2  Weekend of February 20-22, 2009 SOFTBALL The Stanford Daily

Continued from front page

SOFTBALL| Stanford is weekend favorite 

WHO TO WATCH
MISSY PENNA,
SP, STANFORD
Penna tossed 40 complete games in 49
starts as a junior. She broke a school record
with 37 wins last year. She recorded 416
strikeouts on the year, ranking second in the
Pac-10. Now in her final season, Penna has
a 1.02 ERA in 41 innings pitched.
 ROSEY NEILL, C, STANFORD
Named Pac-10 co-Defensive Player of the
Year as a sophomore, Neill started all 64
games for the Cardinal behind the dish last
season. Her 19 home runs on the season
last year tied a school record and topped the
Pac-10 Conference.
 JAMIE SCHLOREDT, C,
SACRAMENTO STATE
Named first team all-PSCSC for the third time
at the conclusion of the 2008 season,
Schloredt was selected as the PSCSC Player of
the Year unanimously. She lead the confer-
ence with a .408 batting average last year, al-
ready with three home runs in just two games
this season.
Coon, are off to outstanding starts as well.
Hitting out of the leadoff spot, the two-time
All-American Haber is batting .484 with 12 runs
scored on the year. Coon, the Cardinal three-
hitter, is hitting .500 with an impressive .656 on-
base percentage thus far this season.
In the circle, the Cardinal continues to be led
by senior Missy Penna. She enters the weekend
at 6-1 with a 1.02 ERA on the season. The re-
turning All-American continues to dominate
opponents, making life for the Stanford defense
markedly easier.
Penna, with the help of the talented triumvi-
rate at the top of the Stanford lineup, will try to
continue her early season success this weekend.
The Cardinal plays each visiting team twice
over the course of the tournament, beginning
with a game against Sacramento State at 12:15
p.m. today.
The Hornets enter the weekend with a 2-0
record and are led by returning All West Re-
gion pick, senior catcher Jamie Schloredt. In
just seven at-bats this season, Schloredt has al-
ready hit a remarkable three home runs.
In its second game on Friday, the Cardinal
will square off against Notre Dame. The Fight-
ing Irish enter the weekend with a 1-3 record on
the year. Two of those losses came at the hands
of top-ranked Alabama.
Notre Dame is led by senior pitcher Brittney

Leading by Bargar. A first team All-Region pick a year ago,

Bargar posted a 1.47 ERA and 244 strikeouts
last season to lead the Fighting Irish to an
NCAA berth.
example Western Kentucky, a team the Cardinal will
face for the first time at 12:15 p.m. on Saturday,
is led in the circle by senior Ryan Rogge. Rogge
“She is very vocal enters the weekend with a 3-1 record to go
along with a 1.65 ERA thus far this season.

on the field and Offensively, the Hilltoppers are led by the

reigning Sun Belt player of the week, junior first
baseman Lindsay Antone. Antone is hitting

practices and MASARU OKA/The Stanford Daily

Sophomore Melisa Koutz has been invaluable in her defensive flexibility so far this season. She can
.480 with a .720 slugging percentage in the early
season.
Still, Stanford should be a heavy favorite in
plays like a play any position in the infield extremely well and is looking to follow up her impressive first season
on the Farm in 2008.
all of its games this weekend, especially as it gets
a week off from traveling.
Rittman emphasized the enthusiasm the
veteran.” “I want to make myself better,” Hansen said.
“That means working hard at practice and in
at practice,” Rittman said. “She is very vocal on
the field and practices and plays like a veteran.”
team experiences when playing at home.
“We’re excited. We have good competition
the weight room everyday.” Hansen is not the only Cardinal enjoying coming to town,” he said. “Now hopefully
— JOHN RITTMAN Head Coach John Rittman also appreciates early season success. In fact, the two hitters who Mother Nature will cooperate as well.”
the hard work of his talented freshman. flank her in the lineup, junior leftfielder Alissa
head coach, on Ashley Hansen “She has a tremendous work ethic everyday Haber and senior second baseman Maddy Contact Dan Bohm at bohmd@stanford.edu.
The Stanford Daily BASEBALL Weekend of February 20-22, 2009  3

STANFORD DAILY FILE PHOTO

Sophomore Colin Walsh will battle for the starting second-base job, which became available when Cord Phelps signed a professional contract with the Cleveland Indians after last season.

