June 18, 2003
Recap|Box Score|Quotes|Photo Gallery
College World Series (at Omaha, NE)
Game 11 - Stanford 5, Cal State Fullerton 3
TEAM
Stanford's victory over previously unbeaten Cal State Fullerton on Wednesday has forced a second Bracket One final between the two teams at the 2003 College World Series. Stanford and Cal State Fullerton will meet again on Thursday with the winner advancing to the inaugural best two-of-three CWS championship series next Saturday-Monday, June 21-23 (6 pm, 1:30 pm, 6 pm, if necessary). The time for Thursday's Stanford-Cal State Fullerton second Bracket One final will be determined after Wednesday's first Bracket Two final between unbeaten Rice and Texas. If Rice wins, Stanford and Cal State Fullerton will play Thursday at 6 pm, CT/4 pm, PT. If Texas wins, Stanford and Cal State Fullerton will play at 1 pm, CT/11 am, PT, with Texas and Rice to follow at 6 pm, CT/4 pm, PT.Stanford has announced freshman RHP Matt Manship (2-4, 3.44) as its probable starting pitcher for Thursday's CWS bracket final versus Cal State Fullerton, while the Titans have announced junior RHP Jason Windsor (11-2, 1.81) as their probable starter.Stanford has been to the College World Series championship game four times, winning national titles in 1987 and 1988, while finishing as CWS runners-up in 2000 and 2001. The first national title came during a previous format with one eight-team bracket. The title in 1988, as well as the runner-up showings in 2000 and 2001 came with eight teams split into a two-bracket format with the winners playing a one-game national championship.Stanford has reached at least a College World Series bracket final for the fifth straight year (1999-2003) and its sixth straight CWS appearance (1997, '99-2003). Stanford did not qualify for the CWS in 1998.Stanford lost early in the CWS in both of its national championship seasons in 1987 and 1988. In the final year of the one-bracket eight-team double elimination format in 1987, Stanford lost its third game of the CWS to Oklahoma State (6-2) before rolling off three consecutive wins versus Louisiana State (6-5, 10 inn.), Texas (9-3) and Oklahoma State (9-5) to capture the first baseball national title in school history. In the first year of the new format with two brackets of four teams each in 1988, the Cardinal lost its second CWS game to Cal State Fullerton (5-3) before coming back to win four games in a row. Stanford earned a spot in the one-game championship by defeating Miami (2-1) and avenging its loss to Cal State Fullerton with a pair of victories (4-1, 9-5) over the Titans. Stanford then defeated Pac-10 rival Arizona State (9-4) in the championship game.Stanford snapped a four-game losing streak versus Cal State Fullerton with a 5-3 victory on Wednesday as the Titans had won all four previous meetings versus Stanford in 2003, most recently with a 6-5 victory over the Cardinal in their first CWS meeting last Sunday. Cal State Fullerton also swept a three-game non-conference series in Fullerton (January 31 - February 2; W, 7-3; W, 10-2; W, 8-2) earlier this season. Stanford avoided by swept in a season series (three or more games) with Wednesday's victory over the Titans. USC is the last team to have swept Stanford in a season series, winning all six meetings between the clubs in 1996.Stanford has won five of its last six postseason games over Cal State Fullerton, who had snapped a four-game postseason losing streak to the Cardinal with last Sunday's 6-5 victory in a second round CWS game. Stanford extended the streak to four with a 3-2 victory over the Titans in 13 innings in a Regional opener at Stanford on May 31, 2002. Stanford had also won the previous three meetings between the teams at the College World Series, claiming a pair of victories on June 10 and 13, 2001 (W, 5-2, 10 inn; W, 4-1), as well as a 9-2 victory in the CWS on June 12, 1999. Stanford leads the all-time series, 40-33.Stanford is just one victory shy of recording its fourth 50-win season in the last five years.Stanford has won 21 of its last 23 games overall.Stanford has won eight of its last nine games versus ranked teams.Stanford improved to 111-52 (.681) all-time in NCAA postseason play and 36-25 (.590) in CWS action.Stanford has posted an 8-1 postseason record while outscoring its opponents 81-32 in postseason action this year. The Cardinal is outhitting opponents .339 to .232 and has a 3.26 ERA, while opponents have put up an 8.42 ERA.Stanford has committed just two errors in the 2003 College World Series for a .987 CWS fielding percentage and just seven in nine postseason games for a .979 mark.Stanford has guaranteed itself a fifth game at the 2003 College World Series. The last time the Cardinal played more than four CWS games in a single season was when the team played five in 1990 before falling in a second bracket final to eventual national champion Georgia (5-1).Stanford has played in only three bracket finals in school history (the two-bracket format is in its 16th year). Stanford defeated Cal State Fullerton (9-5) the first time it played a second bracket final on a way to its second straight national title in 1988. Stanford then lost the aforementioned bracket final to Georgia in 1990 and then a second bracket final to Florida State (14-11, 13 inn.) in 1999 in one of the most memorable games in CWS history.Stanford improved to 34-6 during day games this season. The Cardinal has posted just a 15-10 record under the lights.Stanford improved to 41-5 in games in which it has scored first.Several Stanford team totals rank on the school's all-time top five list - saves (19, #2T), fielding percentage (.972, #2T), batting average (.321, #3), triples (29, #3T), doubles (158, #4), hits (754, #5) and total bases (1167, #5).
INDIVIDUAL
John Hudgins (9.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO) ... earned the victory to improve his career postseason record to 6-0 with a 2.79 ERA ... is 4-0 with a 2.31 ERA in four starts during the 2003 postseason ... improved to 13-3 with a 2.96 ERA overall this season ... won his sixth straight start ... tossed his eighth complete game of the season and the 7th in his last 12 starts ... set Stanford's new single-season record for innings pitched with an updated season total of 158.1, sneaking by the former record of 157.2 innings pitched by Jeremy Guthrie in 2002 ... won his first game versus Cal State Fullerton in four career appearances and two starts ... won his 13th game of the season to tie for seventh on Stanford's single-season win list ... struck out seven batters to increase his season total to 138, ranking sixth on Stanford's single-season listCarlos Quentin (3-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI) ... hit two homers for the first time in a postseason game, the third time in his career and second time this season ... posted his second consecutive three-hit game at the CWS ... improved his team-leading postseason (.529, 18-34) and CWS (.500, 7-14, tied with Jonny Ash) batting averages ... is now tied for the team lead with four postseason homers in 2003 ... collected his 99th, 100th and 101st hits to retake the team's lead in hits ... moved his average back above .400 (.404) for the first time since it fell under .400 after his game versus UCLA on May 17.Ryan Garko (1-4) ... collected his 100th hit of the season with a double in the eighth inning and has an updated season batting average of .410 ... Garko's double was his 22nd of the season, moving him into a fourth-place tie on Stanford's single-season listRyan Garko (.410) and Carlos Quentin (.404) ... both have updated career averages above .400 as they are trying to become the first Stanford player to hit .400 or better in a season since David McCarty hit .420 in 1991 ... Only five players in school history have ever hit .400 or better in a season, one of which is current head coach Mark Marquess, who hit .404 in 1967Jonny Ash (1-4) ... extended his hit streak to a new career-high eight games with a one-out single in the bottom of the first inning