STANFORD, Calif. – The No. 21 Cardinal (11-6) returns to The Farm this weekend, hosting Pitt (13-6) for a three-game ACC series. Stanford has only taken on Pitt once before in program history, winning 9-2 last season in the ACC Championship First Round.
Last weekend, Stanford dropped two of three in the first road trip of the season at Louisville. At home this year, the Card is 10-4.
New Home Sweet Home // The Cardinal enters year one in Stanford Softball Stadium coming off of a 2025 season played in the regular home of Stanford Football. The Card went 5-0 in the stadium's first weekend, entering March with a 10-4 record at home.
- While playing at Stanford Stadium the Card went 22-4 and broke the NCAA softball single-game attendance record with 13,207 fans in attendance on April 19 against California.
- Since 2018, Allister's first season at the helm, Stanford owns a 136-55 (.712) record on The Farm.
- Stanford has posted a home winning percentage of .750 or better in five-straight seasons.
- Over the last three seasons, Stanford has gone 82-18 (.820) with only three series losses in the span.
Farm Fresh // Addyson Sheppard has made an immediate impact in her first collegiate action, emerging as a strong right-handed bat for the Cardinal.
- Sheppard leads the team in batting average with a .431 clip.
- The freshman is second on the team in home runs (3), slugging percentage (.686) and OPS (1.178).
- 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.
- Sheppard has picked up a hit in 14 of her first 17 NCAA games, and multiple hits in six.
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 .412/.522/.980 slash line through 17 games, good for a staggering 1.503 OPS. The slugging percentage, OBP and OPS lead the team, while the batting average is good for second.
- Kern's 32nd career home run last week pushed her into a tie for the sixth-most in program history.
- The leadoff hitter leads the team in runs scored with 23, as well as RBI with 19.
- The 23 runs scored are the fifth-most in the ACC.
- Including her freshman season at Indiana, Kern's 55 home runs are the third-most in the country among active players.
- The senior earned the first ACC Player of the Week award of the season for her efforts.
Zoe PryStrikeout // Zoe Prystajko has been electric to start 2026, earning a 5-2 record while leading the Cardinal in innings pitched.
- Prystajko leads the Cardinal in both IP (52.0) and ERA (2.42).
- After entering 2026 with a single-game best of eight strikeouts, the sophomore has topped that mark five times in 2026.
- Her 71 strikeouts are the ninth-most in the NCAA, the most in the ACC.
- In 2025, Prystajko struck out 5.4 batters per seven innings. In 2026, that rate is nearly double at 9.6.
- The 10.1 strikeouts per seven innings are the 16th-best in the country and second in the ACC.
Historic Hitters // Seniors River Mahler, Emily Jones and Kyra Chan are all on pace to move into the top 10 in program history for career batting average (min. 200 at bats)
- Mahler leads the trio with a .354 career average, which would place her sixth on the all-time list.
- Jones' .350 would have her just behind Mahler, tied for seventh.
- Chan would sit ninth all-time with a .345 clip.