Continued from front page

WHO TO WATCH
BASEBALL|Dealing aces
STANFORD
BATTERS AVG GP-GS AB R H 2B HR RBI SLG OBP SB-ATT E
Colin Walsh, IF
Joey August, LF
.323
.323
33-9
52-36 186
65 18
35
21
60
4
12
0
1
8
23
.385
.414
.380
.368
1-2
1-1
3
2
 BRENT MILLEVILLE, 1B/C
Ben Clowe, C .300 28-3 50 9 15 4 3 9 .560 .397 0-0 0 STANFORD
Brent Milleville, 1B .289 61-43 187 33 54 9 11 57 .513 .341 3-4 6
Jeff Whitlow, RF .279 54-34 111 25 31 5 1 14 .423 .331 3-3 2 Eight months after finishing tied for League Player of the Year in 2008. The senior projects to be Stanford's biggest
Wande Olabisi, OF .250 16-0 4 5 1 0 0 0 .250 .250 3-4 0 third at the College World Series, the The Card is answering with its best offensive threat this season. Last season he
Zach Jones, 3B .249 64-59 209 36 52 13 3 33 .373 .316 11-13 10 Cardinal players are anxious to return arm, right-hander Jeffrey Inman. The
Toby Gerhart, CF .240 56-29 121 28 29 8 7 21 .496 .400 2-2 0 to action and excited to dive right in and junior nearly matched Minor’s numbers
delivered 11 HRs and 57 RBI, but finished
Colin Walsh, 2B .323 33-9 65 18 21 4 0 8 .385 .380 1-2 3
take on the nation’s best. from last season exactly, going 7-2 with strong as nine of the home runs and 48 of
Jake Schlander, SS .232 67-67 211 32 49 5 0 26 .256 .307 3-3 7
Jonathan Kaskow .200 6-0 5 1 1 0 0 0 .200 .200 0-0 0
“It’s exciting [to get to play the best a 4.27 ERA. He competed in the Cape the RBI came in Stanford's final 37 games.
Adam Gaylord, IF .067 16-3 15 1 1 0 0 1 .067 .067 0-0 2 teams out there],” said senior outfielder Cod League last summer and was
Kellen Kiilsgaard, DH .000 3-0 3 1 0 0 0 0 .000 .250 0-0 0 Joey August. “I’ve really appreciated named the ninth-best prospect there by  JEFFREY INMAN, SP,
J.J. Jelmini, IF
Kirk Erickson, C
.000
.000
10-0
1-0
3
1
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
.000
.000
.000
.000
0-1
0-0
0
0
and looked forward to our tough sched- Baseball America. STANFORD
ule. It’s a reason that a lot of us come Saturday afternoon, two sophomore
Dave Giuliana, OF .000 3-0 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 0-0 0
here — that we know we are going to right-handers will square off in Stan- The right-handed junior was ranked the
PITCHERS ERA W-L APP GS SV IP R ER BB SO HR B/AVG
play the best teams, like Fullerton and ford’s Danny Sandbrink and Vander- ninth-best prospect in the Cape Cod League
Will Krasne 0.00 0-0 1 0 0 0.2 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Danny Sandbrink 2.81 2-1 20 6 1 57.2 21 18 21 30 8 .257 Vanderbilt. You don’t get that opportu- bilt’s Caleb Cotham. Sandbrink broke last summer and posted a 7-2 record for the
Drew Storen 3.51 5-3 31 0 8 56.1 24 22 15 50 4 .257 nity a lot of other places.” into the rotation late in the season last Cardinal last season. Inman's success in
Blake Hancock 4.12 1-3 20 0 1 24.0 13 11 9 17 1 .264 August is one of just six seniors re- year and posted a 2-1 record with an ex- weekend games will be critical for the Cardi-
Jeffrey Inman 4.27 7-2 16 13 0 71.2 42 34 29 45 5 .305 turning to the Farm in 2009. Stanford cellent 2.81 ERA over 57.2 innings.
Brandt Walker 4.50 0-0 6 1 0 6.0 3 3 7 4 0 .250
had seven players taken in the MLB Cotham went 7-6 with a 4.50 ERA and nal this season.
Carey Schwartz 5.40 0-1 2 0 0 3.1 2 2 0 3 0 .231
Max Fearnow 6.09 2-1 17 8 1 44.1 32 30 24 30 7 .284
First-Year Player Draft last season, and struck out 90 in just 86 innings.  MIKE MINOR, SP, VANDERBILT
Michael Marshall 6.10 1-1 16 1 1 20.2 18 14 8 9 3 .293 filling the gap left by their departure will Both teams will have very different
Alex Pracher 7.42 1-1 22 2 1 30.1 27 25 11 24 4 .323 be no easy task. Still, the Cardinal is re- batting orders, but some familiar names Minor is Vanderbilt's top returning pitcher and
Michael De Groot 7.50 0-0 6 0 0 6.0 5 5 2 3 2 .280 turning a very talented group of players will make up the core of the Cardinal posted a 7-3 record last season, while striking
Billy Vernon 54.00 0-0 1 0 0 0.2 4 4 1 0 0 .667
and bringing yet another strong fresh- order. Senior Brent Milleville and ju- out 101 opposing batters in just 103 innings of
man class in to try to get the job done. nior Toby Gerhart are expected to pro- work. The Commodores expect the lefty to be
VANDERBILT The first test is against Vanderbilt vide the bulk of the power for Stan-
BATTERS AVG GP-GS AB R H 2B HR RBI SLG OBP SB-ATT E this weekend — the Commodores are ford’s offense after losing Jason Castro one of the top pitchers in the nation this year.
Jordan Wormsley .538 10-2 13 2 7 0 0 3 .692 .571 1-2 0
Andrew Giobbi .332 59-54 211 32 70 22 3 42 .488 .368 2-3 7
among the toughest teams the Cardinal and Sean Ratliff — a hot start from
Curt Casali .317 28-17 63 13 20 2 2 13 .444 .463 0-0 1 will face all season. Vanderbilt finished them this weekend would bode well for
Steven Liddle .310 54-39 155 28 48 12 0 28 .426 .376 2-5 2 41-22 last year and made it to the the Card.
Jonathan White
Joey Manning
Brian Harris
.286
.286
.268
45-30
7-2
42-31
105

