April 15, 2003
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Tue., April 15, 6 pm (SJSU) - RHP Matt Winck (1-1, 3.67) vs. LHP Mark Romanczuk (6-0, 4.36)
Thu., April 17, 6 pm (OSU) - LHP Ben Rowe (3-3, 6.07) vs. John Hudgins (6-2, 3.00)
Fri., April 18, 6 pm (OSU) - RHP Stephen Copeland (3-3, 6.56) vs. Ryan McCally (3-1, 4.58)
Sat., April 19, 1 pm (OSU) - TBA vs. TBA
All four Stanford Baseball games this week are scheduled to be broadcast on the air at KZSU (90.1 FM) as well as online at gostanford.com ... Nick Kapur and Sammy Sheribati will be on the microphone for Tuesday night's game versus San Jose State ... Chad Goldberg and Sam Stefanki will call the action versus Oregon State ... A Gametracker with live stats will also be available from a link at gostanford.com.
STANFORD BASEBALL QUICK TEAM NOTES
Stanford will host San Jose State (Tuesday, April 15, 6 pm) and Oregon State (Thursday-Saturday, April 17-19, 6 pm, 6 pm, 1 pm) for four consecutive home games in a five-day period this week ... Stanford has maintained its No. 4 ranking in the latest Baseball America poll released April 14 for the third straight week and is also ranked No. 4 by Collegiate Baseball, as well as No. 5 by the NCBWA and No. 7 by Sports Weekly/ESPN ... Stanford has won seven straight series and 20 of its last 25 games overall ... Stanford is 16-8 in non-conference games this year ... The Cardinal is currently in first place in the Pac-10 standings with a 7-2 conference record (one game ahead of 6-3 Arizona State, two games ahead of 5-4 Arizona and USC) with five straight Pac-10 wins after splitting its first four Pac-10 contests ... Stanford has won 16 career Pac-10 championships (includes Southern Division and shared titles) and finished either first or second in the conference 20 times in the last 22 years ... Stanford has reached double-digits in hits in 16 of its last 17 games and has raised its team batting average of .325 (#3 Pac-10), its highest since the team had 15 hits in its season-opener versus Santa Clara ... Stanford's pitching staff has held its opponents to a Pac-10 low .250 batting average ... Stanford is 43-9 at Sunken Diamond over the past two seasons and 14-5 this year ... Stanford is looking to extend its school record of consecutive appearances at the College World Series to five.
STANFORD BASEBALL QUICK INDIVIDUAL NOTES
Carlos Quentin and Ryan Garko have been swinging the team's hottest bats ... Quentin has a current 21-game hit streak (.488, 41-84) and leads the club in batting average (.421) and is attempting to become the first Stanford player to hit .400 or better since David McCarty finished the 1991 season with a .420 mark ... Quentin also paces the team in hits (53), doubles (16), walks (24), hit-by-pitches (9), extra-base hits (21) and on-base percentage (.534) ... Garko is the team's leader in homers (9), RBI (46), slugging percentage (.672), multiple-RBI games (15) and multiple-hit contests (17, co-leader), and is hitting .585 (24-41) with five homers and 21 RBI during his current season-high 10 game hit streak ... Tobin Swope co-leads the club with 17 multiple-hit games ... John Hudgins leads the conference and the team with 81.0 innings pitched and 78 strikeouts.
STANFORD-SAN JOSE STATE AND STANFORD-OREGON STATE PREVIEWS
Stanford begins a busy stretch of four games in five days by hosting San Jose State this Tuesday, April 15. The Cardinal holds an all-time 72-30 lead in the series. Last year, the teams split a pair of games with both clubs winning on their home field (at Stanford 5-4, April 9; at San Jose State 12-0, May 1). San Jose State last won at Sunken Diamond with a 4-1 victory on March 11, 2001. Stanford leads Oregon State in the all-time series, 30-11. Last year, Oregon State took two-of-three over Stanford in Corvallis (April 26-28; W, 3-1; W, 4-3; L, 0-13). Stanford swept the Beavers the last time they played at Sunken Diamond (April 12-14, 2001; W, 4-1, W, 8-1; W, 22-5 -- 7 inn.).
