April 9, 2008
Anna Beardman had to change positions when she went to Stanford. After playing her high school career in the infield, she was moved to the outfield at Stanford. She has started 193 of her 215 games at Stanford in right field.
Beardman started her softball career at Martin Luther King High School, in Riverside, California. She lettered all four-years in softball, and was a two-time All-County selection. She was a 2002 High School All-American, and was named the 2004 Sunkist League MVP. She was a first-team All-League selection and All-State selection, as a senior.
"It was fun," said Beardman. "It was a lot of hard work, and I was injured pretty much my whole time there. So, that made it a little bit tougher. But, overall, I would say it was fun."
She also competed in tennis in high school. She was a member of the tennis team during her freshman year, before she left the team.
"It was really fun until I got hurt," said Beardman. "I played tennis until I received an injury, which made me quit the team. I just played it for fun."
During the recruiting process, she received several offers. She received scholarship offers from UCLA, Washington, Arizona, and Stanford. She would choose to continue her education, and her sports career, at Stanford.
"I choose Stanford just for the mix of academics and softball," said Beardman.
As a freshman, she appeared in 49 games, with 39 games coming in the starting lineup. She had a .181 batting average, with 19 hits, including one double and one triple, and 17 RBI's. She led the team with seven stolen bases in seven tries, and did not commit a fielding error in 39 games.
She hit her first two college home runs in back-to-back games against DePaul and Kentucky in the same day.
"I just think I was expect to come in and make a contribution coming in," said Beardman of her freshman year. "So, I think the need was there. And it just worked out that way."
As a sophomore, she appeared in 60 games, with all 60 games coming in the startling lineup at right field. She had a .261 batting average, with 40 hits, including five doubles and five triples, 24 runs, and 19 RBI's. She led the team with five triples, which was just one shy of the school record.
She had nine multi-hit games, and two multi-RBI games. She also went 4-for-4 in stolen bases. She earned Pac-10 All-Academic honorable mention.
"Anna's very versatile," said Stanford softball coach John Rittman of Beardman's five triples. "She can hit from the right side of the plate and the left side of the plate. And she's got great speed."
Last year, as a junior, she appeared in 40 games, with 30 games coming in the starting lineup at right field. She ad a .200 batting average in 55 at-bats, with 11 hits, including two doubles, one triple, and one home run. She had eight RBI's and scored seven runs, while stealing two bases.
"Anna came to Stanford, as an infielder, and we moved her to the outfield," said Coach Rittman of Beardman's time in right field. "She done a great job of making the transition. She's got great range and she has worked on her arm strength and accuracy. And she provides us with a lot of stability in the outfield."
This year, as a senior, she has appeared in 33 games, with 31 games coming in the starting lineup. She has a .320 batting average in 75 at-bats, with 24 hits, including two doubles and one triple, en route to 28 total bases. She currently has 5 RBI's and scored 18 times, while she has walked twice and struck out once.
"I just want to have fun," said Beardman of her final season. "This is the last time I will be playing softball, so I am just focusing on having fun, and enjoying the game as much as I can."
She is majoring in human biology at Stanford. She said she choose that major, because it was the only major that she was really interested in studying. She said she went with the major in college and ended up loving her decision.
After she graduates from Stanford, she plans on attending graduate school. She hasn't applied to any schools yet, but she will be applying to the University of Pittsburgh, where she hopes to attend next fall. She is going to graduate school to major in public health.
"I think she will do very well in life," said Coach Rittman. "Stanford prepares you both on the field and off the field, and academically, she is getting a world class education. I think she will do great in graduate school."