112
7
21
1
17
30
2
30
2
0
7
2
0
2
12
1
23
.381
.286
.384
.379
.400
.359
11-13
0-1
0-2
0
0
1
NCAA Tournament Regionals. But,
like Stanford, Vanderbilt has lost a huge
Vanderbilt is returning just one
starter in the field from last season’s
Playing against
amount of its offensive production from squad — junior first baseman/catcher
Aaron Westlake
Alex Hillard
PITCHERS
.241
.000
ERA
15-4
4-0
W-L
29
3
APP GS SV
3
0
7
0
IP
1
0
R
0
0
ER BB
4
0
.276
.000
SO
.313
.000
0-0
0-0
HR B/AVG
0
0 last season to graduation and the draft,
including the No. 2 overall pick, third
Andrew Giobbi. He hit a solid .322 last
season with 42 doubles, but outside of the nation’s best
Kellen St. Luce 0.00 0-0 1 0 0 1.0 0 0 3 1 0 .000 baseman Pedro Alvarez. him, the Commodores are full of players
Drew Hayes
Russel Brewer
Mark Lamm
3.51
3.52
3.98
2-1
4-3
1-0
21
26
16
3
1
2
2
8
0
41.0
46.0
31.2
19
21
15
16
18
14
29
10
12
53
52
28
1
7
2
.212
.250
.211
But the Commodores are still a very
dangerous team, especially on the
yet to prove themselves with the bat.
First pitch Friday nigth is scheduled “You don’t get
mound. Their returning pitchers repre- for 5:30 p.m. Saturday’s game will begin
Richie Goodenow
Mike Minor
Chase Reid
4.22
4.28
4.30
1-0
7-3
4-0
19
15
23
0
15
2
0
0
0
10.2
103.0
37.2
5
52
21
5
49
18
10
28
18
101
19

