May 1, 2009
WATCH highlights from Wednesday's game, including Brent Milleville's grand slam!
Complete Release in PDF Format 
STANFORD CARDINAL (20-18, 8-10) AT WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS (21-18, 10-5)
Friday, May 1 5:30 p.m. Bailey-Brayton Field (Pullman, WA)
RHP Jordan Pries (3-1, 4.24) vs. LHP Matt Way (5-4, 2.14)
Saturday, May 2 1:00 p.m. Bailey-Brayton Field (Pullman, WA)
**Televised by FSN Northwest**
LHP Brett Mooneyham (4-2, 4.07) vs. RHP Chad Arnold (5-2, 5.07)
Sunday, May 3 12:00 p.m. Bailey-Brayton Field (Pullman, WA)
RHP Jeffrey Inman (1-6, 6.32) vs. LHP David Stilley (2-0, 2.91)
All times Pacific; every game is broadcast on KZSU (90.1 FM) and gostanford.com
Stanford Travels to Pullman for Crucial Pac-10 Series at Washington State
After going 5-2 on its season-long, seven-game homestand, the Stanford Cardinal (20-18, 8-10 Pac-10) will look to stay alive in the Pac-10 race when it travels to Pullman, WA for a three-game series against the Washington State Cougars (21-18, 10-5).
Stanford has lost five of its last six Pac-10 games, dropping to seventh place in the conference at 8-10. The Cardinal trails front-running Arizona State (15-3) by 7.0 games, but is just 3.5 contests behind second-place Washington State (10-5). In fact, only 5.5 games seperate second and eighth place in a tightly-bunched Pac-10.
Broadcast Information
All 56 of Stanford's regular season games, and any postseason contests, will be carried live on the home of Cardinal baseball for nearly 51 years - student station KZSU 90.1 FM. The KZSU broadcast is available on the internet either at www.kzsulive.stanford.edu or via a link on www.gostanford.com.
Erik Adams will handle play-by-play for this weekend's series, with Matt Hodson providing color.
Saturday's contest will be televised live on FSN Northwest.
Marquess Moves Into Eighth Place on All-Time NCAA Division I Wins List
Stanford head coach Mark Marquess has compiled the eighth-most wins in NCAA Division I baseball history, having posted a 1,346-687-7 (.662) career record. With the Cardinal's 11-7 victory over California April 22, Marquess broke an eighth-place tie with Rod Dedeaux, who - according to the official NCAA record book - compiled a 1,342-597-16 record over 44 seasons at USC (1942-47 and 1949-86).
Marquess, who has spent his entire 33-yearhead coaching career at the helm of his alma mater, has the most victories by any coach of any sport in Stanford history.
In honor of his historic victory last Wednesday, Marquess was named to the weekly National All-Star Lineup by the College Baseball Foundation and Diamond Sports.
Stanford-Washington State Series
Stanford and Washington State have played 49 times since 1965 (Stanford's single-game results are available since 1959), with the Cardinal holding a 33-16 edge. Stanford took two out of three in the series last year, played at Klein Field at Sunken Diamond.
Cardinal Clips
Stanford at the Plate
Stanford on the Mound
Stanford with the Gloves
Series Scoop
Stanford will be looking to snap a two series losing streak this weekend in Washington State, and to move back to .500 in series overall this season (currently 4-5).
Over the longer haul, Stanford is an impressive 17-7 (won-lost) in its last 24 weekend series - a stretch which dates back to the final month of the 2006 season.
Stanford is 11-5 in Pac-10 sets over the stretch, but is just 3-3 in 2009. After dropping two of three at California in the opening conference series of the season, the Cardinal rebounded to win its next three Pac-10 sets (vs. Washington, at Oregon and vs. UCLA). However, Stanford has lost five of six games while dropping its last two conference weekends (at Arizona State and vs. Arizona).
A Look at the Pac-10
Stanford enters its seventh of nine Pac-10 weekends in seventh place in the conference - but only 3.5 games out of second. At 8-10, the Cardinal is within range second-place Washington State, which is in second at 10-5. UCLA is in third with an 11-7 conference mark (3.0 games ahead of the Cardinal), while Oregon State (9-6, 2.5 ahead), USC (10-8, 2.0) and Washington (7-8, 0.5) are in fourth through sixth, respectively. Arizona State continues to lead the Pac at 15-3.
