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May 6, 2004
at
Washington (26-14-1, 10-5)
Friday, May 7, 6:30 pm
LHP Mark Romanczuk (9-1, 3.82) vs. RHP Kyle Parker (2-2, 3.98)
Saturday, May 8, 1 pm
RHP Jeff Gilmore (7-2, 4.46) vs. RHP Matt Kasser (2-0, 7.86)
Sunday, May 9, 1 pm
TBA vs. RHP Tim Lincecum (5-1, 3.74)
MEDIA COVERAGE
Television: Saturday (Fox Sports Northwest)
Gametracker: Friday | Saturday | Sunday
Live Audio: gostanford.com with Sam Stefanki on the microphone ... A Gametracker with live stats will also be available for all three games from a link at gostanford.com.
QUICK TEAM NOTES
Stanford returned to the top spot in the latest of all four major college baseball national polls released on Monday, May 3 (Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball, NCBWA and Sports Weekly/ESPN) after winning all four of its games last week and extended its current win streak to five games with a 7-2 non-conference victory over San Jose State this Tuesday (May 4) ... The Cardinal, who spent two weeks (March 22 - 29) as the nation's unanimous No. 1 squad earlier in the year and was on top of the Baseball America poll for seven weeks (February 23 - April 5), had been ranked second in all four polls the previous three weeks ... Stanford sits in first-place in the Pac-10 with a 10-2 conference mark and visits second-place and No. 21 Washington (10-5 Pac-10) in a key conference series this Friday-Sunday (6:30 pm, 1 pm, 1 pm, PDT) ... The Huskies will be the first ranked team the Cardinal has faced since taking 2-of-3 from then No. 6 and now No. 2 Texas from February 21-23 at Sunken Diamond ... The series not only features the first and second-place teams in the conference but also the two most prolific power clubs as the Cardinal leads the league with 74 homers and the Huskies are second with 66 ... The 2004 Stanford team is only the second club in 111 seasons of baseball on The Farm to win at least 36 of its first 42 games and needs just a victory in Friday's series-opener at Washington to have the best record ever by a Stanford team after 43 contests (the 1967 club posted a final record of 36-6-1) ... The Cardinal has won all 11 of its regular season three-game series this year, 15 in a row overall and 23 of its last 24 dating back to last season (Stanford did split a two-game series with Sacramento during the span from April 23-24, 2004) ... Stanford has swept six of its 11 regular season three-game series this season and nine during its current 15-series win streak ... Stanford has won a season-best 14 games in a row at home, has a 21-1 home mark this season and has won 30 of its last 31 at Sunken Diamond ... The successful home stretch began with a nine-game home win streak to end last season that turned into a 16-game run when the Cardinal won its first seven contests at Sunken Diamond this season ... Stanford is scheduled to play its last seven regular season games at home after playing six of its next seven on the road ... Stanford has also won 29 of its last 34 true road games and is 15-5 away from Sunken Diamond this season despite a 3-3 mark in its last six road contests ... All told, the Cardinal has a 59-10 record in its last 69 games dating back to May 5, 2003 ... Stanford has come from behind in 15 of its 36 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 and 2-0 in extra-inning contests ... Stanford has been errorless in 17 of its first 42 games and is 16-1 in those contests ... Stanford has more than doubled its opponents scoring (390-179) as 31 of its 36 wins have been by three or more runs and the Cardinal is a perfect 21-0 in games decided by five or more runs ... Stanford's last three losses have been by one run as the Cardinal is just 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 .336 batting average, a 3.91 ERA and a .975 fielding percentage ... Stanford is averaging 9.3 runs per contest and has posted double-digit runs 20 times this year ... The Cardinal has also reached double digits in hits on 34 occasions, including 17 of its last 18 contests and five in a row ... Stanford has hit 74 homers, including a season-high eight versus Washington State (5/2) and 16 during its current string of five straight games with at least one home ... Stanford 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 (56), doubles (12), triples (4), homers (15), RBI (56), extra-base hits (31), total bases (130), slugging percentage (.798), bases on balls (34), on-base percentage (.500), sacrifice flies (5, co-leader) and multiple-RBI games (17) ... Brian Hall, who has hit safely in 26 