42
1
9
4
.238
.261
.282
sent 37 of the 41 wins amassed last sea-
son and 87.4 percent of the all the in-
at 1 p.m. and the doubleheader against
UC-Riverside on Sunday will begin at that opportunity
Caleb Cotham 4.50 7-6 16 14 1 86.0 49 43 35 90 6 .265 nings thrown. noon, with the second game starting 30
Taylor Hill
Nick Christiani
Brett Jacobson
4.60
4.97
5.09
5-2
6-3
2-4
16
15
20
8
12
4
0
0
4
47.0
76.0
46.0
27
54
28
24
42
26
19
25
20
44
65
42
5
10
3
.257
.284
.271
The ace of the staff is Friday’s starter,
left-hander Mike Minor. He was the Fri-
minutes after the completion of the first.
All Stanford baseball games this season
a lot of other
day-night starter last season as well, can be heard live on KZSU 90.1 FM or
Steven Schwartz
Sean Bierman
Jason Cunningham
8.46
8.64
9.00
2-0
0-0
0-0
11
13
4
0
2
0
0
0
0
22.1
16.2
4.0
24
19
4
21
16
4
3
15
4
26
23
1
4
2
1
.347
.304
.333
posting a 7-3 record with a 4.28 ERA,
while averaging nearly a strikeout per
online at kzsulive.stanford.edu. places.”
inning pitched. Baseball America
named him the College Summer
Contact Erik Adams at ekadams@stan-
ford.edu. — JOEY AUGUST
STATS: The 2008 stats of players returning to Stanford and
Vanderbilt from last season. Players that accumulated no senior outfielder
stats last season but returned do not appear.
4  Weekend of February 20-22, 2009 BASKETBALL The Stanford Daily

