The Stanford softball team earned an at-large bid in to the NCAA Tournament on Monday, grabbing the No. 15 overall seed and the honor of hosting one of the 16 regionals.
In addition to the Cardinal’s postseason berth, No. 19 Stanford (38-15) received more good news on Wednesday when junior shortstop Ashley Hansen was named Pac-10 Player of the Year.
Hansen is just the second player in Cardinal history to earn the honor, and she did so mostly through her otherworldly offensive numbers. Hansen batted an unbelievable .506 for the season–63 points higher than the next player than the next-best batting average–and she also led the Pac-10 in hits (88), doubles (24), slugging percentage (.833) and on-base percentage (.568).
Hansen was one of just eight players to be earn All-Pac-10 Conference honors, as she and sophomore pitcher Teagan Gerhart were named to the First Team. Junior centerfielder Sarah Hassman and sophomore second baseman Jenna Rich earned Second Team accolades, while senior pitcher Ashley Chinn and freshman outfielder Corey Hanewich were named honorable mentions.
The talented Cardinal hosts Pacific (38-17) on Friday in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, and should the Cardinal overtake the Tigers, it will square off against the winner of Nebraska (39-12) and Fresno State (34-17) on Saturday.
Stanford defeated Pacific by a score of 6-1 in a matchup earlier this year in Stockton, and the Cardinal is 21-10 all-time against the Tigers.
The Tigers earned a spot in the tournament by winning the Big West Conference this season, their first-ever conference championship. This is Pacific’s first NCAA Tournament berth since 2007.
Meanwhile, Stanford is making its 14th consecutive tournament appearance, and in that span the Cardinal has won six regional titles and made two appearances in the Women’s College World Series, in 2001 and 2006.
Should Stanford advance out of the regional, the team would travel to face the winner of the Tuscaloosa Region, which includes No. 2 seed Alabama, Jackson State, Memphis and Chattanooga.
First pitch between the Cardinal and Tigers is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Smith Family Stadium on Friday night.