May 6, 2006
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Stanford, Calif. - Stanford Baseball announced its All-Time Starting 9 on Saturday during its Pac-10 game versus California. The nine players selected for the team represent the best of the first 30 years of the distinguished career of Stanford head coach Mark Marquess. The squad was voted upon by fans throughout the 2006 campaign during a season-long promotion and an exclusive trading card set of the All-Time Starting 9 was distributed to the first 2000 spectators in attendance for Saturday's contest.
The team consisted of Mike Mussina (Pitcher, 1988-90), Ryan Garko (Catcher, 2000-03), John Gall (First Base, 1997-2000), Jed Lowrie (Second Base, 2003-05), Ed Sprague (Third Base, 1986-88), Eric Bruntlett (Shortstop, 1997-2000), Joe Borchard (Outfielder, 1998-2000), Sam Fuld (Outfielder, 2001-04) and Jeffrey Hammonds (Outfielder, 1990-92).
Hammonds threw out the first pitch for Saturday's Stanford-California contest after a pre-game ceremony.
STANFORD BASEBALL - ALL-TIME STARTING 9
PITCHER - MIKE MUSSINA (1988-90)
25-12, 4.44 ERA, 328.1 IP, 250 SO
AT STANFORD: Member of the starting rotation on 1988 CWS champions Co-led team with 14 wins and tossed a club-high 149.0 innings in 1990 His 14 wins in 1990 are tied for second on the school's all-time single-season list Ranks ninth all-time at Stanford with 328.1 career innings Baseball America Second Team Freshman All-American and Team Co-Most Valuable Player in 1988 Earned Team's Co-Come Through Award in 1988
WHERE IS HE NOW?: Pitching in the New York Yankees' starting rotation and arguably one of Stanford's most successful pro baseball players ever, making seven trips to the All-Star Game and compiling 229 wins while currently in his 16th Major League Baseball season
.350, 39 HR, 191 RBI, 4 SB
AT STANFORD: 2003 First Team All-American, Johnny Bench Award Winner, Co-Pac-10 Player of the Year and Team Most Valuable Player Two-time All-Pac-10 selection (2002, 2003) Ranks among Stanford's all-time leaders in doubles (5th), RBI (7th-T), home runs (9th) and batting average (9th) Tied school single-season record for RBI in 2003 Posted a .389 all-time batting average at the CWS One of only two Stanford players (along with Sam Fuld) to earn a pair of All-CWS honors Picked up a pair of NCAA Regional Most Outstanding Player awards (2001, 2003)
WHERE IS HE NOW?: Catching for the Buffalo Bisons (Cleveland Indians AAA)
FIRST BASE - JOHN GALL (1997-2000)
.358, 46 HR, 263 RBI, 31 SB
AT STANFORD: Stanford's all-time leader in hits, RBI, doubles and total bases Also the Pac-10's career leader in hits, doubles and total bases Ranks among the school's Top 10 in at bats (2nd), batting average (3rd), games played (3rd), home runs (3rd-T) and runs (7th) Three-time All-Pac-10 selection (1998, 1999, 2000) A member of the 1999 All-College World Series team Earned Stanford's Come Through Award in back-to-back seasons (1998, 1999) Led Stanford with a .381 batting average as a sophomore in 1998 Stanford's Co-Most Valuable Freshman (1997)
WHERE IS HE NOW?: Recently called back up to the Major Leagues with the St. Louis Cardinals
SECOND BASE - JED LOWRIE (2003-05)
.338, 31 HR, 162 RBI, 16 SB
AT STANFORD: Two-time All-American and All-Pac-10 selection (2004, 2005) 2004 Pac-10 Player of the Year and Triple Crown winner Two-time All-NCAA Regional choice (2003, 2004) Started the final 148 games of his career at second base Team MVP in 2004, while earning the Come Through Award in 2005 Led Stanford in batting average as a sophomore with a .399 mark that ranks seventh on the school's all-time single-season list Named "Best Player" on the Baseball America Midseason Report in 2004 and was a member of the publication's Player of the Year Watch List the entire season
WHERE IS HE NOW?: Playing in the Minor Leagues with the Wilmington Blue Rocks (Boston Red Sox A) in his second season of pro baseball
THIRD BASE - ED SPRAGUE (1986-88)
.330, 41 HR, 178 RBI, 18 SB
