Final Homestand Awaits
Stanford (29-23, 4-17 Pac-12)
Oregon State (16-30, 3-16 Pac-12)
Thur. – 7 p.m. (PT) • Fri. – 5:30 p.m. • Sat. – 1:30 p.m.
Boyd and Jill Smith Family Stadium • Stanford, Calif.
Television • All games will be on the Pac-12 Networks.
Radio • All games will be broadcast on 90.1 KZSU.
Live Stats • Live in-game statistics will be provided.
Promotions • Stanford’s seniors will be recognized Saturday as part of Senior Day. Stanford Concessions will be selling ice cream sundaes during Saturday’s game.
Social • Facebook.com/StanfordSBall – Twitter.com/StanfordSBall – Instagram.com/StanfordSoftball
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STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford returns home for its final regular-season series as it plays host to Oregon State for a three-game set.
The Cardinal went 2-2 last week, picking up wins at Saint Mary’s and at No. 2/2 UCLA. Stanford became the first team not ranked in the top-five to knock off the second-ranked Bruins and only the second team to defeat UCLA in Los Angeles.
Tylyn Wells paced the Cardinal offensively last week going 6-for-10 (.600) with two runs and a walk. She also had a terrific outing at pitcher in the series finale against the Bruins in which she limited UCLA to two runs through the first 5.2 innings.
Erin Ashby also had a strong week offensively batting .417 (5-for-12) with two runs, two walks and a double.
Madi Schreyer went 2-1 on the week picking up complete-game victories at Saint Mary’s and UCLA. She registered 13 strikeouts and permitted 16 earned runs in 18.1 innings.
Game times, live statistics and results are available via GoStanford.com.
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SCOUTING OREGON STATE
• Oregon State enters the weekend with a 16-30 record and 3-16 mark in the Pac-12. The Beavers went 3-1 last week, picking up two victories against Portland State and splitting a two-game set at UNLV.
• Dani Gilmore has done it all for Oregon State this season and leads the team in batting (.400), doubles (11), triples (3), home runs (7), RBI (34), slugging percentage (.692) and on-base percentage (.484). Kori Nishitomi has also been strong at the plate, boasting a .399 average with a team-best 57 hits and nine stolen bases in 13 attempts.
• Amanda Najdek (10-19) has seen a majority of time in the circle and holds a 4.51 ERA with 102 strikeouts in 153.2 innings. Melanie Dembinski has contributed 77.0 innings at pitcher, holding a 4.64 ERA with 49 strikeouts.
THE OREGON STATE SERIES
• Stanford leads the all-time series against Oregon State 46-17. The Cardinal went 2-1 against the Beavers last season, winning the first two games before dropping a 4-3 decision in the finale. Stanford has won 10 of its past 12 games against Oregon State.
UP NEXT
• Stanford will await its postseason fate to be decided Sunday, May 11, during the NCAA Selection Show at 7 p.m. (PT). The selection show will air on ESPNU.
SERIES-OPENING THRILLERS
• Stanford is 2-5 in series-openers against Pac-12 opponents this season, with five of the seven contests producing a thrilling result. The Cardinal defeated California 14-13, fell at No. 11/8 Arizona State 16-15 in nine innings, dropped an 18-12 decision at No. 10/10 Arizona, suffered a 12-7 defeat at Utah and pulled out a 12-9 victory at No. 2/2 UCLA.
• Stanford came out swinging at UCLA, scoring nine runs in the first three innings. The Cardinal took a 12-4 lead into the bottom of the seventh. However, the Bruins rallied for five runs to close the gap to 12-9. With the bases loaded and two outs, Madi Schreyer got the batter to ground out to end the game and secure the victory (May 2).
• Six Cardinal players combined for 11 hits and Stanford held the lead through the middle portion of the game, but Arizona capitalized on two grand slams to earn the victory (April 4).