of his last 27 games and is batting a phenomenal .638 (30-47) in 12 Pac-10 games, is just behind Lowrie with a .395 batting average ... Hall paces the club in stolen bases (10) and ranks second in hits (66), while adding 11 doubles, three triples, nine homers and 46 RBI (third on the team) ... Hall earned four Player of the Week honors (College Baseball Insider.com West Regional, Louisville Slugger National, NCBWA National Co-Hitter, Pac-10) earlier this week after hitting .909 (10-11) with two homers and eight RBI in Stanford's three-game sweep of Washington State (4/30 - 5/2) ... Danny Putnam leads the team in hits (67), while ranking tied for second on the club in homers (12), third in batting average (.381) and fourth in RBI (42) ... Jonny Ash ranks fourth on the team in batting average (.374), while Donny Lucy is fifth with a .365 mark and has contributing 10 homers with 37 RBI as he has hit safely in 16 of his last 17 games ... John Mayberry, Jr. is second on the club in homers (12, tied with Putnam), RBI (47) and stolen bases (7), while ranking sixth with a .348 batting average ... Ryan Seawell (.313, 7 RBI) and Chris Carter (.301, 5 HR, 29 RBI, 1 SB) are also hitting over .300 ... Sam Fuld (.271, 2 HR, 24 RBI, 4 SB) is Stanford's all-time leader for runs scored with 254, while ranking second on Stanford's all-time lists for hits (336) and at bats (999) ... Fuld, who is 32 hits behind all-time Stanford and Pac-10 leader John Gall (368, 1997-2000), also ranks among Stanford's career leaders in triples (16, #3T), doubles (58, #6T) and games played (242, #7) ... Mark Romanczuk (9-1) leads the team and co-leads the Pac-10 with nine wins, while ranking fourth on Stanford's all-time won-loss percentage list (21-3, .870), while David O'Hagan is 5-0 with a team-high four saves and a team-low 2.00 ERA.
TBA
ALL-TIME SERIES
Stanford leads its all-time series versus Washington, 31-12. The Cardinal won two-of-three at Stanford last season in a three-game series on The Farm from March 28-30. Washington won the opener, 5-3, before the Cardinal came back to win 10-6 and in dramatic fashion with a 12-11 comeback victory in Sunday's rubber game. Stanford dropped two-of-three to the Huskies the last time the teams played in Seattle (April 19-21, 2002; L, 1-3; W, 9-4; L, 3-4 - 10 inn.). Washington has won five of the last eight contests between the clubs in Seattle.
2003 VERSUS WASHINGTON
Washington 5, at Stanford 3 (March 28, 2003) - Washington spoiled the Pac-10 home-opener for Stanford with a 5-3 victory over the Cardinal as Sean White scattered nine hits and one run over the first 7.1 innings before Brian Carter came on to get the final five outs and record his fifth save of the season. Chad Boudon (3-4, HR, 3 RBI) and Taylor Johnson (2-4, 2B, RBI) led the Husky offense. Stanford's Carlos Quentin (4-5, 2 RBI) had four hits, while Jonny Ash was 3-for-4. Stanford did bring the winning run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning but Carter retired Ryan Garko on a fielders choice to end the game. Stanford starter John Hudgins suffered the loss, giving up three runs and eight hits over the first 7.0 innings.
at Stanford 10, Washington 6 (April 29, 2003) - Stanford picked up a 10-6 victory over Washington as the Cardinal rallied from a 4-2 deficit by scoring twice in the seventh inning to tie the score before exploding for six runs in eighth. John Mayberry, Jr. (3-4, 2B, 2 RBI), Sam Fuld (3-5, 2B, RBI) and Jed Lowrie (3-5) had three hits each for Stanford, while Washington's John Otness (4-4, 2B) had four hits. David O'Hagan picked up the victory, scattering two runs (one earned) and two hits with two strikeouts over 2.0 innings. David Dowling, the first of four Washington relievers, suffered the loss by allowing three runs and four hits in 1.1 innings.
at Stanford 12, Washington 11 (March 30, 2003) - Carlos Quentin's two-run walkoff homer in the bottom of the ninth inning lifted Stanford to a dramatic 12-11 victory over Washington. Quentin was 3-for-4 with a double, homer and two RBI. Ryan Garko (3-4, HR, 4 RBI) and Sam Fuld (3-6, 3B, 2 RBI) also had three hits each. Washington's Mike Wagner (2-3, 2 HR, 4 RBI) blasted a pair of home runs in his first two at bats and Brent Lillibridge (2-5, HR, 5 RBI) had a seventh inning grandslam to give the Huskies an 11-10 advantage that lasted until Quentin's game-winning long ball, while John Otness (3-4, 3B) added three hits. Kodiak Quick picked up his first collegiate victory with 2.0 scoreless innings of relief, while David Dowling took his second loss in as many days.