TUESDAY ... #21 - MARK ROMANCZUK (L/L, 6-1, 190, Fr.) ... FRESHMAN ALL-AMERICAN CANDIDATE
2003 Season Notes: Leads the team in wins with a 6-0 record, while also recording two saves and posting a 4.42 ERA with 31 strikeouts in 36.2 innings ... Has made the third start in each of the team's last four series, winning the first three before taking a no-decision in his most recent outing ... Has one of the team's three complete games ... 2003 Individual Game Highlights: Touched for six runs and eight hits in the first 3.0 innings of a no-decision start versus Washington (3/30) in a game Stanford eventually won, 12-11 ... Tossed his first career complete game in a 4-2 win at Arizona State (3/24) in a rubber game of a three-game set to earn Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week honors (4/1), giving up just five hits and two runs with five strikeouts ... Picked up his second straight win as a starter versus California (3/9), scattering six hits and two runs with seven strikeouts over the first 6.0 innings ... Made his first collegiate start versus USC (3/2), earning the victory after scattering four runs and seven hits with four strikeouts over the first 6.0 innings ... Picked up a win at Texas (2/22 - Game 2) despite allowing four runs and five hits in 3.0 innings of relief work ... Earned a win with 1.1 scoreless one-hit innings and two strikeouts versus Nevada (2/17) ... Picked up back-to-back saves in the first two games of the Fresno State series (2/14, 2/15), combining to throw 3.0 scoreless innings, striking out two and allowing just one hit ... Pitched 3.0 hitless innings with four strikeouts versus Florida State (2/7) to earn his first collegiate win ... Made his collegiate debut at Cal State Fullerton (2/2), striking out four and allowing just one hit in 2.1 innings.
THURSDAY ... #17 - JOHN HUDGINS (R/R, 6-2, 200, Jr.) ... ALL-AMERICAN CANDIDATE
2003 Season Notes: Leads the team and the Pac-10 with 78 strikeouts and 81.0 innings pitched ... Has posted a 6-2 record and a 3.00 ERA with two complete games during his team-high 11 starts, lasting at least 6.0 innings in each and 7.0 or more on seven occasions ... 2003 Individual Game Highlights: Pitched 8.0 scoreless two-hit innings and struck out a career-high 11 batters in his most recent start to lead Stanford to a 9-1 win over Sacramento State (4/11) ... Recorded his second complete game of the season to earn a win in a 6-1 victory at Washington State (4/4), scattering seven hits and giving up only one run with six strikeouts ... Suffered a loss in Stanford's 5-3 defeat to Washington (3/28), allowing three runs and eight hits over the first 7.0 innings ... Received no-decision in a Pac-10 opening 7-6, 11-inning loss at Arizona State (3/22), scattering four runs and six hits over the first 6.0 innings ... Tossed his first complete game of the season versus California (3/7), allowing just two runs and seven hits with nine strikeouts in an 11-2 Stanford win ... Suffered his first loss of the season versus USC (2/28), giving up eight runs (six earned) and nine hits with six strikeouts over the first 6.0 innings ... Scattered four runs and seven hits with eight strikeouts in 7.0 innings to earn the victory in an 11-7 win at Texas (2/22 - Game 1) ... Took a no-hitter into the eighth inning and earned a win in a 4-1 victory over Fresno State (2/14), allowing just three hits and one run with nine strikeouts over 8.0 innings ... Earned his first career Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week honors (2/11) after holding Florida State to one run and six hits with 10 strikeouts over the first 9.0 innings of Stanford's 12-inning, 2-1 victory (2/7) ... Picked up a no-decision at Cal State Fullerton (1/31) by scattering 10 hits and three runs over the first 6.0 innings before leaving an eventual 7-3 loss with the score tied 3-3 ... Limited Santa Clara to two runs and five hits with six strikeouts over 6.0 innings in his first start of 2003 to pick up a victory (1/25) ... Career Notes: The only active Stanford pitcher with a shutout to his credit ... Leads active Stanford pitchers in career complete games (5) and strikeouts (190), while ranking second in career victories (17), innings pitched (232.1), saves (4) and games started (29) ... Third among active pitchers with 52 appearances ... Has a 17-8 career record and a 4.03 ERA ... Finished the 2002 season with a 10-1 overall record to rank tied for fourth on Stanford's all-time single season won-loss percentage list (.909) ... Earned honorable mention All-Pac-10 honors in 2002 while also ranking third on the club in both innings pitched (105.0) and strikeouts (62).