Continued from front page

BASKET| Beavers open strong, but fade against women

“They’re really known for their aggressive
2/19 vs. Oregon State W 72-43 defense, maybe the most in the Pac-10,” the
sophomore said. “That definitely showed in the
UP NEXT first half.”
The Beavers ended the game with eight
OREGON steals — two more than the Cardinal total —
including four by center Tiffany Ducker. They
(9-16, 5-9 Pac-10) also worked their way to 30 rebounds compared
2/21 Maples Pavilion 2 P.M. to Stanford’s 39, a very small gap compared to
most Cardinal victories of similar margins.
COVERAGE: Despite the Beavers’ impressive opening
RADIO KZSU 90.1 FM and sustained effort, the No. 4 Cardinal (21-4,
(kzsu.stanford.edu) 12-1) took advantage of its opportunities and
soon had a fairly solid control of the game.
GAME NOTES: Stanford is currently on an eight-game win- Appel and Ogwumike led the Stanford offense,
ning streak and has only lost one of its last 14 games. each of them playing at the top of their game
Oregon lost at Cal on Thursday, 84-42, and has only Thursday night.
one win in its last six. The Card has just five games re-
maining before the Pac-10 Tournament and is currently
tied with Cal for the top spot at 11-1 in conference, al-
though Cal has one fewer loss overall, at 21-3.
Appel, at a towering 6-foot-4, used her size
to penetrate the Oregon State defense and
make high-percentage shots. She led the team
in field goals with seven, each of which was a
lay-up or came from the paint. Appel, who fin-
ished with 15 points and six rebounds, entered
the game as the reigning Pac-10 Player of the
Week, an honor she was awarded for the fourth
time this year after the Cardinal’s victory over
California last Saturday.
Ogwumike, at 6-foot-2, put out an astound-
ing effort and also scored 15 points. She led the
team in field percentage (6-7, 85.7 percent), and
was 3-4 from the free-throw line. Ogwumike, a
rising freshman star who is beginning to see
time as a starter, played the most minutes on the
team (24), despite not entering the game until
16:34 in the first half.
Appel and Ogwumike, who lead the confer-
ence in field-goal accuracy at 62.8 percent and
61.7 percent, respectively, even managed to
hook up with each other on several scoring dri-
ves. At one point late in the first half, Ogwu-
mike scored two consecutive inside baskets,
each off a pass from Appel, to put the Cardinal
up 25-16.
Oregon State head coach LaVonda Wagner
noticed the duo’s effort and cited it as a major
reason for the defeat — particularly their profi-
ciency in the post.
“The biggest thing is they got 48 points in the
paint,” Wagner said of the Cardinal. “Period.
Please see BASKET, page 5
6  Weekend of February 20-22, 2009 BASEBALL The Stanford Daily

(BASEBALL) DIAMOND KLEIN FIELD AT SUNKEN DIAMOND

PREPARING
SUNKEN NO
EASY TASK
COLLEGIATE BASEBALL’S NICEST FIELD
DEMANDS HOURS OF WORK BEFORE EVERY
GAME TO MAINTAIN BEAUTY AND PLAYABILITY
By ERIK ADAMS
GAMEDAY EDITOR

