May 10, 2011
Complete Release in PDF Format 
THIS WEEK: The No. 11/12 Stanford softball team (37-13; 9-9 Pac-10) travels to the desert this week for its final Pac-10 Conference series at No. 1 Arizona State (48-5; 15-3 Pac-10). The Cardinal and Sun Devils will play a three-game series, Thursday-Saturday, May 12-14 at Farrington Stadium in Tempe, Ariz.
CATCH THE CARDINAL: Fans can catch this week’s games on Gametracker available on www.GoStanford.com. Live updates will also be available on Twitter @StanfordSball. Stanford’s game at ASU on Thursday, May 12 will be televised on a tape-delayed basis by FSN. Check local listings for broadcast times.
LAST WEEK: Stanford went 2-2 last week, run-ruling Santa Clara on May 3 before dropping two-of-three at Oregon over the weekend. Junior outfielder Sarah Hassman set a new program single season record for stolen bases over the weekend, breaking Jessica Mendoza’s record of 31 set in 2001. Junior Ashley Hansen hit .600 last week (9-15), including two doubles, and tallied four RBI and three runs scored.
UP NEXT: After the completion of this weekend’s action, Stanford will await the announcement of the 64-team field for the 2011 NCAA Softball Championship. The Cardinal will look to earn a bid for the 14th consecutive year and make a run to the Women’s College World Series for the third time in school history. The fun begins Sunday night, when the NCAA Selection Show airs on ESPNU at 7 p.m. PT.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR CANDIDATE: Junior infielder Ashley Hansen was among the 25 players named to the USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year watch list. The 25 picks represented 20 different schools and six different confereneces. Hansen was one of seven selections from the Pac-10. Last season, senior Alissa Haber and Teagan Gerhart were among the top-25.
IN THE POLLS: Stanford continues to be ranked in both major polls this week. The Cardinal, which has appeared in every regular-season poll for more than a decade, dropped one spot to No. 11 in the USA Today/NFCA top-25 and two spots to No. 12 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll after going 2-2 last week. Seven of the eight Pac-10 schools appear in the top-15 of both polls.
LEADING THE NATION: Junior Ashley Hansen leads the nation in doubles per game (0.46) and ranks third in batting average (.497). Hansen is also among the top-50 in the country in on-base percentage (6th), toughest to strike out (3rd) and slugging percentage (23rd).
OFFENSIVE NUMBERS: This year’s Stanford squad is 29th nationally with a .313 team batting average. No Cardinal team has ever completed a season with a team average over .300. Its .465 team slugging percentage is 43rd-best in the country, while it ranks 41st in scoring (5.44 rpg) and 21st in stolen bases per game (1.74).
HANSEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Shortstop Ashley Hansen was named Pac-10 Player of the Week on Apr. 12, her first weekly honor of the season (second of her career). The junior led the team with a .615 batting average, including two doubles and three RBI in three games at UCLA (Apr. 8-10). She led the team to its first series win over the Bruins since 2007.
GERHART PITCHER OF THE WEEK: Sophomore Teagan Gerhart picked up her second Pac-10 Player of the Week honors after Stanford’s 2-1 weekend at UCLA (third of her career). Gerhart threw a career high 13 innings (231 pitches) with 12 Ks in a no decision on Friday. She earned the win over the Bruins in a 5-1 victory on Sunday. Gerhart’s first weekly honors of the year came after posting a 3-0 weekend in the circle at the DeMarini Invitational (Mar. 4-6). The Norco, Calif., native tallied 33 strikeouts while giving up just four earned runs in 21.0 innings pitched. She averaged 11 Ks per contest and finished with a career high 14 strikeouts against Cal State Northridge on Mar. 6.
CHINN PITCHER OF THE WEEK: Senior pitcher Ashley Chinn earned her first career Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week award after tossing her second career perfect game on Mar. 27 against Coastal Carolina. Chinn earned two wins in three appearances to remain undefeated on the season. The Belmont, Calif., native finished the week with 16 strikeouts, while giving up just three earned runs in 16.0 innings pitched for a 1.31 ERA.
