May 23, 2011
Complete Release in PDF Format 
THIS WEEK: The Stanford softball team (41-15), the No. 15 overall seed in the NCAA tournament, travels to Tuscaloosa, Ala., to take on the No. 2 seed Alabama (49-8) in a Super Regional, May 26-27. The teams will battle it out at Rhoads Stadium for a chance to move on to the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City, June 2-8.
THE SCHEDULE:
Thursday, May 26
Game 1 - 5 p.m. PT/7 p.m. CT (ESPN)
Friday, May 27
Game 2 - 1:30 p.m. PT/3:30 p.m. CT (ESPNU)
Game 3 (if necessary) - 4 p.m. PT/6 p.m. CT (ESPN2)
CATCH THE CARDINAL: ESPN will be broadcasting from all eight super regional sites this weekend. Thursday's game will be aired live on ESPN, while Friday's first game will be shown on ESPNU. The if necessary game on Friday night will air on ESPN2. Beth Mowans and Jessica Mendoza will be on the call for ESPN. Fans can also catch this week's games on Gametracker available on www.GoStanford.com. Live updates will be available on Twitter @StanfordSball.
POSTSEASON CHATTER: The Cardinal is participating in the NCAA Tournament for the 14th consecutive year, dating back to 1998 when the team made its first postseason appearance in head coach John Rittman's second season. Stanford has won seven regional titles and made appearances in the Women's College World Series in 2001 and 2004. Stanford has reached a super regional series five of the last seven years, and holds a 36-29 (.554) all-time record in postseason play.
STANFORD VS. THE FIELD: The Cardinal is 17-14 against the 2011 tournament field with four of the 10 wins coming on the road or at a neutral site. In addition to the six fellow Pac-10 teams that qualified, Stanford faced BYU, Kentucky, Memphis, Nebraska, North Dakota State, Pacific, Portland State, San Diego State and Tennessee earlier this year.
UP NEXT: Should the Cardinal advance, it would be making its third overall trip to the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City. Its previous two trips came in 2001 and 2004. Stanford is looking to become the sixth Pac-10 Conference school to take home the national title.
STANFORD REGIONAL: Stanford went undefeated in its regional games last weekend, topping Pacific (3-0), Fresno State (3-1) and Nebraska (4-1). Junior Ashley Hansen led the way offensively, hitting .400 in the three games (4-10) with three runs scored, two RBI and a stolen base. Sophomore Jenna Rich racked up four of the team's nine RBI on the weekend. In the circle, sophomore Teagan Gerhart posted a 0.67 ERA and a 3-0 record. She finished with 10 strikeouts and gave up just two runs and three walks in 21.0 innings pitched.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR CANDIDATE: Junior infielder Ashley Hansen was among the 10 players named to the USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year watch list. The 10 picks represent nine different schools and five different confereneces. Hansen was one of two selections from the Pac-10. Hansen joins former Cardinal ace Missy Penna as the only two Stanford players to make the top-10.
PAC-10 PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Junior shortstop Ashley Hansen has been voted the 2011 Pac-10 Player of the Year. She joins two-time Olympian Jessica Mendoza as the only Cardinal players to receive this honor. She leads the conference in batting average (.500), on-base percentage (.562), hits (92) and doubles (25), while ranking second with an .815 slugging percentage and seventh with 51 runs scored.
ALL-WEST REGION: Four Stanford players were represented on the Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-West Region team - sophomore Teagan Gerhart, junior Ashley Hansen, junior Sarah Hassman and sophomore Jenna Rich. The foursome, which ties for the most first team selections in school history, is now eligible to become 2011 Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-Americans.
ALL-CONFERENCE ACCOLADES: Joining Ashley Hansen on the all-conference first team was sophomore pitcher Teagan Gerhart, while junior Sarah Hassman and sophomore Jenna Rich were named to the second team. Senior pitcher Ashley Chinn and freshman outfielder Corey Hanewich were honorable mention all-conference. Addiditonally, Hanewich and Daniell Miller were named to the All-Freshmen Team, while Michelle Prong was an all-freshmen honorable mention pick.
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, stayed even at No. 11 in the USA Today/NFCA top-25 and No. 12 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll after going 1-2 last week at No. 1 Arizona State. Seven of the eight Pac-10 schools appear in both polls.
LEADING THE NATION: Junior Ashley Hansen leads the nation in batting average (.506) and doubles per game (0.45). Hansen is also among the top-50 in the country in on-base percentage (8th), toughest to strike out (2nd) and slugging percentage (13th).
PAC-10 WRAP-UP: With a 10-11 record, Stanford finished in fifth place in the notoriously tough Pac-10 Conference. Arizona State, the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, claimed the conference crown with a 17-4 record. California (15-6) finished second, while Oregon and Arizona tied for third with identical 11-10 records. Seven Pac-10 teams were awarded bids to this year's postseason, with six of the seven receiving one of the 16 seeds.
OFFENSIVE NUMBERS: This year's Stanford squad is 30th nationally with a .308 team batting average. No Cardinal team has ever completed a season with a team average over .300. Its .463 team slugging percentage is 36th-best in the country, while it ranks 47th in scoring (5.28 rpg) and 26th in stolen bases per game (1.66).
ALL-AMERICAN INFIELDER: Junior Ashley Hansen is the lone returning All-American for the Cardinal this season. The 2009 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, Hansen is a three-time all-conference and all-region selection. She leads the team this season in batting average (.500), hits (92), doubles (25) and triples (3). Additionally, she already ranks in the top-10 at Stanford in career average (.412), hits (235), doubles (67), triples (10), RBI (139), slugging percentage (.649) and runs scored (139).
