Feb. 28, 2013

No. 14 Stanford Cardinal (6-2 • 0-0 Pac-12)
No. 22 Texas Longhorns (6-2 • 0-0 Big 12)
March 1 - 5:30 p.m. (PT) • March 2 - 1 p.m. • March 3 - 1 p.m.
Sunken Diamond (4,000) • Stanford, Calif.
Game Notes | Rankings | Pac-12 Standings

Radio • Live coverage on KZSU 90.1 FM • KZSUlive.stanford.edu

Live Stats • Live in-game statistics will be provided through GameTracker via GoStanford.com

Video • Live video and audio will be available free of charge via GoStanford.com

Tickets • 1.800.STANFORD • GoStanford.com

Polls • Stanford (14th - NCBWA, 15th - Baseball America, 14th - Collegiate Baseball, 16th - USA Today)
texas (25th - NCBWA, NR - Baseball America, 22nd - Collegiate Baseball, 23rd - USA Today)

On the Web • GoStanford.com • Pac-12.com • TexasSports.com • Big12Sports.com

On the Social Scene • @StanfordBSB • facebook.com/StanfordBaseball • #goStanford • #farmBall

Probable Pitching Matchups
Friday • RHP Mark Appel (1-1, 1.93) vs. RHP Parker French (2-0, 1.35)
Saturday • LHP John Hochstatter (0-0, 3.18) vs. LHP Dillon Peters (1-0, 2.08)
Sunday • RHP Bobby Zarubin (1-0, 0.84) vs. RHP Nathan Thornhill (1-1, 2.53)

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The Farm Report
• No. 14 Stanford returns home to Sunken Diamond this weekend for a three-game series against No. 22 Texas (March 1-3). Stanford swept the 2012 series between the two programs and is 4-0 this season on its home turf.

• The Cardinal has won five straight and swept its last series at Sunken Diamond with a trio of wins over visiting Fresno State (Feb. 22-24).

• Stanford will play 13 of its first 18 contest this season at Sunken Diamond. The Cardinal picked up a 7-2 road win at St. Mary's on Tuesday and will follow the Texas series by traveling to Santa Clara for a non-conference bout on March 5.

• Including last week's home win over Cal, sophomore OF Austin Slater paced the Cardinal with a .867 slugging pct. in four games. Three of his eight hits - including a solo home run against Fresno State - went for extra bases.

• Senior RHP Mark Appel tossed a complete-game three-hitter against Fresno State (Feb. 22) for his first win on the season. The All-American fanned 11 Bulldogs with one walk and allowed three singles.

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Inside the Lines

Last Time vs. Texas - Feb. 26, 2012
• Stephen Piscotty drove in four runs in two fourth-inning at-bats as No. 2 Stanford downed No. 7 Texas in the form of a 15-1 win. The victory marked the first-ever Stanford series sweep of the Longhorns and included a 13-run fourth inning in which the Cardinal batted around twice.

• By the time Stanford emptied the bases in the eighth at Sunken Diamond, the Cardinal had scored 28 runs and hit .364 in the three games, including 17 hits in game three.

• Appel struck out 10 to get the win during a 7-2 victory over the Longhorns in 2012, taking a no-hitter into the fifth and scattering three hits in seven-plus innings. Appel had a shutout going into the eighth before allowing a hit. Appel retired 10 straight during a stretch in the contest.

• Stanford rose to No. 1 in the USA Today poll following the sweep, its first top billing since 2004.

Winning Streak Hits Five
• Stanford improved its winning streak to five games by rolling past St. Mary's, 7-2, on Feb. 26. Freshman OF Jonny Locher shined for the Cardinal, going 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and a run for the visiting Cardinal. Locher was one of three Cardinal with three hits and was joined in that department by junior 2B Danny Diekroeger and junior C Brant Whiting. Whiting only saw four pitches on the day.

• Stanford registered a season-high 15 hits and the bullpen surrendered just one run.

• For the third time in as many contests, Stanford recorded double-digit hits.

Bullpen On Parade
• Stanford's bullpen has been brilliant in 2013 and went 21.2 innings over six games to start the season without allowing an earned run (Feb. 15-23).

• Through eight games, Stanford's four starting pitchers have combined to throw 36.1 innings while allowing 17 runs (12 earned). By comparison, the bullpen has thrown 34.2 innings while surrendering four runs (three earned).