ALL-AMERICAN INFIELDER: Junior Ashley Hansen is the lone returning All-American for the Cardinal this season. After picking up Pac-10 Freshman of the Year honors and Second Team NFCA All-American accolades in 2009, Hansen earned her second straight all-conference and all-region recognition last season. She leads the team this season in batting average (.497), hits (81), doubles (23) and triples (3). Additionally, she already ranks in the top-10 at Stanford in career average (.411), doubles (65), triples (10) and slugging percentage (.646).
GERHART IN THE CIRCLE: Sophomore Teagan Gerhart has reached the 20-win plateau for the second straight season and ranks fourth in the Pac-10 in wins. She is 21-9 overall with a 1.68 ERA and 218 strikeouts. She leads the team with 23 complete games, including a one-hit shutout in the season opener against Cal State Northridge. In less than two seasons, Gerhart already ranks among the top-10 in school history in wins (43 - t-7th), strikeouts (391 - 6th) and shutouts (13 - 7th).
CHINN IN THE CIRCLE: Senior pitcher Ashley Chinn has been a consistent force for the Cardinal in the circle this season. She holds a 2.00 ERA. She has racked up 113 strikeouts in 129.1 innings and registered 12 complete games, including five shutouts. Chinn tossed her second career perfect game on Mar. 27, marking the fourth no-hitter in her collegiate career. Her 423 career Ks and 15 career shutouts rank fifth-best in school history.
LEADING OFF: Junior center fielder Sarah Hassman has led off all 50 games for the Cardinal this season after being primarily the nine-hitter a year ago. Hitting a combined .263 in her first two seasons on The Farm, Hassman has increased her average to .413 and has already registered a season high in hits (64) and runs scored (57).
ALL-PAC-10 RETURNER: Along with Ashley Hansen and Teagan Gerhart, sophomore Jenna Rich is one of three returning All-Pac-10 players from last season. Rich has picked up where she left off last season, recording 54 hits (including eight doubles, two triples and nine home runs), 42 RBI, a .318 batting average and a .547 slugging percentage so far this season.
GERHART AS A ROOKIE: Teagan Gerhart had her breakout rookie season cut short with a season-ending injury. However, her 1.65 ERA ranked sixth in the Pac-10, while her 173 total strikeouts were eighth. Her 173 Ks was the 10th best single season output in school history. Gerhart threw 18 complete games with 11 shutouts and finished with a 22-6 record.
PAC-10 FIRST: Last season, Teagan Gerhart also accomplished something that no other Pac-10 player had done before – throw three straight no-hitters. Gerhart did so at the Stanford Louisville Slugger Classic in mid-March, starting with a perfect game against Santa Clara. She earned Pac-10 Pitcher and USA Softball and NFCA National Player of the Week honors for her efforts.
CAREER THEFTS: Junior Sarah Hassman leads the Pac-10 with 34 stolen bases this season on 37 attempts. She began the year in fourth on the all-time career list at Stanford with 42. She has now moved into second, passing Catalina Morris (43) and Alissa Haber (56), and trails only two-time Olympian Jessica Mendoza (86). Still with more than a year left in her career, Hassman will have a chance to make a run for the all-time record. Hassman’s 34 stolen bases this season breaks Mendoza’s single season reacord of 31 set in 2001.
ROOKIE DEBUTS: Five of Stanford’s six freshmen have seen playing time for the Cardinal this season. Designated player Danielle Miller is hitting .270 and has tallied four home runs and 35 RBI. Corey Hanewich has five home runs and 25 RBI for the Cardinal, while Michelle Prong, whose first collegiate hit was a grand slam, is hitting .280 with 22 RBI. Caitlyn Pura is hitting .263 and has recorded a double, two home runs and six RBI in 24 games played. Fellow rookie Jaime Millwood hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the sixth inning against Utah State for her first collegiate hit.
