STANFORD, Calif. – The No. 16 Cardinal (10-4) hits the road for the first time in 2026 this weekend, heading to Kentucky for a three-game ACC series against Louisville (12-3).
The conference opener will be just the second time the two programs have played each other, with Stanford winning the only other matchup in Feb. 2008.
The first two games of the weekend will be streamed on ACC Network Extra, with Sunday's series finale broadcast on ACC Network.
ACC Introduction // In 2025, the Card's first season as members of the ACC, the team went 16-8 in conference play.
- The 16 conference wins are the second-most in a season in program history, and the first time in program history that the team has posted three-straight seasons with a winning conference record.
Hitting the Road // Last season, the Cardinal finished the season 15-8 in true road games and 5-1 in neutral site games for a 20-9 overall record away from The Farm.
Welcome to The Farm // Addyson Sheppard has made an immediate impact in her first collegiate action, finishing the first three weekends 17-for-38 (.447) at the plate.
- Sheppard has driven in 10 runs and scored eight, and is slugging .711 with four doubles and two homers
- Sheppard earned the first ACC Freshman of the Week award of the season in week one, then earned Co-Freshman of the Week honors in week two.
- Through her first 14 games in college, Sheppard has picked up a hit in 11 of them, and multiple hits in five.
Zoe PryStrikeout // Zoe Prystajko has been electric to start 2026, earning a 5-1 record while leading the Cardinal in innings pitched.
- Prystajko leads the Card with 43.0 IP, nearly double the next best (Elena Krause with 22.0).
- Prystajko's 1.79 ERA is the second best on the team, and 10th-best in the ACC.
- After entering 2026 with a single-game best of eight strikeouts, the sophomore has topped that mark in five of her seven appearances.
- Her 62 strikeouts are the seventh-most in the NCAA, the most in the ACC, and the fourth-most among Power 4 pitchers.
- In 2025, Prystajko struck out 5.4 batters per seven innings. In 2026, that rate is nearly double at 10.1.
- The 10.1 strikeouts per seven innings are the 16th-best in the country and second in the ACC to teammate Alyssa Houston.
- Last season, Prystajko tossed five innings in a game just five times. The sophomore has already eclipsed that total just seven appearances into 2026.
Taryn Torching // Taryn Kern has been on a tear to start the season, doing it all for the Cardinal in the leadoff spot.
- Kern has posted a .415/.519/.927 slash line through nine games, good for a staggering 1.445 OPS. The slugging percentage and OPS lead the team, while the batting average and OBP are good for second.
- Kern's 30th career home run last week pushed her into a tie for the seventh-most in program history.
- Her nine walks, 16 RBI and 17 runs scored all lead the team.
- The senior earned the first ACC Player of the Week award of the season for her efforts.