April 6, 2011
Complete Release in PDF Format 
THIS WEEK: The No. 13/14 Stanford softball team (24-7; 0-3 Pac-10) travels to Los Angeles to face No. 6/10 UCLA (26-5; 3-0 Pac-10) for a three-game conference series, Apr. 8-10. This weekend’s games, played at Easton Stadium, mark the first true road games of the season for the Cardinal.
CATCH THE CARDINAL: Fans can catch this week’s games on Gametracker available on www.GoStanford.com. Live updates will also be available on Twitter @StanfordSball.
LAST WEEK: The Cardinal opened Pac-10 play at home versus Arizona, dropping all three games in the series. The Wildcats out scored the Cardinal 16-1 in the three games. Junior Sarah Hassman and freshman Danielle Miller were the only two Cardinal players to register multiple hits on the weekend.
UP NEXT: Stanford will return to The Farm next week as it hosts San Jose State on Tuesday, Apr. 12 at 6 p.m. before hosting Pac-10 foe Oregon State, Apr. 15-17.
KEEP YOUR EYE ON...: Junior infielder Ashley Hansen was among the 50 players named to the initial USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year watch list. The 50 picks represented 36 different schools and 15 different confereneces. Hansen was one of 12 selections from the Pac-10. Last season, Hansen and senior Alissa Haber were amon the 50 preseason picks as well, while Haber was joined by freshman Teagan Gerhart on the top 25 list.
IN THE POLLS: Stanford continues to be ranked in both major polls this week. The Cardinal, which has appeared in every regular-season poll for more than a decade, is ranked 13th in the USA Today/NFCA top-25 and 14th in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll. Seven of the eight Pac-10 schools appeared in the top-20 of both polls.
LEADING THE NATION: Junior Ashley Hansen leads the nation in doubles per game (0.55) and ranks second with a .531 batting average. Hansen is also among the top-50 in the country in on-base percentage (6th), toughest to strike out (8th), slugging percentage (9th), runs per game (27th) and triples (31st).
OFFENSIVE NUMBERS: This year’s Stanford squad is seventh nationally with a .346 team batting average. No Cardinal team has ever completed a season with a team average over .300. Its .542 team slugging percentage is 14th-best in the country, while it ranks 18th in scoring (6.32 rpg), 27th in doubles per game (1.52) and 29th in home runs per game (1.06).
CHINN PITCHER OF THE WEEK: Senior pitcher Ashley Chinn earned her first career Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week award after tossing her second career perfect game on Mar. 27 against Coastal Carolina. Chinn earned two wins in three appearances to remain undefeated on the season. The Belmont, Calif., native finished the week with 16 strikeouts, while giving up just three earned runs in 16.0 innings pitched for a 1.31 ERA.
GERHART PITCHER OF THE WEEK: After posting a 3-0 weekend in the circle at the DeMarini Invitational (Mar. 4-6), sophomore Teagan Gerhart earned her first Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week honors of the season (second of her career). The Norco, Calif., native tallied 33 strikeouts while giving up just four earned runs in 21.0 innings pitched. She averaged 11 Ks per contest and finished with a career high 14 strikeouts against Cal State Northridge on Mar. 6.
ALL-AMERICAN INFIELDER: Junior Ashley Hansen is the lone returning All-American for the Cardinal this season. After picking up Pac-10 Freshman of the Year honors and Second Team NFCA All-American accolades in 2009, Hansen earned her second straight all-conference and all-region recognition last season. She leads the team this season in batting average (.531), hits (51), doubles (17) and triples (3). Additionally, she already ranks in the top-10 at Stanford in career average (.423), doubles (59), triples (10) and slugging percentage (.687).
GERHART IN THE CIRCLE: Sophomore Teagan Gerhart has tallied 13 wins this season, ranking seventh in the Pac-10. She is 13-6 overall with a 1.97 ERA and 125 strikeouts. She leads the team with 15 complete games, including a one-hit shutout in the season opener against Cal State Northridge. In less than two seasons, Gerhart already ranks among the top-10 in school history in wins (35 - 10th), strikeouts (298 - 6th) and shutouts (12 - 7th).
CHINN IN THE CIRCLE: Senior pitcher Ashley Chinn has been a consistent force for the Cardinal in the circle this season. She leads the team with a 1.92 ERA, ranking ninth in the conference. She has racked up 80 strikeouts in 83.2 innings and registered eight complete games, including four shutouts. Chinn tossed her second career perfect game on Mar. 27, marking the fourth no-hitter in her collegiate career. Her 390 career Ks and 14 career shutouts rank fifth-best in school history.
LEADING OFF: Junior center fielder Sarah Hassman has led off all 31 games for the Cardinal this season after being primarily the nine-hitter a year ago. Hitting a combine .263 in her first two seasons on The Farm, Hassman has increased her average to .432 (10th in the Pac-10), and she already has registered a season high in hits (41) and runs (38).
ALL-PAC-10 RETURNER: Along with Ashley Hansen and Teagan Gerhart, sophomore Jenna Rich is one of three returning All-Pac-10 players from last season. Rich has picked up where she left off last season, recording 42 hits (including four doubles, two triples and seven home runs), 34 RBI, a .396 batting average and a .670 slugging percentage so far this season. Her seven home runs and 34 RBI are already more than half of what she produced last season (12 home runs, 47 RBI).
GERHART AS A ROOKIE: Teagan Gerhart had her breakout rookie season cut short with a season-ending injury. However, her 1.65 ERA ranked sixth in the Pac-10, while her 173 total strikeouts were eighth. Her 173 Ks was the 10th best single season output in school history. Gerhart threw 18 complete games with 11 shutouts and finished with a 22-6 record.
