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Bob Drebin / isiphotos.com
Baseball

Marquee Matchup

STANFORD, Calif. – No. 2 Stanford travels to Corvallis, Oregon, this weekend for a three-game series at No. 3 Oregon State starting Friday night at 7 p.m. PT.

All three contests will air on Pac-12 Networks with live statistics available at GoStanford.com. Saturday's game will start a 2 p.m. with Sunday's finale set for Noon. Stanford starting pitchers will be announced day-by-day via Twitter (@StanfordBSB).

Weekend Opponent, No. 3 Oregon State
• The Cardinal owns a 41-42-0 (.494) all-time record against the Beavers, with the series dating to 1964. Last season, Oregon State swept Stanford, 3-0, at Sunken Diamond March 31-April 2.
• Oregon State enters the weekend having won 12-of-14, most recently beating Oregon, 10-0, on Tuesday after a 2-0-1 series win at Washington State this past weekend.
• The Beavers lead the Pac-12 in batting average (.321), runs (327) and total bases (746).

Where We Stand
• Stanford (17-4) sits atop the Pac-12 standings, 2.5 games ahead of Oregon State (14-6-1), three ahead of UCLA (14-7) and four ahead of Washington.
• The Cardinal checks in at No. 2 in the D1 Baseball top-25 poll for the sixth week in a row. The Cardinal also ranks first or second in the Baseball America (2), Collegiate Baseball Newspaper (1), NCBWA (1) and Perfect Game (1) polls.
• As of Wednesday, Stanford ranks No. 2 in the NCAA RPI behind Florida and ahead of North Carolina, Georgia and Arkansas.
• Stanford returns home next week to host BYU on Tuesday (May 15) before a three-game series against Washington State (May 18-20). Stanford's annual Fireworks Night will be May 18 with Senior Day ceremonies set for May 20. All nine of Stanford's remaining Pac-12 games will air on Pac-12 Networks.

Bats Come Alive
• Stanford leads Pac-12 play in runs scored (175) and home runs (25), and ranks second in batting average (.302), slugging percentage (.489) and stolen bases (27).
• Stanford set a program record with 28 hits in last weekend's 25-5 win at Utah (May 5). In the three-game sweep, the Cardinal outscored the Utes, 43-10, while its 25 runs on Saturday were the most since a 25-6 win at No. 19 Nevada on April 10, 1995. Seven Cardinal finished with three or more hits while eight had multiple RBI. Stanford's 10 runs in the fifth inning tied a season high (April 27 vs. California).

Pac-12-Leading Pitching Staff
• Stanford leads the nation in ERA (2.54) and ranks third in WHIP (1.11). The Cardinal leads the Pac-12 in opposing batting average (.215) and hits allowed (209), allowing the fewest runs (77) in league play.
• Kris Bubic (7-0), a member of the Golden Spikes midseason watch list, paces the weekend rotation with a 2.25 ERA in 64.0 innings pitched. Bubic's 72 strikeouts tie for third in the Pac-12.
• Tristan Beck (7-2) has won his last five starts, carrying a 2.66 ERA into the weekend. After missing all of 2017 through injury, Beck, along with Bubic, is considered one of the top pitching prospects for the upcoming MLB Draft.
• Sophomore Erik Miller is 4-2 with a 3.48 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 44.0 innings pitched – Miller is 3-1 in Pac-12 play with a 3.04 ERA.
• Freshman Brendan Beck, the younger brother of Tristan, leads the Pac-12 in ERA (1.42) as Stanford's midweek starter. Beck is holding opponents to a .201 average in 12 appearances with just eight walks in 50.2 innings pitched.

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.