THIS WEEK
at Stanford 7, San Jose State 2 (May 4, 2004) - Jed Lowrie, Chris Lewis and John Mayberry, Jr. all homered to lift Stanford to its fifth straight victory by a score of 7-2 over San Jose State. Danny Putnam (2-4, SB) was the only Cardinal with more than one hit but the other eight starters all added one Matt Leva, the first of seven Stanford pitchers that held the Spartans to two runs and four hits, improved to 4-0 by allowing just one unearned run and one hit over the first 3.0 innings. Josh Lansford (2-4) had half of San Jose State's four hits. Spartan starter Jose Amaya (1-5) took the loss, allowing four runs on six hits and two walks with three strikeouts over the first 4.0 innings.
LAST WEEK
Stanford 12, at Santa Clara 8 (April 27, 2004) - Stanford scored four runs in the top of the 14th inning for a 12-8 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.
at Stanford 8, Washington State 3 (April 30, 2004) - Stanford won its 11th straight game at home and its 18th in a row over Washington State with an 8-3 victory over the Cougars. Mark Romanczuk picked up his Pac-10 leading ninth victory of the season, allowing just three runs on seven hits and three walks with three strikeouts over the first 7.0 innings. Brian Hall (4-4, HR, 3 RBI) posted his seventh career four-hit game and continued his torrid hitting (.600, 24-40, 4 HR, 14 RBI) over his first 10 Pac-10 games. Donny Lucy (2-4, HR, 3 RBI) added a homer and three RBI, while Danny Putnam (2-3, 2B, 2 RBI) and Jed Lowrie (2-3) also had two-hit games for the Cardinal with Lucy (15) and Putnam (12) extending their career-high hit streaks. Washington State starter Aaron MacKenzie (5.0 IP, 10 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO) took the loss. Zach McAngus (2-4, HR, 3 RBI) led the Cougars' offense, while Grant Richardson and Jason Freeman were both 2-for-4.
at Stanford 13, Washington State 11 (May 1, 2004) - Stanford held off a late rally by Washington State for a 13-11 victory over the Cougars. Brian Hall (4-4, 2 RBI) tied a career-high for hits by posting his second consecutive 4-for-4 contest in the series, while Chris Carter (3-4, 4 RBI) tied career-highs with three hits and four RBI and Chris Minaker hit the first grandslam of his career. Jeff Gilmore picked up the victory on the mound, scattering five runs (four earned) on nine hits and one walk with four strikeouts over the first 5.2 innings. National Player of the Year candidate Jed Lowrie (2-4, HR, RBI) hit his Pac-10 leading 14th homer and increased his league-best RBI total to 54. Jim Rapoport (2-5) also had a pair of hits, while Matt Manship (1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 SO) earned the save. Justin Hart (4-5, 2B, 2 RBI) had four hits for the Cougars. Washington State starter Aaron Trolia (4.0 IP, 8 H, 8 R, 5 ER, 5 BB) took the loss.
at Stanford 17, Washington State 3 - 7 Innings (May 2, 2004) - Stanford hit a season-high eight homers and had 13 extra-base hits to finish a sweep of Washington State with a 17-3 victory. The game lasted just one hour and 57 minutes (the shortest Stanford game this season) and was called after the top of the seventh inning due to a Pac-10 rule that allows the final game of a conference series to be an official contest if there is a margin of 12 runs or more after seven innings and both teams agree prior to the contest. Danny Putnam (3-3, 2 HR, 2 RBI) had his fifth career two-homer game and his second of the season, while scoring a career-high four runs to lead Stanford's 19-hit attack. Brian Hall (2-3, 2B, HR, 3 RBI) continued his hot stretch by hitting safely for the 25th time in his last 26 contests. Donny Lucy (3-4, 2B, HR, 3 RBI), Sam Fuld (2-3, HR, 3 RBI), Chris Lewis (2-3, 2B, HR, 2 RBI), Chris Carter (2-4, 2B, HR, 3 RBI) and John Mayberry, Jr. (2-5, HR, RBI) also went deep and had multiple-hit games for the Cardinal. Greg Reynolds earned the victory in his first Pac-10 start, allowing just three runs on three hits and three walks with three strikeouts over the first 5.0 innings. Reynolds retired the first 11 batters he faced.