Five is Fine
Stanford is 17-7 (.708) this season when scoring at least five runs in a game, but just 3-11 (.214) when plating four or fewer.
Two-out Magic
Stanford has scored 97 of its 230 runs (42.2%) this season with two outs in an inning.
Extra, Extra!
Stanford is a perfect 3-0 in extra inning games this season. The Cardinal beat Vanderbilt 6-5 in 10 frames on Opening Night (Feb. 20), posted a 6-5, 12-inning win March 22 at California and rallied for a 4-3, 10-inning triumph April 9 vs. UCLA.
First 14, Last 24
Following an 11-4 loss at California on March 23, Stanford's record stood at 4-10 (.400). Beginning with a 5-2 win March 25 at UC Davis, the Cardinal has gone 16-8 (.667). Not surprisingly, Stanford's offensive numbers, pitching stats and fielding marks are dramatically better in the last 19 games as compared to the first 24. Here is the breakdown:
FIRST 14 GAMES (4-10, .400)
Team Batting
Runs Per Game: 4.4 (61 total)
On-Base Pct.: .319
Slugging Pct.: .333
Team Pitching
Opp. Avg.: .270
Strikeouts/Walks: 93/71
Saves: 1
Team Fielding
Errors: 14
LAST 24 GAMES (16-8, .667)
Team Batting
Runs Per Game: 7.0 (169 total)
On-Base Pct.: .382
Slugging Pct.: .463
Team Pitching
Opp. Avg.: .253
Strikeouts/Walks: 175/83
Saves: 6
Team Fielding
Errors: 22
Stanford Riding a Nine-Game, Non-conference Winning Streak
Beginning with a March 25 victory at UC Davis, Stanford has won its last nine midweek games for its longest non-conference winning streak since an identical nine-game run March 23-April 23, 2004.
The Cardinal is 6-0 at home during the streak, while winning all three road contests. Stanford's success has featured one victory against the Western Athletic Conference, two against the Big West Conference, four against the West Coast Conference and two against Pac-10 foe California in a non-conference setting.
In those nine wins, Stanford has a team batting average of .338 (112-for-331), while scoring 91 runs (10.1 runs per game). Cardinal pitchers, meanwhile, have forged a 3.00 ERA (27er, 81.0ip) and a .244 average against (73-for-299).
Setting the Table
Sophomore second baseman and Stanford leadoff hitter Colin Walsh has reached base safely via hit, walk or hit-by-pitch in 21 straight games, including a 1-for-3 effort with two walks Wednesday vs. Sacramento State. He is hitting .403 (31-for-77) with a .530 on-base percentage during the stretch, adding 21 runs scored, six doubles, 12 RBI, 21 walks and one hit-by-pitch. The switch-hitting Walsh has also hit safely in 15 of his last 16 contests, including a career-best 12-game hitting streak March 29-April 24).
Going back even further, Walsh has reached base safely in 28 of the 29 games since he was permanently inserted into the leadoff spot on March 7. Stanford is 18-11 (.621) during the stretch, while Walsh has hit at a .364 clip (39-for-107) with a .511 on-base mark.
Walsh ranks 22nd in the country with an average of 0.89 walks per game, while he is in the top 50 nationally with 33 walks overall (t-1st in the Pac-10). He is sixth in the Pac-10 with an overall .470 on-base mark.
Heavy in the Middle
Stanford has averaged 7.0 runs per game (169 total) while going 16-8 (.667) over its last 24 contests. A big reason behind the offensive resurgence has been the middle of its order, which has primarily consisted of LF Toby Gerhart batting third, RF Kellen Kiilsgaard hitting cleanup and 1B Brent Milleville batting fifth.
Beginning March 25, the trio of Gerhart, Kiilsgaard and Milleville is a combined 88-for-262 (.336) with 18 doubles, three triples, 18 home runs and 66 RBI. Gerhart is batting .333 (29-for-87) with six doubles, two triples, five homers and 16 RBI. Kiilsgaard has 28 hits in 89 at-bats (.315) with eight doubles, one triple, four homers and 24 RBI. Milleville is hitting at a .360 clip (31-for-86) with four doubles, nine homers and 26 RBI.