• Stanford took a 7-0 lead in the first two innings at Utah but permitted 12 unanswered runs from the bottom of the third to the sixth, as the Utes prevailed 12-7 (April 17).
• The Cardinal scored six runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to earn the comeback victory against California (March 14). Trailing by six runs entering the top of the seventh at Arizona State, Stanford scored eight runs to take the lead. The Sun Devils scored two runs in the bottom half of the inning to send the game into extras, where it eventually earned the win (March 28).
SERIES-ENDING HEARTBREAK
• Bessie Noll delivered a solo home run in the top of the seventh to put Stanford up 3-2 at Arizona, but the Wildcats responded with a run in the bottom half of the inning to send the game to extras. After Stanford was unable to capitalize on a bases-loaded situation in the top of the eighth, Arizona’s Katiyana Mauga delivered a walk-off two-run home run to take the victory and sweep the series.
• Stanford took leads into the bottom of the seventh inning in its series finales at Arizona State and Arizona but was unable to hold on for the victory. The Cardinal led the first six-and-a-half innings at Arizona State and took a 5-2 lead into the bottom of the seventh before the Sun Devils rallied for five runs – including a walk-off three-run home run – to claim a comeback victory.
SERIES-ENDING BREAKTHROUGH
• Facing a 10-3 deficit at Utah entering the top of the sixth inning, Stanford scored seven runs to knot the score at 10-10. The Cardinal added two runs in the top of the seventh and got out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the inning to earn a 12-11 victory.
SUPER FROSH
• Stanford’s five-member freshman class has made significant contributions throughout the season:
• Madi Schreyer (21-13) has been strong in the circle, holding a 3.67 ERA with 167 strikeouts and 119 earned runs in 227.0 innings pitched. She has held opponents to a .262 batting average, and of the 241 hits she has allowed, only 44 have gone for extra bases.
• Kylie Sorenson has been outstanding at shortstop and leads the team in batting average (.363), doubles (16), walks (36), slugging percentage (.603) and on-base percentage (.500) on the season. She ranks second on the team in RBI (42) and is tied for third in hits (53). She has become Stanford’s second pitcher due to injuries and has thrown 45.0 innings, notching a 3-4 record with one save and a 7.31 ERA.
• Bessie Noll joined the team from Tokyo, Japan, with three summers of softball experience and an elite background in baseball. Noll has transitioned nicely on The Farm, batting .292 with 23 RBI, 34 runs, 8 doubles and three home runs.
• Lauren Bertoy and Carley Hoover have also made strong contributions this season. Bertoy has primarily played at second base and pinch-hit, while Hoover has made five appearances in the circle.
ALL HANDS ON DECK
• While Madi Schreyer has been carrying a majority of the load in the circle, Stanford’s pitching options have been limited due to injuries. This has led to a “pitching by committee” situation in which four Cardinal players that typically do not pitch, have spent time in the circle. Infielder Kylie Sorenson, utility player Kayla Bonstrom, designated player Tylyn Wells and infielder Erin Ashby have each seen innings at pitcher.
• The pitching situation has caused lineup changes in the infield with each starting infielder logging time at two or three positions during a weekend. Despite the regular shifting, the Cardinal has produced some outstanding defensive plays and holds a .959 fielding percentage.
MODEL OF CONSISTENCY
• Leah White has been one of Stanford’s most consistent players in all areas this season. The junior leads the team lead in hits (58), and is second in batting average (.356) and stolen bases (13) and third in on-base percentage (.457). She has been terrific defensively, starting every game in left field and recording a .975 fielding percentage.
• In conference play, White leads Stanford in hits (24) and triples (1). She is second on the team in batting (.348) RBI (17), total bases (34) and doubles (5). She boasts a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage against Pac-12 competition.
RIGHT SIDE, STRONG SIDE
• Erin Ashby and Kayla Bonstrom have played a majority of the time at second base and first base, respectively, and heated up offensively during conference play.
