Going into last weekend’s series against No. 17 Arizona State, the Cardinal baseball squad needed a series victory to keep its hat in the postseason ring. Aided by timely hitting, a Pac-12 Player of the Week performance from senior starting pitcher Mark Appel and a harrowing 11-inning escape, No. 21 Stanford claimed two games in the three-game series and escaped Tempe with its postseason hopes still alive. Before another critical three-game set this weekend against Pac-12 heavyweight Oregon State, the Cardinal (26-16, 11-10 Pac-12) will welcome San Francisco (29-19, 14-7 WCC) to Sunken Diamond tonight.
The Dons are arguably Stanford’s toughest Tuesday night draw this season, as USF is riding a hot streak into the matchup. The Dons have won five straight and seven of their last eight games. USF has been a streaky team all year, with its losses and wins coming in bunches, including a stretch earlier this season in which it won 11 of 12.
In addition, USF has shown an ability to hang with the big boys, as it has claimed a victory against both defending national champion Arizona and Oregon State earlier this season, outscoring both teams in their three and two game series, respectively. The Dons are fully comfortable playing the role of spoiler.
The Cardinal had a tough time against USF in last year’s matchup with the Dons, as Stanford had to push across four late runs en route to a 6-3 comeback victory. Stanford will look to take the drama out of this year’s matchup heading into the crucial Oregon State series.
The Dons mirror the Cardinal in that their strength lies in their pitching. USF boasts a formidable team ERA of 3.26 with a lights-out bullpen, as six Dons relievers have ERAs of below 2.89.
Tuesday night’s projected starter for the Dons, freshman lefty Thomas Cox, has a tendency to allow too many hits, which has limited his effectiveness despite his plus command. Although the young southpaw has only allowed four free passes, opposing hitters have tallied 30 base hits in 25 innings against him, leading to a 4.68 ERA. The Cardinal hitters will look to take advantage of that weakness.
The Stanford offense plated 22 runs in three games against the Sun Devils last weekend, keeping up its late-season resurgence. Senior designated hitter Justin Ringo continues to be electric from his leadoff spot, as he collected seven hits and four walks during the series, getting on base in any way possible to give the big bats in the heart of the lineup chances to produce runs.
Junior outfielder Austin Wilson also continued to show off his power, as he blasted his fourth homer of his injury-shortened year against Arizona State.
Stanford is 8-1 in midweek matchups this year, a record that certainly plays in its favor but does not take into account the fact that many of those victories have come against relatively weak non-conference opponents. In its last three midweek games, Stanford has won by a combined score of 35-5.
USF will bring a new challenge and once more test the Cardinal during the brutal stretch in which it is currently embroiled. First pitch tonight is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at Sunken Diamond.
Contact Do-Hyoung Park at dpark027 ‘at’ stanford.edu.