June 30, 2011

 

STANFORD, Calif.-- Stanford baseball ended the season No. 13 in the USA Today / Coaches Poll and Baseball America and No. 14 in Collegiate Baseball following a Super Regional appearance and 35-22 final record. Stanford finished fourth in the Pac-10 with a 14-12 record.

Making an appearance in the NCAA Tournament for the 30th time and the 27th time for 35-year head coach Mark Marquess, the Cardinal swept through the Fullerton Regional following wins over Kansas State, top-seed CS Fullerton and Illinois, before dropping two-straight at North Carolina.
Sophomore third baseman Stephen Piscotty finished the season ranked second in the Pac-10, leading the Cardinal with a .364 average. He was the Cardinal's lone first team All-Pac-10 selection.

Brian Ragira was name the Pac-10's Freshman of the Year, the second-straight Cardinal player to win the honor, leading the Cardinal in RBIs with 46. Ragira also hit .329. He was also a freshman All-American.

Tyler Gaffney finished the year with a 22-game hit streak, the fifth-longest since 1988, and will continue it starting his third season. Gaffney finished the year with a .327 average.

Chris Reed finished third in the Pac-10 with nine saves, 6-2 record and a 2.56 ERA, as the junior lefthander was the 16th overall selection in the June draft, going to the Dodgers in the first round. Six players were drafted, as junior lefthander Scott Snodgress (fifth round), righthanded starter Jordan Pries (30th), catcher Zach Jones (34th) and righthander Danny Sandbrink (42nd) all signed professional contracts.

Stanford began the year with one of the toughest schedules in the country, playing at Rice, at Vanderbilt and at Texas to begin the year. Vandy and Texas both reached the College World Series, as did Pac-10 rival, Cal and NCAA foe, North Carolina.

According to both Baseball America, College Baseball Daily and College Baseball Today, Stanford is a serious contender for Omaha in 2012. The Cardinal are slated to return seven everyday starters and weekend starters Mark Appel (8-8, 3.76), who will be a junior, and Brett Mooneyham (9-10, 4.67 ERA), who sat out the season with an injured left middle finger. Dean McArdle, the team leader in wins this past year at 7-4, is 12-4 in his career with a 4.68 ERA.

Two-year returning starters include: Piscotty (3B), Kenny Diekroeger (SS), Jake Stewart (CF) and Tyler Gaffney, while freshmen starters included: Ragira (1B), Austin Wilson (RF), and Lonnie Kauppila (2B).

Each website's 2012 predictions are here: Baseball America, College Baseball Daily, College Baseball Today

Collegiate Baseball Top-25
1. South Carolina (55-14)        497                4
2. Florida (53-19)                492                1
3. Virginia (56-12)                491                2
4. Vanderbilt (54-12)                490                3
5. North Carolina (51-16)        488                7
6. California (38-23)                485                8
7. Texas (49-19)                        483                5
8. Texas A&M (47-22)                479                6
9. Florida St. (46-19)                477                9
10. Oregon St. (41-19)                474                10
11. Arizona St. (43-18)                472                11
12. U.C. Irvine (43-18)                471                12
13. Connecticut (45-20-1)        467                13
14. Stanford (35-22)                464                14
15. Mississippi St. (38-25)        461                15
16. Dallas Baptist (42-20)        457                16
17. Texas Christian (43-19)        455                17
18. Ca. St. Fullerton (41-17)        453                18
19. Georgia Tech. (42-21)        450                19
20. UCLA (35-24)                        449                20
21. Clemson (43-20)                447                21
22. Miami, Fla. (38-23)                444                22
23. Oral Roberts (39-22)        442                23
24. Rice (42-21)                        439                24
25. Arizona (39-21)                437                25
26. Kent St. (45-17)                434                26
27. Coastal Carolina (42-20)        432                27
28. Creighton (45-16)                429                28
29. Arkansas (40-22)                426                29
30. Stetson (43-20)                424                30

USA Today / Coaches Poll
    1.    South Carolina (55-14)    775    4    31
    2.    Florida (53-19)    744    3    0
    3.    Vanderbilt (54-12)    700    2    0
    4.    Virginia (56-12)    694    1    0
    5.    North Carolina (51-16)    641    7    0
    6.    Texas A&M (47-22)    589    8    0
    7.    Texas (49-19)    574    5    0
    8.    California (38-23)    540    not ranked    0
    9.    Florida State (46-19)    501    6    0
    10.    Arizona State (43-18)    447    11    0
    11.    Oregon State (41-19)    420    16    0
    12.    UC-Irvine (43-18)    402    17    0
    13.    Stanford (35-22)    328    21    0
    14.    Connecticut (45-20-1)    321    24    0
    15.    Mississippi State (38-25)    260    not ranked    0
    16.    Clemson (43-20)    253    12    0
    17.    Cal State-Fullerton (41-17)    236    9    0
    18.    Dallas Baptist (42-20)    232    not ranked    0
    19.    TCU (43-19)    225    10    0
    20.    Georgia Tech (42-21)    209    14    0
    21.    Rice (42-21)    184    13    0
    22.    UCLA (35-24)    153    18    0
    23.    Arkansas (40-22)    145    19    0
    24.    Miami (Fla.) (38-23)    114    23    0
    25.    Arizona (39-21)    80    not ranked    0

Others receiving votes: Oklahoma (41-19) 69; Kent State (45-17) 42; Stetson (43-20) 26; Creighton (45-16) 25; Fresno State (40-16) 21; Baylor (31-28) 20; Georgia (33-32) 15; Southern Mississippi (39-19) 15; Alabama (35-28) 14; Oral Roberts (39-22) 13; Central Florida (39-23) 9; East Carolina (41-21) 9; Illinois (30-27) 7; Troy (43-19) 6; Coastal Carolina (42-20) 5; Belmont (38-26) 4; St. John's (36-22) 3; James Madison (42-19) 2; Florida International (40-20) 1; Georgia Southern (36-26) 1; San Francisco (32-25) 1.

Baseball America Top-25
1.     South Carolina     55-14     4
2.     Florida     53-19     1
3.     Virginia     56-12     2
4.     Vanderbilt     54-12     3
5.     North Carolina     51-16     13
6.     Texas     49-19     5
7.     Texas A&M     47-22     7
8.     Florida State     46-19     6
9.     Arizona State     43-18     10
10.     Oregon State     41-19     15
11.     California     38-23     NR
12.     Connecticut     45-20     18
13.     Stanford     35-22     24
14.     Cal State Fullerton     41-17     8
15.     Rice     42-21     9
16.     UC Irvine     43-18     NR
17.     Mississippi State     38-25     NR
18.     Dallas Baptist     42-20     NR
19.     Texas Christian     43-19     11
20.     Georgia Tech     42-21     12
21.     Clemson     43-20     14
22.     UCLA     35-24     17
23.     Miami     38-23     16
24.     Arkansas     40-22     19
25.     East Carolina     41-21     23