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No. 10 Stanford To Start Three-Game Series At Oregon State Friday

No. 10 Stanford To Start Three-Game Series At Oregon State Friday

Complete Game Notes In PDF Format Get Acrobat Reader

STANFORD BASEBALL GAME NOTES (April 11, 2008)

NO. 10 STANFORD CARDINAL (15-10-1, 4-2 Pac-10)
at
OREGON STATE (15-10, 3-3 Pac-10

FRIDAY'S PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS (5:00 pm, PT)
TBA vs. RHP Mike Stutes (2-4, 4.50)
LIVE GAME COVERAGE:
TV: None | audio.gif Stanford Gametracker | Oregon State Gamewatcher | camera.gifOregon State Webcast

SATURDAY'S PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS (1:00 pm, PT)
TBA vs. TBA

SUNDAY'S PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS (1:00 pm, PT)
TBA vs. TBA

STANFORD-OREGON STATE SERIES HISTORY
All-Time Series: Stanford 36-24
2007 Results: (at Stanford, April 27-29) Oregon State 13-7, Stanford 9-7 (11), Oregon State (8-6)
Oregon State scored three times in top of the first in the opener and never trailed in the nationally televised CSTV game despite being outhit, 14-8. Michael Taylor blasted a three-run walkoff homer with two outs in the bottom of the 11th to give Stanford a dramatic 9-7 win in the middle game. Oregon State led 8-3 late in the rubber game and had to hold off a late Cardinal rally for an 8-6 victory.
Last Meeting At Oregon State: (at Stanford, April 13-14, 16, 2006) Oregon State 3-0, Oregon State 1-0, Oregon State 12-1 (7); (NCAA Corvallis Super Regional, June 10-11, 2006) Oregon State 4-3, Oregon State 15-0
Oregon State made life miserable for Stanford on a pair of trips to Corvallis in 2006, sweeping all five games between the clubs. The Beavers limited the Cardinal to just one run while sweeping a three-game regular season series before ending Stanford's season with a two-game NCAA Super Regional sweep on their way to the first of two back-to-back College World Series titles.
Current Game Win Streak: Oregon State - 1 (April 29, 2007)
Current Series Win Streak: Oregon State - 4 (April 9-10, 2005 - April 27-29, 2007)
Current Season Series Win Streak: Oregon State - 3 (2005-07)
Series Notes: Although Stanford leads the all-time series, 36-24, Oregon State has won nine of the last 11 games between the clubs since Stanford last defeated the Beavers in a series by taking two-of-three at Oregon State from April 8-10, 2004.