Milly is Mashing
Part of Brent Milleville's 24-game stretch has been the last 15 contests, in which he is batting .367 (22-for-60) with four doubles, six home runs and 19 RBI. During Stanford's just-completed, seven-game homestand, the senior first baseman went 11-for-28 (.393) with three doubles, three homers and 12 RBI - including a game-tying grand slam in the eighth inning of Wednesday's 6-4 victory over Sacramento State.
Milleville is batting .371 (13-for-35) with three doubles, three home runs and 12 RBI during his career-high, nine-game hitting streak.
Gaylord Getting it Done
Junior third baseman Adam Gaylord has hit safely in 12 of his last 13 games, going 15-for-47 (.319) with four doubles, one home run and 10 RBI over the stretch. He helped key Stanford's two midweek victories, going 3-for-7 with three doubles and five RBI. He doubled twice and set his career high with four RBI in Monday's win over San Francisco, then delievered the go-ahead, RBI-double in the eighth inning Wednesday vs. Sacramento State.
Hot August Nights in the Spring
Senior center fielder Joey August is enjoying one of the best stretches of his superb four-year career, going 20-for-58 (.345) with 11 RBI while hitting safely in 12 of his last 14 games.
August has also hit safely in 23 of his last 26 games, batting .312 (34-for-109) with four doubles, all of his career-high four home runs and 20 RBI.
Throughout his four years on The Farm, August has been a picture of consistency at the plate. Stanford's active leader in batting average and hits, he owns a career .312 batting average (194-for-621) in 180 games (141 starts). He is also a lifetime .327 hitter (82-for-251) in 71 career Pac-10 contests.
Bullish `Pen
Anchored by closer Drew Storen, Stanford's bullpen has helped shorten games this year. The Cardinal is a perfect 17-0 when leading after 8.0 innings, while also going 14-1 when leading after 7.0 frames. Taken back another inning, Stanford is 13-3 when leading after 6.0 innings.
Swing and a Miss
Sophomore RHP Drew Storen has continued to demonstrate the electric stuff that made him a freshman All-American in 2008, as he has compiled 42 strikeouts in just 28.0 innings of work - an average of 13.50 punchouts per 9.0 innings. Perhaps more impressively, Storen has issued just four walks, for a 10.5:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Stanford's closer has also yielded just a .236 average against (25-for-106).
Storen is tied for third in the Pac-10 (and is 56th in the nation) with six saves, while going 4-1 (t-9th Pac-10) with a 3.21 ERA (10er, 28.0ip) in a staff-high 19 relief appearances (t-9th Pac-10). The right-hander has 14 career saves, which is good for sole possession of seventh place in Stanford history.
Storen has a career 4.8:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio, fanning 92 against 19 free passes in 84.1 innings pitched. On April 10, the draft-eligible sophomore was named the lone relief pitcher on ESPN.com's Mid-season Draft Prospect All-Star team.
Mooneyham's Mound Work
Freshman left-hander Brett Mooneyham is 4-1 with a 3.03 ERA (10er, 29.2ip) and 34 strikeouts over his last five starts. All of his club-high four wins this season have come during that stretch, as he is tied for third in the Pac-10 with four victories during conference play.
Fabulous Freshmen
Although Stanford's scheduled Friday and Saturday starters - RHP Jordan Pries and LHP Brett Mooneyham - are both freshmen, the duo has proven to be among the nation's toughest pitchers to hit. Mooneyham ranks eighth among all NCAA Division I pitchers by yielding just 5.79 hits per 9.0 innings (27h, 42.0ip), while Pries is 32nd in the same category at 6.75 (35h, 46.2ip). Mooneyham's staff-best .199 opponents' batting average (27-for-136) ranks fourth in the Pac-10, while Pries is seventh with a .212 mark (35-for-165).
Stanford's five freshmen pitchers - RHP Brian Busick, Mooneyham, Pries, LHP Chris Reed and LHP Scott Snodgress - have combined for a 9-5 record, one save and a 4.43 ERA (62er, 126.0ip) in 45 appearances (20 starts).
