May 16, 2013
Stanford Cardinal (26-21 11-13 Pac-12)California Golden Bears (22-28 10-17 Pac-12)
May 17 - 7 p.m. (PT) May 18 - 6 p.m. May 19 - 1 p.m.
Evans Diamond (2,500) Berkeley, Calif.
Game Notes
Live Stats Live in-game statistics will be provided via GoStanford.com
Polls Stanford (NR - NCBWA, NR - BA, NR - CB, NR - USA Today)
California (NR - NCBWA, NR - BA, NR - CB, NR - USA Today)
On the Web GoStanford.com CalBears.com.com Pac-12.com
Social Hour facebook.com/StanfordBaseball @StanfordBSB #goStanford #farmBall
Probable Pitching Matchups
Friday RHP Mark Appel (8-4, 1.97) vs. RHP Ryan Mason (5-3, 3.58)
Saturday LHP John Hochstatter (3-3, 3.60) vs. RHP Trevor Hildenberger (5-3, 4.58)
Sunday TBD vs. TBD
Stanford hits the road this weekend for a three-game Pac-12 Conference series at Cal.
Stanford has lost six straight and nine of its last 12 contests. The six-game skid is the program's longest since 2009. Four of Stanford's losses during that stretch came at the hands of top-10 opponents.
Each of this season's regular-season matchups between Stanford and Cal have ended in the Cardinal's favor. In the April 1 meeting, No. 25 Stanford was limited to two hits, one of which happened to be a three-run homer by Austin Slater to propel the Cardinal to a 4-3 win. Stanford won the first meeting, 5-0, in the Cardinal's Feb. 20 home opener. It was the first of three Cardinal shutout wins this season.
A consensus preseason top-10 squad and the Pac-12 coaches' favorite to win the league title, the Cardinal is unranked in any of the five major national polls for the first time on the season.
Senior RHP Mark Appel leads the league with 110 strikeouts, 20 more than the next highest individual total. Appel has not allowed an earned run this season past the fifth inning.
Appel is third among active NCAA pitchers with 362.2 innings pitched and second with 352 career strikeouts. The strikeout total ranks third in program history behind Justin Wayne (1998-2000) and Kyle Peterson (1995-97), each of whom fanned 363 in their respective careers.
Appel most recently found a spot on the Diamond Sports Pitcher of the Year Award midseason watch list in addition to being named a Dick Howser Trophy semifinalist for the second straight year.
Stanford holds a 189-100 (.652) advantage in the all-time series against the Golden Bears. The modern day series began in 1959.
The programs split four regular-season meetings in 2012, though the Bears got the best of the three-game Pac-12 series.
Stanford struck gold with a 19-6 non-conference meeting in 2012. Cal answered with a 5-4 victory to open the conference set when the two teams battled for 18 innings until the outcome was decided. The late-May marathon was believed to be one of the longest games in either program's history, as the 18 innings spanned five hours and 58 minutes. The game saw 125 at-bats and 569 pitches.
Cal head coach David Esquer was the starting shortstop on Stanford's 1987 national championship squad.
Stanford will play its final Pac-12 series at home, with UCLA (May 24-26) visiting Sunken Diamond after a midweek showdown with Pacific (May 21).
Game Notes for complete notes package
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