May 14, 2013
Postseason Guide
THIS WEEK: The No. 13/14 Stanford softball team (37-19, 13-11 Pac-12) has earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament and will travel to Lincoln, Neb., to face No. 24 Tulsa (42-14-1, 19-5 C-USA) on Friday, May 17. The Cardinal and Golden Hurricane will square off at 4 p.m. CT at Bowlin Stadium. Host Nebraska, the No. 14 overall seed, will take on Northern Iowa in the second game of the Lincoln Regional.
THE SCHEDULE: (All time are CT)
Friday, May 17
4 p.m. Game 1 - #2 Stanford vs. #3 Tulsa
7 p.m. Game 2 - #1 Nebraska vs. #4 UNI
Saturday, May 18
1 p.m. Game 3 - Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
4 p.m. Game 4 - Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2
7:30 p.m. Game 5 - Loser Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4
Sunday, May 19
1 p.m. Game 6 - Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5
3:30 p.m. Game 7 - Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6 (if necessary)
CATCH THE CARDINAL: Fans can follow this week’s games on Gametracker or via a live stream, available on www.GoStanford.com. Live updates will also be available on Twitter @StanfordSball. KZSU radio will be broadcasting the games at 90.1 FM or online at http://kzsu.stanford.edu/.
ABOUT TULSA
Series Record: Stanford is 2-0 all-time against Tulsa.
Last Meeting: The Cardinal and Golden Hurricane last met during the 2006 Fresno Regional in Fresno, Calif. Stanford topped Tulsa 8-0 in five innings.
Common Ground: Stanford and Tulsa have played three common opponents this season - Florida State, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. Tulsa went 4-1 against the competition, while the Cardinal was 1-2.
Scouting Report: Tulsa enters the tournament with a 42-14-1 overall record and received an at-large berth out of Conference USA. The Golden Hurricane is making its third straight postseason appearance and sixth overall. As a team, Tulsa has shut down its opponents defensively, posting a 1.80 team ERA and a .970 fielding percentage. In the circle, junior pitcher Aimee Creger boasts the fourth-best ERA in the country with a 1.04 mark. Her 283 strikeouts ranks 11th overall and she holds a 25-6 record on the year. Senior Lacey Middlebrooks is 14-3 with a 1.76 ERA and 87 strikeouts. Offensively, junior Jill Barrett paces the team with a .412 average, including 80 hits. Senior Samantha Cobb is hitting .339 with a team-best 45 RBI, while junior Haley Henshaw has 44 RBI. Senior Caitlin Everett is 20-23 in stolen bases.
ABOUT NEBRASKA
Series Record: Stanford is 5-4 all-time versus Nebraska.
Last Meeting: The teams last met at the Stanford Regional in 2011. The Cardinal posted a 4-1 win to advance to the Tuscaloosa Super Regional.
Common Ground: Stanford and Nebraska have faced 10 common opponents in 2013 - Arizona, California, Florida State, Iowa, Minnesota, Northwestern, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon and Wisconsin. Nebraska was 12-8 against the common opponents, while Stanford finished 8-9.
Scouting Report: Nebraska enters the NCAA Tournament with a 40-13 overall record and a 15-6 mark in the Big Ten Conference. The Huskers have 40 wins entering the postseason for the first time since 2006 and are hosting a regional for the first time since 2007. Junior pitcher Tatum Edwards (26-8) is a dual threat for Nebraska, boasting a 1.85 ERA and 188 strikeouts while also tallying 10 home runs and 23 RBI. Freshman Emily Lockman has also seen time in the circle, leading the team with a 1.73 ERA and a 14-5 record. Offensively, senior Brooke Thomason is hitting .333 with 11 doubles and 46 RBI. Junior Taylor Edwards paces the squad with 48 RBI.
ABOUT NORTHERN IOWA
Series Record: Stanford and Northern Iowa would meet for the first time in the programs’ histories.
Last Meeting: None
Common Ground: Stanford and Northern Iowa have played five common opponents in 2013 - Arizona State, Bradley, Iowa, Minnesota and Santa Clara. UNI finished 5-4 against the competition, while Stanford was 6-3.
Scouting Report: Northern Iowa is making its second NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 1990. The Panthers (26-24) won the Missouri Valley Conference and are hitting .256 as a team. UNI had five players earn MVC acoolades led by Co-Newcomer of the Year Caitlin Wnek. The rookie led the 14 doubles and tallied 25 runs scored. Junior pitcher Jamie Fisher, UNI’s all-time wins leader, was a first team all-conference pick, holding a 21-13 overall record and a 1.92 ERA. Senior Haley Kriener, junior Gina Brown and junior Nicole Fisher were all selected to the MVC Second Team.
