April 30, 2004
at
No. 2 Stanford (32-6, 7-2)
Friday, April 30, 6 pm
RHP Aaron MacKenzie (5-4, 4.09) vs. LHP Mark Romanczuk (8-1, 3.82)
Saturday, May 1, 1 pm
RHP Aaron Trolia (4-3, 4.80) vs. Jeff Gilmore (6-2, 4.30)
Sunday, May 2, 1 pm
LHP Garrett Alwert (4-1, 4.56) vs. TBA
MEDIA COVERAGE
Gametracker: Friday | Saturday | Sunday
Live Audio: gostanford.com ... Sam Stefanki and Mike Etchepare will be back on the microphones ... A Gametracker with live stats will also be available for all three games from a link at gostanford.com.
QUICK TEAM NOTES
First-place Stanford resumes Pac-10 action this Friday-Sunday after closing out a four-game non-conference stretch with a 12-8 victory in 14 innings at Santa Clara on Tuesday ... The Cardinal (7-2 Pac-10) saw its lead diminish from a full 2.0 games to a mere 0.5 games during its off-week from Pac-10 action when second-place Washington (8-4 Pac-10) swept a three-game series over Arizona in Seattle last Friday-Sunday ... The 2004 Stanford team is only the second club in 111 seasons of baseball on The Farm to win at least 32 of its first 38 games ... Only the 1967 club (33-4-1) posted a better record after 38 games, while the 1998 team (31-6-1) ranks third ... Stanford is the No. 2 team in the latest of all four major college baseball national polls released on Monday, April 26 (Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball, NCBWA and Sports Weekly/ESPN) for the third consecutive week ... Stanford spent two weeks (March 22 - 29) as the nation's unanimous No. 1 team and seven weeks (February 23 - April 5) as the No. 1 team in the Baseball America poll ... The Cardinal has won all 10 of its regular season three-game series this year, 14 in a row overall and 22 of its last 23 dating back to last season (the Cardinal did split a two-game series with Sacramento State from April 23-24, 2004, during the span) ... Stanford has swept five of its 10 regular season three-game series this season and eight during its current 14-series win streak ... Stanford is scheduled to play 12 of its remaining 18 regular season games at home, where the Cardinal has won 10 in a row, 26 of its last 27 and has a 17-1 record this season ... Stanford has also won 29 of its last 34 true road games despite a 3-3 mark in its last six and is 15-5 away from Sunken Diamond this season ... All told, the Cardinal has a 55-10 record in its last 65 games dating back to the 2003 campaign ... Stanford has come from behind in 14 of its 32 wins this year and is 5-6 when either tied (2-1) or trailing (3-5) heading into the ninth inning ... Stanford is 5-1 this season against ranked teams ... Stanford is 2-0 in extra-inning contests ... Stanford has been errorless in 15 of its first 38 games ... Stanford has more than doubled its opponents scoring (345-162) as 28 of its 32 wins have been by three or more runs and the Cardinal is a perfect 18-0 in games decided by five or more runs ... Stanford's last three losses have been by one run as the Cardinal is 2-3 in one-run games ... All six of Stanford's losses have been by three runs or less ... Stanford is leading the Pac-10 in all three major team categories with a .330 batting average, a 3.85 ERA and a .975 fielding percentage ... Offensively, Stanford is averaging an even 9.1 runs per contest and has posted double-digit runs 18 times this year ... The Cardinal has also reached double digits in hits on 30 occasions, including 13 of its last 14 ... Stanford has hit 59 homers and has a legitimate chance to break the school record of 102 hit by the 1997 club ... Stanford is looking to extend its school record string of consecutive appearances at the College World Series to six, as well as its string of 40-win seasons to 10 ... Stanford has also won 50 or more games in three of the last four seasons ... Stanford has captured 11 Pac-10 titles in the last 21 years and finished either first or second in the conference 21 times in last 23 seasons.
QUICK INDIVIDUAL NOTES
National Player of the Year candidate Jed Lowrie leads the Cardinal in nearly every offensive category - batting average (.399), runs scored (50), doubles (11), triples (4), homers (13), RBI (50), extra-base hits (28), total bases (117), slugging percentage (.791), bases on balls (31), on-base percentage (.500), sacrifice flies (5, co-leader), multiple-hit games (18, co-leader) and multiple-RBI games (16) ... Jonny Ash ranks second in batting average (.374) and tied fourth in hits (52) ... Danny Putnam, who has a current career-high 11-game hit streak, has taken over the team lead in hits (60) and is the team's co-leader in multiple-hit contests with 18, while ranking tied for second on the club in homers (10), third in batting average (.368), and fourth in RBI (38) ... Brian Hall, who has hit safely in 22 of his last 23 games, is fourth on the club with a .362 batting average, while also leading the team with 10 stolen bases, and adding seven homers with 38 RBI (third on the team) ... Donny Lucy, who has a current career-high 14-game hit streak that is the longest current streak by a Cardinal player, has moved up to fifth on the team with a .353 batting average, while contributing eight homers, 31 RBI ... John Mayberry, Jr. is sixth on the club with a .347 batting average, as well as second in homers (10, tied with Putnam), RBI (44) and stolen bases (7) ... Ryan Seawell (.313) is also hitting over .300 ... Sam Fuld (.280, 1 HR, 19 RBI, 4 SB), who is in a current 0-for-11 skid, is Stanford's all-time leader for runs scored with 252 and ranks second on Stanford's all-time hit list with 333, which is 35 behind all-time Stanford and Pac-10 leader John Gall (368, 1997-2000) ... Fuld also ranks among Stanford's all-time leaders in hits at bats (983, #2T), triples (16, #3T), doubles (58, #6T) and games played (238, #7) ... Mark Romanczuk (8-1) leads the team with eight wins and is ranked fourth on Stanford's all-time won-loss percentage list (20-3, .870), while David O'Hagan is 5-0 with a team-high four saves and a team-low 2.00 ERA ... Jed Lowrie and John Mayberry, Jr. were among the initial group of 19 players invited to the 2004 USA Baseball National Team Trials.
