FOUR FRESHMEN WOULD start a majority of games that 2019 season – Gindlesperger in center, Klingaman at second, Young at short, and Schultz in the outfield and as the designated player. The team improved by nine victories – 24 to 33 – and by five in conference.
Long before Young would be described as “our rock,” by Gindlesperger, there was no guarantee she would start a game at short, never mind embark on a Cal Ripken-like hold on the position. Listed as “utility” on the roster, Young began as the third-string catcher, and played some outfield and both middle infield positions throughout the fall.
“It was chaos,” she said. “I was running around all practice and didn’t know what I was doing.”
The team was short on middle infielders, but second base felt awkward.
“The first day of practice, we were moving everybody around a little bit to see what it looks like,” Allister said. “And it became apparent that she was the best athlete on the team. Great hands, great feet, a great arm.
“We realized that she was going to be our best option at shortstop. And she wasn’t scared. A lot of the people have come into the Pac-12 … Wait, you want me to play where? That would be daunting to them. It wasn’t daunting to her. She has tremendous self belief and the work ethic to back it up.”
Merchant made Young her project. Incumbent shortstop Kristina Inouye shifted to third base and offered her support to the freshman who took her position.
“We believe in our ability to develop players,” Allister said. “If we get phenomenal athletes that maybe haven’t trained year-round, and they get in the system, they’re going to continue to improve. We believe we can do that.”
In their first game, against Bradley at the Kajikawa Classic at Arizona State, Schultz walked as a pinch hitter. Gindlesperger, at No. 2 in the order, walked and scored a run. Young had two hits – leading off the fourth with a single to ignite a three-run inning and singled in the seventh to help fuel a tiebreaking four-run rally in an 8-4 victory.
The improvement was profound. When Stanford beat Cal in Berkeley on March 24, 2019, it marked the first series won by Stanford in Pac-12 play in six years.
“We were all dancing because we won the series,” Schultz said. “And I looked over at Whitney Burks, a fifth-year senior first baseman who I played behind and really looked up to … and she was crying.
“To me, it was, yeah, we won a game. It felt normal. But for her, it was the first Pac-12 series she’d won in her career. It meant everything. I think about that a lot … how we’ve come so far.”
Stanford went on to its first NCAA regional since 2013. When the Cardinal walked off the field in Lincoln, Nebraska, after being eliminated by Boise State, Schultz remembers Allister telling her, “We’re going to be back here. I want you to remember what this feels like.”
Indeed, Stanford’s been back ever since. Last season, the Cardinal reached the super regional, one step from the College World Series.
As a sophomore, Schultz settled in at first base and her defense has been to Young’s benefit. “She’s saved my life many times at first base with her long reach and hands,” Young said. “I’ll just tell her, ‘I was testing your range!’”
“Schultz is a goofball,” Gindlesperger said. “She constantly makes everyone laugh. But, she’s also responsible. She’s someone that everyone on the team can call at any time. If they need a ride, or help with something, she wants to be that person. If anything’s going on, it’s like, tell Schultz.”
For Gindlesperger, the results did not immediately come and she began to press, and even panic. She lost her confidence and played herself out of the lineup. She hit only .167 with one extra-base hit.
“Even then, I could feel the confidence Coach Allister had in me,” Gindlesperger said. “She always believed in me.”
Seeking to remove the pressure Gindlesperger put on herself, Allister used a midweek early-April game at Santa Clara to build her confidence. Placed at No. 9 in the order and with Stanford staked to a big early lead, Gindlesperger singled in the third and blasted an over-the-fence grand slam in the fourth.
“We were just trying to get her going,” Allister said. “She hadn’t had an at-bat like that in two months. And then she just continued to have good at-bats and continued to play herself back in the lineup by regionals. She got off to a crazy hot start the next year and she’s been phenomenal ever since.”
In the field, Gindlesperger excels. She hasn’t made an error since 2021. She rarely has to make a spectacular play because she’s always in great position.
“Taylor is the best outfielder in the country,” Young said. “She definitely does not get enough credit. For everyone else, they’re diving catches in the outfield. But for Taylor, they’re just easy.”
And her baserunning …
“She’s arguably the best baserunner in the country,” Young said. “She hits the ball … you blink, she’s on second. You blink, she’s diving into third.”
“I love baserunning, that’s my favorite part,” said Gindlesperger, who hit three inside-the-park homers in 2022. “I love making the defense make plays. Even if I just hit a single, I like trying to stretch it out to a double, even if it’s in front of the outfielder.”
Her experience as an outfielder helps her judgment on the basepaths. She knows the angles an outfielder would take and what throws are difficult from those angles. Yes, the ball theoretically should get to the base in time, but will the throw be hurried or off-target because of Gindlesperger’s aggressiveness? She challenges the opponent to find out.
“Stealing bases, going first and third … Her instincts …” Allister marveled. “She’s able to make decisions going full speed. I mean, she is the best baserunner I’ve ever coached.”
As their collegiate careers wind down, their futures start to take shape. Gindlesperger graduated last year in science, technology, and society, with a concentration in communication in media. If Stanford reaches the CWS, softball and her thesis deadline conflict. She is earning a master’s of communication with a concentration in media studies. Her project: How algorithms influence political identity and polarization.
“I’m currently very stressed out,” she said.
Schultz already has fulfilled the requirements for her degree in human biology. She’s in the process of applying to med school. Stanford turned out to be a great fit.
“Stanford just made perfect sense,” she said. “I’ve had so many connections and opportunities and things that I’ve done that are going to help me. I don’t think I could have gone anywhere else.”
Young, who came into the program with “zero expectations,” is graduating with a degree in aeronautics and astronautics.
“I want to be a pilot,” she said. “I still haven’t decided how I’m going to do that yet, whether I take the military or commercial route. I’ll figure it out eventually.”
At practice, you can see what makes Allister such a successful coach. The team plays hard, the staff, including pitching coach Tori Nyberg, push and test the players each day. The freshman bought into that work ethic, matched it, and exceeded it.
“Those three were from Day One willing to put in the work and believed in what Stanford softball could be,” Allister said. “I am proud to be their coach and immensely grateful for what they’ve given to the program.”
With the level of pitching Stanford has – freshman NiJaree Canady, junior Regan Krause, and senior Alana Vawter have combined for every decision on a staff that has a 1.61 ERA – the time is now for the Cardinal to emerge as a national threat.
It was going to happen. It seemed inevitable. But it had to start somewhere, like in the summer of 2017. Allister struck gold and Stanford softball will be forever grateful.