LEADING OFF: Junior center fielder Sarah Hassman has led off all 56 games for the Cardinal this season after being primarily the nine-hitter a year ago. Hitting a combined .263 in her first two seasons on The Farm, Hassman has increased her average to .395 and has already registered a season high in hits (70), runs scored (60), doubles (5), RBI (13), walks (28) and stolen bases (34).
DOUBLES QUEEN: Junior Ashley Hansen leads the conference with 25 doubles this season, surpassing her freshman year output, which ranks second-most in a single season by a Cardinal player. She now has 67 for her career, trailing just Alissa Haber (72) and Jessica Mendoza (70) on the all-time career list.
CAREER THEFTS: Junior Sarah Hassman leads the Pac-10 with 34 stolen bases this season on 37 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. Hassman's 34 stolen bases this season breaks Mendoza's single season reacord of 31 set in 2001.
FREE PASSES: Freshman utility player Michelle Prong leads the Cardinal with 30 walks this season. She is just one free pass away from entering the single season top-10 and on pace to accrue enough to end her career in the top-10 on the all-time list.
.500 CLUB: Should junior Ashley Hansen, whose .500 batting average leads the Pac-10, end the year at .500 or better, she would become the first Cardinal player and just the eighth Pac-10 player ever to accomplish that feat. She would join Arizona's Caitlin Lowe (.510; 2005), Alison McCutcheon (.534; 1997) and Amy Chellevold (.504; 1994), and UCLA's Megan Langenfeld (.527; 2010), Stacey Nuveman (.529; 2002), Jennifer Brundage (.526; 1995) and Lisa Fernandez (.510; 1993).
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 continued to be a consistent force in the Cardinal lineup, recording 60 hits (including nine doubles, two triples and 10 home runs), 49 RBI, a .314 batting average and a .539 slugging percentage so far this season.
FOR THE RECORD: Ashley Hansen is approaching to single season Stanford records. The junior needs just three hits to breaks the single season record of 94, set by Jessica Mendoza in 2000. Hansen also needs just two doubles to top Alissa Haber's 2006 mark of 26.
HANSEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Shortstop Ashley Hansen was named Pac-10 Player of the Week on Apr. 12, her first weekly honor of the season (second of her career). The junior led the team with a .615 batting average, including two doubles and three RBI in three games at UCLA (Apr. 8-10). She led the team to its first series win over the Bruins since 2007.
GERHART PITCHER OF THE WEEK: Sophomore Teagan Gerhart picked up her second Pac-10 Player of the Week honors after Stanford's 2-1 weekend at UCLA (third of her career). Gerhart threw a career high 13 innings (231 pitches) with 12 Ks in a no decision on Friday. She earned the win over the Bruins in a 5-1 victory on Sunday. Gerhart's first weekly honors of the year came after posting a 3-0 weekend in the circle at the DeMarini Invitational (Mar. 4-6). 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.
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 IN THE CIRCLE: Sophomore Teagan Gerhart has reached the 20-win plateau for the second straight season and ranks fourth in the Pac-10 in wins. She is 25-11 overall with a 1.68 ERA and 236 strikeouts. She leads the team with 28 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 (47 - 7th), strikeouts (409 - 6th) and shutouts (14 - 6th).
CHINN IN THE CIRCLE: Senior pitcher Ashley Chinn has been a consistent force for the Cardinal in the circle this season. She holds a 2.02 ERA. She has racked up 115 strikeouts in 132.0 innings and registered 12 complete games, including five shutouts. Chinn tossed her second career perfect game on Mar. 27, marking the fourth no-hitter in her collegiate career. Her 425 career Ks and 15 career shutouts rank fifth-best in school history.
ROOKIE DEBUTS: Five of Stanford's six freshmen have seen playing time for the Cardinal this season. Designated player Danielle Miller is hitting .269 and has tallied four home runs and 35 RBI. Corey Hanewich has five home runs and 25 RBI for the Cardinal, while Michelle Prong, whose first collegiate hit was a grand slam, is hitting .265 with 23 RBI. Caitlyn Pura is hitting .245 and has recorded a double, two home runs and eight RBI in 30 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.
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.
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 640-292-3 (.686) career record. Since stepping onto the Farm in July 1996, he has coached the team to 15 consecutive winning seasons, 14 straight NCAA Tournament appearances and 12 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).
ABOUT ALABAMA
Series Record: Stanford is 2-3 all-time against Alabama.
Last Meeting: The team's last met in the Tuscaloosa Super Regional in 2006. Alabama defeated Stanford, 4-1, in the first game and then barely edged the Cardinal, 8-7 in eight innings, in game two.
Last Stanford Victory: The last time Stanford defeated Alabama was in the 2004 season opener at Stanford. That was also the last season the Cardinal went to the Women's College World Series.
Common Ground: Stanford and Alabama have played three common opponents this season - Oregon, Tennessee and Memphis. The Crimson Tide was 3-1 against those opponents, while the Cardinal went 2-3.
Scouting Report: Alabama is coming off its seventh straight regional title after it posted wins over Jackson State (8-0), Memphis (7-1) and Chattanooga (11-2) last weekend. The Crimson Tide is 49-8 overall and hitting .316 as a team. It has out scored its opponents 419-96 on the season. Seven of Alabama's players are batting over .300 on the year, including five with double-digit home runs. Sophomore Kayla Braud leads the squad with a .437 average and 80 hits, while senior Whitney Larsen has racked up a team-best 60 RBI. Freshman pitcher/designated player Jackie Traina has chipped in with 45 RBI and a team-high 13 home runs. She has been the back-up to senior ace Kelsi Dunne (26-3) in the circle this season. Dunne leads the team with a 1.14 ERA and 292 strikeouts. She has tallied 22 complete games, including 10 shutouts. Traina holds a 1.31 ERA and is 18-5 overall. She has 178 Ks in 144.0 innings pitched.