STANFORD BECOMES NATION'S UNANIMOUS NO. 1 TEAM
Stanford became the nation's unanimous No. 1 team when the Cardinal moved up a spot in each of the four major national collegiate baseball polls -- Baseball America's, Collegiate Baseball, NCBWA, Sports Weekly/ESPN released Monday, May 3. Stanford won all four of its games last week and extended its win streak to five with a 7-2 victory over San Jose State on May 4, while previous No. 1 Texas lost two-of-three in a series at Missouri (April 30 - May 2). Stanford had been the nation's unanimous No. 1 team for two weeks (March 22-29) earlier this season and the No. 1 team in the Baseball America poll for seven consecutive weeks (February 23 - April 5). 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 TEAM HAS CHANCE FOR BEST RECORD EVER AFTER 43 GAMES
The 2004 Stanford team has a chance to have the best record in 111 years of baseball on The Farm after 43 games with a win over Washington on Friday. A victory versus the Huskies in the series-opener would give the Cardinal a 37-6 mark after 43 contests that would be one-half game better than the 36-6-1 mark that the 1967 club finished its season with.
NO. 21 WASHINGTON FIRST RANKED OPPONENT SINCE TEXAS IN LATE FEBRUARY
Stanford's matchup with No. 21 Washington in Seattle this Friday-Sunday, May 7-9. Stanford has played 30 games against unranked teams since taking 2-of-3 from then No. 6 and now No. 2 Texas at Sunken Diamond from February 21-23. Stanford has a 5-1 record versus ranked clubs this season (also sweeping then No. 4 Cal State Fullerton to open the season from January 30 - February 1).
PAC-10'S TOP TWO HOME RUN HITTING TEAMS MEET
Stanford and Washington are not only the first and second-place teams in the Pac-10 but also the top two power-hitting clubs in the conference with 74 and 66 home runs, respectively. 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 a Pac-10 leading 74 homers in its first 42 games. The Cardinal has hit 34 of the dingers in its first 12 conference contests. The Cardinal has had two huge power series in conference action, hitting 12 in its most recent series versus Washington State (April 30 - May 2) with eight coming in the final game. Stanford also hit 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 54 homers over its last 24 games. Stanford has homered at least once in 21 of those 24 games and in 33 of its 42 contests overall this season.
ANOTHER WINNING SEASON
Stanford's 36 wins already assure the Cardinal of a winning season for the 11th straight year, the 39th time in the last 40 seasons and the 56th time in the last 58 campaigns. The only two seasons the Cardinal has not won more games than it has lost in the last 58 years were in 1964 (20-24) and 1993 (27-28).
STARTING ANOTHER STREAK
Stanford's most recent win streak stands at five games (April 27 - May 4). The streak is only the latest six Stanford win streaks this season. The Cardinal opened the season with three in a row (January 30 - February 1), then won six straight twice over a 13-game span (February 7-20; February 22 - March 6), a season-best eight straight (March 23 - April 3) and then seven again (April 10-23) before its current stretch. Stanford has yet to lose two in a row this season.
STANFORD INCREASES PAC-10 LEAD 1.5 GAMES
Stanford's sweep of Washington State (April 30 - May 2) improved its league record to 10-2 and coupled with Oregon State taking one of its three games versus second-place Washington (10-5 Pac-10), the Cardinal has increased its lead in the Pac-10 race over the Huskies to 1.5 games. UCLA is the only other team over .500 in the conference with an 8-7 mark to sit in third. Four teams - Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon State and USC - are tied for fourth with 7-8 conference records. California is eighth at 8-13, while Washington State's 5-10 mark places the Cougars in ninth.
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 was picked as the favorite in the 2004 Preseason Pac-10 Coaches Poll, notching 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 15
Stanford's sweep of Washington State (April 30 - May 2) kept the Cardinal unbeaten in 11 regular season three-game series this year and extended the team's regular season three-game series win streak to 15 dating back to last year (Stanford split a two-game series with Sacramento State from April 23-24, 2004). The Cardinal has swept six of its 11 regular season three-game series this year, including two in a row over California (April 16-18) and Washington State (April 30 - May 2)), and nine during the streak. Stanford has also won 23 of its last 24 regular season three-game series, including 10 in a row on the road and eight straight at home. Stanford lost just three regular season three-game series in 2003, being swept at Cal State Fullerton (January 31-February 2) before dropping two-of-three at home to Florida State (February 7-9) and Arizona (April 25-27).
LOWRIE LOOKING FOR NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR HONORS
Jed Lowrie has become a legitimate candidate for National Player of the Year honors and already appears on a pair of high-profile Player of the Year Watch lists. 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 (15, Pac-10 leader), RBI (56, Pac-10 leader), runs scored (56), doubles (12), triples (4), total bases (130, Pac-10 leader), slugging percentage (.798, Pac-10 leader), bases on balls (34), sacrifice flies (5, co-team leader) and multiple-RBI games (17). Defensively, Lowrie has made just seven errors in his 199 chances for a .965 fielding percentage while starting all 42 games at either second base (34) or shortstop (8). Lowrie earned NCBWA Co-Hitter of the Week honors on March 2.