TBA
ALL-TIME SERIES
Stanford has won 17 consecutive games against Washington State, including 15 straight victories contests over the Cougars since the teams began playing again on a regular basis when the Pac-10 welcomed the Northern schools (Oregon State, Washington, Washington State) into the current nine-team alignment of the league in 1999. Last year, Stanford swept Cougars in Pullman (April 4-5, April 7). The Cardinal won the opener, 6-1, before a 12-5 victory in the middle game of the series. The final was delayed a day by snow before the Cardinal rallied for an 8-5 win in 11 innings. Stanford also swept the Cougars the last time the teams played at Sunken Diamond (May 24-26, 2003) with victories of 10-0, 11-3 and 8-2. The last Washington State victory in the series came with a 6-3 victory over the Cardinal at the UC Riverside Invitational on March 28, 1978. Stanford leads the all-time series, 23-13.
2003 VERSUS WASHINGTON STATE
Stanford 6, at Washington State 1 (April 4, 2003) - John Hudgins a complete game to lead Stanford to a 6-1 victory over Washington State, allowing just one run and seven hits with six strikeouts in a game that lasted just a season-low 2:01. Jonny Ash (2-3, 2 RBI) was the only Stanford player with more than one hit, while Jed Lowrie added a pair of RBI. Stanford had just seven hits, snapping a string of 12 consecutive games with double-digit in hits.
Stanford 12, at Washington State 5 (April 5, 2003) - Ryan Garko blasted a pair of two-run homers and drove in four runs, while Carlos Quentin (4-5, 2B, 3 RBI) had four hits and three RBI to lead Stanford to a 12-5 victory over Washington State. Matt Manship picked up his first collegiate victory, allowing only one run and one hit with four strikeouts in 4.2 innings of relief. Brian Hall (2-5, 3B, RBI), Danny Putnam (2-5, RBI), Tobin Swope (2-5, RBI) and Sam Fuld (2-5) each added two of Stanford's 17 hits. Wes Falkenborg (2-4, 2B, 2 RBI), Justin Hart (2-4, HR, RBI) and Jay Miller (2-5) had two hits each for the Cougars.
Stanford 8, at Washington State 5 - 11 Innings (April 7, 2003) - One day after being snowed out, Stanford outlasted Washington State by a score of 8-5 in 11 innings to complete a three-game sweep. Sam Fuld's two-out RBI single in the top of the 11th scored Tobin Swope with the winning run and sparked a three-run Cardinal rally. Stanford tied the game with a pair of runs in the ninth on a leadoff solo homer by Danny Putnam and a two-out RBI single from Jonny Ash. Brian Hall (4-5, 2 2B, 2 SB, RBI) had a four-hit game, while David O'Hagan (3.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO) earned the victory.
THIS WEEK
Stanford 12, at Santa Clara 8 (April 27, 2004) - Stanford scored four runs in the top of the 14th inning for a 128 victory over Santa Clara in a 14-inning non-conference marathon that lasted a season-long five hours and 18 minutes. Jed Lowrie (4-8, 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI) and Danny Putnam (4-6, 2B) both collected their first four-hit games of the season and the second of their careers to lead Stanford's 16-hit offensive attack. Drew Ehrlich earned the victory as the eighth and final Stanford pitcher, holding the Broncos scoreless on a hit and a walk with two strikeouts over the final 1.2 innings. The teams combined to use 46 players and 15 pitchers in a game that was delayed eight minutes when an infield sprinkler came on with the bases loaded and no outs in the top of the 14th inning. Will Thompson (2-6, 2 HR, 4 RBI) homered twice and drove in four runs for the Broncos, while Nic Crosta (2-6, HR, RBI) also went deep. Patrick McBride, the sixth of seven Santa Clara pitchers, took the loss, allowing four runs (three earned) and three hits with a strikeout over 1.0 innings of relief. The teams combined to strike out 28 times.
LAST WEEK
at Stanford 10, Saint Mary's 5 (April 20, 2004) - Stanford reached the 30-win mark after its first 35 games for only the second time in 111 years of baseball on The Farm with a 10-5 victory over Saint Mary's. Greg Reynolds earned the win in his first collegiate start, striking out four while scattering two runs and five over the first 5.0 innings. Chris Lewis (2-2, 2B, HR, 2 RBI) hit his first homer and drove in a pair of runs, while Chris Minaker (3-5, 2B, 2 RBI) and Sam Fuld (3-6, RBI) had three hits each as all nine Stanford starters contributed at least one hit in the Cardinal's season-high-tying 18-hit attack. The victory was Stanford's 19th in a row over Saint Mary's dating back to the last Gael win in the all-time series by a score of 1-0 at Sunken Diamond on February 1, 1994.