FRIDAY ... #20 - RYAN MCCALLY (R/R, 6-1, 195, Sr.)
2003 Season Notes: Has a 3-1 record, one save and a 4.5 ERA with 31 strikeouts in 57.0 innings pitched and 10 appearances (nine starts) ... Has one of Stanford's four complete games this season .. Stanford has won each of his last seven starts (three wins, four no-decisions) ... 2003 Individual Game Highlights: Has picked up three consecutive no-decisions, most recently by giving up four runs and nine hits in 4.1 innings in a 12-5 win at Washington State (4/5) ... Also picked up no-decisions in a 10-6 comeback victory over Washington (3/29), scattering a season-high 11 hits and giving up four runs in the first 6.0 innings, and in a 9-8 11-inning victory at Arizona State (3/23) despite leaving the game with an 8-3 lead in the bottom of the eighth after allowing nine hits and three runs over the first 7.0 plus innings ... Recorded his most recent victory versus California (3/8), scattering three runs and seven hits with six strikeouts over the first 5.2 innings of a 9-4 Stanford win ... Picked up a victory versus USC (3/1), scattering five runs (three earned) and eight hits with seven strikeouts over the first 7.2 innings in a 10-6 Stanford victory ... Received no-decision at Texas (2/22 - Game 2), allowing three runs and four hits over the first 4.1 innings in a game Stanford eventually won, 8-7 ... Tossed his first career complete game with a career-high 9.0 innings and earned his first career victory as a starter in a 7-2 win over Fresno State (2/16), taking a shutout into the ninth inning and retiring 17 straight batters at one point ... Earned a no-decision versus Florida State (2/9) in a 12-inning, 10-8 loss, scattering three runs and four hits over the first 4.1 innings ... Took the loss at Cal State Fullerton (2/2) in his first start of the season and second of his career, allowing eight runs (four earned) and seven hits with five strikeouts in 5.2 innings ... Made his first appearance of the season in relief at Santa Clara on opening day (1/25), holding the Broncos scoreless on one hit over the final 3.0 innings to earn a save ... Career Notes: Spent the first three years of his career primarily as a reliever, making 68 of his 69 appearances prior to this season out of the bullpen ... Stanford's active career leader in appearances (79) and saves (12), ranking tied for seventh on the school's all-time list in saves ... Third on Stanford's active career list in wins (10), starts (10), innings pitched (162.0) and strikeouts (109) ... Has been tremendous during the postseason in his career with a 1.15 ERA in 15.2 innings, allowing just two earned runs and eight hits.
SATURDAY ... TBA
Stanford 17, at Santa Clara 8 (April 8, 2003)
Carlos Quentin (4-5, 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, SB) had a career night to lead Stanford to a 17-8 victory over Santa Clara in a non-conference game at Buck Shaw Stadium. Quentin hit his first career grand slam in the fourth inning and homered twice for second time in his career, while also setting career-highs with six RBI and six runs scored. In addition, Quentin extended his career-long hit streak to 20 games and raised his season batting average to .423 in his attempt to become the first Stanford player to hit .400 or better since David McCarty batted .420 in 1991. Quentin is hitting .494 (40-for-81) during his current 20-game hit streak.
Stanford won its fourth straight game and for the 19th in the last 24 contests. The Cardinal also defeated Santa Clara for the 25th time in the last 26 meetings between the clubs dating back to 1997.
Drew Ehrlich (1-0) earned his first career victory, striking out a career-high seven batters while allowing just two runs and six hits in a career-best 6.1 innings.
Ryan Garko (2-3, 2B, RBI) and Jed Lowrie (2-4, 2 RBI) added two hits each for the Cardinal, while Brian Hall and Tobin Swope drove in a pair of runs each. Hall also homered for the fourth time this season with his two-run shot in the third inning. Garko is hitting .568 (21-37) with five homers and 19 RBI during a current season-long nine-game hit streak. Sam Fuld had his career-high 15-game hit streak snapped with an 0-for-4 performance.