ROMANCZUK ESTABLISHING HIMSELF AS ONE OF NATION'S TOP PITCHERS
Mark Romanczuk, who appears on the Roger Clemens Award Watch list for the nation's top pitcher, will attempt to become the first 10-game winner in the Pac-10 this season when he takes the hill for the Cardinal at Washington on Friday. Romanczuk leads the team in wins (9-1, co-Pac-10 leader), strikeouts (66, #7 Pac-10) and innings pitched (77.2, #4T Pac-10), while posting a 3.82 ERA that is the best among Cardinal starters. He won his 21st career game in his most recent outing versus Washington State (April 30) to improve his all-time record at Stanford to 21-3 for an .875 won-loss percentage that ranks fourth on Stanford's all-time list. Romanczuk picked up Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week honors for the fourth time in his career and the first time this season on March 9.
HALL, LUCY, MAYBERRY, O'HAGAN AND PUTNAM ALSO IN LINE FOR ALL-AMERICAN RECOGNITION
Brian Hall, Donny Lucy, John Mayberry, Jr. David O'Hagan and Danny Putnam look to be next in line for All-American recognition. Hall's incredible hot streak in which he has hit safely in 26 of his last 27 games (.482, 7 HR, 32 RBI, 7 SB) has raised his batting average 187 points from .208 to its current .395 (#3 Pac-10) on the season. Hall also leads the team in stolen bases (10, #6T Pac-10), and sacrifice bunts (5, co-leader), while ranking second in hits (66). He has also contributed 11 doubles, two triples, nine homers and 46 RBI (#6 Pac-10). Hall was 10-for-11 (.909) in his most recent series versus Washington State (April 30 - May 2) to earn four weekly honors (College Baseball Insider.com West Regional Player of the Week, Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week, NCBWA National Co-Hitter of the Week, Pac-10 Player of the Week). Lucy has developed into one of the top catchers in the nation and is hitting .365 with 10 homers, 37 RBI and four stolen bases. He has hit safely in 16 of his last 17 (.429, 7 HR, 25 RBI, 2 SB) and 22 of his last 25 (.415, 8 HR, 27 RBI, 3 SB) games. Mayberry ranks second on the club in both homers (12, tied with Putnam) and RBI (47, #5 Pac-10), while hitting .348. O'Hagan is 5-0 with four saves and a 2.00 ERA with 49 strikeouts over 45.0 innings in 15 appearances all out of the bullpen. Putnam is tied for second on the team in homers (12, #2 Pac-10), third in batting average (.381, #5T Pac-10) and fourth in RBI (42, #7 Pac-10). He has hit safely in 14 of his last 15 games (.458, 6 HR, 20 RBI, 4 SB).
FULD ON SEVERAL ALL-TIME STANFORD LISTS
Sam Fuld has become Stanford's leader in runs scored with 254 for his career, while also moving into second-place on Stanford's all-time hit (336) and at bat (999) lists. Fuld is now within 32 hits of Stanford and Pac-10 record-holder John Gall (368, 1997-2000). He is also among Stanford's all-time leaders in triples (16, #3T), doubles (58, #6T) and games played (242, #7).
SAMMY'S STREAKS
Sam Fuld has played in 235 consecutive Stanford games and has not played in only 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 152 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 21ST CAREER GAME
Mark Romanczuk's latest victory versus Washington State (4/30) was the 21st of his career. He needs just four more wins to reach the school's all-time Top 10 list and is already ranked fourth all-time at Stanford in career won-loss percentage (21-3, .875).
HALL A PAC-10 PHENOM
Brian Hall has incredible in Pac-10 action as he is hitting .638 (30-47) with five homers, 19 RBI and four stolen bases during 12 Pac-10 contests. Hall leads the conference in Pac-10 games only in batting average and hits, as well as slugging percentage (1.021) and on-base percentage (.654).
HALL EARNS FOUR PRESTIGIOUS WEEKLY HONORS
Brian Hall earned four prestigious weekly honors (College Baseball Insider.com West Regional Player of the Week, Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week, NCBWA Co-Hitter of the Week, Pac-10 Player of the Week) after hitting .909 (10-11) with two homers and eight RBI in his most recent series versus Washington State (April 30 - May 2).