I'll Do The Running Around Here
Sophomore Zach Jones, who has started the last 19 games at catcher (and 26 overall behind the dish, in addition to 12 at third base), has thrown out an excellent 45.2 percent of attempted base stealers (19 of 42). Jones leads the Pac-10 by nailing 19 would-be base thieves, while he has also picked off two runners.
On the flip side, Jones has made a habit of making life rough on opposing catchers. After leading Stanford with 11 stolen bases as a freshman in 2008, he paces the Cardinal with 14 thefts in 2009 (3rd in the Pac-10). He has been caught just three times this season, while he has been successful on his last 11 steal attempts.
Stanford has posted a 16-10 (.615) record in Jones' starts behind the plate, while Cardinal pitchers have logged a 4.66 ERA (120er, 232.0ip) in those contests.
Power From the Northwest
A year after getting just three at-bats, sophomore right fielder Kellen Kiilsgaard has continued his excellent 2009 campaign. He enters the weekend series among the Pac-10 leaders for home runs (t-8th with 9), RBI (t-7th with 36) and slugging percentage (.9th at .614). The left-handed slugger is also just outside the top-10 with team-high totals of 11 doubles and 81 total bases, while he is hitting at a solid .311 clip (41-for-132).
Kiilsgaard has at least one hit in 24 of his 36 games, while picking up at least one RBI in 19 contests.
Kiilsgaard, a two-sport star at Auburn (Wash.) High School, was a redshirt freshman on Stanford's 2007 football squad, but gave up the gridiron to concentrate solely on baseball.
Iron Man Reaches Century Mark
Sophomore shortstop Jake Schlander has started each of Stanford's 105 games during his collegiate career, reaching the century mark with the Cardinal's 11-7 victory over California April 22. Schlander, who has been errorless in 18 of his last 19 games and has an overall .971 fielding percentage, ranks third in the Pac-10 with 112 assists.
Offensively, Schlander is batting .256 (21-for-82) with six doubles, one triple, one home run and 12 RBI during Stanford's current 16-8, 24-game run.
In 2008, Schlander became the first Stanford freshman to start every game at shortstop since games played became an officially kept statistic in 1960. The Scottsdale, Ariz. native was the first Cardinal rookie to start each contest at any position since current San Diego Padres outfielder Jody Gerut did so in 1996.
Fearnow Providing Relief
Senior right-hander Max Fearnow has been very impressive since moving to the Stanford bullpen, forging a 2.28 ERA (6er, 23.2ip) over 11 relief outings. He has allowed just 19 hits in 89 at-bats (.213), with seven walks and 19 strikeouts.
Fearnow improved to 3-1 out of the Cardinal `pen by earning the win in Stanford's Monday victory over San Francisco, a game in which he tossed 3.0-hitless, scoreless innings.
Stay There!
Senior left-hander Blake Hancock has stranded 12 of 13 inherited runners over his last nine outings, while allowing just one earned run over 7.0 innings (1.29 ERA). The southpaw has yielded just seven hits in 27 at-bats (.259) during the span.
Inman Named to Golden Spikes Award Watch List; Third-Team All-America
Junior right-handed pitcher Jeffrey Inman has been named by USA Baseball as one of 50 players on the preseason Golden Spikes Award Watch List, while he is also a preseason third-team All-America selection by Baseball America.
Sponsored by Major League Baseball, the Golden Spikes Award is in its 32nd season honoring the top player in college baseball. The list will be paired down to 30 on May 26 and again to five finalists on June 2, while the winner will be announced in a July 15 awards show as part of MLB All-Star festivities in St. Louis.
Inman played a key role in Stanford's run to the 2008 College World Series, going 7-2 with a 4.27 ERA (34er, 71.2ip) in 16 games (13 starts) as a sophomore. He then followed his sophomore collegiate campaign by striking out 34 batters in just 31.1 innings for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, and was tabbed by Baseball America as the ninth-best prospect in the 2008 Cape Cod League.
