The No. 9 Cardinal heads across the bay to take on No. 17 California in the team's first Pac-12 series of the season. Last season, Stanford went 2-1 against the Golden Bears in a series at Smith Family Stadium.
Back to Pac-12 Play
The Cardinal opens conference play this weekend, heading across the bay to take on No. 17 Cal.
• Last year Stanford went 14-10 in conference play.
• Stanford was picked to win the Pac-12 in the preseason, the first time in program history.
• Sophomores NiJaree Canady, Taryn Kern and River Mahler were all selected as All-Pac-12 honorees.
Rivals Across the Bay
Stanford and Cal meet for the first time this season, continuing the long-standing rivalry.
• The Cardinal is just 26-42 against Cal all time, but 10 of those wins have come since Paul A. Violich Director of Softball Jessica Allister.
• Last season, Stanford went 2-1 against the Golden Bears in a series at Smith Family Stadium.
• The Card has won six of the last 10 games against Cal.
Ava Gall can ball
Freshman Ava Gall has been on a tear, leading the team in slugging percentage at .557.
• Gall leads the team in hits (20) and is tied for the lead in homers (5) and doubles (4).
• Gall's 13 RBI are the third-most on the team, trailing only fellow freshman Jade Berry and senior Aly Kaneshiro.
Kern Catching Fire
Through 17 games, sophomore Taryn Kern leads the Cardinal in OPS (.942), OBP (.530) walks (22) and HBP (10).
• Kern's 1.00 walks per game is tied for the third-most in the NCAA, and her 0.47 HBP per game is the fourth-most.
• Through 22 games, the sophomore has drawn multiple walks in a game six times.
• Kern has been dangerous once reaching base too, with her 13 runs tied for the team lead.
• The HBP total is already the 10th-most in a single season in program history. The single-season record is 18, set by Arden Pettit in 2018.
NiJaree still doing NiJaree things
Sophomore pitcher NiJaree Canady has had an electric start the season, with her conference-leading 0.48 ERA.
• The ERA is the seventh-lowest in the NCAA.
• Canady's 126 strikeouts are the most in the NCAA.
• Canadys 18 strikeouts against No. 5 Georgia were tied for the most in her career, the second-most in program history and the most in the NCAA this season.
• This week, Canady has been named Pac-12 and Wilson/NFCA National Pitcher of the Week.