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NewsvineIn addition to this weekend’s ProFro events, the No. 5 Stanford baseball team will host Southern California to show the incoming freshmen a classic Cardinal vs. Trojans battle. The Trojans’ record just fell below .500 to 19-20 (6-6 Pac-10) on Wednesday when they lost to San Diego State after a double in the ninth inning broke a 2-2 tie for an Aztec victory.
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Stanford experienced the exact opposite predicament on Wednesday when it defeated St. Mary’s 7-4, thanks to an eighth inning three-RBI double from junior Brent Milleville. Milleville’s clutch hit sealed the Cardinal victory and upped Stanford’s record to 23-12-2 (8-4 Pac-10).
The Cardinal has won eight of its last nine games and remains atop the Pacific-10 Conference standings over Arizona State and California, who are at a dead heat in second. USC is currently in a three-way tie for third with Arizona and Oregon State.
The tight nature of the current Pac-10 race shows how crucial this weekend’s match will be for the Cardinal. Though Stanford may be neck and neck with other top teams, the Cardinal has proved over the past few games that it can handle its opponents, both offensively and defensively.
Though the Cardinal’s stellar offensive outings have been the product of great teamwork, one Stanford player who is panning out to be Stanford’s clutch player in the final innings is junior first baseman Brent Milleville. He has four RBIs in the last two games and has sealed victories nabbing the winning hits against San Francisco, Santa Clara and St. Mary’s over the past two weeks.
Another notable player to look out for offensively is junior catcher Jason Castro. Castro is hitting .347 after starting in each game this season. He was 3-for-3 on Wednesday against the Gaels, scoring after each of the three hits. Castro has 30 RBIs and seven homeruns on the season, just behind junior Sean Ratliff who has 11.
The Cardinal is also developing a deep pitching staff, which should prove to be helpful in the postseason. Freshman pitcher Alex Pracher is only 1-1 on the season but was one of the main reasons that Stanford was able to put away the Gaels. After relieving junior Max Fearnow, Pracher was able to pitch five scoreless innings, only allowing three hits with five strikeouts.
Another key pitcher is senior right-hander Erik Davis. Davis is 6-1 on the season with a .383 ERA in 56.1 innings pitched. Davis has been on fire of late, throwing an astounding four straight complete games. The Cardinal has also relied heavily on the closing efforts of Drew Storen, who has picked up four saves this season with a 2.76 ERA, the best on the team.
The Trojans will have a few tricks up their sleeves for this weekend’s series, however. Junior pitcher Tommy Milone has not allowed a homerun in 57.1 innings.
Offensively, shortstop Grant Green will look to continue a 13-game hitting streak this weekend. He is batting .554 (31-56) with five homers and 14 RBIs.
With only one month left until the NCAA Regional Games, the Cardinal needs every win it can get in order to ensure a spot in the Super Regionals. Having won eight of its last nine, a strong showing against Southern Cal will almost assuredly have Stanford on the right track for the looming postseason.