Dawn is breaking.
The blend of Bermuda and cool-season rye
grass glisten and shine a vivid, deep green
through the morning dew, flaunting the field’s
health. Two empty dugouts survey the infield,
still concealed beneath the tarp, and wait to be
filled with cleats and the remnants of sunflower
seeds. The seats are empty, folded and at atten-
tion. Beyond the batter’s eye and trees shelter-
ing the yard, fog slowly curls, like fingers, over
the foothills.
The season starts tonight, but the field is al-
ready awake.
Originally built in 1931, Klein Field at
Sunken Diamond is widely considered to be one
of the most beautiful collegiate baseball facili-
ties in the world, but that beauty doesn’t come
without a lot of time and effort.
Like a thoroughbred racehorse or a show
dog of the highest pedigree, Sunken Diamond
demands close care and attention day-in and
day-out. On game days, work to groom and pre-
pare the field can begin as early as five hours be-
fore the first pitch. The end result is a playing
surface that is pleasing to the eye and both safe
and predictable for players.
“A well-groomed field is something you take
for granted during a game,” said Stanford clos-
er sophomore Drew Storen. “When a ground
ball goes where it is supposed to, when a ball
doesn’t bounce right over somebody’s head,
those are the things you just expect to happen.”
The Cardinal ballplayers should know a lot
about the field at Sunken, and not just because
they play on it. In addition to being fulltime stu-
dents and elite athletes, these young men share
the duties of grounds crew. Any fan arriving
early to a game can see them setting up and re-
moving the cages, mats and screens for batting
practice, raking and inspecting the field and
mound after each game and rolling and un-
rolling the giant tarp whenever it rains.
But they are just a small part of the intricate
process that brings Sunken up to game-shape
each morning in the spring.
The man behind the scenes and ultimately
responsible for everything from the way the ball
plays off the clay in front of home plate to how
the grass looks from the box seats is Joel Ahern,
grounds supervisor for all of Stanford’s athletic
facilities. He and his crew arrive at Sunken Dia-
mond before most of the ballplayers have got-
ten out of bed.
To prepare Sunken Diamond is no easy task.
Their job demands precise choreography and
timing to ensure that the field is at its optimal
playing conditions for the first pitch, and that it
will stay there throughout the game.
The first step is to mow and vacuum the out-
field, and this is not at all as simple as it sounds.
By taking a string from an anchor behind home
plate and running it out to the outfield wall,
Ahern and his crew divide the outfield in two,
left to right. These two halves are then bisected
twice more to create eight equal sections run-
ning out toward the fence. The borders of the
sections are marked lightly by paint to give the
Klein Field at Sunken Diamond has been home to Stanford baseball for nearly 80 seasons and is considered among the top collegiate fields in the world.
Maintaining that quality is a never-ending task for players and grounds crew alike.
workers driving the mower and vacuum a “con-
nect-the-dots” pattern to follow.
Each section is mowed either left-to-right or
right-to-left in a uniform direction to provide
both an aesthetically pleasing pattern and to
guarantee balls roll evenly. The vacuum ensures
no loose clippings impact balls in play and lifts
excess moisture off of the grass.
“Your mowing pattern, especially in the out-
field, affects the way the ball rolls,” Ahern said.
“If we mowed side-to-side, as the ball rolled out,
it would fishtail. So we mow one section one
way and the next the other. That way the ball
isn’t like a snake as it rolls out there.”
As soon as this is done, it is time to prepare
the dirt and mow the infield. Like the outfield,
the infield is mowed in sections to control how
the ball rolls and to provide a “sunburst” color
effect — like the green on a golf course — for
spectators looking out on the grass from behind
the plate.
But compared to the science that goes into
the infield dirt, designing and implementing
mowing patterns is simple. The easy part is rak-
ing the dirt to be smooth and level, and ensuring
that the edges where it meets the grass are flush.
If these lips are at different levels, balls can take
strange bounces and, much more importantly,
players can easily injure ankles and knees.
But controlling the moisture content of the
infield goes far beyond rakes and brooms. To
maintain a playable surface, a delicate balance
of moisture must be achieved. Too little and the
infield plays like a brick; too much and the ball
will stick and cleats will gunk up.
The trick is solved with the help of a synthet-
ic, and seemingly magical, material called “tur-
fus,” which is mixed with dirt and sprinkled over
the clay bedding of the infield.
“Turfus is like . . . well, it’s like kitty litter,”
MASARU OKA/The Stanford Daily
Ahern explained. “It acts like a sponge and ab- ters’ boxes will be rubbed out, the foul lines
sorbs the extra water when it is too wet. But is scattered, the mound kicked and picked at and