HOME SWEET HOME
Stanford is scheduled to play its final seven regular season games at home after being on the road for six of its next seven. Stanford has a current 14-game win streak at Sunken Diamond (Texas, February 22; Cal Poly, March 26-28; Santa Clara, April 13; California, April 16-18; Saint Mary's, April 20; Sacramento State, April 23; Washington State, April 30 - May 2). Stanford is 21-1 at Sunken Diamond this year and has won 30 of its last 31 contests at home dating back to a nine-game home win streak to end last season that reached 16 games when the Cardinal won its first seven home contests this season before Texas came up with a 9-6 victory over the Cardinal on February 21 to salvage one game of a three-game series. Stanford's school record home win streak is 27 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, March 23-24; at Washington State April 4-5, April 7; at Santa Clara, April 8; at Sacramento State, April 22; at USC, May 3-4 (DH); at San Jose State, May 6; at California, May 9-11). The Cardinal is 15-5 on the road this year, winning two-of-three at Fresno State (February 6-8), sweeping a three-game road set at California (February 27-29), taking two-of-three at USC (March 5-7), returning from a 15-day break with three consecutive wins at Saint Mary's (March 23), Santa Clara (March 24) and San Jose State (March 30), taking two-of-three at UCLA (April 2-4), winning two-of-three at Oregon State (April 8-10), falling at Sacramento State (April 24) and winning at Santa Clara (April 27).
CARDINAL 59-10 IN LAST 69 GAMES OVERALL
Stanford's success both at home and on the road has led to an incredible run since May 5, 2003, as the Cardinal is a combined 59-10 over its last 69 games during the period. Stanford was 23-4 in its final 27 games last year and has jumped out to a 36-6 start this season.
MULTIPLE-HIT MADNESS
Stanford has seven players with at least 15 multiple-hit games this season. Danny Putnam has a team-high 21 multiple-hit games, followed by Brian Hall and Jed Lowrie with 20 each, Donny Lucy and John Mayberry, Jr. with 17, Jonny Ash with 16 and Sam Fuld with 15.
BACK-TO-BACK JACKS
Stanford has hit back-to-back home runs five times this season, including four times since April 10. John Mayberry, Jr. has been a part of the first four. Danny Putnam and Mayberry hit back-to-back homers in the sixth inning at Fresno State (February 7). Mayberry and Donny Lucy then went back-to-back in the eighth inning at Oregon State (April 10). Jed Lowrie and Mayberry were next with back-to-back jacks in the first inning versus Sacramento State (April 23). Most recently, the Cardinal hit a pair of back-to-back homers as part of its season-high eight-homer game versus Washington State (May 2). Mayberry and Putnam hit them in the third inning, before Brian Hall and Chris Carter did it again in the sixth.
LOWRIE AND MAYBERRY SELECTED FOR 2004 NATIONAL TEAM TRIALS
Jed Lowrie and John Mayberry, Jr. have been named as two of 19 invitees to the 2004 USA Baseball National Team Trials to be held June 20-26 in Durham, North Carolina. The USA Baseball National Team will be selected from a pool of 36 players, of which an additional 17 have yet to be determined. The official 20-player team roster will be determined and announced on June 27. Stanford has produced 22 members of the USA National Baseball Team in the history of the squad, more than any other collegiate baseball program in the nation. Three current Stanford players - Sam Fuld (2001, '02), Mark Romanczuk (2003) and Danny Putnam (2003) - have participated with Team USA.
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 31 of 42 games. The staff's best run was from April 9-24 when the staff held its opponents to five or fewer runs for a string of nine consecutive games.
DOUBLE YOUR FUN
Stanford has had double-digit hits in 34 of its 42 games this season and in 17 of its last 18 contests. The Cardinal put together a string of 12 straight double-digit hit games at one point (at UCLA, April 2-4; at Oregon State, April 8-10; Santa Clara, April 13; California, April 16-18; Saint Mary's, April 20; Sacramento State, April 23) before being held to its second-lowest total of the year with just four in a 2-1 loss at Sacramento State (April 24). Stanford has responded with double-digit hits in each of its last five contests (at Santa Clara, April 27; Washington State, April 30 - May 2; San Jose State, May 4).