Will Thompson (4-4, 2B, HR, RBI) had four hits for the Broncos, while Jason Matteucci (2-5, 2B, 2 RBI) and Michael Lange (2-5, 2 RBI) each had two hits and drove in a pair of runs. Scott Dierks also hit his team-leading 13th homer of the season for Santa Clara to lead off the bottom of the first inning, while Jim Wallace added a pair of RBI.
at Stanford 9, Sacramento State 1 (April 11, 2003)
John Hudgins pitched 8.0 scoreless two-hit innings and struck out a career-high 11 batters to lead Stanford to its fifth straight win with a 9-1 victory over Sacramento State in a non-conference game. Hudgins retired 20 of the final 22 batters he faced and did not allow a hit over his final 6.0 innings before he was relieved by Kodiak Quick to begin the ninth inning. Ryan Garko (3-4, 2 RBI) had three hits to extend his season-long hit streak to 10 games, while Carlos Quentin's fifth inning single kept his career-best hit streak alive at 21 games. Danny Putnam (2-3, HR, 2 RBI) hit the game's only homer and drove in a pair of runs for the Cardinal.
Sam Fuld (2-3, 2B, SB), Tobin Swope (2-3, RBI) and Brian Hall (2-4, RBI) each added two of Stanford's 13 hits as the Cardinal reached double digits in hits for the 16th time in the last 17 games. Donny Lucy also had two RBI.
All three of Sacramento State's hits were singles and the Hornets did not have a player with more than one hit.
Sacramento State starter Steve Cuckovich (5-2) suffered the loss, allowing six runs on six hits and five walks over the first 4.0 innings.
NOTEBOOK STANFORD HOLDS WIN STREAKS OF SEVEN SERIES AND FIVE GAMES
Stanford holds current win streaks of seven series and five games heading into its four home contests this week versus San Jose State (Tuesday, April 15) and Oregon State (Thursday-Saturday, April 17-19). Stanford's series win streak started versus Fresno State (2/14 - 2/16, sweep) and has continued against Texas (2/22 - 2/23, 2-of-3), USC (2/28 - 3/2, 2-of-3), California (3/7 - 3/9, sweep), Arizona State (3/22 - 3/24, 2-of-3), Washington (3/28 - 3/30) and Washington State (4/4 - 4/7, sweep. The Cardinal has had to come back to win the final two games of the series three times (USC, Arizona State, Washington) after dropping series openers to keep the streak going. The sweep over Washington State was the first in Pac-10 games this season and only one of two in the first four weeks of Pac-10 action. Stanford has won 41 of its last 47 regular season series overall and had series previous win streaks of 17 (broken in 2001) and 12 (broken in 2002) during the period. Stanford's five-game win streak started with the three-game sweep at Washington State and continued last week with victories at Santa Clara and versus Sacramento State. Stanford's longest win streak of the season was six (February 14-22). The Cardinal has won 20 of its last 25 overall after starting the season with a 3-5 mark.
TOP OF THE PAC
Stanford currently sits in sole possession of first place in the Pac-10 standings with a 7-2 conference record, one game ahead of second-place Arizona State (6-3 Pac-10), as well as two games in front of Arizona (5-4 Pac-10) and USC (5-4 Pac-10). Stanford has already won two-of-three versus Arizona State, while still having series to play versus Arizona and at USC. Stanford's next Pac-10 action will come when the Cardinal hosts Oregon State in a three-game series this Thursday-Saturday, April 17-19. Stanford has won a total of 18 conference championships in school history, including 16 Pac-10 crowns (includes Southern Division and shared titles). Stanford's last Pac-10 championship came in 2000 when the team finished in a three-way tie for the conference title with Arizona State and UCLA. Stanford has finished second in the conference behind two-time defending league champion USC each of the last two years and has been among the top two in the conference standings (includes Pac-10 Southern Division) for nine straight seasons and 20 times in the last 22 years.
STANFORD STAYS AT NO. 4 IN LATEST BASEBALL AMERICA POLL
Stanford stayed at No. 4 for the third consecutive week in the latest Baseball America poll released April 14. The Cardinal is among the nation's top seven teams in all four national polls (No. 4 Baseball America, No. 4 Collegiate Baseball, No. 5 NCBWA, No. 7 Sports Weekly/ESPN). Rice is the nation's unanimous No. 1 team for the fourth consecutive week. Stanford began the 2003 season ranked as high as No. 3 in the preseason Baseball America poll. The Cardinal finished the 2002 season ranked in the top five by all four polls (No. 4 Baseball America, Baseball Weekly/ESPN and Collegiate Baseball, No. 5 NCBWA). Stanford has been ranked No. 1 at one point during each of the past six years (1997-2002) prior to this season. 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). Stanford has already played 18 games against teams ranked in Baseball America's top 25 at the time of the contest and has played 12 games versus teams currently ranked in Baseball America's top seven (No. 2 Cal State Fullerton, No. 3 Florida State, No. 6 Arizona State, No.7 Texas). The remainder of Stanford's schedule does not feature any games against teams ranked in this week's Baseball America poll.