SOLID VETERANS: With six upperclassmen on a roster of 19, the Cardinal is still a fairly young squad. However, the team’s veteran’s look to continue their production and success at several key positions. The seniors, pitcher Ashley Chinn and infielder Melisa Koutz, were a part of Stanford’s back-to-back Super Regional appearances (2008 and 2009). And, along with juniors Jenna Becerra, Maya Burns, Ashley Hansen and Sarah Hassman, were a part of the 2009 squad which posted the best winning percentage in school history (.814). Together the juniors and seniors have combined to produce 276 runs, 434 hits and 249 RBI entering the 2011 season. Led by Hansen’s freshman All-America honor, the group holds two all-conference and all-region selections and various other team awards.
PRESEASON PICKS: Stanford was picked to finish sixth in the Pac-10 this season in the annual poll of the league’s coaches. 2010 National Champion UCLA and national runner-up Arizona each garnered four first-place votes to tie at the top of the poll. Arizona State was selected third, while California and Washington tied for fourth.
2010 IN REVIEW: Stanford is coming off a 37-19 season in which it tied for sixth-place in the Pac-10 Conference and advanced to its 13th consecutive NCAA Regional. It marked the Cardinal’s 14th consecutive winning season. At the end of the year, six players were honored with All-Pac-10 awards and three received all-region recognition. Additionally, senior Rosey Neill earned her third Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year honor and senior Alissa Haber became the program’s second four-time All-American, earning first team honors.
TEAM USA TIES: Head coach John Rittman was a member of the United States National Team coaching staff from 2001-08. This past summer, four players with ties to the Cardinal program helped the U.S. capture the World Championship in Venezuela. Competing for the red, white and blue were Stanford alums Alissa Haber, Lauren Lappin and Jessica Mendoza, and current Cardinal infielder Ashley Hansen. The alums were also a part of the United State’s World Cup title in Oklahoma City in late July.
HEAD COACH John Rittman: In his 15th season at the helm of the Cardinal program, head coach John Rittman is one of the winningest coaches in collegiate softball, boasting a 636-290-3 (.686) career record. Since stepping onto the Farm in July 1996, he has coached the team to 14 consecutive winning seasons, 13 straight NCAA Tournament appearances and 11 40-win seasons. Under Rittman, Stanford has claimed a share of its first conference championship and made two appearances in the Women’s College World Series.
MILESTONE FOR RITTMAN: Stanford’s win over Cal State Northridge (9-0; 5) in the season opener marked the 600th career victory for head coach John Rittman. He became the sixth Pac-10 coach to accomplish the feat, joining current Pac-10 head coaches Mike Candrea (Arizona) and Diane Ninemire (California).
SCOUTING ARIZONA STATE: The Sun Devils enter the weekend No. 1 in poth major polls. Arizona State leads the Pac-10 with a 15-3 record, including sweeps in its last three conference series. The Sun Devils, on an 11-game winning streak, lead the Pac-10 as a team in batting average (.348), on-base percentage (.442), runs scored (404), hits (485) and RBI (379). ASU has out scored its opponents 404-95. In the circle, the Sun Devils rely on rookie Dallas Escobedo. She is 25-3 overall and leads the team with a 1.44 ERA and 237 strikeouts. Offensively, all nine ASU starters are hitting over .300 on the season. Junior shorstop Katelyn Boyd leads the team with a .433 average, 65 hits, 13 doubles and 14 home runs. She has also racked up 52 RBI and leads the Pac-10 with 42 walks. Junior outfielder Annie Lockwood leads the squad with 54 RBI and has 12 home runs on the year.
SERIES RECORD AGAINST THE SUN DEVILS: Stanford is 23-30 all-time against Arizona State. The Sun Devils won the season series, 2-1, last year. The Cardinal’s win was an 8-0 five inning win on May 1. Stanford last won the series in 2009, taking two-of-three from ASU. The Cardinal split with the Sun Devils in Tempe before winning the final game of the series at Stanford.