STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford prepares for a stretch in which it plays six games over four days, beginning with its first two road contests of the season.
Stanford (6-5) moved past the .500 mark following last weekend's impressive finish at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, where the Cardinal won four of its five games thanks to some dominant pitching and timely hitting.
First up for the Cardinal this week is a rare visit to Sacramento State (3-6). The two programs will be hooking up for the first time since 2011, with the Hornets serving as the host for the first time since 2008. Stanford and Sacramento State, which was picked to finish third in the Big Sky, will play a doubleheader starting at noon.
The first of two home tournaments follows for Stanford, which welcomes Cal Poly (4-6) and Santa Clara (0-5) to Smith Family Stadium for a round-robin event that runs Friday-Sunday. The Cardinal plays Santa Clara on Friday at 6 p.m., Cal Poly on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and both schools on Sunday at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Stanford's positive start can be attributed to a solid 1-2 punch in the circle featuring Maddy Dwyer (0.85 ERA, 41.0 IP, 35 H, 11 BB, 26 K) and Kiana Pancino (2.80 ERA, 20.0 IP, 9 H, 8 BB, 13 K). Dwyer has tossed a pair of shutouts already over her first six career starts while Pancino hurled a no-hitter last weekend against Army, representing Stanford's first since 2014.
One of seven players to start every game, Teaghan Cowles is hitting a team-high .450 while also leading the squad in hits (18), runs (11) and stolen bases (7-7). Alyssa Horeczko is right behind at .378 with 14 hits while Montana Dixon has supplied the power with team-best totals in home runs (3) and RBI (13).
After this weekend, Stanford will participate in two more preseason tournaments (Judi Garman Classic from March 1-3 and Easton Classic from March 9-11). The Pac-12 campaign gets underway on March 24 with a three-game set at Utah.