeezed in the middle (4/13).
CARDINAL 10-0 IN SERIES-OPENERS
Stanford improved to 10-0 in series-openers with a dramatic 6-5 comeback victory in 10 innings over USC (4/12). Stanford also has series-opening victories this season versus Cal State Fullerton (2/1, 7-4), at Florida State (2/8, 9-3), at Fresno State (2/15, 6-2), versus Santa Clara (2/22, 5-4), versus Cal Poly (3/1, 8-6), at California (3/8, 15-4), at USC, 9-6 (3/23 - Game 1), versus Texas (3/28, 7-6 in 10 innings) and at Arizona (4/5, 5-4 in 18 innings).
COMEBACK CARDINAL
Stanford has trailed before coming back to win in 11 of its 25 victories this season -- (vs. Cal State Fullerton, 2/1, 2/2, at Florida State, 2/9, vs. Santa Clara, 2/22, 2/24, at Cal, 3/8, vs. Texas, 3/28, at Arizona, 4/5, at USC, 3/23 - Game 1, vs. San Jose State, 4/9, vs. USC, 4/11).
WINNING THE CLOSE ONES
Stanford has been successful in extra-inning and one-run games this season. The Cardinal have posted a 4-1 mark in extra-inning contests as Stanford has gone extra frames in five of its last 10 outings. Stanford is also 7-2 in one-run games.
JASON COOPER WINS NATIONAL AND PAC-10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
Jason Cooper earned NCBWA National Player of the Week (4/16) and Pac-10 Player of the Week (4/15) honors after hitting four homers and driving in 10 runs in four games last week. Cooper had a key three-run homer to help the Cardinal to a comeback win over San Jose State (4/9) and had his second two-homer game of the season versus USC (4/13).
CARDINAL HITS 11 HOMERS IN RECENT THREE-GAME USC SERIES
Stanford hit 11 homers in its three-game series versus USC (4/12 - 4/14). Stanford homered a season-high five times in the middle game of the series, a wild 16-11 loss to the Trojans. The Cardinal also went deep three times in both the series opener and finale, both Stanford wins. Jason Cooper hit three of the 11 homers, while Arik VanZandt and Brian Hall both hit a pair of longballs. The other four homers came from Chris O'Riordan, Danny Putnam, Chris Carter and Carlos Quentin.
CHRIS O'RIORDAN MAKING A RUN AT TOP OF CAREER BATTING AVERAGE LIST
Chris O'Riordan has moved back into second place on the school's all-time career batting average list (.361, 224-620) after going 15-for-33 (.455) during his current seven-game hit streak.
O'RIORDAN AND COOPER BOAST CURRENT SEVEN-GAME HIT STREAKS
Chris O'Riordan (4/5 - 4/14) and Jason Cooper (4/2 - 4/14) both have current seven-game hit streaks. O'Riordan is 15-for-33 (.455) with a double, three homers and five RBI during his streak, while Cooper is 12-for-32 (.375) with two doubles, a triple, five homers and 12 RBI.
GUTHRIE KEEPS 11-GAME WIN STREAK WITH THIRD STRAIGHT NO-DECISION
Jeremy Guthrie has picked up no decisions in each of his last three starts versus USC (4/12), at Arizona (4/5) and versus Texas (3/28) to keep his 11-game win streak on the mound alive. Guthrie has arguably had two of his better performances in his last two outings, combining for 19.0 innings pitched and a 2.37 ERA as the Cardinal won in extra innings against both USC (7-6 in 10 innings) and Arizona (5-4 in 18 innings). In his previous start against Texas (3/28), Guthrie was taken off the hook for the loss when Chris O'Riordan hit a grandslam with a two outs in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game before the Cardinal eventually won 7-6 in 10 innings. Guthrie has picked up six victories and four no decisions in his 10 starts this year. Guthrie was 8-4 at one point last season before winning his final five decisions of 2001. Guthrie was last defeated at Sacramento State on May 2, 2001.
