April 24, 2011
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Leading Off
• The Cardinal (19-13, 5-7 Pac-10) will have a busy week ahead, hosting California (24-12, 9-6 Pac-10) in a non-conference Monday affair at Sunken Diamond at 5:30 p.m., before traveling across the Bay and through the tunnel to Saint Mary's (17-17) on Tuesday at 3 p.m. Stanford then travels to Arizona State (28-9, 11-4 Pac-10) this weekend for a three-game series on Friday and Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday at 12:30 p.m. Stanford has not dropped a midweek game this season (8-0) and have split its four Pac-10 weekend series following a series win with No. 11 UCLA this past weekend. Stanford's bullpen got a boost last week with the return of RHP Brian Busick as the junior joins class mates Scott Snodgress (2.93 ERA) and Chris Reed (2.73 ERA). Third baseman Stephen Piscotty now leads the club in hitting with a .339 average as he and catcher Zach Jones are the lone players to start all 32 games.
• All home games will be webcast on CBS College Sports' All-Access paid service through the gostanford.com website. All games will be on KZSU, kzsu.stanford.edu and on your iPhone by downloading the Stanford App and then listening to KZSU.
Cal-Stanford Series
(Feb. 22 Stanford 3-2, Apr. 25 at Cal Last Series at Cal)
• Series: Stanford 182-98-1 (since 1959); Last: Stanford 1-0 in 2011
Stanford won the first non-conference game 3-2 back on February 22 when Cal was No. 17. Stanford swept the 2010 Pac-10 series and lost a midweek affair last year. Previously Stanford had dropped each of the last three conference series (2007-09). The series was the site for the orginal axe. The Axe, which debuted on April 13, 1899, lasted one day before Cal students swiped it at a Stanford-Cal baseball game on April 14 in The City. It stayed on the Berkeley campus for 31 years.
• About the Bears: David Esquer, a former Stanford great who won a national title with the Cardinal in 1987, is at the helm having sent the Bears to an NCAA Regional two times in the last three years. Chadd Krist (.329) and Tony Renda (.327) lead the club in hitting with Krist producing a Pac-10 best 20 doubles and a .493 slugging percentage with the team hitting .291. The club has a 2.85 team ERA with Matt Flemer producing a 2.91 ERA with four saves as the team's closer. Cal learned this month that its 119 year old baseball program will be reinstated after being on the chopping block in the fall. Cal has been ranked in the top-25 all season, going 9-6 in the Pac-10 after getting swept by No. 9 ASU last weekend in Berkeley. Cal has swept Washington and lost a series at No. 22 Arizona this season.
Saint Mary's-Stanford Series
(Cardinal won 16-14 at Stanford, April 26 in Moraga)
• Series: Stanford 61-13-1; Last: Stanford 1-0 in 2011
• Stanford leads the all-time series 60-13-1 since 1962. The Gaels have had the better of the Cardinal as of late, with SMC going 4-1-1 in yearly meetings since 2008. The current streak broke a 20-game win streak by Stanford from 1994 to 2005. Saint Mary's won the one game in 2010, 7-3. In 2011, Stanford surived a late rally by the Gaels to win 16-14 after leading 8-2.
About the Gaels
• The Gaels under head coach Jedd Soto are 17-17 overall and 5-4 in the WCC. Patrick Wisdom leads the club with a .331 average, five homers and 27 RBIs, while Michael Gastelum has a .299 average for a club batting .268. On the mound, the Gaels have a 2.99 ERA with Jordan Mills producing a 2.92 ERA in 14 appearances and Patrick Keane having a 3.07 ERA in 11 games.
Stanford in the Rankings
• Stanford is holding onto the No. 26 spot in the USA Today / Coaches Poll and are unranked in Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball for the first time this season. Stanford began the season No. 10 and moved up to No. 8 on February 21. Stanford's RPI according to boydsworld to begin the week is 15.