NOTES
Stanford Enters Oregon State Series Tied For First In Pac-10 - Stanford enters its next Pac-10 series at Oregon State (Friday-Sunday, April 11-13) tied for first place in the Pac-10. The Cardinal is joined by both Arizona State and California with 4-2 conference marks. Oregon State is one of three teams along with Washington and UCLA just 1.0 games back with 4-2 league records. All nine Pac-10 teams are within 2.5 games of the lead.
Stanford Back In Top 10 - Stanford moved up three spots to No. 10 in the latest Baseball America poll released on Monday, April 7, after taking two-of-three from No. 1 Arizona State at Klein Field at Sunken Diamond from April 4-6. The Cardinal dominated action in the final two games of the series (12-2, 10-2) after dropping a 6-4 heartbreaker in 10 innings Friday evening. Stanford is actually ranked as high as No. 8 in the nation by Rivals.com. The Cardinal is also ranked No. 15 by USA Today/ESPN, No. 17 by Collegiate Baseball and No. 28 by the NCBWA.
Stanford Without A Win In Two Extra Inning Games This Week - Stanford is 0-1-1 in its first two games this week with the 13-inning 5-5 tie at California on April 7 and a 9-8 loss in 12 frames against UC Davis at Klein Field at Sunken Diamond on April 9.
Tough Luck In Extra Innings - Stanford has played three extra inning ball games in its last five contests and is 0-2-1 in those three games versus Arizona State (6-4 loss in 10 innings), at California (5-5 tie in 13 innings) and against UC Davis (9-8 loss in 12 innings). Stanford had not played an extra inning game prior in 2008 prior to the Arizona State game.
Marquess Wins 1300th To Move Into Top 10 All-Time - Mark Marquess won his 1300th career game on April 6 when Stanford defeated Arizona State, 12-2, in the rubber game of a three-game set against the nation's top-ranked squad. The victory moved Marquess into a tie for 10th place on the all-time win list for NCAA Division I coaches. Marquess' current win total (all at Stanford) also ranks him sixth among active coaches.
Stanford Wins Ninth Straight Series - Stanford extended its current string of regular season three-game series victories to nine by taking two-of-three against top-ranked Arizona State from April 4-6. The current streak which includes all six three-game sets this year and final three of the 2007 campaign is Stanford's longest regular season three-game series win streak since the Cardinal won 15 straight regular season three-game series from May 3, 2003 - May 4, 2004.
Stanford Perfect On Several Accounts - Stanford has yet to suffer a loss on the weekend with a perfect 10-0 mark as the Cardinal is 6-0 on Saturdays and 4-0 on Sundays. Stanford has also not lost in a rubber game (5-0), a three-game series finale (6-0). Stanford had not lost when ahead after eight frames or in a one-run game until UC Davis ended both of those with its 9-8 victory in 12 innings at Stanford on April 9 when the Aggies scored twice in the top of the ninth after trailing 8-6 and then scored one more in the top of the 12th frame to win, 9-8.
Home Advantage - Stanford has had a nice home field advantage at Klein Field at Sunken Diamond throughout the years. The facility has served as a host site for 13 NCAA Regionals, as well as NCAA Super Regionals on five occasions. Stanford has clinched 10 of its 15 trips to the CWS at Sunken Diamond. Stanford has had 43 consecutive winning seasons at home and recorded at least 17 home wins in each of its last 12 campaigns with an amazing 320-107 (.749) home mark over the last 12-plus seasons. Stanford has never had a losing season at Klein Field At Sunken Diamond in the school's recorded history. The Cardinal is off to an 11-7 start in its first 18 home games of 2008.
Avoiding Big Losing Streaks - Stanford has not lost more than two consecutive games all season.
Road Win Streak Snapped - Stanford had won four in a row away from Klein Field at Sunken Diamond before falling at Sacramento State, 5-3, in its most recent game on March 25.
Busy Schedule - Stanford is 14 games into a stretch where the Cardinal will play 29 contests over a 37-day period from March 21 - April 30.
Starting Rotation Pitching Well - Stanford's three primary starters have pitched well in 2008. Jeremy Bleich (2-2, 1.38) equaled his win total in all of 2007 with victories in each of his first two outings of 2008. Although Bleich has suffered two losses and a no decision in his last three starts, his ERA has actually gone down 81 points in those three starts as only one of the 12 runs scored against him was earned. Erik Davis (4-1, 4.46) struggled early but has been excellent in his last three starts, combining for a 3-0 record and a 2.52 ERA with two complete games and 23 strikeouts in 25.0 innings. Jeffrey Inman (4-0, 1.80, 30.0 IP, 18 SO) has given up just two runs in his last three starts over 18.1 frames, scattering 19 hits with 13 strikeouts over the stretch.
Freshmen Making Their Mark - Stanford has had a total of 14 freshmen play over the first 26 games. Zach Jones (.256, 2 HR, 16 RBI, 6 SB) and Jake Schlander (.200, 11 RBI, 2 SB) have made the biggest impact among position players with Jones starting 23 of the last 24 games and Schlander starting all 26. Although Schlander has struggled offensively, he has made just two errors in the field in 105 defensive chances for a .981 fielding percentage as the team's shortstop. Drew Storen (1-2, 3.22, 2 SV, 22.1 IP, 22 SO) has arguably been the team's top reliever and co-leads the team with two saves while making 10 appearances. Alex Pracher (0-1, 10.03, 1 SV, 11.2 IP, 10 SO) has a team-high 11 appearances, while Danny Sandbrink (0-0, 2.13, 12.2 IP, 3 SO) has been effective in seven outings and two starts. Michael De Groot and Corey Schwartz both made their collegiate debuts in games at California (April 7) and versus UC Davis (April 9) this week, respectively.
Fifth All-Time Winningest Program - Stanford is the fifth all-time winningest program in college baseball history with a record of 2533-1588-34 (.614) in 4155 games over 115-plus seasons. Stanford has won two College World Series titles in its 15 trips to Omaha and finished second on three other occasions. The Cardinal has added five NCAA Super Regional titles, 14 NCAA Regional crowns and 20 conference championships.
Stringer Nearing All-Time Save List - David Stringer has 10 career saves and is now just one shy of tying Aaron Dorlarque (1989-92) for 10th place.
Starting Strong - Stanford has outscored its opponents in the first inning, 33-10.
Significantly Better Pitching And Fielding In 2008 - Stanford has had much better pitching and fielding numbers in 2008. Stanford has recorded a 4.16 ERA that is 1.85 points better than the 6.01 the team recorded as the worst mark in school history in 2007. The Cardinal's .975 fielding percentage is 12 points ahead of last year's .963 and only .002 points shy of the school record .977.
Sean Ratliff On Wallace Award Watch List - Sean Ratliff is currently on the Wallace Award Watch List for the honor given annually by the College Baseball Foundation to the top college player in the nation. Ratliff is hitting .310 with eight homers, 26 RBI and three stolen bases in his first 26 contests of 2008.
Day And Night - Stanford has been better this season at day (12-3-1) than at night (3-7).
Better Against The Best - Stanford is 8-3-1 against ranked squads (according to Baseball America at the time of the game) and just 7-7 versus teams not in the Baseball America poll at the time of the game.
Stanford's April 7 Game At California Officially Ruled A Tie - Stanford's game at California on April 7 has been officially ruled a tie. The teams played 13 innings of baseball with the score knotted at 5-5 before darkness fell in Berkeley. The game will not be resumed.
Huge Roster And Pitching Staff - Stanford has 45 players on its 2008 roster with 23 of those listed as either a pitcher or a two-way player. Stanford may need a lot of depth, especially on the mound, in the first year of college baseball's condensed season as the Cardinal is still scheduled to play 56 regular season games in approximately three weeks less time than the club has in the past.
Five Two-Way Players On The Roster - Stanford has five two-way players listed on the roster in Brendan Domaracki (OF/RHP), Michael Marshall (1B/RHP), Sean Ratliff (OF/LHP), Drew Storen (RHP/3B) and Austin Yount (3B/RHP). Ratliff and Yount have both already contributed on the mound and at the plate. Domaracki has played but yet to pitch, while Storen and Marshall have both pitched but yet to play a position or hit.
Road Stretch - Stanford will play seven of its next nine games on the road. Stanford starts the stretch with a three-game series at Oregon State (Friday-Sunday, April 11-13, 5 pm, 1 pm, 1 pm, PT). Stanford will then host a pair of non-conference contests against Santa Clara (Monday, April 14, 6 pm, PT) and San Francisco (Wednesday, April 16, 6 pm, PT) before going back out on the road to UCLA (Friday-Sunday, April 18-20, 6 pm, 1 pm, 1 pm, PT) and Santa Clara (Monday, April 21, 5 pm, PT) with the Broncos' game being televised live nationally by CBS College Sports.