Matthiessen's Major Impact
• Sophomore Will Matthiessen has hit five home runs with 12 RBI, 10 hits and 10 runs since being inserted into the starting lineup against San Francisco (May 1). In Pac-12 play, Matthiessen owns a 1.615 .OPS and a .474 batting average.
• Matthiessen had two home runs in a 6-4 win at Utah on May 6, and went 3-for-4 with two runs, two RBI and one home run in Stanford's record-setting 25-5 win at Utah on May 5.
• In Stanford's 9-0 win against Santa Clara on May 8, Matthiessen struck out the side in the top of the eighth before hitting a three-run home run in the bottom half.
• Matthiessen is the reigning Pac-12 Player of the Week and Perfect Game National Player of the Week.

As Good as Advertised
• Junior shortstop Nico Hoerner has lived up to his billing as a preseason All-American, leading the Cardinal in hits (58), multi-hit games (17) doubles (13), triples (4), stolen bases (12), sacrifice flies (5), at-bats (173) and total plate appearances (194).
• Hoerner rides a 13-game hit streak into the weekend, the longest such streak of any Cardinal in 2018 – in three games at Utah this past weekend, Hoerner went 7-for-13 with four doubles, eight RBI and two runs.
• A preseason All-American, Hoerner plays in important leadership role both on and off the field – D1 Baseball lists him at No. 16 on its list of top prospects.

Enter Sandman
• Sophomore Jack Little has established himself as one of the top closers in college baseball – he has 13 saves in as many opportunities, owning a 0.83 ERA with 43 strikeouts in 32.2 innings pitched.
• In 19 appearances, Little is holding batters to a .152 average, allowing just 22 base runners (17 hits, five walks).
• Little's 13 saves tie for second on Stanford's single-season all-time list with Jeff Bruksch (2000) and Steve Chitren (1987). Last season, Colton Hock set the school record with 16 saves.

Handley Has it Covered
• Sophomore Maverick Handley has caught 36 of Stanford's 44 games, establishing himself as one of the top stoppers in the conference.
• Handley leads Pac-12 catchers in stolen bases caught (17) and pickoffs (4) with just three passed balls on the season. He also ranks second on the team in walks (20).

Super Sophomores
• Andrew Daschbach's 54 RBI lead the Pac-12 while his 14 home runs tie for third. Daschbach also leads the team in slugging percentage (.621) and total bases (100). Daschbach has had five RBI in two games this season, and has three hits in three of his last five games.
• Kyle Stowers, who has started all 44 games with Daschbach, ranks second on the team in home runs (eight), RBI (37), total bases (85) and slugging percentage (.548), leading the team in walks (24). 

2018 Season Recap
• Will Matthiessen struck out the side in the top of the eighth before hitting a home run in the bottom half of a 9-0 win over Santa Clara (May 8).
• Stanford claimed a 3-0 series win at Utah on May 4-6 – the Cardinal set a program record with 28 hits in a 25-5 win in Game 2, taking over first place in the Pac-12 with UCLA being swept by Arizona.
• The Cardinal struck out a season-high 15 in a 5-2 win over San Francisco on May 1.
• After dropping the series opener, 4-3, Stanford captured the final two games against California for a 2-1 series win on April 26-28. The Cardinal erupted for 14 runs in Game 2, including 10 in the third inning, moving into a tie with UCLA at 14-4 atop the Pac-12 standings.
• Stanford extended its win streak to eight with a 5-2 win over Pacific on April 24.
• No. 2 Stanford made it seven in a row with a three-game sweep of Arizona last week in Tucson. The Cardinal came from behind in all three games, starting with Game 1 – The Cardinal erupted for five runs in the seventh inning after trailing, 2-0 for most of the contest. In Game 2, Stanford twice came from behind, ultimately overcoming a 6-3 deficit in the bottom of the ninth with five runs – the Wildcats plated a run in the bottom half but Brendan Beck shut the door with his first career save before Stanford's emphatic 7-2 win on Sunday.
• The Cardinal made it four in a row with a three-game sweep of Arizona State on April 13-15. The Cardinal won by scores of 3-1, 11-6 and 10-3 – Andrew Daschbach led the Cardinal with two home runs, and Nico Hoerner had six hits in the series.
• 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 525-467-2 (.528) record at Cal, mentoring 81 Major League draft picks and 13 All-Americans.