April 12, 2010
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Upcoming Series
Stanford (14-13, 4-5 Pac-10) will head out on the road for four games, playing at Santa Clara (14-15) on Tuesday before traveling to No. 14-ranked Oregon State (20-7, 3-3 Pac-10). Stanford snapped a season-long five-game losing skid on Saturday by salvaging the final game of the three-game series with the Ducks, 2-1. The Cardinal, after a 12-6 start, have lost seven of nine. The Cardinal, which had averaged nearly nine runs a game over the first four weekends, have not hit double digits since March 21 as the team's batting average is down to .280. The team's starting pitching is beginning to turn around as Jordan Pries has a 1.97 ERA over his last four starts, while Brett Mooneyham has a 3.50 ERA over his last four appearances. Freshman Stephen Piscotty, one of four freshmen starters, leads the club with a .343 average, 23 runs and 19 RBIs. Stanford returns home to host the Broncos (April 20) and Cal (April 23-25) next week.
About the Broncos
Santa Clara, which finishes up with Pepperdine on Monday, is 6-5 over its last 11 games, splitting the first two games with the Waves on Friday and Saturday. Mark O'Brien's club is batting .327 paced by junior first baseman Curtis Wagner's .407 average and catcher Tommy Medica's seven homers, 34 RBIs and .395 average. Klein is batting .356 with 30 RBIs. The pitching staff has an ERA of 5.76 with a .315 opponent batting average. Senior RHP Steve Kalush has a 2-0 mark and 3.86 ERA out in 11 relief appearances.
Santa Clara Series
Stanford has won two of three with the Broncos in each of the last two years. Stanford holds a 126-74-1 since 1959 against SCU. This will be the first of three straight midweek games between the county rivals.
Out of Left Field
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, a Santa Clara graduate, joined the Broncos out of Redwood High on a partial baseball scholarship. At Saturday's spring game at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco, the Cardinal football team will present the mayor with a jersey.
About the Beavers
The Beavers, which are off until the weekend, carry a 2.97 team ERA and .972 fielding percentage, but are only hitting .264 as a team. Spot starter and sophomore RHP Ryan Gorton has a 3-1 record and 0.96 ERA in 18.2 innings, while junior LHP Kraig Sitton has a 1.72 ERA in 12 relief appearances. Junior RHP Greg Peavey is the team's No. 1 starter with a 1.91 ERA and 3-0 record over 47.0 innings. Four other pitchers have ERAs under 2.00, and eight total, for Pat Casey's club. Freshman infielder Danny Hayes is the leading hitter at .341, while junior catcher Parker Berberet has a .315 average with a team-best 24 RBIs. Senior outfielder Rob Folsom has driven in 23. Oregon State has dropped two of its last three weekend series, losing at home to Oregon State and to UCLA last weekend and defeating USC.
Oregon State Series
The Cardinal have won just one series with the Beavers since 2005, during the 2008 World Series year. Stanford also lost both games in Corvallis in a 2006 Super Regional during the Beavers national title run. The two teams last met in the 2009 regular season finale, when OSU won two of three at Sunken Diamond. Stanford leads the series since 1964, 36-23.
In the Rankings
Stanford dropped out of the national polls the week of April 12. The team's highest ranking was No. 18 during week two. The Cardinal began the season ranked as high as No. 25 nationally in USA Today in the preseason.
Leading Off
Stanford has dropped seven of its last nine, including a five-game skid snapped on Saturday against Oregon
Close games are the team's mantra this year, as the Cardinal are 6-1 in games decided by one run and 2-2 in two-run contests.
Stanford has given up a combined 32 runs in the first inning this season, but none in the Oregon series.
The Cardinal have won five games in its last at-bat, with four different players, Zach Jones (GW hit versus Pepperdine, GW single versus USC), Kenny Diekroeger (GW double versus Rice), Jonathan Kaskow (GW hit versus UCSB), and Jake Schlander (walk-off solo homer in the 11th vs. UCSB).
Cardinal Drop Series to Oregon
No. 22-ranked Stanford dropped its second-straight Pac-10 series to Oregon (L 2-5, L 6-9, W 2-1) in a series that was almost won by the Cardinal. After dropping the opener 5-2, a doubleheader was scheduled for Saturday to avoid a rainout on Sunday. In game one, the Stanford bullpen gave up eight runs over the final two innings to ruin a solid start from Jordan Pries. Pries, who has a 1.97 ERA over his last four starts, gave up just one run on five hits over the first seven innings, gave it over to the bullpen with a 6-1 lead. After three runs in the eighth, a two-out, three-run triple off of closer Alex Pracher gave Oregon an 7-6 lead to take the series. In game two, needing a win, Brett Mooneyham responded. The lefthander pitched eight scoreless innings before a single run came across in the ninth of a 2-1 victory. Freshman Eric Smith, who came into Saturday's doubleheader just 2-for-19, came through with an RBI triple and two hits in game one and an RBI single in game two.
How Young They Are
Besides four freshmen starters in the batting order, the Cardinal pitching staff features 12 underclassmen who have all appeared in at least three games this season. The team's top starter, Jordan Pries is 3-1 with a 3.06 ERA, while Brian Busick (3.42), and Dean McArdle (4.34) have also been solid all season. The "veterans" of the staff are junior Alex Pracher (3.27) and junior Danny Sandbrink (5.71), who have both appeared in at least eight games.