at Stanford 15, Sacramento State 1 (April 23, 2003) - Stanford pounded out a season-high 21 hits and Mark Romanczuk (season-high-tying 8.0 innings, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO) picked up his eighth win of the season as the Cardinal ran its win streak to seven games with a 15-1 victory over Sacramento State. Brian Hall (3-6, 2 2B, RBI) extended his career-high hit streak to 21 games, while Donny Lucy (4-4, HR, 2 RBI) had the first four-hit game of his career and extended his career-high hit streak to 12. John Mayberry, Jr. (3-4, HR, 4 RBI) hit his 10th homer of the season and drove in a season-high-tying four runs, while Sam Fuld (2-5) and Danny Putnam (2-3, 3B, RBI) also extended their current hit streaks to a season-high 12 and nine games, respectively. Chris Carter (3-3, 2 2B, RBI) added his first three-hit game of the season, while Jed Lowrie (2-6, HR, RBI) hit his team and Pac-10 leading 12th homer and drove in his 50th run of the year.
at Sacramento State 2, Stanford 1 (April 24, 2004) - Sacramento State surprised Stanford with a 2-1 victory over the Cardinal to snap Stanford's seven-game win streak. Sacramento State scored the winning run in the bottom of the sixth inning when Craig Johnson drove home Ronnie Machado, Jr. with a one-out RBI single through the right side of the infield to break a 1-1 tie. Sacramento State starter Ethan Katz tossed a complete-game four-hitter and allowed just one unearned run to pick up the victory, one day after the Cardinal pounded out a season-high 21 hits in a 15-1 victory over the same Hornets at Sunken Diamond. Stanford starter Jeff Gilmore (6.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO) suffered the loss despite taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning. Stanford put the tying run in scoring position in the top of the ninth when Donny Lucy singled with one out and stole second base after two were out but Katz struck out Chris Minaker looking to end the contest. Katz struck out seven and walked four. He twice retired seven in a row. David O'Hagan had an excellent performance for the Cardinal as the only reliever for either team, striking out three in 2.0 hitless innings of work. The two hits were the least allowed by Stanford in a game this season. Stanford did steal a season-high five bases in the contest (Mayberry 2, Lowrie, Lucy, Putnam).
STANFORD REMAINS NO. 2 IN ALL FOUR NATIONAL POLLS
Stanford remained the No. 2 team behind top-ranked Texas for the third consecutive week in the latest of all four major national collegiate baseball polls -- Baseball America's, Collegiate Baseball, NCBWA, Sports Weekly/ESPN released Monday, April 26. Stanford had been the No. 1 team in the Baseball America poll for seven consecutive weeks (February 23 - April 5), as well as the nation's unanimous No. 1 team for two weeks (March 22 - 29) before falling from the top spot to second on April 5 in both the NCBWA and Sports Weekly/ESPN polls and dropping from No. 1 to No. 2 in the Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball polls on April 12. Stanford has been ranked No. 1 at some point in the season for seven of the last eight campaigns. The Cardinal had a string of six consecutive seasons (1997-2002) with a top ranking going but never reached the top of the Baseball America poll in 2003. However, Stanford did finish the 2003 season ranked second in all four polls.
2004 CARDINAL ONLY SECOND TEAM IN SCHOOL HISTORY TO WIN 32 OF FIRST 38
The 2004 Stanford team has become only the second club in 111 years of baseball on The Farm to win at least 32 of its first 38 games. The team's 32-6 record after 38 contests is second only to the 33-4-1 mark posted by the 1967 club that finished 36-6-1 overall record and in third-place as only the second Stanford team to ever qualify for the College World Series.
ANOTHER WINNING SEASON
Stanford's 32 wins already assure the Cardinal of a winning season for the 39th time in the last 40 years and the 56th time in the last 58 campaigns. The only time the Cardinal has not won more games than it has lost in the last 40 years was when the 1993 club was one game under .500 at 27-28.
STARTING AGAIN
Stanford's most recent win streak of seven games was snapped at Sacramento State (4/24). The streak was the latest of Stanford's four win streaks of six games or more this season. The Cardinal won six in a row from February 7-20, six straight again from February 22 - March 6, a season-high eight consecutive from March 23 - April 3 before its most recent stretch that ran from April 10-23. Stanford started a possible new win streak with a 12-8 victory in 14 innings at Santa Clara this past Tuesday.
STANFORD SEES PAC-10 LEAD SHRINK TO ONE-HALF GAME
Pac-10 leader Stanford (7-2 Pac-10) saw a two-game conference lead shrink to just one-half game during its week away from conference play when second-place Washington (8-4 Pac-10) swept a three-game series versus Arizona in Seattle. The Cardinal and the Huskies are the only two teams above .500 in conference games but Oregon State, UCLA and USC all sit with even 6-6 marks tied for third-place. Arizona State is in sixth at 7-8, followed by Washington State and Arizona at 5-7 and Cal at 7-11.
TOP OF THE PAC
Stanford has won 19 conference championships and 17 Pac-10 crowns in school history (includes Southern Division and shared titles). The Cardinal won its most recent Pac-10 crown in 2003 when the club finished with an 18-6 conference mark. Stanford had finished second in the league standings behind two-time defending conference champion USC in 2001 and 2002 prior to its previous Pac-10 title when it shared the championship with Arizona State and UCLA in 2000. Stanford has been among the top two in the conference standings (includes Pac-10 Southern Division) for 10 straight seasons and 21 times in the last 23 years.
STANFORD PICKED AS FAVORITE IN 2004 PRESEASON PAC-10 COACHES POLL
Stanford was picked as the favorite in the 2004 Preseason Pac-10 Coaches Poll, picking up seven first-place votes. Arizona State and Arizona each garnered one first-place vote, while finishing second and third in the poll. USC, Washington, California, UCLA, Oregon State and Washington State rounded out the poll.