• Freshman RHP Bobby Zarubin, who replaced freshman LHP Logan James in a Feb. 23 matchup against Fresno State, posted 11 strikeouts in 6.2 innings of relief for the win. Zarubin was effective with his splitter and surrendered one earned run on five hits before giving way to junior RHP Sam Lindquist in the ninth. Lindquist induced the final Fresno State out for the save.

• In the season-opening series against Rice, the bullpen combined to toss 11.0 innings of seven-hit ball without allowing a run during the three-game series at Rice. The Cardinal starting pitchers went 14.0 innings and allowed seven earned runs on 14 hits.

Numerically Speaking
• Stanford has recorded 35 hits and 21 runs in its last three games. In the season-opening series at Rice, the Cardinal mustered only four runs on 15 hits.

• Each of Stanford's five home runs have come in the last four games, two off the bat of senior DH Justin Ringo.

• Junior 2B Danny Diekroeger (11) and senior 1B Brian Ragira (10) already have double-digit hit totals for the 2013 campaign.

• Ragira takes a five-game hitting streak into the weekend. Ragira also leads the Cardinal by reaching base in each of this season's eight games and has a pair of multi-RBI games.

• Seven Cardinal have an active multi-game hitting streak.

• Sophomore OF Austin Slater and Diekroeger each have four multi-hit outings on the season.

• Both senior RHP Mark Appel and freshman RHP Bobby Zarubin fanned 11 during their respective outings against Fresno State.

• Junior OF Brett Michael Doran was the hero in Stanford's first walk-off win on the season. Doran belted a three-run homer in the bottom of the 10th to down Fresno State, 7-4, on Feb. 23. Doran also had a game-winning, two-out single in the 11th to help take the 2011 series opener from Arizona.

Home, Sweet Home Opener
• Senior RHP Dean McArdle threw 2.0 innings of shutout ball in a starting effort and paved the way for the Cardinal bullpen to secure a 5-0 win over visiting California (Feb. 19). Sophomore RHP David Schmidt stepped in for McArdle in the third and got the win after fanning a pair and permitting three hits in 3.2 innings of work.

• No. 11 Stanford evened its record to 2-2 with the win as Cal was handed its first loss on the season after sweeping Michigan in its campaign-opening series.

• Freshman OF Drew Jackson and sophomore OF Austin Slater had two hits apiece for Stanford with junior 2B Danny Diekroeger adding a team-high two RBI.

Houston, We Have a Cardinal
• The Cardinal had won each of its last five season-opening games - and series - before dropping both at Rice.

• In a battle of preseason All-America pitchers, Rice's Austin Kubitza got the better end of the season-opener as the hurler led Rice to a 5-1 win over Stanford. Kubitza fanned a career-high 12 as his counterpart, senior RHP Mark Appel, shouldered the loss after giving up five runs - two earned - with three strikeouts in 5.0 frames. Both teams managed seven hits but Rice scratched across a trio of unearned runs in a three-score third frame to put the game out of the Cardinal's reach. Stanford left 12 on base, stranding runners on first and second in the opening three stanzas.

• Senior DH Justin Ringo resumed his role as the thorn in Rice's side. Ringo has saved some of the best performances of his Stanford baseball career for matchups against Rice. During his sophomore campaign, Ringo's first career home run - a two-run shot - was the deciding swing in a Cardinal win. In 2012, Ringo delivered another two-run homer in the bottom of the 10th to secure a Stanford victory. Ringo came through yet again in game two of the 2013 series by poking a one-out double in the top of the eighth to plate the go-ahead run in Stanford's 3-2 win. The knock was one of his two hits on the day.

• Rice's John Simms took a no-hitter into the eighth inning of game three, helping propel the Owls to a 3-0 win to take the series.

First CLASS
• Senior RHP Mark Appel was named one of 30 college baseball candidates for the 2013 Senior CLASS Award, as announced Feb. 27 by the award committee. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence - community, classroom, character and competition.

• The candidate class will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans.

• The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2013 NCAA College World Series in Omaha, Neb. (June 15-26).

Golden Standard
• Preseason All-Americans Brian Ragira, Austin Wilson and Mark Appel were named to the Golden Spikes Award Watch List, as announced Feb. 14 by USA Baseball. Sponsored by Major League Baseball, the award goes to the top amateur baseball player in the country.

• Stanford and LSU led all schools with three players named to the Watch List. The Watch List features 50 of the nation's top amateur players. The Golden Spikes Award trophy will be awarded live July 19 on MLB Network

• Appel, the 2012 NCBWA Pitcher of the Year, was a finalist for last year's Golden Spikes Award.

