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Softball

Pac-12 Home Opener

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STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford softball welcomes No. 1 Washington to The Farm this weekend. The three-game series starts Thursday at 6 p.m., continues Friday at 7 p.m., and concludes Saturday at 3 p.m. All games are free admission at Smith Family Stadium, and all three games can be seen on Pac-12 Networks. 

Promotions
Thursday » Rally towel giveaway and postgame chalk talk.
Friday » Make your own visor and poster, trading cards set No. 1 and postgame chalk talk.
Saturday » Bingo, Candy Egg Giveaway, Postgame Autographs
For more information and a complete list of this season's promotions » click here.

Matchup History
Last season, Stanford claimed one of its two Pac-12 victories with a 6-0 victory at then-No. 7 Washington on May 6. It snapped Washington's eight-game winning streak in the series after the Huskies swept the Cardinal in their last visit to The Farm. Overall, Washington has won each of the last five series between these schools. Stanford's last series win over the Huskies was a three-game sweep on The Farm in 2012.

Looking For A Repeat
Stanford's best victory last year? A 6-0 shutout of No. 7 Washington on May 6 in Seattle. Kiana Pancino tossed a one-hitter and was perfect through the game's first 4.1 innings, fueling Stanford's first victory over a top-10 opponent since Feb. 14, 2015, when the Cardinal upset No. 3 Alabama 4-1. The offense was led by Kristina Inouye (4-4, two RBI) and Whitney Burks (2-4, four RBI), who smashed her team-leading seventh homer of the season.

Cardinal Reaches 20 Wins
With one weekend of conference play in the books, Stanford has already exceeded its win total from 2017, when the Cardinal finished 19-32. Stanford has reached the 20-win mark for the first time since a 30-25 campaign in 2014, which also represents the program's most recent winning season. Among Stanford's highlights is a six-game winning streak earlier this month, the Cardinal's longest since a 13-game unbeaten stretch to open 2014.

Dwyer Setting The Tone
Freshman Maddy Dwyer has been impressive in the circle as Stanford's primary starter. Through 16 starts, Dwyer has posted an 11-6 record with an ERA of 1.92. In 102.1 innings pitched, Dwyer has allowed only 79 hits while striking out 65. Dwyer was at her best in nonconference play, registering seven complete games and four shutouts. Dwyer has also converted in three saves in relief. 

Stolen Base Has Been A Staple
Stanford's offense is getting a serious boost from its success on the basepaths, ranking third in the Pac-12 with 41 stolen bases in 50 attempts. In fact, the Cardinal's 41 steals are more than the entire production from the last three seasons combined (8-10 in 2017, 4-5 in 2016 and 22-26 in 2015 for a total of 34 steals in 41 tries). The running game has been anchored by sophomore Teaghan Cowles, who is perfect in 14 attempts and ranks second in the conference. Sophomore Alyssa Horeczko is 10-13, giving Stanford two players with at least 10 steals for the first time since 2014. Both players are also pacing Stanford offensively, with Cowles leading the squad in batting average (.426), runs (25) and hits (43) while Horeczko is next up with a .351 batting average.

Moving Up
Sophomore Teaghan Cowles already ranks second all-time at Stanford with six triples this season—the most in a year since Cassandra Roulund had six in 2013. Cowles is two away from the single-season school record (8) set by Ashley Hansen in 2012. Hansen also holds the program's career record with 18. Cowles had already racked up 10 triples in her first 1.5 years on The Farm—fourth-most all-time and one away from matching Roulund for third.

THREE triples today from @thatonenerdygirl ?? #GoStanford

A post shared by Stanford Softball (@stanfordsoftball) on Mar 24, 2018 at 7:55pm PDT

Dixon, Howell Emerge As Contributors
Sophomores Montana Dixon and Hannah Howell have emerged as fixtures in the Cardinal lineup, making the transition as everyday players in their second season. Both have been reliable contributors, with Dixon starting all 28 games in which she has appeared while Howell is one of four players on the roster to start all 30 contests. Dixon is batting .324, leads the club in RBI (26), ranks second in runs (19) and sixth in hits (23). One year after hitting .185, Howell has raised her average to .323 and ranks second in hits (32).

Allister Returns To The Farm
Jessica Allister enters her first season at the helm after being named the Cardinal's fourth head coach on July 18, 2017. Allister arrived on The Farm after serving as the head coach at Minnesota for seven seasons, compiling a 290-107 (.730) overall record. Allister led the Gophers to unprecedented heights in 2017, registering a program-best 56-5 record and earning the first No. 1 national ranking in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll in program history. A second-team All-American in 2004 and three-time all-conference selection, Allister helped guide the Cardinal to four NCAA Women's College World Series appearances in 2001 and 2004. A four-year starting catcher, Allister holds the school record for most games played (266) and graduated among the top-10 in numerous career categories.

Up Next
Stanford hosts Fresno State on Tuesday at 6 p.m. PT before heading to Los Angeles for a three-game set at No. 3 UCLA, April 6-8.

 #GoStanford