also does the reverse and can hold the moisture the dirt edges scuffed and smeared. The players
in for you if it is dry.” and Ahern’s crew do as much as they can to tidy
By tracking the weather conditions and dis- and repair the field as soon as the game ends,
cussing the way the field is playing with the ath- but the entire process will begin again the next
letes, Ahern makes the decision whether or not morning — and dozens of times more through-
to increase the turfus content. out the spring.
Meanwhile, the rest of his crew cleans the By the end of the season, Joel Ahern and his
dugouts and begins to paint the foul lines from crew have spent at least as much time grooming
the plate out to the foul poles. Just like when and fussing over Sunken Diamond as the Cardi-
laying out the mowing patterns, strings an- nal has spent playing on it. But they don’t have
chored behind the plate are used to get a per- wins and losses, or a playoff berth to mark how
fect line. well they have performed — only a field that is
By now the players are beginning to arrive truly a diamond.
for batting practice, and the whole infield is
given a light soaking to hold down the dirt and Contact Erik Adams at ekadams@stanford.edu.
give the turfus
something to
store for later.
The players take
over for batting
practice, and in
the short time be-
tween practice
and the first
pitch, Ahern and
his crew rake the
infield, touch up
the lines again
and soak the
whole thing down
one last time.
The field is fi-
nally ready, but
its pristine state is
only fleeting.
Even half an in-
ning into the
game, the bat-
The Stanford Daily
DESPITE LOSSES,
CARD PRIMED IN ‘09
By ERIK ADAMS
GAMEDAY EDITOR
Last season, the Cardinal exceeded
expectations and made its way all the
way to Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium and
the College World Series. In the
process, a talented group of juniors and
seniors led the charge, and several un-
derclassmen emerged to play key roles.
It might be tempting to assume a
drop-off in 2009 after losing so many
top performers like Jason Castro, Cord
Phelps, Sean Ratliff, Austin Yount,
Randy Molina, Jeremy Bleich and Erik
Davis, but there are reasons to think
Stanford could be even better in this
campaign.
The lineup still carries some proven
pop as senior Brent Milleville and ju-
nior Toby Gerhart return. Milleville
plays a very solid first base and is capa-
ble of catching when called on. His bat
came to life in the second half last sea-
son as he delivered nine homers and 48
RBI in the final 37 games of the season.
He should provide the bulk of Stan-
ford’s run production from the middle
of the order, and the Cardinal will need
him to keep up the pace on his career
.322 average with runners in scoring po-
sition and stunning .714 mark with the
bases loaded.
Gerhart has struggled with injuries
in his time on the Farm, but showed
brilliance at the plate when he finally
became fully healthy at the end of last
season. The two-sport star — he set
Stanford’s single-season rushing record
last season as the running back for the
football team — batted .356 with four
homers and 12 RBI in his final 12
games, and continued his perfect de-
fense in the outfield (in two years he has
yet to make an error).
Other returning upperclassmen in
the field include juniors Adam Gaylord
and Wande Olabisi and seniors Joey
August, J.J. Jelmini and Jeff Whitlow.
Olabisi, August and Whitlow should
provide veteran leadership and pro-
duction in the outfield, while Gaylord
and Jelmini should do the same in the
infield.
But it also takes consistent pitching
to build a successful season, and Stan-
ford is returning one of the best pitchers
in the conference in junior Jeffrey
Inman. The right-hander went 7-2 last
season with a 4.27 ERA. Inman was
named the ninth-best prospect in the
Cape Cod League last summer and has
been named to the Golden Spikes
Award Watch List. He should be Stan-
ford’s ace all season.
Joining Inman are other veteran
BASEBALL & SOFTBALL Weekend of February 20-22, 2009  7
THE BREAKDOWN
arms like seniors Max Fearnow and
Blake Hancock and junior Brandt
Walker. Fearnow can both start and
pitch in relief, while Hancock will be
the top lefty coming out of the pen.
Walker delivers in the mid-to-high 90s,
and could see time as a starter.
Of course, the Cardinal will have to
rely on its young players as well, and
Stanford has the advantage of several
returning sophomores who saw regular
action last season.
With Jake Schlander returning at
shortstop and Zach Jones at third base,
the Cardinal has the luxury of a pair of
CWS veterans who are only in their sec-
ond year.
Schlander, as a freshman last year,
became the first Stanford player since
games played became an officially kept
statistic in 1960 to start every game of
the season at shortstop. He is one of the
best defensive shortstops in college
baseball and should prove a serious
threat in the bottom portion of the
Stanford order.
Jones led the Cardinal in stolen
bases last year with 11, and proved able
to hit for power from the bottom of the
order with three homers and 13 dou-
bles. He can also play catcher and is ex-