Preseason Favorite
• According to the league's preseason coaches' poll released Feb. 8, Stanford was picked to win the Pac 12 title. The Cardinal has not won a Pac-12 title since copping back-to-back crowns in 2003 (College World Series runner-up) and 2004 (NCAA Regional).

Consensus Preseason Top-10 Choice
• Stanford earned high praise from the pollsters and entered the 2013 season as a consensus preseason top-10 team. Here's how the Cardinal fared among the major polls:

No. 4 - Perfect Game
No. 7 - USA Today/ESPN
No. 7 - National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association
No. 9 - Collegiate Baseball
No. 9 - Baseball America

Return of the Mark
• Speaking publicly for the first time since announcing his return to The Farm for his senior season, Appel, the only unsigned player among 31 first-round picks last year, handled the barrage of questions with the same poise and composure he shows on the mound during the Bay Area Baseball Media Day on Feb. 7.

• On not signing with the Pittsburgh Pirates crossing paths with the team's fans down the road: "If they're going to boo me, then so be it. I'd love to sit down and have a meal with them after the game."

• On prepping for the 2013 draft: "Everybody said, `If you don't sign, you're pushing your major league career back a year.' I don't see it that way. I don't understand how people can say that I can't keep working and keep getting better at Stanford. It might be a different situation and scenario than a minor league team, but I still have the opportunities to improve my game, get better, to just grow as a baseball player and a teammate and prepare myself for the next level."

• On what he's learned about himself throughout the process: "It's not all about money for me. There are a lot of things I value greater than money. Money means a lot to a lot of people. It seems like a social status. I'm not defined by how much I earn or will earn."

A Look Back at 2012
• Stanford tallied a 41-18 record and finished the regular season 12th in the USA Today poll, 13th by Baseball America and 14th by Collegiate Baseball. It was the 25th time since 1981 the Cardinal finished the season ranked in top 15.

• Stanford ended its season in the NCAA Super Regional for the second straight season and ninth time since 1999.

• The Cardinal roster featured six players who were selected in the MLB Draft, headlined by first round picks RHP Mark Appel and 3B/LF Stephen Piscotty. Players who signed professional contracts included SS Kenny Diekroeger, CF Jake Stewart, C Eric Smith, LHP Brett Mooneyham and LF Tyler Gaffney.

Major League Style
• Since the turn of the century, Stanford has had 88 players go on to the Majors. Head coach Mark Marquess has coached 56 Major Leaguers since 1977.

Two-Sport Tradition
• The Cardinal has had a number of great two-sport stars. One of the first was Ernie Nevers, who starred for the Cardinal in the early part of the 20th century.

• This list is quite impressive: NFL Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway, current head coach Mark Marquess (punter, wide receiver and quarterback with Jim Plunkett in the late 1960s) and NFL Executive Ray Anderson. Major League pitcher Joe Borchard (also a Cardinal quarterback), NFL and MLB player Chad Hutchinson (RHP and quarterback), 1940s Major Leaguer and Korea War pilot Lloyd Merriman, Brian Johnson (quarterback), Toi Cook (NFL veteran and member of the 1987 College World Series team) and John Lynch (quarterback and RHP).

• Orange Bowl Champion and running back Tyler Gaffney played baseball on The Farm and helped pave the way for the most recent addition to the fraternity, freshman OF Zach Hoffpauir. Hoffpauir was a backup strong safety for the 2013 Rose Bowl champions.

Stanford Over Pittsburgh, Football Over Baseball
• Tyler Gaffney is still a former Stanford outfielder, but he's no longer a former Stanford running back.

• Gaffney announced Feb. 11 that he is returning to The Farm after spending last season playing baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. Gaffney will be completing work toward his degree and will play with the Cardinal football program next season.

• Selected in the 24th round of the 2012 MLB Draft, Gaffney hit .297 in 38 games for the Pirates' Class-A affiliate State College Spikes.

This Is Stanford Baseball
• Stanford's baseball program has been setting the nation's standard for 119 years. Just some of the achievements of the historic college baseball program include two College World Series titles, nine NCAA Super Regional victories (since 1999), 28 NCAA Regional crowns, 17 conference titles and over 2,500 wins - a total which ranks fifth all-time in the history of Division I college baseball.

• Stanford student-athletes are not only leading the way on field, but also in the classroom. Stanford provides the most unique experience in college baseball, providing an environment to achieve success through the challenge of both academics and baseball at the highest level. Our players take enormous pride in their unending work ethic and competitive spirit in all phases of their lives. Stanford provides the ultimate challenge to these special student-athletes and leads them on the way to success.

-- #farmBall --