THE NEW NINE
Nine players have made their first appearances in a game for the Cardinal this season. Blake Holler (3-2, 4.11, 2 SV, 50.1 IP, 39 SO) made eight consecutive starts as a member of the rotation prior to 8.0 consecutive scoreless innings of relief in his last four appearances at Sacramento State (April 23), at Santa Clara (April 27), versus Washington State (May 2) and versus San Jose State (April 4). Jeff Stimpson (1-1, 1 SV) has become one of the team's top relievers, posting a 1-1 record and a 4.01 ERA and 19 strikeouts in his first 24.2 collegiate innings, while opponents are hitting just .227 against him. Jim Rapoport has played in 22 games with nine starts, contributing a .250 batting average, one triple and eight RBI. Adam Sorgi has started 16 games and appeared in 23, hitting .217 with one double and four RBI. 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. Greg Reynolds is 3-0 with a 5.12 ERA in 19.1 innings over seven appearances and three starts, including wins in his first collegiate appearance (March 23) and his first collegiate start (April 20) versus Saint Mary's, as well his first Pac-10 start versus Washington State (May 2). Matt Leva has a 4-0 record and a 4.30 ERA in nine appearances and three starts. 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 (April 23).
COMEBACK CREW
Stanford has come from behind at some point in 15 of its 36 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 (April 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 one of the most dramatic moments of the season when his first career grandslam capped a seven-run Stanford ninth inning rally for a 10-6 victory over Kansas (February 15). Stanford trailed 7-3 at USC (March 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 (April 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 15 of its 36 wins, 31 of the team's victories have come by three runs or more and the team is a perfect 21-0 in games decided by five or more runs. Stanford has more than doubled its opponents' run production this season by a count of 390-181 and is averaging 9.3 runs per contest, compared to just 4.3 for its opponents.
TOUGH ONES
Stanford's 36-6 record might be even a little 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 (January 31) and at USC (March 6 - 13 inn.) but has since lost three April heartbreakers at UCLA (6-5, April 2), Oregon State (5-4, April 8) and Sacramento State (2-1, April 24). The team's biggest margin of defeat were a pair of three-run losses versus Texas (9-6, February 21) and at USC (11-8, March 7).
ERRORLESS EFFORTS
Stanford has played errorless baseball in 17 of its first 42 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 (February 27-29); three straight against Cal Poly (March 28), San Jose State (March 30) and UCLA (April 2); a string of three in a row versus California (April 18), Saint Mary's (April 20) and Sacramento State (April 23); and in the first and third games of its most recent series against Washington State (April 30, May 2). 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 SANTA CLARA AND TRAVELS AT ARIZONA NEXT WEEK
Stanford will play Santa Clara for the fourth and final time of the regular season when the Cardinal hosts the Broncos next Tuesday, May 11 (6 pm, PDT) in a non-conference game before traveling to Arizona for a three-game Pac-10 series next Saturday-Monday, May 15-17 (7 pm, 7 pm, 1 pm, MST). Stanford has won all three games it has played this season versus Santa Clara, winning 18-4 (March 24) and 12-8 in 14 innings (April 27) in two contests at Santa Clara, while taking a 12-3 victory the first time the teams played at Sunken Diamond (April 13). Stanford has won 28 of the last 30 meetings between the teams and leads the all-time series, 173-153-7. Arizona is the last team to have won a three-game regular season series versus the Cardinal, taking two-of-three against Stanford at Sunken Diamond from April 25-27, 2003. The Wildcats won the opener, 4-3. Stanford came back to even the series with a 10-9 victory in Saturday's middle game but the Wildcats prevailed 11-6 in the rubber game. Stanford won two-of-three the last time the teams played in Arizona (April 5-7, 2002; W, 5-4 - 18 innings; W, 19-1; L, 13-15). The Cardinal leads the all-time series, 91-52.