Storen Named to NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List
Stanford sophomore right-hander Drew Storen is one of 40 players selected to the initial watch list for the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award. The award is in its fifth season, and honors the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball.
Storen emerged as one of college baseball's premier closers during a stellar freshman campaign in 2008, going 5-3 with eight saves and a 3.51 ERA (22er, 56.1ip) in a club-high 31 relief outings. He was a first-team freshman All-America selection by Collegiate Baseball/Louisville Slugger, while he earned second-team honors from Rivals.com and third-team accolades from Ping!Baseball. The first-team All-Pac-10 performer was fourth in the league for saves (second among freshmen), while he tied for the seventh-highest single-season save total in Stanford history.
Following Stanford's 2008 season, Storen served as the closer for the Cotuit Kettleers in the prestigious Cape Cod League. He posted five saves, a 2.76 ERA (5er, 16.1ip) and .200 average against (12-for-60) in 13 relief appearances, with 15 strikeouts against five walks.
From the Gridiron to the Diamond
Junior OF Toby Gerhart is the latest in a proud Stanford tradition of two-sport athletes. During the 2008 football season, the running back established Stanford's single-season rushing record with 1,136 yards. The bruising runner averaged 5.4 yards per carry (210 attempts), while scoring 15 rushing touchdowns - good for second in school history.
Professional Lineage
Stanford has eight players on its 35-man roster that has had a parent or grandparent play professional sports:
Joey August (father, Bill, was a quarterback with the NFL's San Francisco 49ers in 1975, but did not play in a game); Toby Gerhart (father, Todd, played in the USFL with the Denver Gold in 1985-86 and went to NFL training camp with the Minnesota Vikings in 1986 and Houston Oilers in 1987); Jonathan Kaskow (father, Chris, played men's doubles tennis at Wimbledon in 1977); Kellen Kiilsgaard (grandfather, Carl, played for the NFL's Chicago Cardinals in 1950); Michael Marshall (father, Mike, was a two-time World Series champion and played 11 MLB seasons from 1981-91 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets and Boston Red Sox); Kellen McColl (father, Milt was a two-time Super Bowl champion during an eight-year NFL career with the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Raiders from 1981-88; grandfather, Bill, played for the NFL's Chicago Bears from 1952-59; uncle, Duncan, was drafted by the NFL's Washington Redskins in 1977); Brett Mooneyham (father, Bill, pitched for the Oakland Athletics in 1986) and Jordan Pries (grandfather, Bud Daley, was a two-time World Series winner during a 10-year MLB career with the Cleveland Indians, Kansas City Athletics and New York Yankees from 1955-64).
Stanford Among the All-Time Best
Currently in its 116th season of college baseball, Stanford has posted the fifth-most wins of any NCAA Division I program with a 2,579-1,620-34 (.613) all-time record. That ledger includes 128 NCAA Tournament wins over 28 appearances, tied for the sixth-most all-time.
Leading the Pac
Since the Pac-10 disbanded the two-division system and realigned prior to the 1999 season, Stanford leads all conference teams with 451 wins, four league titles and six trips to the College World Series.
Cardinal Consistency
Stanford has finished at least .500 in 15 straight seasons, and in 31 of 32 campaigns under head coach Mark Marquess. The Cardinal has also advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 25 of the last 28 years (since 1982), while advancing to the College World Series 14 times over that span. By virtue of that success, players on 28 of the last 30 four-year graduating classes at Stanford have played in Omaha.
Seven Former Stanford Players on 2009 MLB Opening Day Rosters
Continuing the proud tradition of Stanford baseball at the highest level, seven former Cardinal players are on Opening Day 25-man Major League Baseball rosters - infielder Eric Bruntlett (Philadelphia Phillies), outfielder Chris Carter (Boston Red Sox), first baseman Ryan Garko (Cleveland Indians), outfielder Jody Gerut (San Diego Padres), pitcher Jeremy Guthrie (Baltimore Orioles), infielder Jed Lowrie (Boston Red Sox) and outfielder Carlos Quentin (Chicago White Sox).
Carter and Lowrie experienced the pomp and circumstance of Opening Day for the first time, while Guthrie earned a pitcher's top regular season honor - the Opening Day start for Baltimore.