Stanford Wins UCLA Series in Dramatic Fashion
• No. 26-ranked Stanford picked up a key Pac-10 series victory over No. 11 UCLA (W 7-4, L 1-4, W 5-4) paced by a four-run, two-out ninth inning rally. In the opener, Zach Jones homered in the second off of Gerritt Cole, one of three homers in the game, as Mark Appel (3-4) won his first start against a top-15 team following 7.0 strong innings of three runs on nine hits. On Saturday, UCLA evened the series behind its other ace, Trevor Bauer. Bauer struck out a career-tying 17, limiting the Cardinal to four hits in a 4-1 win. It was Jordan Pries' third-straight Pac-10 loss, despite striking out a season-best seven. On Sunday, UCLA built a 3-1 lead early and with closer Nick Vander Tuig had a 4-1 lead with no one on and two outs in the ninth. Freshman Brian Guymon, who finished off a three-hit day, single to start the rally. Pinch hitter Justin Ringo walked, before Jake Stewart singled up the middle and Zach Jones' two-run double hugged the right field line to tie it at 4-4. UCLA's Zach Weiss then pitched nine-straight balls to load the bases. Kenny Diekroeger then came through with a 3-2, bloop single off of Brandon Lodge to center to give Stanford the series.
Late Rally Propels Cardinal Past SCU
• Kenny Diekroeger drove in four with a three-run homer and an RBI triple and Lonnie Kauppila drove in three as No. 26-ranked Stanford won its eighth midweek game of the season with a four-run, two-out rally in the eighth. Diekroeger's homer in the first helped the Cardinal build a 5-3 lead, as Stanford added four runs in the eighth and another in the ninth, all with one-out.
Pac-10 Glimpse
• Following games prior to Easter, Oregon State (10-2) had a 0.5 game lead over Arizona State (11-4) and are a game and a half over UCLA (10-5). Cal (9-6), USC (8-7) and Stanford (5-7) are all within five games at the half way point. This weekend Oregon is at Cal, Oregon State is at UCLA, USC is at Arizona, Washington is at Washington State and Stanford is at Arizona State. The league on July 1 expands to the Pac-12, and for baseball, welcomes in Utah.
Picking Up the Midweek Wins
• Stanford is a perfect 8-0 in midweek games this year, hitting .336 as a team with 57 runs. The Cardinal have scored at least eight runs in three of the games, including a season-high 16 runs against Saint Mary's. The staff has a 2.88 ERA.
Tough Scheduling
• When the end of April hits, Stanford will have likely opened the season with three top-20 teams in No. 17-ranked Rice, No. 3 Vanderbilt and No. 6 Texas and close with another three top-20 teams, No. 9 Oregon State, No. 9 UCLA and top-25 Arizona State.
Bullpen Just Got Tougher
• Stanford has been relying on lefthanders Chris Reed and Scott Snodgress for the first half of the season out of the bullpen. That back end of the staff got that much stronger with the return of RHP Brian Busick last week. Busick pitched 2.2 shutout innings in his first appearance of the season, returning from injury. Snodgress enters the week with a 2.93 ERA in 18 appearances. Reed, a candidate for NCBWA Stopper of the Year, has a 1.44 ERA and four saves as a reliever and a 2.73 ERA overall.
Freshman Replaces Freshman
• Stanford's outfield against UCLA featured two Colorado underclassmen when Brian Guymon started all three games in right against No. 11 UCLA. Guymon's first three hits resulted in a memorable day, as his hit in the ninth ignited a four-run come from behind victory over the Bruins. In eight starts, Guymon is hitting .346 with four runs. Jake Stewart, from Ft. Collins, is a two-year starter in center. Guymon, who replaced fellow freshman Austin Wilson, is from Centenniel.
Homers Few and Far Between for Cardinal Staff
• Stanford's pitching staff has allowed just five home runs all season and just one at Sunken Diamond. The first homer at the friendly confines came from UCLA's Chris Valaika in game No. 16 at home.