STANFORD UNBEATEN IN 2004 THREE-GAME SERIES; WIN STREAK AT 14
Stanford's sweep of California (4/16 - 4/18), the first in a Pac-10 series this season by any conference team, kept the Cardinal unbeaten in 10 regular season three-game series this year and extended the team's regular season three-game series win streak to 14 in a row dating back to last year (Stanford split a two-game series with Sacramento State April 23-24). The Cardinal has swept five of its 10 regular season three-game series this season and eight during the streak. Stanford has also won 22 of its last 23 regular season three-game series, including 10 in a row on the road and seven straight at home. Stanford lost just two regular season three-game series in 2003, dropping two-of-three at home to Arizona (4/25 - 4/27) and being swept at Cal State Fullerton (1/31 - 2/2).
HOME SWEET HOME
Stanford is scheduled to play 12 of its remaining 18 regular season games at home, where the Cardinal has won 26 of its last 27 contests dating back to last season and is 17-1 this year. Stanford has a current 10-game win streak at Sunken Diamond (Texas, 2/22; Cal Poly, 3/26 - 3/28; Santa Clara, 4/13; California, 4/16 - 4/18; Saint Mary's, 4/20; Sacramento State, 4/23). The Cardinal had a 16-game home win streak broken earlier this season when now top-ranked Texas came up with a 9-6 victory over the Cardinal on February 21 to salvage one game of a three-game series, handing the Cardinal its first and only home loss of 2004. Stanford's school record home win streak is 27 in a row from April 30, 1982 - April 15, 1983.
STANFORD HAS WON 29 OF LAST 34 TRUE ROAD GAMES
Stanford has also won 29 of its last 34 true road games dating back to last year despite going 3-3 in its last six road contests. Stanford finished the 2003 season by winning its final 14 true road games (at Arizona State 3/23 - 3/24; at Washington State 4/4 - 4/5, 4/7; at Santa Clara, 4/8; at Sacramento State, 4/22; at USC 5/3, DH - 5/4; at San Jose State 5/6; at California, 5/11). The Cardinal is 15-5 on the road this year, winning two-of-three at Fresno State (2/6 - 2/8), sweeping a three-game road set at California (2/27 - 2/29), taking two-of-three at USC (3/5 - 3/7), returning from a 15-day break with three consecutive wins at Saint Mary's (3/23), Santa Clara (3/24) and San Jose State (3/30), taking two-of-three at UCLA (4/2 - 4/4), winning two-of-three at Oregon State (4/8 - 4/10), falling at Sacramento State (4/24) and winning at Santa Clara (4/27).
CARDINAL 55-10 IN LAST 65 GAMES OVERALL
Stanford's success both at home and on the road has led to an incredible run since May 3, 2003, as the Cardinal is a combined 55-10 over its last 65 games during the period. The Cardinal was 23-4 in its final 27 games last year and has jumped out to a 32-6 start this season.
POWER SURGE
Stanford is making a run at the school's all-time home run record of 102 by the 1997 club as the 2004 Cardinal has hit 59 homers in its first 38 games. The Cardinal has hit 22 of the dingers in its first nine conference contests as half of them came when Stanford banged out a series season-high 11 long balls in a three-game set at Oregon State (4/8 - 4/10). The power surge during Pac-10 play is part of the team's offensive explosion since returning from a 15-day break at Saint Mary's on March 23 as the Cardinal has hit 39 homers over its last 20 games. Stanford has homered at least once in 17 of those 20 games and in 29 of its 38 contests overall this season.
MULTIPLE-HIT MADNESS
Stanford has seven players with at least 14 multiple-hit games this season. Jed Lowrie and Danny Putnam co-lead the squad with 18 each, followed by Brian Hall (17), John Mayberry, Jr. (16), Jonny Ash (16), Donny Lucy (15) and Sam Fuld (14).
LOWRIE AND ROMANCZUK APPEAR ON WATCH LISTS
Jed Lowrie (Baseball America, USA Baseball Golden Spikes) and Mark Romanczuk (Roger Clemens Award) appear on current high profile Player and Pitcher of the Year Watch Lists, respectively. Lowrie has emerged as the team's top offensive player as he leads the club in nearly every offensive category; including batting average (.399), homers (13, Pac-10 leader), RBI (53, Pac-10 leader), runs scored (50), doubles (11), triples (4), total bases (117, co-Pac-10 leader), slugging percentage (.791, Pac-10 leader), bases on balls (31), sacrifice flies (5, co-team leader), multiple-hit games (18, co-team leader) and multiple-RBI games (16). Defensively, Lowrie has made just six errors in his first 178 chances for a .966 fielding percentage while starting all 38 games at either shortstop or second base. Romanczuk, who won his 20th career game in his most recent outing versus Sacramento State (4/23), leads the team in wins (8-1, co-Pac-10 leader), strikeouts (63, #7 Pac-10) and innings pitched (70.2, #5T), while posting a 3.82 ERA that is the best among Cardinal starters. Lowrie (NCBWA Co-Hitter of the Week, March 2) and Romanczuk (Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week, March 9) have already earned weekly recognition for their achievements this season.