POSTSEASON CHATTER: The Cardinal is participating in the NCAA Tournament for the 16th 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 five of the last eight years, and holds a 39-34 (.534) all-time record in postseason play.
STANFORD VS. THE FIELD: The Cardinal is 16-14 against the 2013 tournament field with a 3-3 record in neutral site games. In addition to the seven fellow Pac-12 teams that qualified, Stanford faced Florida State, Georgia, Kentucky, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Portland State, San Jose State and Wisconsin earlier this year.
UP NEXT: Should the Cardinal advance to a super regional, it is matched up with the Eugene Regional featuring the tournament’s No. 3 overall seed and Pac-12 Champion Oregon. The Ducks are hosting BYU, North Carolina and Wisconsin this weekend. The winner of that regional will face the Lincoln Regional champion.
LAST WEEK: Stanford is coming off a 2-2 week in which it run-ruled Santa Clara (11-3 in six innings) and took a game from visiting Arizona in its final Pac-12 series. Freshman pitcher Kelsey Stevens earned the win over the Wildcats, notching her seventh shutout of the season.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Freshman first baseman Kayla Bonstrom was tabbed the final Pac-12 Player of the Week of the season on May 13. The rookie hit .615 with three doubles, her first career triple and a home run last week against Santa Clara and Arizona. She finished the week with a 1.231 slugging percentage
IN THE POLLS: The Cardinal, which has appeared in every regular-season poll for more than a decade, remained at No. 13 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball and dropped to No. 14 in the USA Today/NFCA top 25 this week. Six Pac-12 schools appear in the top 25 of both polls.
CARDINAL ACE: Senior pitcher Teagan Gerhart (99-43) is seeking her 100th career victory, holding a 2.22 career ERA with 766 strikeouts. She ranks in the top-10 all-time in wins, ERA, strikeouts, shutouts and innings pitched. On the season, Gerhart leads the team with an 19-11 record and holds a 2.53 ERA, 138 strikeouts and five saves, which is second in the Pac-12.
RECORD BREAKER: Senior shortstop Jenna Rich became Stanford’s career RBI leader on May 3, hitting a three-run homer in a win at Cal. Rich now boasts 213 in her career. The El Segundo, Calif., native also ranks in the top-10 all-time at Stanford in batting average, hits, home runs, triples, slugging percentage and runs scored.
PAC-12 WRAP-UP: With a 13-11 record, Stanford finished fourth in the notoriously tough Pac-12 Conference after being picked sixth by the league’s coaches in the preseason poll. Oregon, the overall No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, claimed the conference crown with a 19-5 record. Arizona State and Washington tied for second with a 16-8 mark. Eight of the nine Pac-12 teams were awarded bids to this year’s postseason with three receiving one of the top 16 seeds.
THREE’S COMPANY: This year’s Stanford squad has already hit 19 triples, which is the second-most in a single season in school history. The 2012 team set the school record with 20 triples. Sophomore outfielder Cassandra Roulund leads the team with six, also trying for the second-most in a single season at Stanford. Roulund’s six triples leads the Pac-12 and ranks 10th nationally.
MANUFACTORING RUNS: Stanford is averaging 5.64 runs per game this season, ranking 34th in the nation. The Cardinal has been shut out just twice all season with the most recent coming against Wisconsin at the Easton Invitational in Fullerton, Calif., on March 1. Stanford is 27-5 when scoring five or more runs in a game this season.
SENIOR CLASS AWARD: Stanford shortstop Jenna Rich has been tabbed a top 10 finalist for the 2013 Senior CLASS Award. She joins California pitcher Jolene Henderson in representing the Pac-12 Conference. Finalists were narrowed down from a list of 30 based on personal qualities that define a complete student-athlete - classroom, community, character and competition.
HEAD COACH John Rittman: In his 17th season at the helm of the Cardinal program, head coach John Rittman is one of the winningest coaches in collegiate softball, boasting a 718-332-3 (.683) career record. Since stepping onto The Farm in July 1996, he has coached the team to 17 consecutive winning seasons, 16 straight NCAA Tournament appearances and 13 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 (2001 & 2004).
MILESTONE FOR RITTMAN: Cardinal head coach John Rittman captured his 700th career win on March 8 in a 2-1 victory over Florida Gulf Coast at the Stanford Louisville Slugger Classic. All 700-plus wins have come during his time on The Farm. He is among the top 20 in the nation of the active winingest head coaches (.683).