• Ashby leads the team with a .351 batting average, 18 walks, a .513 on-base percentage and a .596 slugging percentage against Pac-12 competition. She is hitting .345 with six home runs, seven doubles, 33 RBI, a .549 slugging percentage and .447 on-base percentage on the season.
• Bonstrom has been on fire in recent weeks, leading the team in doubles (6) and total bases (37) against Pac-12 competition. She is second among Stanford players in hits (23) and third in home runs (2) in conference play. Bonstrom leads Stanford with 43 RBI and is tied for third in hits (53) on the season. She is the reigning Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.
QUICK FEET
• Stanford has been electric on the base paths this year, stealing 53 bases in 61 attempts (87 percent). Hanna Winter has taken 15 bases in 19 attempts, while Leah White has swiped 13 bags in 14 tries. Tylyn Wells has been successful in 13 of 15 stolen base attempts.
ON A ROLL
• Cassandra Roulund – or “Boo” as she’s known by teammates, coaches and fans – is tied for second on the team in doubles (13), fourth in total bases (74), home runs (3), and in RBI (35).
WINTER’S HOT CORNER
• Hanna Winter has been outstanding defensively this season, leading the team with 127 assists and holding a .954 fielding percentage. Winter has split time at shortstop and third base. She has started every game of her collegiate career at second base, third base or shortstop.
USA, USA, USA
• Jessica Plaza was one of 24 players selected to participate at the 2014 USA Softball Women’s National Team Selection Camp on June 9-12. The sophomore catcher will compete for a spot on the 17-player USA Softball Women’s World Championship roster that will compete for the International Softball Federation World Championship in Haarlem, Netherlands, this August. The final selection for the 17-player roster will be announced June 22.
• Plaza earned a silver medal with the U.S. Junior National Team at the 2013 International Softball Federation Junior Women’s World Championship.
IN THE TOP 25
• Kylie Sorenson was named a top-25 finalist for the inaugural NFCA Freshman of the Year Award. Sorenson has been outstanding at shortstop and leads the team in batting average (.363), doubles (16), walks (36), slugging percentage (.603) and on-base percentage (.500) on the season. She ranks second on the team in RBI (42) and is tied for third in hits (53).
IN THE TOP 50
• Sophomore Kayla Bonstrom was one of 50 players in the nation named to the USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year award watch list. She was one of six sophomores included on the list that consists of players from 36 NCAA Division I schools and 12 athletic conferences. Bonstrom is one of 12 Pac-12 players included on the list.
ALL-CONFERENCE RETURNERS
• Stanford had eight players selected to all-conference teams in 2013. Five of those players return for the 2014 campaign, including Kayla Bonstrom, Hanna Winter, Cassandra Roulund, Leah White and Jessica Plaza.
PRESEASON PICKS
• Stanford was picked to finish fifth in the Pac-12 Preseason Coaches Poll. Arizona State and Washington tied for the top spot, while Oregon was picked third and UCLA fourth. Arizona was selected to place sixth, followed by California at seventh, and Oregon State and Utah tying for eighth.
2013 IN REVIEW
• The Cardinal finished the 2013 season with a 39-21 overall record – the 17th consecutive winning season under head coach John Rittman. Stanford finished fourth in the Pac-12 with a 13-11 mark, and was 26-10 against nonconference opponents. The Cardinal competed in its 16th straight NCAA Tournament, concluding its season with a 2-2 result at the Lincoln Regional.
HEAD COACH JOHN RITTMAN
• In his 18th season at the helm of the Cardinal program, head coach John Rittman is one of the winningest coaches in collegiate softball, boasting a 748-355-3 (.678) career record. Since stepping onto The Farm in July 1996, he has coached the team to 17 consecutive winning seasons, 16 straight NCAA Tournament appearances and 13 40-win seasons. Under Rittman, Stanford claimed a share of its first conference championship and made two appearances in the Women’s College World Series (2001, 2004).