SEVERAL OTHERS ALSO MAKING ALL-AMERICAN BIDS
Several other Stanford players -- Jonny Ash, Sam Fuld, Brian Hall, Donny Lucy, John Mayberry, Jr., David O'Hagan and Danny Putnam -- are all making strong cases for All-American honors along with Player/Pitcher of the Year Watch List selections Jed Lowrie and Mark Romanczuk. Ash ranks second on the club in batting average (.374) and tied for fourth in hits (52), adding four homers and 25 RBI. Fuld (.280, 1 HR, 19 RBI, 4 SB) is a two-time All-American and three-time All-Pac-10 choice that is coming on after a slow start. Hall is fourth on the club with a .362 batting average after hitting safely in 22 of his last 23 games, while also leading the club with 10 stolen bases, as well as contributing seven homers and 38 RBI (third on the team). Lucy, who is in the midst of a career-high 14-game hit streak, has put up some of the best numbers by any catcher in the country with a .353 batting average, eight homers, 31 RBI and four stolen bases. Mayberry ranks second on the club in both RBI (44) and stolen bases (7), as well as tied for second in homers (10) and sixth in batting average (.347). O'Hagan has put up amazing numbers out of the bullpen, posting a 5-0 record and saving a team-high four games with a team-low 2.00 ERA in a team-high 15 appearances. He has struck out 49 batters in 45.0 innings and allowed just 26 hits for an opponents' batting average of .172. Putnam, who has caught fire of late with a current career-high 11-game hit streak, now ranks tied second on the club in homers (10), as well as third in batting average (.368) and fourth in RBI (37).
FULD MOVES INTO SECOND ON ALL-TIME HIT LIST
Sam Fuld, who broke Stanford's all-time record for runs scored versus California on April 17 and now has 252 for his career, has also moved into second-place on Stanford's all-time hit list. Fuld, who has 333 hits in his career, surpassed the 331 by Paul Carey (1987-90) versus Sacramento State (4/23) and is now within 35 of Stanford and Pac-10 record-holder John Gall (368, 1997-2000). Fuld is also among Stanford's all-time leaders in hits at bats (983, #2), triples (16, #3T), doubles (58, #6T) and games played (238, #7).
SAMMY'S STREAKS
Sam Fuld has played in 231 consecutive Stanford games and has only not played in two games during his Cardinal career, both near the beginning of his 2001 freshman campaign (1/26, at Fresno State; 2/10, Florida State). Fuld has also started 148 consecutive games for the Cardinal since the last time his name was not on the starting lineup card versus Texas on March 29, 2002.
ROMANCZUK WINS 20TH CAREER GAME
Mark Romanczuk's latest victory versus Sacramento State (4/23) was the 20th of his career. He needs just five more wins to reach the school's all-time Top 10 list and is already ranked fifth all-time at Stanford in career won-loss percentage (20-3, .870).
PAC-10 PHENOM
Most of Brian Hall's recent hot stretch has come during Pac-10 play as Hall is hitting .556 (20-36) with three homers, 11 RBI and four stolen bases during nine Pac-10 contests.
A CHANCE TO WIN
Stanford's pitching staff has given the Cardinal a chance to win all season, holding opponents to five or less runs in 28 of 38 games. The staff had held its opponents to five or fewer runs for a string of nine consecutive games (4/9 - 4/24) before allowing eight in a 12-8 win in 14 innings over Santa Clara last Tuesday.
SAVE DROUGHT
After logging 10 saves in its first 19 wins to threaten the pace of the school record 23 saves recorded in 2001, Stanford has just one save over its last 12 victories and 15 games. David O'Hagan leads the way with four, while Blake Holler has picked up a pair. Jonny Dyer, Jeff Gilmore, Matt Manship, Kodiak Quick and Jeff Stimpson have one each.
DOUBLE-DIGIT HIT STRING SNAPPED
Stanford had put together a string of 12 straight games (at UCLA, 4/2 - 4/4; at Oregon State, 4/8 - 4/10; Santa Clara, 4/13; California, 4/16 - 4/18; Saint Mary's, 4/20; Sacramento State, 4/23) with 10 or more hits before the Cardinal was held to its second-lowest total of the year with just four in a 2-1 loss at Sacramento State (4/24). Stanford did make it 13 in its last 14 games with 16 hits at Santa Clara (4/27) in its most recent contest.
THE NEW NINE
Nine players have made their first appearances in a game for the Cardinal this season. Blake Holler (3-2, 4.37, 2 SV, 47.1 IP, 35 SO) made eight consecutive starts as a member of the rotation prior to pitching 5.0 scoreless innings of relief in his two most recent appearances at Sacramento State (4/23) and Santa Clara (4/27). Jeff Stimpson (1-1, 1 SV) has become one of the team's top relievers, posting a 2.57 ERA with 18 strikeouts in his first 21.0 collegiate innings, while opponents are hitting just .205 against him. Ryan Seawell has 10 hits in his first 32 collegiate at bats for a .313 batting average in 16 games played and six starts, while also contributing two doubles, seven RBI and a stolen base. Jim Rapoport has played in 20 games with seven starts, contributing a .256 batting average, one triple and eight RBI. Adam Sorgi has started 14 games at shortstop and appeared in 20, hitting .231 with one double and four RBI. Matt Leva has a 3-0 record and a 5.40 ERA in eight appearances and two starts. Greg Reynolds is 2-0 with a 5.02 ERA in 14.1 innings over five relief appearances and two starts, including a win in his first collegiate start versus Saint Mary's (4/20). Ben Summerhays is hitting .182 with two hits in 11 at bats over nine games played off the bench. Former student manager Cameron Matthews has played in seven games, scoring a pair of runs and walking in his first career plate appearance versus Sacramento State (4/23).