REGULAR STARTING PITCHING ROTATION NOW 17-2 WITH 3.82 ERA
Stanford's regular starting pitching rotation of Jeremy Guthrie (6-0, 3.07, 73.1 IP, 66 SO), Tim Cunningham (5-2, 3.94, 61.2 IP, 34 SO) and John Hudgins (6-0, 4.76, 51.0 IP, 38 SO) has improved to a combined 17-2 with a 3.82 ERA this season.
BIG INNING BONANZA
Stanford continued to show its proficiency for big innings this year by scoring six times in the bottom of the seventh inning of a 15-4 victory over USC (4/14) in its most recent game. The Cardinal has already scored five or more runs in an inning 16 times in 2002. Following is a complete list of innings in which the Cardinal has scored five or more runs this season ... Cal State Fullerton (2/2, 17-1, 9 runs in 4th) ... at Florida State (2/8, 9-3, 7 runs in 1st) ... at Florida State (2/9, 15-11, 5 runs in 5th, 5 runs in 8th) ... Brigham Young (2/12, 8-1, 5 runs in 5th) ... at Santa Clara (2/23, 9-13, 6 runs in 1st) ... Cal Poly (3/2, 18-5, 8 runs in 2nd, 6 runs in 6th) ... Cal Poly (3/3, 7 runs in 2nd) ... California (3/8, 15-4, 7 runs in 7th, 8 runs in 8th) ... at USC (3/23 - Game 1, 9-6, 5 runs in 6th) ... Texas (3/28, 7-6 in 10 innings, 5 runs in 9th) ... at Arizona (4/6, 7 runs in 7th) * at Arizona (4/7, 13-15, 7 runs in 2nd) ... USC (4/14, 15-4, 6 runs in 7th).
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
Stanford is averaging a 2587 fans through its first 17 home games compared to an average of 1940 through the first 17 games last year, an increase of 647 per game ... John Hudgins tossed the first complete game of his career and the only complete game by a Stanford pitcher this year in a 7-2 win over Texas (3/30) ... Carlos Quentin set a new NCAA Division I single game record when he was hit by five pitches at Florida State (2/9) ... Stanford is 12-2 at home and 11-5 on the road ... Stanford was picked first in the 2002 Preseason Pac-10 Coaches Poll.
AVOIDING LOSING STREAKS
Stanford has yet to lose two straight games this season. Last year, the Cardinal had only two losing streaks, dropping three straight from April 17-21 and two in a row from April 27-28.
STANFORD BASEBALL HISTORY
Stanford's storied baseball program has had many highlights as the program is in its 109th season with an all-time record of 2304-1456-32 (.612). The Cardinal won NCAA titles in 1987 and 1988 before returning to the CWS championship game in each of the last two years (2000, 2001). The program has had winning seasons in 36 of its last 37 campaigns (also 53 of the last 55), has recorded three straight 50-win seasons for the first time in school history (1999-2001) and reached the 40-win mark in seven consecutive campaigns (1995-2001). Just a few of the other highlights have included 13 College World Series appearances, 18 conference titles and 22 NCAA Tournament berths. Stanford has boasted a total of 43 All-Americans who have earned a total of 50 All-American honors. Stanford has also garnered three NCAA Player of the Year choices in Jeff Austin (1998), David McCarty (1991) and Steve Dunning (1970). Other numbers for the Cardinal Baseball program include 96 All-Conference players earning a total of 121 All-Conference honors, 57 major league players and 12 first round draft picks in the last 15 years.
UP NEXT FOR THE CARDINAL
Stanford will continue its season with four games next week. The Cardinal hosts Sacramento State in a game on Wednesday, April 24 (6 pm) before travelling again to the Northwest for a three-game series at Oregon State next Friday-Sunday, April 26-28 (3 pm, 1 pm, 1 pm, PT).
