STANFORD, Calif. – No. 2 Stanford welcomes Pac-12 conference foe Arizona State to Sunken Diamond for a three-game series starting Friday at 6 p.m. PT.
Saturday's contest is set for 3 p.m. with Sunday's finale at 1 p.m. Live streaming and statistics for all three contest will be available at GoStanford.com.
The Cardinal (24-5 overall, 6-3 Pac-12) returned to The Farm on Tuesday with a 7-2 win over UC Davis after dropping its first series of the year, 2-1, at No. 21 UCLA last week in Los Angeles.
Series History
• Sunday's series finale will mark the 200th game between the two programs – Stanford owns a 95-102-0 (.482) all-time record against the Sun Devils (14-19, 6-6), with the first meeting coming in 1961.
• Arizona State rides a three-game losing streak into Friday, having dropped the final two games against USC before a 14-6 loss at UNLV on Tuesday.
• Arizona State's Gage Canning leads the team in batting average (.400) and on-base percentage (.455) – Canning's 56 hits, nine triples and 100 total bases lead the Pac-12.
• Spencer Torkelson leads the Pac-12 in home runs (16), also leading the Sun Devils in RBI (32) and slugging percentage (.758).
@brendan_beck12 tonight ?? ?? #GoStanford
A post shared by Stanford Baseball?? (@stanfordbsb) on Apr 10, 2018 at 8:15pm PDT
Looking Ahead
• Stanford hits the road next week for a three-game series at Arizona in Tuscon, Arizona. Stanford then hosts California, bookended by Tuesday matchups against Pacific and San Francisco.
• Each of Stanford's final 18 conference games will air on Pac-12 Networks, starting with the Arizona series. Only one of Stanford's first 32 contests aired on Pac-12 Networks.
Cardinal in the Polls
• Stanford maintained its No. 2 ranking in this week's D1 Baseball top-25 poll. The Cardinal also ranked among the top six in polls from Baseball America (3), Collegiate Baseball Newspaper (6), NCBWA (3) and Perfect Game (3).
• Two of Stanford's 2018 opponents ranked in the D1 Baseball poll – Oregon State (9) and UCLA (17).
Pac-12-Leading Pitching Staff
• Stanford's pitching staff ranks first in the Pac-12 in ERA (2.72) and opposing batting average (.208) and leads the nation in WHIP (1.06).
• Maverick Handley has caught a majority of Stanford's games, appearing in 27 of Stanford's 29 contests behind the plate. Handley has thrown out a league-leading 12 stolen base attempts, having allowed just five. As a team, Stanford has surrendered just nine stolen bases.
• Kris Bubic (5-0) leads the weekend rotation with a 1.94 ERA across 41.2 innings. Opposing batters are hitting just .181 off Bubic, and his 46 strikeouts lead the team and the Cardinal has won each of his last 15 starts, a streak dating to April 14, 2017.
• Jack Little ranks fourth in the nation and first in the Pac-12 with 10 saves. In 21.0 innings, Little has allowed just 12 base runners (eight hits, four walks) while striking out 24 with a .119 batting average against. Little has yet to allow a run this season.
• Tristan Beck (3-2) is Stanford's Friday night starter after missing all of 2017 with an injury. Beck owns a 3.66 ERA and a .242 opposing batting average – Beck, along with Bubic, is widely considered one of the top pitching prospects for the 2018 MLB Draft.
• Brendan Beck, the younger brother of Tristan, carries a 5-0 record with a 1.34 ERA, having started seven midweek games. In 33.2 innings, Beck has allowed just 30 base runners and a .192 opposing batting average.
• Erik Miller (1-2) has started seven games for Stanford as the No. 3 starter – he has 33 strikeouts in 26.0 innings with a 4.50 ERA.
• Jacob Palisch has developed into one of the most reliable bullpen arms in the Pac-12 – in 14 relief appearances, Palisch owns a 1.93 ERA across 23.1 innings with a .188 opposing batting average.
• Other bullpen arms include Will Matthiessen (1.93 ERA in 4.2 IP), Zach Grech (3.71 ERA in 16 appearances), Daniel Bakst (3.14 ERA in 11 appearances), Austin Weiermiller (4.19 ERA in 12 appearances), Carson Rudd (3.68 ERA in seven appearances) and John Henry Styles (6.75 ERA in seven appearances).
Branton Seeing it Big
• Senior infielder Beau Branton has stepped up in the absence of Duke Kinamon, starting 15 games at second base.
• Branton is batting .389 with a .459 on-base average, and has multiple hits in five of his past 10 games. Since March 24, Branton's batting average has increased from .263 to .389 – he had a career-high four hits at UCLA on April 6.
Daschbach Dingers
• Sophomore Andrew Daschbach leads the team in home runs (8), RBI (33) and slugging percentage (.596) after hitting four home runs in five games last week. He ranks third in the Pac-12 in home runs and fifth in RBI.
