Ranked matchup highlights Pac-12 Baseball slate

DOWNLOAD COMPLETE RELEASE (PDF)

WEEKLY RECAP: No. 2 Stanford records its highest ranking since opening the 2012 preseason poll at No. 2 and later went on the NCAA super regional posting a 41-18 overall record that season. The Cardinal leads the Conference with the top winning percentage in the country (.880) and a 22-3 record as the only team nationally with only three total losses. Stanford is joined by No. 4 OREGON STATE and No. 18 UCLA as the three Pac-12 teams in the USA Today Coaches Poll. The Pac-12 went 13-2 in non-conference match-ups to start the week before continuing on with league play.

Stanford took tow-of-three against OREGON. Kris Bubic threw 7.1 innings, recorded a season-high nine strikeouts, and did not allow an earned run in his second-straight start to help Stanford tie the series with a 5-1 win on Friday. The Cardinal closed the week with a 4-0 shutout on Saturday. The Cardinal collected two non-conference wins earlier this week, earning a hard-fought win over Gonzaga, 4-3, followed by a triumphant 16-5 win against local foe Santa Clara. 

No. 4 Oregon State completed two comeback victories for a midweek sweep over Nevada. Adley Rutschman was the hero of the Beavers’ back-to-back extra inning games with a single that helped score the final run in a 3-2 victory in __innings on Monday and then hit an inside-the-park home run in the bottom of the 10th to claim an 8-7 win on Tuesday night.

Utah earned its first Pac-12 series win last week and knocked off then-No. 1 OSU last week. The Utes opened with an 8-7 comeback victory, scoring three runs in the bottom of the sixth, and then won the rubber match on Saturday, 11-8. Erick Migueles connected for a three-run home run in Utah’s non-conference win over in-state rival BYU, 4-3, on Tuesday.

CALIFORNIA bested UCLA in a three game series taking two of three by the scores of 5-2, 8-3. The Bruins’ lone win in the series came with a 4-2 victory in UCLA head coach John Savage 800th career game at UCLA. He now holds the highest winning percentage (.582) at UCLA since 1926 and is the third longest-tenured coach in program history, following Gary Adams (1975-2004) with over 1,800 career games and Arthur Reichle (1941, 1946-74) with over 1,300 games.

PREVIEWING THE WEEKEND: This week’s marquee matchup features No. 18 UCLA hosting No. 2 Stanford for a three-game series as both teams have been ranked in national polls this season. This weekend could potentially change the Conference standings, as Stanford is first in the league, Oregon State is second, followed by UCLA in third place. USC heads to Arizona State for a three-game series and Washington State face Oregon for a weekend series in Eugene. Pac-12 Networks will televise a pair of series this weekend -Oregon State at Arizona, and Utah at California.

NUMBERS GAME: Stanford holds the second lowest ERA (2.21) and WHIP (1.02) in college baseball, while ranking fourth in hits allowed per nine innings (5.24). UCLA and Arizona crack the top five in ERA at No. 4 (2.37) and No. 5 (2.67), respectively. Oregon State leads the Conference in runs scored (193), on base percentage (.406), total plate appearances (1112) and doubles (64). Cal still leads in a majority of statistical categories including slugging percentage (.473), batting average (.311), home runs (31), and total bases (429).

STARS DELIVERING: Arizona State’s Spencer Torkelson surpassed Barry Bonds' ASU freshman record of 11 home runs that was originally set in 1983 last Thursday. Torkelson finished the weekend with two more grand slams and is now tied for the most home runs in the country with 14. California outfielder Andrew Vaughn is among the top hitters in the country as he leads the national stats in on base percentage (.598) and is tied for the most home runs (14). He also ranks second in slugging percentage (1.011), home runs per game (.54), and ranks third in batting average (.467). The Sun Devils are led by Gage Canning’s nation-leading 52 hits, triples (9) and a .460 batting average that ranks fourth nationally. Oregon State’s Adley Rutschman ranks tenth in batting averaging at .426.

SENIOR CLASS AWARD: Two Pac-12 athletes have been named candidates for 2018 Senior CLASS Award, an honor that is given annually to a Division I senior student-athlete in baseball who has notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. Oregon State outfielder Jack Anderson has competed in 18 of the team’s 19 games this season and carries a .286 batting average. Anderson also performs in the classroom as a two-time Pac-12 All-Academic First Team member and was named CoSIDA Academic All-District last year. Oregon’s second baseman Kyle Kasser boasts a 3.17 GPA in economics and participates in the community as a three-year member and past co-director of the Student Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC). Kasser was a 2017 first-team All-Pac-12 Conference selection after hitting .381 in league games for the third highest in the Conference.

CONFERENCE STANDINGS (Expanded Standings)

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

2018 PAC-12 PLAYER AND PITCHER OF THE WEEK