STANFORD'S OFFENSIVE SURGE CONTINUES
Stanford's offensive surge has continued of late to give the team a current .325 batting average, its highest mark since 15 hits in the season-opener gave the squad a .366 batting average after the first game of the season. Stanford has reached double-digit hits in 16 of its last 17 games for a .359 batting average during the stretch. The Cardinal has also scored 160 runs in those 17 games for a 9.4 run per game average. On the season, the Cardinal is scoring runs at a clip of 7.2 per game.
CARLOS QUENTIN MAKING A RUN AT .400, EXTENDS HIT STREAK TO 21 GAMES
Carlos Quentin continues his run at becoming the first Stanford player to hit .400 or better since David McCarty hit .420 in 1991. Quentin currently is hitting a team-high .421 (#2 Pac-10) and has extended his career-high hit streak to 21 (current major leaguer Jeffrey Hammonds set the Stanford record with a 37-game run as a freshman in 1990). Quentin is hitting a team-high .488 (41-84) with 14 doubles, one triple, four homers, 26 RBI and six stolen bases during his 20-game hit streak. On the season, Quentin also leads the Cardinal in hits (53, #8T Pac-10), doubles (16, #2T Pac-10), walks (24, #6T Pac-10), hit-by-pitches (9, #4T Pac-10), extra-base hits (21) and on-base percentage (.534, #2 Pac-10). Quentin had a career night to lead Stanford to a 17-8 win at Santa Clara on April 8, hitting hit his first career grandslam and homering twice for the second time in his career, while setting new career-highs with six RBI and six runs scored.
RYAN GARKO LEADS TEAM IN HOMERS AND RBI AS HIT STREAK REACHES 10
Ryan Garko continues to lead the team in homers (9, #5T Pac-10) and RBI (46, #3 Pac-10) during his current red-hot season-long 10-game hit streak in which he is hitting .585 (24-41) with five doubles, five homers and 21 RBI. After going 0-for-9 with five strikeouts in the first two games at Arizona State (3/22 - 3/23), Garko started his current run in the series finale versus the Sun Devils by going 4-for-4 (career-high-tying four hits) with a key two-run homer in the eighth inning and three RBI. Garko has also twice drove in a career-high-tying four runs versus Washington (3/30) and at Washington State (4/5), going deep twice for the second time in his career against the Cougars. He has 44 RBI in the team's last 26 games, while leading the team in both multiple-RBI games (15) and multiple-hit contests (17, co-leader with Tobin Swope).
JOHN HUDGINS CONTINUES TO LEAD PAC-10 IN INNINGS PITCHED AND STRIKEOUTS
John Hudgins (6-2, 3.00) continues to lead the Pac-10 in both innings pitched (81.0) and strikeouts (78). He has also lasted at least 6.0 innings in each of his 11 starts and has gone 7.0 or more innings seven times. In his most recent start in a 9-1 win over Sacramento State (4/11), Hudgins pitched 8.0 scoreless two-hit innings with a career-high 11 strikeouts. Hudgins has a pair of complete game victories this season at Washington State (4/4) and versus California (3/7). Hudgins also carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning in a 4-1 win versus Fresno State (2/14) and earned Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week honors (2/11) after holding Florida State (2/7) to just one run and six hits with 10 strikeouts over the first 9.0 innings of a game Stanford eventually won, 2-1 in 12 innings.
SAM FULD SECOND ON ALL-TIME BATTING AVERAGE LIST
Sam Fuld currently sits in second place on the school's all-time batting average list (.361, 242-670) behind the late Jack Shepard, who hit .362 in a three-year career from 1951-53. Fuld began the 2003 campaign on top of Stanford's career batting average list (.367) but lost .017 points off his career down to .350 by hitting .217 (15-69) over the first 16 games this season before raising his career mark back to its .361 by hitting safely in 16 of his last 17 games (.444, 36-81). Fuld is also Stanford's active career leader in triples (11) and recently recorded his 100th career RBI in dramatic fashion at Washington State (4/7) with a two-out RBI single to snap a 4-4 tie in the top of the 11th inning.