OFFENSIVE REPORT
Stanford has averaged 9.3 runs per contest, while hitting a Pac-10 leading .336 through its first 42 games. Stanford has been even better in Pac-10 action, hitting .381 in 12 conference contests and averaging 10.3 runs per contest. The team also has 34 of its 74 homers in its 12 conference games, as well as 54 in 23 games since returning from its 15-day break at Saint Mary's on March 23. In addition, the Cardinal hit a season-high eight in a 17-3 win over Washington State on May 2 to complete a sweep of the Cougars. National Player of the Year candidate Jed Lowrie leads the club in nearly every offensive category - batting average (.399), runs scored (56), doubles (12), triples (4), homers (15, Pac-10 leader), RBI (56, Pac-10 leader), total bases (130, Pac-10 leader), slugging percentage (.798, Pac-10 leader), bases on balls (34), on-base percentage (.500), sacrifice flies (5, co-team leader), extra-base hits (31) and multiple-RBI games (17). Lowrie is also third on the club with 65 hits, just two behind team-leader Danny Putnam. Hall has moved up to second on the team in batting average and just four points behind Lowrie with a .395 mark by hitting safely in 26 of his last 27 games to raise his average 187 points from a .208 mark at the start of the stretch. Hall won four prestigious weekly honors (Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week, May 3; NCBWA Co-Hitter of the Week, May 4; Pac-10 Player of the Week, May 4; College Baseball Insider.com, May 5) after going 10-for-11 for a .909 batting average with two homers and eight RBI in a three-game sweep of Washington State (April 30 - May 2). He also leads the club with 10 stolen bases and five sacrifice bunts (co-leader), while ranking second on the team in doubles (11), third in RBI (46) and fifth in homers (9). Putnam, who hit a pair of homers for the fifth time in his career and the second time this year versus Washington State (May 2), ranks tied for second on the club in homers (12), as well as third in batting average (.381) and fourth in RBI (42). Jonny Ash is fourth on the squad in batting average (.374). Donny Lucy is hitting .365 with 10 homers, 37 RBI and four stolen bases, while he has been hit by a team-high 10 pitches. John Mayberry is second on the team in homers (12, tied with Danny Putnam), RBI (47) and stolen bases seven, while co-leads the squad with five sacrifice flies and ranking sixth with a .348 batting average ... Ryan Seawell (.313, 7 RBI) and Chris Carter (.301, 5 HR, 29 RBI) are also above the .300 mark. Stanford set team season-highs in runs scored at Santa Clara (18, March 23) and hits versus Sacramento State (21, April 23). The team stole a season-high five bases at Sacramento State (April 24). Stanford has scored in double figures 21 times and has 10 or more hits in 34 of its first 42 games, including 17 of its last 18.
PITCHING REPORT
Stanford leads the Pac-10 with a 3.91 ERA and has allowed five or fewer runs in 12 of its last 14 contests, including a nine-game streak (April 9-24). Mark Romanczuk leads the club and co-leads the Pac-10 in victories (9-1), while also pacing the team in strikeouts (66) and innings pitched (77.2), as well as co-leading the club along with Jeff Gilmore in games started with 12. Romanczuk also has the lowest ERA (3.82) among starters. Gilmore is 7-2 with a 4.46 ERA, while ranking second in innings pitched (74.2) and third in strikeouts (46). 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. Matt Leva is a perfect 4-0 with a 4.30 ERA, while Blake Holler and Greg Reynolds have contributed three wins each. Jonny Dyer, Drew Ehrlich, Mark Jecmen, Kodiak Quick and Jeff Stimpson have one each. Holler and Matt Manship have added two saves each, while Dyer, Gilmore, Manship and Quick have one each.
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 17 of its first 42 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 (January 31 - February 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 (March 27-29), three more in consecutive games versus Cal Poly (March 28), San Jose State (March 30) and UCLA (April 2), three in a row against California (April 18), Saint Mary's (April 20) and Sacramento State (April 23), and in the first and third games of its most recent series versus Washington State (April 30, May 2). John Mayberry, Jr. leads the club with 384 putouts and has made just three errors in his team-high 400 defensive chances for a .993 fielding percentage. Mayberry also had a single-game team-high of 17 putouts at USC (3/6). Jed Lowrie has a team-high 127 assists and has made just seven errors in his first 199 chances and 42 starts at either second base (34) or shortstop (8) for a .965 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 40 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 14 double plays in 12 conference games, while Stanford has managed only six.
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 is just four victories from extending its string of 40-win seasons to 10. 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 1180-557-5 (.679) record in 1742 career games, as well as even more impressive marks in the postseason (105-46, .695), and Pac-10 (472-296, .615). 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 already wrapped up its 27th winning campaign in 28 seasons under his leadership in 2004. Stanford has 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 the team's sweep of Washington State)
"It's a great weekend anytime you can sweep, and we've been able to sweep two series this season in the Pac-10 already. They were great wins for us."
(on the upcoming Washington series)
"It's important but not any more so than any other Pac-10 series."
(on the upcoming Washington series)
"They're very explosive offensively with a lot of power and have some talented young pitching. They're a very good team."
(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."
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 2413-1490-32 (.617) in 3935 contests ... A total of 70 former Stanford players have became Major League Baseball players with seven participating in the Major Leagues thus far in 2004 (Eric Bruntlett - Houston Astros; Brian Dallimore - San Francisco Giants; Jody Gerut - Cleveland Indians; Jeffrey Hammonds - San Francisco Giants; Dave McCarty - Boston Red Sox; Mike Mussina - New York Yankees; Justin Wayne - Florida Marlins) ... Dallimore was the most recent to make his MLB debut in 2004 with San Francisco ... 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.