COMEBACK CREW
Stanford has come from behind at some point in 14 of its 32 victories this season, coming back in three of the eight games it has trailed heading into the ninth frame. Most recently, the Cardinal scored a run in the ninth inning at Santa Clara (4/27) to force extra innings before eventually winning 12-8 in 14 frames. Stanford has also come back to win games when trailing by three or more runs heading into the eighth inning on three occasions. Brian Hall provided arguably the most dramatic moment of the season when his first career grand slam capped a seven-run Stanford ninth inning rally for a 10-6 victory over Kansas (2/15). Stanford trailed 7-3 at USC (3/6) before scoring four times in the top of the ninth inning to extend the game into extra innings and eventually taking home an 8-7 win in 13 frames. The Cardinal trailed 7-4 after seven innings at Oregon State (4/8) before scoring three runs in the eighth to tie the game and four more times in the ninth to win the contest.
WINNING BY A BUNCH
Despite having to come from behind in 14 of its 32 wins, 28 of the team's victories have come by three runs or more and the team is a perfect 18-0 in games decided by five or more runs. Stanford has more than doubled its opponents' run production this season by a count of 345-162 and is averaging an even 9.1 runs per contest, compared to just 4.3 for its opponents.
NOT SO SHORT ONES
Stanford had managed to play five of six games in less than three hours prior to the five hour and 18 minute marathon the Cardinal played in a 12-8 win in 14 innings at Santa Clara in its most recent game (4/27). The Santa Clara was the longest Stanford game in both innings and time since the Cardinal prevailed at Arizona by a score of 5-4 in an 18-inning game that took five hours and 19 minutes. The final time of game for the Santa Clara contest did not include an eight minute rain delay in the top of the 14th when an infield sprinkler came on. Despite its most recent game, Stanford has kept 21 of its 38 contests under the three-hour mark. Stanford played its fastest game of the year at two hours and nine minutes versus Kansas (2/14) and has played only one other game over four hours when the Cardinal outlasted USC, 8-7, in a four-and-a-half hour contest on March 6 in Los Angeles in its only other extra inning game of the year.
TOUGH ONES
Stanford's 32-6 record might be even better if the Cardinal could have mustered more success in close games. Stanford is just 2-3 in games decided by one run and has suffered each of its last three losses by a single run without a single-run win during the period. The Cardinal has a pair of one-run 8-7 wins versus Cal State Fullerton (1/31) and at USC (3/6 - 13 inn.) but lost three April heartbreakers at UCLA (4/2, 5-6), Oregon State (4/8, 4-5) and Sacramento State (4/24, 1-2).
ERRORLESS EFFORTS
Stanford has played errorless baseball in 15 of its first 38 games this season, including a string of five straight errorless games from January 31 - February 8; three in a row in a series at California (2/27 - 2/29); three straight against three different teams in Cal Poly (3/28), San Jose State (3/30) and UCLA (4/2); and a recent string of three in a row versus California (4/18), Saint Mary's (4/20) and Sacramento State (4/23). Stanford is currently leading the Pac-10 with a .975 fielding percentage that would rank second on the school's all-time list, just two percentage points behind the school record .977 mark posted by the 2001 club.
STANFORD HOSTS SAN JOSE STATE BEFORE KEY SERIES AT WASHINGTON NEXT WEEK
Stanford will host San Jose State next Tuesday, May 4 (6 pm, PDT) in a non-conference game before traveling to second-place Washington for a key three-game Pac-10 series next Friday-Sunday, May 7-9 (6:30 pm, 1 pm, 1 pm, PDT). Fox Sports Northwest has just announced that it will televise the Saturday game between the Cardinal and the Huskies in its local area. Stanford shut San Jose State out, 5-0, in the first meeting between the teams this season on March 30 in San Jose. The Cardinal swept a pair of games over the Spartans in 2003 (4/15, 4-2 at Stanford; 5/6, 3-0 at San Jose State) for three straight wins in the all-time series since the last San Jose State victory, a 12-0 whitewashing of the Cardinal in San Jose on May 1, 2002. Stanford has also won three straight over San Jose State on The Farm since the Spartans last defeated the Cardinal, 4-1, on February 29, 2000. Stanford leads the all-time series, 75-30. Stanford and Washington will be meeting for the first time this season. The Cardinal and the Huskies have split their last six games over the last two campaigns. Last year, Stanford won two-of-three at Sunken Diamond (3/28 - 3/30; L, 3-5; W, 10-6; W, 12-11). In 2002, the Stanford dropped two-of-three to the Huskies in Seattle (4/19 - 4/21; L, 1-3; W, 9-4; L, 3-4 - 10 inn.). Stanford leads the all-time series, 31-12.