Pries Has Hit a Hot Stretch
Sophomore RHP Jordan Pries has worked his way into the lead role as the team's No. 1 starter with a 3-1 record and 3.06 ERA over his first seven starts. Over his last four starts, he has pitched a shutout of Pepperdine, fired off a complete game win at No. 2 UCLA--the then-undefeated Bruins first loss, and had a no-decision despite one run on five hits over seven innings against Oregon. He has a 1.97 ERA over that timeframe.
Mooneyham Has Solid Week
Fellow sophomore, LHP Brett Mooneyham had a solid week, picking up the win with one run over eight-plus innings on Saturday. Mooneyham pitched eight scoreless innings before a single run came across in the ninth of a 2-1 win. Over his last four appearances, the lefthander has a 3.50 ERA.
New Positions, No Problem for Piscotty
Freshman Stephen Piscotty, a prep shortstop and third baseman, has learned two new positions in his first collegiate season. Piscotty has started in left and at first this season and has hit safely in all but three games, leading the club entering the week with a .343. He is also tied for the team lead in runs (23) and RBIs (19).
Grand Olde Game with the Cardinal
Opening Day around Major League Baseball had nine Stanford alumni within its ranks, from general managers Kenny Williams (White Sox) and Ruben Amaro, Jr. (Phillies), to a manager, A.J. Hinch (Diamondbacks) to six Major Leaguers: starter Jeremy Guthrie (Orioles), first baseman Ryan Garko (Rangers), outfielder Carlos Quentin (White Sox), outfielder Jody Gerut (Brewers), outfielder Chris Carter (Mets) and catcher John Hester (Diamondbacks).
Top-Five Scheduling
UCLA was the third top-five team the Cardinal has played this season. Stanford swept No. 5 Rice, were swept at No. 3 Texas and lost the series at No. 2 UCLA by three runs. According to Collegiate Baseball, Arizona State, UCLA and Texas are the nation's top three teams this week.
Clutch Performances
The Cardinal have won five games in its last at-bat, with four different players, Zach Jones (GW hit versus Pepperdine, GW single versus USC), Kenny Diekroeger (GW double versus Rice), Jonathan Kaskow (GW hit versus UCSB), and Jake Schlander (walk-off solo homer in the 11th vs. UCSB).
Cardinal to Play at Safeco Field in Seattle
In the first time since the early 1990s, the Stanford Cardinal will play in a Major League Ballpark, when the team travels to Seattle to play one if its three games with the University of Washington at Safeco Field. Stanford previously played at the Metrodome in Minneapolis during the 1990 and 1991 seasons. The Saturday game will be a part of a day-night doubleheader with the Seattle Mariners, who host the Texas Rangers at 12:10 p.m. The collegiate game with the Huskies will be at 6:30 p.m. The Friday and Sunday's games of the series will be played on the University of Washington campus. Tickets are currently on sale at the Husky Ticket Office, online at gohuskies.com, or by phone at (206) 543-2200. Tickets are $8.
2000s Heroes Amongst Nominees for All-CWS Team
Former Stanford stars John Hudgins and Ryan Garko are amongst the nominees for the College World Series All-Legends team, selected in part, by fan voting at ncaasports.com/cws. Hudgins, the former CWS Most Outstanding Player from the early 2000s, is one of 14 pitchers on the ballot. He went 3-0 as he stuck out 15 and only gave up five earned runs in 24 innings of work during the 2003 classic earning All-America and Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year honors as a junior. Garko, the Johnny Bench Award winner, is one of nine catchers on the ballot. The current Major Leaguer helped guide Stanford to the national championship game in 2001 and 2003.
Tickets Available
Tickets for the team's home games are available at www.gostanford.com or by calling 1-800-STANFORD. The schedule also includes non-conference weekday series with area teams, Cal, San Francisco, UC Davis, Saint Mary's, San Jose State and Santa Clara. The Pac-10 breakdown for home games is as follows: (Oregon, Apr. 9-11, Cal, Apr. 23-25, Washington State, May 14-16, Arizona State, May 28-30).
Cardinal Picked Fourth by Pac-10 Coaches
Stanford Baseball was picked to finish fourth in the preseason Pacific 10 Conference coaches poll. The Cardinal received 59 points, behind three-time defending champion, Arizona State (78 points and 7 first place votes), Oregon State (67, 2) and UCLA. The rest of the Pac-10 preseason picks are: Arizona (fifth), Washington State, Cal, USC, Washington and Oregon.
Two-Sport Tradition
Including Heisman runner-up Toby Gerhart (running back and outfielder), current head coach Mark Marquess (who was a quarterback, defensive back and punt returner) and NFL Hall of Famer John Elway (and outfielder and quarterback), the Cardinal have had a number of great two-sport stars. One of the first was Ernie Nevers, who starred for the Cardinal in the early part of the 20th Centruy. That list has included: Major League pitcher Joe Borchard (also a QB), NFL and MLB player Chad Hutchinson (RHP and QB), Brian Johnson (QB) and John Lynch (QB and RHP). Backup running back Tyler Gaffney, a freshman outfielder on the team, is the latest two-sport athlete.
Quentin One of Decade's Best
Stanford Major Leaguer Carlos Quentin was named one of Baseball America's players of the decade for the first 10 years of the new century, joining four other Pac-10 players on the national publication's look back at the decade. A four-year Major Leaguer with the Diamondbacks and White Sox, Quentin starred for the Cardinal from 2001 to 2003 hitting .350 with 170 RBIs and 35 homers. Quentin hit .396 as a junior in 2003 with 24 doubles, 12 homers and 64 RBIs leading Stanford to the CWS Championship Game against Rice. Other Pac-10 players included: UCLA second baseman Chase Utley, Oregon State outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, USC pitcher Mark Prior and Washington pitcher Tim Lincecum.