TOBIN SWOPE CO-LEADS TEAM WITH 17 MULTIPLE-HIT GAMES
Tobin Swope has multiple-hit games in eight of his last 13 contests and co-leads the team in that category with 17 along with Ryan Garko. Swope has also hit safely in 12 of his last 13 games and 25 of 33 on the season, while ranking fourth on the club with a .341 batting average.
ACTIVE PLAYERS IN THE SCHOOL RECORD BOOK
Following is a list of all active Stanford players in the school's record book ...
Individual Career Records: Batting Average - Sam Fuld (.361, 2nd); Saves - Ryan McCally (12, 7th-T)
Individual Season Records: Hits - Sam Fuld (110, 2002, 1st); Hit-by-Pitch - Carlos Quentin (19, 2002, 1st-T; 14, 2001, 9th-T), Ryan Garko (16, 2002, 5th-T); At Bats - Sam Fuld (293, 2002, 4th); Won-Loss Percentage - John Hudgins (.909, 2002, 10-1, 4th-T); Saves - Ryan McCally (7, 2002, 9th-T)
STRONG FRESHMAN CLASS MAKING KEY CONTRIBUTIONS
Stanford's strong freshmen class is making key contributions in its first season on The Farm. Jed Lowrie (.316, 0 HR, 10 RBI, 4 SB) and John Mayberry, Jr. (.311, 3 HR, 23 RBI, 3 SB) have been regulars in the starting lineup, while Chris Lewis (.175, 1 HR, 10 RBI, 1 SB) has also made 18 starts. Mayberry leads the team with six triples. On the mound, Mark Romanczuk co-paces the club and is one behind the Pac-10 leader in victories with a 6-0 record, while recording a 4.36 ERA, two saves and 34 strikeouts in 43.1 innings. Romanczuk moved into the team's starting rotation with his first start versus USC (3/2) and won his first three starts before picking up no-decisions in his two most recent starts. Matt Manship (1-2, 4.15, 3 SV) and Kodiak Quick (1-0, 6.11, 3 SV) co-lead the team with three saves each.
CARDINAL LOOKING TO EXTEND STRING OF 40-WIN SEASONS TO NINE
Stanford is looking to extend its string of 40-win seasons to nine in 2003 after picking up its eighth straight 40-win season last year by finishing with a 47-18 overall mark. The last time Stanford didn't win 40 games was when the club finished 27-28 in 1993.
FRIENDLY CONFINES
Stanford has posted a 43-9 record at home over the past two seasons, including a 14-5 mark this year. The Cardinal extended its home Pac-10 series win streak to 14 by taking two-of-three from Washington (3/28 - 3/30) in its most recent series at Sunken Diamond. Stanford did have two home win streaks snapped earlier this year versus Florida State. The Seminoles ended Stanford's 11-game win streak with a 4-3 victory in the second game of the series (2/8) and then won 10-8 in 12 innings in the series finale (2/9) to become the first opponent to win a series at Sunken Diamond since USC took two-of-three against the Cardinal from April 16-18, 1999, a span of 22 series. Stanford has since won four straight three-game home series versus Fresno State (2/14 - 2/16, sweep), USC (2/28 - 3/2, 2-of-3), California (3/7 - 3/9, sweep) and Washington (3/28 - 3/30, 2-of-3). Stanford's next home series is scheduled versus Oregon State (Thursday-Saturday, April 17-19).
STANFORD BASEBALL HISTORY
Stanford's storied baseball program has had many highlights now in its 110th season since beginning in 1892. Stanford has an all-time record of 2349-1476-32 (.613) ... The Cardinal won NCAA titles in 1987 and 1988 before returning to the CWS championship game in 2000 and 2001 ... Stanford has made a school record four straight College World Series appearances in the last four seasons and has been to the CWS 14 times since making its first appearance in 1953 ... Stanford has had 37 winning seasons in its last 38 campaigns and 54 in the last 56 years ... Stanford has reached the 40-win mark in eight consecutive campaigns (1995-2002) and recently recorded three straight 50-win seasons for the first time in school history (1999-2001) ... Stanford has won 18 conference titles and gained 23 NCAA Tournament berths ... Stanford has boasted 41 All-Americans who have earned a total of 51 All-American honors ... Stanford has garnered three NCAA Players of the Year in Jeff Austin (1998), David McCarty (1991) and Steve Dunning (1970) ... Stanford has had 97 All-Conference players earn a total of 127 All-Conference honors ... Stanford has had 59 major league players and 13 first round draft picks in the last 16 years.
