Stanford Cardinal
Overall Rank: #23
Conference Rank: #7 Pac 12
Stanford Team Page
The Cardinal is coming off of its 16th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, one that saw Stanford lose twice to Nebraska in the Lincoln (Neb.) Regional. It was an up-and-down season, as it saw the team sweep UCLA and have winning streaks of seven and eight games, but they were not be able to beat the highly ranked teams on a consistent basis. What helps the Cardinal is it brings back ten upperclassmen, while bringing in two of the country's best players in a stellar recruiting class as well.
2013: 39-21, 13-11
2013 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: John Rittman
Field Players:
Stanford is loaded at the plate, as it brings back six of last year's top seven hitters. Kayla Bonstrom is the team's leader in multiple hitting categories. She led the team in average (.404), pounded out 12 doubles and drove in 55. She was also second on the team in hits (69) and home runs (nine). Cassandra Roulund also brings some pop to her bat, as she finished with 11 doubles, six triples, eight home runs and 37 RBIs. Erin Ashby knocked six balls out of the yard and drove in 35. Leah White knows how to drive the ball into the gaps and that's witnessed by her ten doubles.
Pitchers:
While the hitting for Stanford is loaded, the pitching staff is the absolute opposite. Gone are Kelsey Stevens and Teagan Gerhart, who combined for 36 of the team's 39 wins last year. Nyree White returns, but she saw action in 20 games, only one of which was a start. With this, the Cardinal brings in two highly touted pitchers in Carley Hoover and Madi Schreyer.
Who to Watch:
Hoover and Schreyer. Hoover was the 2013 Gatorade National Player of the Year, 2013 National High School Coaches Association Player of the Year, two-time Gatorade South Carolina State Player of the Year (2012, 2013), two-time South Carolina 3A State Player of the Year (2012, 2013) and a MaxPreps All-American in 2012 and 2013. She batted over .500 with 28 homeruns, .710 on-base percentage and a slugging percentage over 1.000 during her high school career. The pitcher from Clemson, South Carolina compiled 1,345 career strikeouts and averaged 2.00 strikeouts per inning each year, held a 0.15 ERA during her senior season and held a 0.51 ERA or lower in the other three seasons. She held opponents to a .079 batting average or lower each season and went 16-4 with .062 OPP BA, 138 IP, 338 K and 3 ER in her senior season. All that and she graduated with the high school national record for career intentional walks with 157. Schreyer was the Washington State Gatorade Softball Player of the Year and ESPN High School All-America First Team Pitcher in 2012. The freshman from Washington has played for the Junior Women’s Canadian National Team at the 2013 Junior World Championships in Brampton, Ontario, competed for Team Canada at the 2011 Junior World Championships in Cape Town, South Africa and is a three-time participant in the Canada Cup (2010-12).
Final Projection:
With all of the hitters returning, the Cardinal has a real shot of being very good this year. How Stanford does will depend on how the freshmen pitchers adapt to the college softball world. They'll find out quickly as the team's first four games are against N.C. State, San Diego State, Northwestern and Indiana. Stanford also participates in the Mary Nutter Classic, where it will face Maryland, Baylor, LSU, Syracuse and Tennessee. Another non-conference matchup pits the Cardinal against USF.
Projected Postseason: NCAA Softball Tournament
Returning Leaders:
At Bats: Hanna Winter, IF, 208
Hits: Hanna Winter, IF, 72
Home Runs: Kayla Bonstrom, UTL, 9
RBIs: Kayla Bonstrom, UTL, 55
Runs: Leah White, OF, 45
Stolen Bases: Hanna Winter, IF, 17
Wins: Nyree White, P, 3
Innings Pitched: Nyree White, P, 42
Strikeouts: Nyree White, P, 29
Saves: None
Madness 2014 Softball Recruit Rankings:
#2 Carley Hoover
#36 Madi Schreyer
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