Huskies To Face Sixth-Ranked Cardinal In Home Series This Weekend

Washington Huskies vs. Stanford Cardinal
Seattle, WA
 

The Series
The Washington Huskies welcome the Stanford Cardinal to Husky Ballpark this weekend for a three game series. The Huskies have their work cut out for them facing a sixth-ranked team whose pitching staff leads the Pac-12 with the fewest hits (287) and home runs (17) allowed and the most strikeouts per game (9.99). Expect the Dawgs to battle though, as they work to catch California (10-11) in the race for a spot in the Pac-12 tournament. Also note that Sunday is Craft Brew Day (https://gohuskies.com/CraftBrewDay22).

How To Follow
All three games will be streamed via Washington Live Stream as follows: Friday (https://gohski.es/3OHRe7l), Saturday (https://gohski.es/3MDOVAf), and Sunday (https://gohski.es/37Q2Owv). Live stats will be available via GoHuskies.com and fans can also follow @UW_Baseball on Twitter to track the action.

Matchup History
Stanford holds a 37-21 edge in the series dating back to 1999. The two last squared off at Klein Field at Sunken Diamond in 2019 where the Cardinal swept the series. In 2018 at Husky Ballpark however, the Dawgs took two of three losing the final game by just one run.

Scouting The Huskies
Head coach Lindsay Meggs has a re-loaded roster for 2022, featuring 23 newcomers, including 10 JUCO transfers, 10 true freshmen, and three four-year college transfers.

Friday's game will feature RHP Jared Engman starting his eleventh game, while RHP Calvin Kirchoff starts his tenth on Saturday. Sunday's starter is still TBD. Out of the bullpen, RHP Case Matter has been very effective since transitioning to a relief role two weeks ago giving up just two runs on four hits with one walk and seven strikeouts over 6.1 innings of work. RHP Stefan Raeth is third in the Pac-12 with a 2.33 ERA and fourth in strikeouts with 66. 

Batting .317 in 139 plate appearances, R-Fr. C Johnny Tincher leads the team among regular starters. Fr. OF Colby Wallace boasts impressive numbers as well (.327 in 52 ABs). Their numbers skyrocket to .386 and .391 respectively here at home. All four of Tincher's home runs have come at home as well. Will Simpson is another player to keep an eye on as he brings the power leading the team with 8 home runs and a .519 slugging percentage.

Scouting The Cardinal
Head coach David Esquer is in his fifth season at Stanford (156-65) and 23rd overall (681-532-2), following an 18-year stint at Cal where he was the 2011 National Coach of the Year.

Pitching is where Stanford excels as they lead the Pac-12 in numerous categories. RHP Alex Williams (2.29) and LHP Quinn Mathews (2.66) both have ERAs in the top five. Mathews is also second in strikeouts with 79 and is tied for third in wins with 6. Batters are hitting .256 against Saturday's starter LHP Drew Dowd who has 45 strikeouts to just 19 walks.

On offense Stanford sits in the middle of the Pac-12 with a .282 batting average. Brett Barrera (.356) and Carter Graham (.350) lead the team. Graham and Braden Montgomery both offer plenty of power with 11 home runs a piece and slugging percentages of .643 and .645. They are ninth in both hits and runs scored, so if the Huskies can manage to get to Cardinal pitching and avoid giving up the long ball they should find success.