STANFORD LEADS PAC-10 IN BATTING AND ERA IN CONFERENCE GAMES ONLY
Stanford leads the Pac-10 in batting average (.345) and ERA (4.83) for conference games only through its first nine Pac-10 games of the season.
STANFORD VISITS SACRAMENTO STATE AND HOSTS ARIZONA NEXT WEEK
Stanford will travel to Sacramento State next Tuesday, April 22 (2:30 pm, PT) to make up a game that was originally scheduled for April 12 but rained out. The Cardinal holds an all-time 15-9 lead in the series. Stanford already won the first meeting between the teams this season, 9-1, on April 11 at Sunken Diamond. Stanford has won two in a row overall but Sacramento State won 12-3 the last time the teams played in Sacramento at Raley Field on May 2, 2001. Stanford leads Arizona in the all-time series, 90-50. Last year, Stanford won two-of-three in Tucson (April 5-7; W, 5-4 in 18 inn.; W, 19-1; L, 13-15). Stanford also won two-of-three the last time the teams played at Sunken Diamond (May 11-13, 2001; W, 6-5, L, 4-5; W, 8-2).
OFFENSIVE REPORT
Stanford has raised its team season batting average to .325 (#3 Pac-10) with 16 double-digit hit games in its last 17 outings, hitting .359 during the stretch. The .325 overall batting average would rank third on Stanford's all-time list for a single-season. The Cardinal has also scored 160 runs over the same 17-game stretch for a 9.4 per game average. Stanford banged out a season-high 20 hits versus California (3/9). In its last five three-game series, Stanford has hit .336 at Washington State, .388 versus Washington, .312 at Arizona State, .402 against California and .343 versus USC. Carlos Quentin is having a huge season and leads the club in batting average (.421), hits (53), doubles (16), walks (24), hit-by-pitches (9), extra-base hits (21) and on-base percentage (.534). Ryan Garko has team-highs in home runs (9), RBI (46), total bases (90), slugging percentage (.672), multiple-RBI games (15), multiple-hit games (17, co-leader with Tobin Swope) and sacrifice flies (3, shares team lead with Jed Lowrie and Danny Putnam). Sam Fuld paces the club in runs scored (38) and at bats (150). John Mayberry, Jr. leads the team with six triples, while Brian Hall has a team-high 11 stolen bases. Garko (.388), Putnam (.366), Swope (.341), Fuld (.340), Lowrie (.316), Mayberry (.311) and Hall (.301) join Quentin above the .300 mark.
PITCHING REPORT
Stanford's ERA currently sits at 4.30 (#3 Pac-10). John Hudgins (6-2, 3.00, 81.0 IP, 78 SO) is the Pac-10's leader in innings pitched and strikeouts, while co-leading the club and ranking one off the conference leader in victories. Hudgins also has two of the team's four complete games (Mark Romanczuk and Ryan McCally also have one each) and the lowest ERA among pitchers in Stanford's starting rotation. Hudgins pitched 8.0 scoreless two-hit innings and struck out a career-high 11 batters in his most recent outing in a 9-1 win over Sacramento State. Hudgins earned Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week for the first time in his career after holding Florida State (2/7) to one run and six hits with a career-high 10 strikeouts over the first 9.0 innings of a 12-inning, 2-1 victory, before taking a no-hitter into the eighth inning of a 4-1 win over Fresno State (2/14) in his next start. Hudgins' complete games have come in an 11-2 win over California (3/7) and a 6-1 victory at Washington State (4/4). Romanczuk (6-0, 4.36, 43.1 IP, 34 SO) also co-leads the squad with six victories. Romanczuk was named the Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week on April 1 after tossing his first career complete game eight days earlier (3/24) to defeat Arizona State, 4-2. McCally (3-1, 4.58, 1 SV) pitched his first career complete game and the first by a Stanford pitcher this season in a 7-2 victory over Fresno State (2/16). Matt Manship (1-2, 4.15, 26.0 IP, 26 SO) and Kodiak Quick (1-0, 6.11, 17.2 IP, 19 SO) co-lead the team in saves. Manship picked up his first collegiate victory in his most recent outing in a 12-5 win at Washington State (4/5), allowing just one run and one hit in a career-high 4.2 innings. David O'Hagan (4-1, 5.11, 2 SV, 24.2 IP, 33 SO) has four wins out of the bullpen to rank third on the team, while adding two saves. Stanford has already posted 11 saves, second in the conference and nearly halfway to the school record of 23 recorded in 2001.