PAC-10 FIRST: Last season, Teagan Gerhart also accomplished something that no other Pac-10 player had done before – throw three straight no-hitters. Gerhart did so at the Stanford Louisville Slugger Classic in mid-March, starting with a perfect game against Santa Clara. She earned Pac-10 Pitcher and USA Softball and NFCA National Player of the Week honors for her efforts.
CAREER THEFTS: Junior Sarah Hassman leads the Pac-10 with 20 stolen bases this season on 22 attempts. She began the year in fourth on the all-time career list at Stanford with 42. She has now moved into second, passing Catalina Morris (43) and Alissa Haber (56), and trails only two-time Olympian Jessica Mendoza (86). Still with more than a year left in her career, Hassman will have a chance to make a run for the all-time record.
ROOKIE DEBUTS: Five of Stanford’s six freshmen have seen playing time for the Cardinal this season. Designated player Danielle Miller is hitting .323 and has tallied three home runs and 24 RBI. Corey Hanewich has four home runs and 14 RBI for the Cardinal, while Michelle Prong, whose first collegiate hit was a grand slam, is hitting .351 with 16 RBI. Caitlyn Pura is also hitting over .300 (.310) and has recorded a double, two home runs and six RBI in 17 games played. Fellow rookie Jaime Millwood hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the sixth inning against Utah State for her first collegiate hit.
SOLID VETERANS: With six upperclassmen on a roster of 19, the Cardinal is still a fairly young squad. However, the team’s veteran’s look to continue their production and success at several key positions. The seniors, pitcher Ashley Chinn and infielder Melisa Koutz, were a part of Stanford’s back-to-back Super Regional appearances (2008 and 2009). And, along with juniors Jenna Becerra, Maya Burns, Ashley Hansen and Sarah Hassman, were a part of the 2009 squad which posted the best winning percentage in school history (.814). Together the juniors and seniors have combined to produce 276 runs, 434 hits and 249 RBI entering the 2011 season. Led by Hansen’s freshman All-America honor, the group holds two all-conference and all-region selections and various other team awards.
PRESEASON PICKS: Stanford was picked to finish sixth in the Pac-10 this season in the annual poll of the league’s coaches. 2010 National Champion UCLA and national runner-up Arizona each garnered four first-place votes to tie at the top of the poll. Arizona State was selected third, while California and Washington tied for fourth.
2010 IN REVIEW: Stanford is coming off a 37-19 season in which it tied for sixth-place in the Pac-10 Conference and advanced to its 13th consecutive NCAA Regional. It marked the Cardinal’s 14th consecutive winning season. At the end of the year, six players were honored with All-Pac-10 awards and three received all-region recognition. Additionally, senior Rosey Neill earned her third Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year honor and senior Alissa Haber became the program’s second four-time All-American, earning first team honors.
TEAM USA TIES: Head coach John Rittman was a member of the United States National Team coaching staff from 2001-08. This past summer, four players with ties to the Cardinal program helped the U.S. capture the World Championship in Venezuela. Competing for the red, white and blue were Stanford alums Alissa Haber, Lauren Lappin and Jessica Mendoza, and current Cardinal infielder Ashley Hansen. The alums were also a part of the United State’s World Cup title in Oklahoma City in late July.
HEAD COACH John Rittman: In his 15th season at the helm of the Cardinal program, head coach John Rittman is one of the winningest coaches in collegiate softball, boasting a 623-284-3 (.686) career record. Since stepping onto the Farm in July 1996, he has coached the team to 14 consecutive winning seasons, 13 straight NCAA Tournament appearances and 11 40-win seasons. Under Rittman, Stanford has claimed a share of its first conference championship and made two appearances in the Women’s College World Series.
MILESTONE FOR RITTMAN: Stanford’s win over Cal State Northridge (9-0; 5) in the season opener marked the 600th career victory for head coach John Rittman. He became the sixth Pac-10 coach to accomplish the feat, joining current Pac-10 head coaches Mike Candrea (Arizona) and Diane Ninemire (California).
SCOUTING UCLA: UCLA is 26-5 overall and coming off a three-game sweep of Oregon State to open Pac-10 play. After the first weekend of conference games, the Bruins lead the league Pac-10 games in batting average (.380), slugging percentage (.606), on-base percentage (.545), runs (27), hits (27) and RBI (25). Overall, UCLA has out scored its opponents 227-72 on the season. The Bruins have three hitters batting over .400 on the season, including junior Andrea Harrison (.432) and freshman Kellie Fox (.429). Harrison leads the squad with 38 hits, including 10 doubles and 10 home runs, and 38 RBI, while Fox has racked up 36 hits, including seven doubles and eight home runs, and 34 RBI. Sophomore B.B. Bates has also been a solid offensive threat, posting 37 hits, including seven doubles and six home runs, and 28 RBI. In the circle, senior Donna Kerr holds a 1.46 ERA and leads the team with 100 strikeouts in 81.2 innings. Rookie Jessica Hall (2.15 ERA) has seen the most time in the circle, throwing 101.0 innings and totaling 10 complete games, including three shutouts, and 84 strikeouts.
SERIES RECORD AGAINST THE BRUINS: Stanford is 14-43 all-time versus UCLA. The Bruins swept the Cardinal last year at Smith Family Stadium in the three-game series. The last Stanford win over UCLA came during the 2007 season. The Cardinal defeated the Bruins 4-1 at Easton Staidum on May 6. Earlier that season, Stanford won a 6-4 contest against UCLA at home, marking the last time the Cardinal won the season series against the Bruins.