No. 9 Stanford (43-13, 14-10 Pac-12) will face off against No. 8 Duke (48-10, 19-5 ACC) when NCAA Super Regional competition gets underway Friday in Durham, NC.
Stanford owns a 50-43 record overall in NCAA competition and is making its 20th appearance in program history. The Cardinal has advanced to NCAA Super Regionals in back-to-back seasons for the third time in school history (2022-23, 2008-09, 2005-06). Stanford is making its seventh NCAA Super Regional appearance (2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2022, 2023).
The Cardinal has qualified for the postseason in four straight seasons, including a memorable 2022 campaign in which Stanford won the Tuscaloosa Regional and reached its first Super Regional since 2011.
Stanford and Duke will meet for the second time, with the Blue Devils picking up a 4-2 victory in the first meeting back on Feb. 11 at the Mark Campbell Classic in Irvine, Calif. Playing in its fourth game of the season, Stanford scored both runs in the top of the first inning, with Taylor Gindlesperger coming home on a wild pitch before Kaitlyn Lim scored on a throwing error. Emily Jones, Caelan Koch, Kaitlyn Lim and River Mahler each finished with one hit. Alana Vawter started and was the only pitcher to face the Blue Devils, allowing five hits, four runs (all earned) and one walk while striking out four in six innings.
Hosting its first NCAA Regional in 12 years at Smith Family Stadium, Stanford needed only three games to sweep through its NCAA Regional last weekend. The Cardinal blanked Long Beach State 1-0 and Florida 8-0 (6 innings) before beating the Gators 11-2 in the regional final.
Stanford has produced its first 40-win campaign since 2012. The Cardinal's 43 wins are its most since a 48-11 finish in 2009. Stanford compiled a 21-game winning streak from Feb. 12-March 17, representing the second-longest in school history, behind 28 in a row from Feb. 7-March 23 in 2009. The Cardinal has been a top-10 fixture in the national polls for much of the season, ranking as high as No. 5 in the country.
Stanford finished tied for fourth place in the Pac-12 at 14-10, clinching its first winning conference record since a 13-11 finish in 2013. Stanford's 14 conference victories were its most since 1998, when the Cardinal closed out its Pac-10 slate in third place at 17-11.
Stanford was recognized with four NFCA All-West Region selections, representing the Cardinal's most recipients since four were also recognized in 2012. Stanford's honorees were first-team choices River Mahler (second base) and Alana Vawter (pitcher), joined by Taylor Gindlesperger (second team) and Aly Kaneshiro (third team).
Stanford was well represented among the All-Pac-12 awards, with seven individuals and 10 overall selections, the most since producing 10 and 12, respectively, in 2013.
Stanford boasts one of the most dominant pitching staffs in the nation, ranking first in strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.19), fifth in ERA (1.56) and 10th in shutouts (19).
Stanford's .978 fielding percentage ranks third in the Pac-12 and 11th in the country. The Cardinal has committed only 34 errors through 56 games.
Duke Athletics and Stanford Athletics launched the Rubenstein-Bing Student-Athlete Civic Engagement Program (ACE) in Spring 2015. ACE provides one-time funding for accepted Duke-Stanford ACE student-athletes to participate in three-week, immersive summer service experiences with an international community partner. Stanford Softball has totaled 12 ACE participants overall since 2015, with Caelan Koch (Costa Rica), Sydney Steele (Vietnam) and Alana Vawter (South Africa) participating this summer.
Stanford has displayed considerable progress each year under head coach Jessica Allister, who owns a 194-112 overall record in six seasons on The Farm. Allister's career coaching record is 484-219 and includes a 290-107 mark during a seven-year tenure at Minnesota. Allister has directed the Cardinal to four NCAA Appearances, chalking up a 9-7 record with back-to-back NCAA Super Regional showings.