OFFENSIVE REPORT
Stanford's team batting average currently sits at .326, just .011 percentage points lower than its school record of .337 set in 1981. The team's batting average dropped to a season-low .315 at one point but the Cardinal has rebounded with 12 or more hits in six of its last seven games. The recent surge included season-highs of 19 runs and 26 hits in a 19-1 win at Arizona (4/6). Stanford has posted double-digit runs four of its last six games and 10 times overall. The team also has double-digit hits in 24 of its first 33 games and is averaging 8.5 runs per game. Jason Cooper continues to lead the team in batting average (.400), homers (10), RBI (39), total bases (88) and slugging percentage (.773). Chris O'Riordan leads the team in hits (49), walks (23) and on-base percentage (.453). Sam Fuld is the team-leader in doubles (12) and at bats (149), while Ryan Garko leads the club with 39 runs scored. Carlos Quentin paces the squad with three triples and has been hit by a team-high 12 pitches. Brian Hall and Arik VanZandt co-lead the team with seven stolen bases. O'Riordan (.358), VanZandt (.347), Quentin (.333), Garko (.320), Fuld (.315), Scott Dragicevich (.308) and Andy Topham (.307) are other regulars hitting above .300.
PITCHING REPORT
Stanford's ERA currently sits at 4.12 through its first 33 games, 0.62 higher than last year's final 3.50 mark. Stanford's regular starting rotation of Jeremy Guthrie (6-0, 3.07, 73.1 IP, 66 SO), Tim Cunningham (5-2, 3.94, 61.2 IP, 34 SO) and John Hudgins (6-0, 4.76, 51.0 IP, 38 SO) is a combined 17-2 with a 3.82 ERA. Guthrie leads the club in innings pitched and strikeouts, while co-leading the team along with Hudgins in victories. Cunningham is second in innings pitched and victories. Guthrie had the team's longest performance of the year with a career-high 10.0 innings pitched at Arizona (4/5). Hudgins is second on the club in strikeouts (38) and has the staff's only complete game in a 7-2 win over Texas (3/30). Several other pitchers have also been effective out of the bullpen, including Jonny Dyer (2-0, 1.23, 7.1 IP, 5 SO), Dan Rich (0-0, 1.93, 1 SV, 9.1 IP, 12 SO), Ryan McCally (3-0, 2.57, 4 SV, 28.0 IP, 27 SO), David O'Hagan (0-0, 3.48, 10.1 IP, 7 SO), Darin Naatjes (2-0, 3.86, 2 SV, 9.1 IP, 13 SO) and Drew Ehrlich (0-2, 5.34, 2 SV, 28.2 IP, 32 SO). McCally has allowed just two earned runs in 26.2 innings of relief work this year and pitched a career-high 8.0 innings of relief at Arizona (4/5) to pick up the victory in a 5-4 Stanford victory in 18 innings.
DEFENSIVE REPORT
Stanford's fielding percentage has moved back up to .970, just .007 below last year's .977 school record and nation's best mark, after being errorless in its last two games. Stanford has been errorless in eight of its last 15 games and a total of 11 games this year. Ryan Garko leads the club with 208 putouts, while Chris O'Riordan has a team-high 117 assists. The Cardinal has turned 44 double plays, including a season-high four at Fresno State (2/18). Arik VanZandt posted a team season-best 15 putouts at Arizona (4/6). O'Riordan had a team season-best 10 assists at Arizona (4/5).