OFFENSIVE REPORT
Stanford has averaged 9.1 runs per contest, while hitting a Pac-10 leading .330 through its first 38 games. Stanford has been even better in Pac-10 action, hitting .368 in nine conference contests and averaging 9.6 runs per contest. The team also has 22 of its 59 homers in its nine conference games, as well as 39 in 19 games since returning from its 15-day break at Saint Mary's on March 23. National Player of the Year candidate Jed Lowrie leads the club in nearly every offensive category - batting average (.399), runs scored (50), doubles (11), triples (4), homers (13, Pac-10 leader), RBI (53, Pac-10 leader), total bases (117, co-Pac-10 leader), slugging percentage (.791, Pac-10 leader), bases on balls (31), on-base percentage (.500), sacrifice flies (5, co-team leader), extra-base hits (28), multiple-hit games (18, co-team leader) and multiple-RBI games (16). Lowrie is also second on the club with 59 hits. Danny Putnam is on a career-high-tying 11-game hit streak (4/8 - 4/27; .435, 20-46, 3 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR, 15 RBI, 3 SB) and now leads the team with 60 hits, while ranking tied for second in homers (10), as well as third in batting average (.368) and fourth in RBI (37). Jonny Ash is second on the squad in batting average (.374) and tied for fourth in hits (52). Brian Hall, who leads the club with 10 stolen bases and five sacrifice bunts (co-leader), has hit safely in 22 of his last 23 games to raise his average 154 points from a season-low .208 to its current .362 (fourth on the club). Hall is also second on the team in doubles (10), third in hits (55) and RBI (38), and fifth in homers (7). John Mayberry co-leads the team with five sacrifice flies, while ranking second on the club in homers (10, tied for second), RBI (44) and stolen bases (7), as well as sixth in batting average (.359) ... Donny Lucy is on a current career-high 14-game hit streak (3/28 - 4/27; .455, 25-55, 3 2B, 5 HR, 16 RBI, 1 SB) that has raised his average to .353 ... Lucy has also hit been hit by a team-high nine pitches ... Ryan Seawell (.313) is also above the .300 mark. Stanford has set team season-highs in runs scored with 18 at Santa Clara (3/23) and hits with 21 versus Sacramento State (4/23). The team has twice hit five homers in games at Fresno State (2/7) and Oregon State (4/10), while stealing a season-high five bases at Sacramento State (4/24). Stanford has scored in double figures 18 times and has 10 or more hits in 30 of its first 38 games, including 13 of its last 14.
PITCHING REPORT
Stanford leads the Pac-10 with a 3.85 ERA and had been especially effective on the mound over an eight-game stretch from April 9 - 24 (3.19 ERA, .190 opponents' batting average) before allowing eight runs (all earned) and 14 hits in its most recent game versus Santa Clara (4/27). Mark Romanczuk leads the club and co-leads the Pac-10 in victories (8-1), while also pacing the team in strikeouts (63) and innings pitched (70.2), as well as co-leading the club along with Jeff Gilmore in games started with 11. Romanczuk also has the lowest ERA (3.82) among starters. Gilmore, who tossed the first complete game of his career and the only by a Stanford pitcher this season versus California (4/17) before taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning of a tough-luck loss at Sacramento State (4/24) in his most recent action is 6-2 with a 4.30 ERA, while ranking second in innings pitched (69.0) and third in strikeouts (42). David O'Hagan has been stellar out of the bullpen with a 5-0 record and four saves, while leading the Pac-10 with a 2.00 ERA and posting an opponents batting average of just .172. O'Hagan has struck out 49 batters in 45.0 innings and leads the Cardinal with 15 appearances. Blake Holler and Matt Leva have contributed three wins each, while Greg Reynolds has two. Jonny Dyer, Drew Ehrlich, Mark Jecmen, Kodiak Quick and Jeff Stimpson have one each. Holler has added two saves, while Dyer, Gilmore, Matt Manship and Quick have one each. Manship has been one of the team's most effective pitchers of late as he has allowed just one earned run in his last 12.1 innings over his last seven appearances all out of the bullpen.
DEFENSIVE REPORT
Stanford leads the Pac-10 with a .975 fielding percentage, which would rank second on the school's all-time list and just two percentage points behind the school record of .977 posted by the 2001 club. Stanford has played errorless baseball in 15 of its first 38 games. The Cardinal made just three errors in its first eight games as its fielding percentage reached as high as .991 after a five-game errorless string (1/31 - 2/8). Stanford also played an errorless contest versus Kansas (2/14), as well as three straight errorless contests with a perfect defensive series at California (2/27 - 2/29), three more in consecutive games versus Cal Poly (3/28), San Jose State (3/30) and UCLA (4/2), and most recently three in a row against California (4/18), Saint Mary's (4/20) and Sacramento State (4/23). John Mayberry, Jr. leads the club with 362 putouts and has made just three errors in his team-high 379 defensive chances for a .992 fielding percentage. Mayberry also had a single-game team-high of 17 putouts at USC (3/6). Jed Lowrie has a team-high 113 assists and has made just six errors in his first 178 chances and 38 starts at either shortstop or second base for a .966 fielding percentage. Jonny Ash and Adam Sorgi had team-high-tying seven-assist games versus Cal State Fullerton (2/1) and Cal Poly (3/27), respectively. Stanford has turned 35 double plays this season, including a season-high three at Fresno State (2/8), versus Kansas (2/15) and versus Texas (2/22). Ironically, Cardinal opponents have turned 11 double plays in nine conference games, while Stanford has managed only two.
STANFORD HAS PICKED UP THREE 50-WIN SEASONS IN THE LAST FOUR YEARS
Stanford has won 50 or more games in three of the last four years to run its total of 50-win campaigns in school history to six. The Cardinal won a school record 59 contests in 1990. The 1987 CWS championship squad posted 53 victories, while the 2001 and 2003 teams picked up 51 wins. The Cardinal won an even 50 games in 1999 and 2000.
CARDINAL LOOKING TO EXTEND RECORD STRING OF 40-WIN SEASONS TO 10
Stanford will be looking to extend its school record string of 40-win seasons to 10 in 2004. The last time Stanford didn't win 40 games was when the club finished 27-28 in 1993.
2004 PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN HONORS
Four Stanford players have earned 2004 Preseason All-American honors. Sam Fuld picked up a pair of First Team honors (Baseball America, NCBWA), as well as Second Team (Baseball America) and honorable mention (CollegeBaseballInsider.com). John Mayberry, Jr. earned Second Team recognition from Baseball America. Danny Putnam was a First Team selection by Baseball America and CollegeBaseballInsider.com, as well as Third Team NCBWA selection, while Mark Romanczuk was named a Third Team Preseason All-American by Baseball America and the NCBWA and received honorable mention recognition from CollegeBaseballInsider.com.