AT STANFORD: A key member of both of Stanford's College World Series champions in 1987 and 1988 All-American (1988) and two-time All-Pac-10 choice (1987, 1988) Ranks tied for sixth on Stanford's all-time home run list Tied for third in RBI and fourth in homers on Stanford's single-season lists with a monster campaign in 1988 CWS championship season Earned an Olympic gold medal as a member of the 1988 USA Olympic Baseball team coached by Mark Marquess Inducted into the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame in 2002
WHERE IS HE NOW?: In his third season as the head baseball coach at Pacific after an 11-year Major League Baseball career highlighted by back-to-back World Series titles as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays (1992-93) and an All-Star Game appearance playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1999
SHORTSTOP - ERIC BRUNTLETT (1997-2000)
.335, 4 HR, 74 RBI, 22 SB
AT STANFORD: Instrumental as the team's starting shortstop in the first two of Stanford's school record five straight trips to the College World Series in 1999 and 2000 Had his best year as a senior in 2000, hitting .342 with three homers and 44 RBI, while leading the team in doubles, runs scored, stolen bases, walks and hit by pitches Started all 66 of the team's games at shortstop in 2000 His 24 doubles in 2000 still rank tied for third on Stanford's all-time list, while his 73 runs scored are tied for eighth Named Stanford's Most Improved Player as a junior in 1999
WHERE IS HE NOW?: On the Houston Astros' roster for the fourth consecutive season
OUTFIELDER - JOE BORCHARD (1998-2000)
.346, 40 HR, 187 RBI, 14 SB
AT STANFORD: Two-time All-American and All-Pac-10 selection (1999, 2000) Team Co-Most Valuable Freshman (1998) Helped lead the Cardinal to CWS appearances in each of his last two seasons (1999, 2000) Ranks eighth on Stanford's career home runs list and 10th in career RBI's Had one of the best power seasons in Stanford history as a junior in 2000, hitting 19 homers to rank eighth on the single-season list and driving in 76 runs to rank tied for eighth, while leading the club in both categories Named the Most Outstanding Player at the 2000 NCAA Regional hosted by Stanford
WHERE IS HE NOW?: Playing for the Florida Marlins (his third MLB team)
OUTFIELDER - SAM FULD (2001-04)
.332, 16 HR, 149 RBI, 38 SB
AT STANFORD: Earned a pair of All-American honors (2001, 2002) and had three All-Pac-10 campaigns (2001, 2002, 2003) One of only two Stanford players to ever be named twice to the All-College World Series team (along with Ryan Garko) with his selections in 2001 and 2002 Earned Freshman All-American honors in 2001 Has his name peppered in the career section of Stanford's record book as the school's all-time leader in runs scored and at bats, while also ranking among the Top 10 in games played (2nd), hits (2nd), triples (3rd-T) and doubles (6th-T) Set Stanford's single-season hit record as a sophomore in 2002 with 110 and tied the run record with 83 as a junior in 2003 Broke the all-time College World Series record for hits and finished his CWS career with 24
WHERE IS HE NOW?: Suiting up for the Daytona Cubs (Chicago Clubs A Advanced) in his second season of pro baseball
OUTFIELDER - JEFFREY HAMMONDS (1990-92)
.354, 27 HR, 134 RBI, 102 SB
AT STANFORD: Baseball America National Freshman of the Year in 1990 when he set four single-season school records (hits, runs, stolen bases, 37-game hit streak) with the latter three still standing today, while also leading the club with a .355 batting average Two-time All-American and All-Pac-10 selection (1990, 1992) All-College World Series choice (1990) Ranks among Stanford's all-time leaders in stolen bases (4th) and batting average (5th) A member of the fourth-place USA Baseball team at the 1992 Olympics
WHERE IS HE NOW?: Jeffrey and his family attended a pre-game ceremony at Sunken Diamond before he threw out the first pitch He is enjoying retirement after a 13-year career in Major League Baseball that included an All-Star Game appearance while a member of the Colorado Rockies in 2000, after being Stanford's highest draft choice ever when he was chosen fourth overall by the Baltimore Orioles in 1992