DEFENSIVE REPORT
Stanford has a .966 fielding percentage (#4 Pac-10). The Cardinal has been errorless in 10 games but just three times in its last 18 contests. John Mayberry, Jr. continues to lead the club and ranks tied for third in the Pac-10 with 289 putouts, while Tobin Swope has a team-high 84 assists. Mayberry's 16 putouts at Washington State (4/5), as well as six assists by Jonny Ash versus Florida State (2/9), Chris Lewis at Arizona State (3/23) and Jed Lowrie at Washington State (4/4) are single-game team highs. Stanford turned a season-high three double plays versus Nevada (2/17).
STANFORD HEAD COACH MARK MARQUESS
One of the nation's premier collegiate coaches, Mark Marquess is in his 27th season at the helm of Stanford Baseball in 2003 with an overall record of 1116-543-5 (.672) and a 451-290 (.609) mark in Pac-10 action. The 1969 Stanford graduate has led the Cardinal to two NCAA titles, two CWS runner-up showings, 12 College World Series appearances, 12 NCAA Regional titles, four NCAA Super Regional championships and 10 Pac-10 or Pac-10 Southern Division regular season titles. The Cardinal has qualified for the NCAA Tournament 20 times in the its first 26 seasons under Marquess. Marquess began the 2003 season ranked 10th in victories and 16th in winning percentage among active Division I baseball coaches. Marquess moved into sole possession of 20th place on the all-time victory list with his 1101st career victory at Texas (2/22/03 - Game 1). Recent milestone victories were his 1100th career win versus Nevada (2/17/03) and his 1000th against Florida State (2/9/01). He has been named NCAA Coach of the Year three times and has received Pac-10 or Pac-10 Southern Division Coach of the Year honors on eight occasions. The Cardinal has posted winning seasons in 25 times of the first 26 seasons under his leadership and has finished either first or second in the prestigious Pacific-10 (formerly Pac-10 Southern Division) 20 times in the last 22 years. Stanford has had 104 professional baseball draft picks in the past 18 seasons, including 13 first round selections in the last 16 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 state of Stanford in the Pac-10 standings through the first nine conference games)
"The Pac-10 is very competitive. We have a one game lead but not any one team has really stood up and taken charge of the conference. It will be very interesting to see how the league plays out the rest of the season. Each weekend is big and you have to make sure you don't stumble on any given weekend. We want to continue to play solid baseball like we have been."
(On his team coming back to win two Pac-10 series after losing both series openers)
"I was proud of our guys winning series after losing both of our series openers and especially because we had to come back in games in order to win series. We had to do it by bouncing back offensively."
(On Carlos Quentin's career night at Santa Clara)
"Carlos had one of those phenomenal days that come along every now and then, but he is also having a great year."
(On recent hot hitting stretches by veterans Sam Fuld, Ryan Garko and Carlos Quentin)
"If we're going to be good and compete for the Pac-10 title, our older guys are going to need to play well. These guys have been doing that lately."
(On the team's current four-game non-conference stretch)
"Other than maybe pitching a few different people, we're really not approaching this stretch games much different than we do conference games. We just hope that we can maintain some of the momentum that we've built up in the first three weeks of league play."
STANFORD COACHING STAFF
Dean Stotz is in his 27th campaign with Stanford Baseball and his fourth 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 is in his fourth season as Stanford's pitching coach, while Dave Nakama is in his fourth year overall as a Stanford assistant coach and in the second year of his second stint on the coaching staff. He assists with all aspects of the game and serves as Stanford's first base coach.