Second-Year Hitters
• Stanford's top three hitters, Stephen Piscotty (.339), Kenny Diekroeger (.336) and Jake Stewart (.328) were part of the No. 2-rated recruiting class by Baseball America a year ago. All three were top prospects in their respective summer leagues.
Appel Doesn't Disappoint
• Friday night starter Mark Appel finally was on the right side of a top-15 victory. After dropping one-run decisions to No. 3 Vanderbilt, No. 6 Texas and No. 9 Oregon State, Appel went 7.0 strong innings against No. 11 UCLA, allowing three runs on nine hits. He has struck out at least six batters in each of his last four starts, producing a 2-1 record and 1.42 ERA over that span (5 ER over 31.2 IP).
Sandbrink Earns Spot in the Weekend Rotation
• After struggling for two years, senior RHP Danny Sandbrink is back in the weekend rotation, tossing 5.1 innings against No. 11 UCLA this past weekend, allowing two runs to lower his season ERA to 2.64 on the season. Sandbrink in two midweek starts produced 7.0 no-hit innings and had a scoreless streak of 10.1 innings. Sandbrink was a starter on the 2008 CWS team but had a 7.09 ERA as a sophomore and 4.87 ERA as a junior.
Second Half Jones
• After watching his average dip to .128 on March 25, senior Zach Jones began to produce. One of two Cardinal to start all 32 games and a four-year starter, Jones figured it out. He's driven in all 20 of his runs since then and his average is up to .236. He has also thrown out 11 of 22 runners entering the week.
Collegiate Firsts Last Week
• Two Stanford freshmen got on the board last week with Danny Diekroger producing his first hit (April 19) and start (April 23) and Brian Guymon driving in his first run (April 21).
Top Rated Class
• For the first time in the history of Baseball America's 11-year annual recruiting survey, Stanford Baseball had the nation's No. 1 recruiting class. Stanford had the No. 2 class in 2010. Of those two classes, seven underclassmen have been regular starters.
From the Diamond to a Degree
• Stanford academics and athletics continues to rank amongst the nation's elite as Stanford Baseball, with an academic progress report number of 985, was ranked in the top-10 percent of all Division-I baseball programs. Some Cardinal Major Leaguers who have earned their degrees include: Gold Glove catcher Bob Boone, Cy Young Award winner Jack McDowell, All Star Mike Mussina, Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr., former manager A.J. Hinch and long-time Major Leaguers Mike Aldrete and Jeffrey Hammonds.
Smart at the Top
• Of the 12 Major Leaguers from Stanford in 2010, nine earned their degrees. An A1 feature in the San Jose Mercury News on February 28, featured both newly minted Major Leaguers, Jason Castro and Drew Storen, headed back to school to finish up. This season, Sam Fuld, Jed Lowrie, John Mayberry and Carlos Quentin all have their degrees among current Big Leaguers. In addition, two general managers, Ruben Amaro, Jr. and Kenny Williams, are Stanford graduates. A Wall Street Journal report said that only two dozen Major Leaguers had earned their degrees in 2010.
Professional Development
• Since the turn of the Century, Stanford has had 86 players all-time reach the Majors. Marquess has coached 52 Major Leaguers since 1977 (53 have made the Majors with current White Sox GM Kenny Williams only playing football at Stanford).
Two-Sport Tradition
• Including Heisman runner-up Toby Gerhart (running back and outfielder), current head coach Mark Marquess (who was a quarterback, defensive back and punt returner) and NFL Hall of Famer John Elway (and outfielder and quarterback), the Cardinal have had a number of great two-sport stars. One of the first was Ernie Nevers, who starred for the Cardinal in the early part of the 20th Centruy. That list has included: Major League pitcher Joe Borchard (also a QB), NFL and MLB player Chad Hutchinson (RHP and QB), 1940s Major Leaguer Lloyd Merriman, Brian Johnson (QB) and John Lynch (QB and RHP). Orange Bowl Champion and backup running back Tyler Gaffney is the latest two-sport athlete.