STANFORD, Calif. -- Stanford earned an at-large bid to the 2014 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, the NCAA announced Monday on ESPNU. The Cardinal is headed to the Bloomington (Ind.) Regional with host and No. 4 overall seed Indiana, Indiana State and Youngstown State.
Stanford (30-23, 16-14 Pac-12), the No. 3 seed, opens the tournament Friday against No. 2-seeded Indiana State (35-16) at 11 a.m. PT, prior to No. 1 Indiana (42-13) and No. 4 Youngstown State (16-36) meeting at 4 p.m. PT. The double-elimination tournament could run through Monday, if necessary. The regional winner moves on to face the Nashville Regional champion in a best-of-three Super Regional.
We're in! pic.twitter.com/phCZcZmd4q
— Stanford Baseball (@StanfordBSB) May 26, 2014
Mark Marquess, the Clarke and Elizabeth Nelson Director of Baseball, has the Cardinal in the 64-team NCAA field for the 29th time in the last 34 years. Stanford has won its last six NCAA regional games and is 81-28 (.743) in its 28 previous regional appearances.
The Cardinal last took part in the national tournament in 2012, when Stanford won its own regional at Klein Field at Sunken Diamond, before falling in the Super Regional at Florida State.
This year’s Cardinal was included among the country’s top 64 teams due to a strong second half of the season. Stanford is 19-7 in its last 26 games and 8-2 in its last 10. The team won its final four Pac-12 series, including a sweep of Utah to end the regular season.
Stanford’s resume also features a rigorous schedule that included 24 games against teams in the RPI top 50. Oregon, Arizona State and Kansas, all of which finished in the top 50, lost three-game sets to the Cardinal. Stanford also owns victories over NCAA tournament teams Washington, Texas and Rice. The Owls are one of 16 teams hosting a regional.
Stanford enters the four-team regional as a difficult matchup thanks to its 1-2 punch of Cal Quantrill and John Hochstatter on the mound. Quantrill, part of the freshman class that has started 41 of 53 games for the Cardinal, has been in the rotation for the entirety of the season, while Hochstatter has gone 7-0 since joining April 13.
Hochstatter is a probable All-Pac-12 selection, as he owns an 8-0 record with a 2.24 ERA in league play. Quantrill’s first regular season on The Farm ended with a 5-5 record and 2.92 ERA.
The offense is led by center fielder Austin Slater, who carries a 17-game hitting streak to the NCAA tournament. Slater's 36 RBI and six triples along with a team-best batting average of .349. Right fielder Zach Hoffpauir follows closely at .339 after an 8-for-13 series against Utah that included two home runs. Third baseman Alex Blandino leads the squad with 11 home runs, the most by a Stanford player since Brent Milleville hit 14 in 2009, and 37 RBI.
Stanford has not played any of the teams in the Bloomignton (Ind.) Regional since 1959.
NCAA REGIONAL TICKET INFORMATION
All-session tickets can be purchased through the IU Ticket Office beginning on Tuesday, May 27, at 9 a.m. ET. Single session tickets will be made available for purchase on Friday, May 30.
All-Session Pricing
Reserved Red Seatbacks: $84 (Adult) • $49 (Student/Youth)
Reserved Bleachers: $70 (Adult) • $35 (Student/Youth)
General Admission Seating: $56 (Adult) • $21 (Student/Youth)
Single-Session Pricing (On Sale Friday, May 30)
Reserved Red Seatbacks: $16 (Adult) • $11 (Student/Youth)
Reserved Bleachers: $13 (Adult) • $8 (Student/Youth)
General Admission Seating: $11 (Adult) • $6 (Student/Youth)