• Daschbach hit two home runs in Stanford's 13-11 win at UCLA on April 7 – he finished the day with career highs in hits (3) and RBI (5).
E5 | @KyleStowers' 6th HR of the season gives Stanford a 7-0 advantage.
— Stanford Baseball (@StanfordBSB) April 11, 2018
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Stowers Stepping Up
• Sophomore Kyle Stowers has also enjoyed a breakout season, ranking second on the team with six home runs and 26 RBI.
• Over his last seven games, Stowers has four home runs, four multi-RBI games and 10 hits.
• Stowers has also made four relief appearances and has not allowed an earned run in 3.2 innings of work.
Tawa Time
• Freshman Tim Tawa has emerged as one of Stanford's leading offensive players, leading qualified players in batting average (.324), doubles (8) and total bases (61).
• Tawa has found a home in center field after starting the season at third base – he has started each of the past 18 contests there.
• Tawa burst into the spotlight on March 2 with a walk-off, three-run home run against Michigan. Stanford was trailing, 2-0, entering the final frame.
Junior lefty Kris Bubic sports a 5-0 record and a 1.94 ERA for the Cardinal.#GoStanfordhttps://t.co/MLbDUQic0Z
— Stanford Athletics (@GoStanford) April 11, 2018
Golden Watch List
• Kris Bubic was named to the Golden Spikes Award midseason watch list, one of 40 amateur baseball players up for the award.
• Juniors Nico Hoerner and Bubic were each named to the preseason watch list for the award, which annually recognizes the top amateur baseball player in the country.
• The winner will be announced June 28 in Los Angeles.
Midseason Awards
• Stanford garnered several selections on Perfect Game's midseason All-America list, led by Clarke and Elizabeth Nelson Director of Baseball David Esquer, who was named midseason Coach of the Year.
• Kris Bubic and Jack Little were each named first-team midseason All-Americans.
• Bubic also picked up midseason All-America honors from D1 Baseball, who named Esquer midseason Coach of the Year.
2018 Season Recap
• Stanford returned to Sunken Diamond after a four-game road trip with a 7-2 win over UC Davis on April 10. It was the Cardinal's 18th straight Tuesday win, a streak that dates to 2014.
• The Cardinal dropped its first series of the season, 2-1, at UCLA on April 6-8. Andrew Daschbach led Stanford with three home runs on the series, including two in Game 2.
• Stanford defeated Santa Clara, 16-8, on April 3 to improve to 22-3. Brendan Beck (4-0) earned the win in six solid innings, and Andrew Daschbach and Kyle Stowers each homered.
• After falling behind, 3-1, the Cardinal surged back with a two-run home run from Tim Tawa and a go-ahead RBI single from Nico Hoerner to defeat Gonzaga, 4-3, on April 2.
• Stanford improved to 5-1 in Pac-12 play with a 2-1 series win over Oregon. The Cardinal won the final two games after dropping the opener.
• The Cardinal kept its momentum going with a 3-0 win over San Diego on March 27 – Brendan Beck, Jacob Palisch, Will Matthiessen and Jack Little combined to allow three hits.
• Stanford outscored USC, 34-2, across a three-game sweep on March 23-25. Tristan Beck, Kris Bubic and Erik Miller were each fantastic in wins, and Stanford's pitching staff surrendered 15 hits all weekend.
• The Cardinal claimed an emphatic 3-1 series win at No. 23 Texas on March 8-11. Stanford dropped the opener, 8-6, before dominating the final three games by scores of 7-1, 9-3 and 11-1.
• Stanford continued its winning start to the season with a 3-1 series win over Michigan, highlighted by Tim Tawa's walk-off, three-run home run in Game 2, a 3-2 win. The Cardinal lost its first contest of the season, 5-0, bouncing back with a 7-4 win in Sunday's finale.
• Stanford improved to 8-0 on the season with a four-game sweep of Rice on Feb. 22-25.
• The Cardinal made it four in a row to start the year with a 3-2 win at UC Davis on Feb. 19.
• No. 13 Stanford opened the season with a three-game sweep over No. 17 Cal State Fullerton. Tristan Beck earned Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week honors in his first start in 630 days after missing his sophomore season through injury.
A New Era
• David Esquer was named Clarke and Elizabeth Nelson Director of Baseball on June 16, 2017. Esquer is the 21st head coach in program history, succeeding Mark Marquess, who retired after 41 years at the helm.
• Esquer served as an assistant under Marquess from 1991-96 before spending the past 18 seasons as the head coach at Cal, where he was the 2011 National Coach of the Year and led the Golden Bears to five NCAA Regionals and the 2011 College World Series.
• Esquer accrued a 525-46-2 (.528) record at Cal, mentoring 81 Major League draft picks and 13 All-Americans.