cellent at that position defensively. This
season, he will likely see time at both
the hot corner and as the backstop.
Four young pitchers — Drew
Storen, Alex Pracher, Michael Mar-
shall and Danny Sandbrink — are re- MASARU OKA/The Stanford Daily
turning after highly successful fresh-
man campaigns.
Storen earned the closing job mid-
way through the season and eventually
became just the fourth Stanford pitcher
to earn Freshman All-American status.
He struck out 50 while walking only 15
LOOKING FOR BALANCE
and earning eight saves in 56.1 innings By DANIEL BOHM last nine at the plate and is hitting just .208 on the year. Al-
last year. Pracher was used in all situa- STAFF WRITER though she has started eight of the Cardinal’s games at
tions out of the bullpen and finished first, Rittman experimented with starting Becerra there
second on the Card in appearances While the No. 5/8 Stanford Softball team looks to be last weekend against Utah State. Burns has also gotten
with 22, and Marshall proved his ability firing on all cylinders early in the season, there are still a time at first in a reserve role.
to pitch effectively on minimal rest last few position battles left to be won after two weekends of Designated player is another position that had a clear
season. Sandbrink will likely hold a play. favorite at the beginning of the season — sophomore
spot in the weekend rotation after a There are many certainties in the lineup everyday — Brittany Minder. Minder, who, along with Burns back-up
rookie season in which he posted the the top five in the batting order seems set in stone and star junior catcher Rosey Neill, has tremendous power
second lowest ERA (2.81) among Stan- freshman centerfielder Sarah Hassman seems to have potential at the plate, but has yet to turn that into pro-
ford starters with at least 40 innings of locked up the nine spot. But overlooked in the Cardinal’s ductivity.
work. early season success is the lack of production out of right After having two hits — including a homer — in the
With this core group of returning field, first base and designated player. In the upcoming season opener, Minder has managed just one hit since
contributors and the addition of incom- days and weeks, head coach John Rittman has some deci- then, leaving her with a .200 batting average on the year.
ing freshmen and other returnees sions to make. This past weekend, Rittman experimented with start-
poised to make an impact, Stanford has After saying at the beginning of the season that right ing Becerra as the designated player in one game, as well
all pieces to make another run this sea- field was a three-horse race between freshmen Jenna Be- as freshman Christina Goswiller in another. If Goswiller
son. Don’t be surprised if they are play- cerra and Maya Burns, as well as sophomore Autumn Al- hits, she can work herself into the equation at either des-
ing into June once again. bers, it appears as if the two newcomers have become the ignated player or first base.
front runners to hold down the position; however, neither While Rittman is thrilled with the performance of the
Contact Erik Adams at ekadams@stan- has distinguished herself yet. top of the lineup — Alissa Haber, reigning National Play-
ford.edu. While Becerra was the opening-day starter in right er of the Week Ashley Hansen, Maddy Coon, Neill and
field, Burns has gotten six starts to Becerra’s three on the Shannon Koplitz — he also believes the uncertainty in the
year. This is in part due to Burns’ hot hitting early on, and rest of the lineup will ultimately be good for the team, say-
because Becerra has the ability to play just about any po- ing earlier in the week that “competition helps everyone.”
sition on the field. His job is to put the pieces of the puzzle together to
Through nine games Rittman continues to shuffle the make sure that the Cardinal gets production from the six,
two around, hoping one will begin to separate from the seven, and eight spots in the lineup.
other. Neither of their statistics jumps out — Burns is hit- Ultimately the situation will work itself out depending
ting just .176 and Becerra is hitting .231. If neither heats up on who hits, as there are numerous options at each posi-
soon, it is possible that Albers will get a shot at the job. For tion. Until it does, however, look for Rittman to shuffle
the year, Albers is hitless in just three at-bats. the players around in an attempt to find a combination
First base was not supposed to be a mystery coming that works.
into the season. The Cardinal brought back last year’s Rittman clearly hopes to find a solution to this situation
starter, sophomore Melissa Koutz. A year ago, Koutz had sooner rather than later, as, come Pac-10 season, the team
a great early season before fading a bit during Pac-10 play. will not be able to afford the severe drop-off in production
She ended the year hitting just .224, but was the over- after the top five spots of the lineup.
whelming favorite to hold down the first base job this year.
But early on, Koutz has struggled. She is zero for her Contact Daniel Bohm at bohmd@stanford.edu.O
8  Weekend of February 20-22, 2009 GAMEDAY The Stanford Daily