STANFORD HEAD COACH MARK MARQUESS
One of the nation's premier collegiate coaches, Mark Marquess is in his 26th season at the helm of Stanford Baseball in 2002. Marquess has a career record of 1071-523-5 (.671), all at Stanford, and will coach in his 1600th game at Stanford versus Saint Mary's on Tuesday, April 16. Last year, he became the 23rd coach in the history of NCAA Division I baseball to reach the 1000-win mark with a 6-2 victory over Florida State in a game played on February 9, 2001. The 1969 Stanford graduate has led the Cardinal to two NCAA titles (1987, '88) and two other CWS title game appearances (2000, '01), as well as 11 College World Series appearances (1982, '83, '85, '87, '88, '90, '95, '97, '99, 2000, '01), 11 NCAA Regional titles (1982, '83, '85, '87, '88, '90, '95, '97, '99, 2000, '01), 10 Pac-10 or Pac-10 Southern Division regular season titles (1983, '84, '85, '87, '90, '94, '97, '98, '99, 2000) and three NCAA Super Regional championships (1999, 2000, '01). The Cardinal has qualified for the NCAA Tournament 19 times under Marquess. He began the 2002 season ranked 12th in victories and 16th in winning percentage among active Division I baseball coaches, while ranking 23rd on the all-time victory list and 42nd on the all-time winning percentage list. He has been named NCAA Coach of the Year three times (1985, '87, '88) and has received Pac-10 or Pac-10 Southern Division Coach of the Year honors on eight occasions (1983, '85, '87, '90, '94, '97, '98, '99). The Cardinal has suffered just one losing season during his tenure and has finished either first or second in the prestigious Pacific-10 (formerly Pac-10 Southern Division) 19 times in the last 21 seasons. Stanford has had 99 professional baseball draft picks in the past 17 seasons, including 12 first round selections in the last 15 years. A member of the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, Marquess was the head coach of the 1988 United States Olympic baseball team that captured the gold medal. Marquess was also an accomplished football and baseball standout on The Farm and is a member of the Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame. He is one of only six collegiate baseball head coaches to have both played and coached in the College World Series. Marquess was the starting first baseman and a First Team All-American on Stanford's 1967 College World Series squad and played four seasons of minor league baseball with the Chicago White Sox organization.
COMMENTS FROM MARK MARQUESS
(on the upcoming Washington series) "Washington plays very well at home, so we're expecting a tough weekend at their place. They are difficult to beat at home. It will be a good test for us with the first of two weekends back-to-back in the Northwest."
(on winning two-of-three versus USC) "It was big for us and the rest of the league for us to win that third game on Sunday. It helped to keep everybody in the Pac-10 race to give them another loss by bunching everything up."
(on Stanford's home run surge versus USC) "Obviously, we hit the ball with some power, and I was pleased with that power."
(on Jason Cooper) "Jason is having a great year for us, and he's been key for us. It's really the first year he's been totally healthy. He is a very dangerous hitter. We're lucky to have him. I'm glad he's hung in there during his first two years."
(on using lots of different lineups) "I'd like the lineup to be more set, but I'm not sure that it will be. It'll probably fluctuate because our depth affords us the luxury to play some different guys."
(on playing three of the first four Pac-10 series on the road) "You prefer not to do that, but that's the way the schedule broke for us. When you play nine of the first 12 games on the road, you have a chance to get down. The first 12 games will be tough for us with USC being our only home series in the group."
(on the team's offensive performance at Arizona) "Normally, there's a lot of offense at Arizona with their hard surface and winds. But, we swung the bats well in the last two days of the series."
(on the balance in the Pac-10) "Anybody is capable of beating another Pac-10 team in a series. All the teams have enough talent to do that. The league is very unpredictable. The team that's going to win the league is one that can get a couple of sweeps and not get swept, but that will be difficult to do. I would be surprised if anybody ran away with the league title."
STANFORD COACHING STAFF
Dean Stotz is in his 26th campaign with Stanford Baseball and his third season as associate head coach after he was promoted to the position prior to the 2000 campaign. Stotz served for 23 years as an assistant. Stotz currently coaches third base while also handling various offensive and defensive aspects of the game. Tom Kunis (3rd season) handles the Cardinal pitching staff, while Dave Nakama (3rd season) returns as an assistant coach after three seasons as the head coach at San Francisco State. Nakama, also a Cardinal assistant in 1997 and 1998, assists with all aspects of the game and serves as Stanford's first base coach.