WEEKLY EMAIL LIST
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STANFORD HEAD COACH MARKMARQUESS
One of the nation's premier collegiate coaches and the winningest coaching in Stanford Baseball history, Mark Marquess is in his 28th season at the helm of the Cardinal in 2004 with a 1176-557-5 (.678) record in 1738 career games, as well as even more impressive marks in the postseason (105-46, .695), and Pac-10 (466-296, .613). Marquess entered the 2004 season ranked 19th on the NCAA's all-time Division I victory list and 46th on the all-time winning percentage list for Division I coaches. For active coaches, he began the season ninth in victories and 15th in winning percentage. He became the 23rd coach in the history of NCAA Division I baseball to reach the 1000-win mark with a victory over Florida State on February 9, 2001. Just over two years later, he picked up win No. 1100 versus Nevada on February 17, 2003. He won his 100th career postseason game in Stanford's NCAA Super Regional clinching victory over Long Beach State (6/7/03). The 1969 Stanford graduate has led the Cardinal to two CWS titles and three runner-up showings in five CWS championship appearances, as well as 13 College World Series trips, five NCAA Super Regional titles, 13 NCAA Regional championships and 11 Pac-10 crowns (includes Southern Division and shared titles). Stanford has also qualified for the NCAA Tournament 21 times in the first 27 years under Marquess. He has been named NCAA Coach of the Year three times and has received Pac-10 or Pac-10 Southern Division Coach of the Year honors on nine occasions, most recently with his selection in 2003. The Cardinal has had 26 winning campaigns in 27 seasons prior to this season under his leadership and finished either first or second in the prestigious Pacific-10 (formerly Pac-10 Southern Division) 21 times in the last 23 years. Stanford has had 112 players drafted by professional baseball in the past 19 seasons, including 14 first round selections in the last 17 years. A member of the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, Marquess was the head coach of the 1988 United States Olympic baseball team that captured the gold medal. Marquess was also an accomplished football and baseball standout on The Farm and is a member of the Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame. He is one of only six collegiate baseball head coaches to have both played and coached in the College World Series. Marquess was the starting first baseman and a First Team All-American on Stanford's 1967 CWS squad and played four seasons of minor league baseball with the Chicago White Sox organization.
COMMENTS FROM MARKMARQUESS
(on getting back into Pac-10 play)
"We've got 15 league games left, and it is really kind of up for grabs. There is a lot of parity and a lot of teams that are still in the hunt. It can change rapidly on any given weekend. This weekend is big but really every weekend is big because the standings are so bunched."
(on Stanford's 32-6 overall record and 7-2 league mark)
"It's a great start for us, but there is a long way to go. Every team in our conference is capable of beating each other."
(on the team's home run power)
"It's great that we've hit as many home runs as we have, but you have to be very careful with that. If you try to hit a lot of home runs, you can get yourself into problems."
(on Stanford's offense)
"We've been pretty consistent on offense all season and our numbers reflect that."
(on Stanford's pitching and defense)
"We've played really solid defense and lead the league in ERA."
(on Sam Fuld breaking Stanford's all-time runs record)
"Sam Fuld has been one of our key players throughout his career, and he's worked hard for this."
STANFORD COACHING STAFF
Dean Stotz is in his 28th campaign with Stanford Baseball and his fifth season as associate head coach after he was promoted to the position prior to the 2000 campaign. Stotz served for 23 years as an assistant. Stotz currently coaches third base while also handling various offensive and defensive aspects of the game. Tom Kunis is in his fifth season as Stanford's pitching coach, while Dave Nakama is in his fifth year overall as a Stanford assistant coach.
STANFORD BASEBALL HISTORY
Now in its 111th season, Stanford's storied baseball program has had many highlights since the program began in 1892 ... Stanford has won two NCAA titles (1987, `88) and made 15 appearances in the College World Series, also finishing as the runner-up on three occasions (2000, `01, `03) ... Stanford has also won five NCAA Super Regional titles ... Stanford has qualified for the NCAA Tournament 24 times ... Stanford has won 19 conference championships ... Stanford has already wrapped up its 39th winning season in the last 40 campaigns and its 56th in the last 58 years in 2004 ... Stanford has won 50 or more games four times in the last five years and six times in school history ... Stanford has won 40 or more games in a school record nine consecutive years and 18 times in school history ... Stanford has an all-time record of 2409-1490-32 (.617) in 3931 contests ... A total of 69 former Stanford players have became Major League Baseball players with six participating in the Major Leagues thus far in 2004 (Eric Bruntlett - Houston Astros; Jody Gerut - Cleveland Indians; Jeffrey Hammonds - San Francisco Giants; Dave McCarty - Boston Red Sox; Mike Mussina - New York Yankees; Justin Wayne - Florida Marlins) ... Stanford has also had 14 players selected in the first round of the MLB First-Year Player Draft in the last 17 years ... Stanford has boasted 44 All-Americans that have combined to win 54 All-American honors ... Stanford has garnered three NCAA Players of the Year in Jeff Austin (1998), David McCarty (1991) and Steve Dunning (1970) ... Stanford has had an even 100 players earn a combined 133 All-Conference honors ... Six Stanford players earned All-Pac-10 honors in each of the last two seasons, breaking the previous mark of five previously set in 1985, `90 and `94.