Stanford Invitational NextStanford Invitational Next
John P. Lozano/isiphotos.com
Softball

Stanford Invitational Next

Complete Release (PDF) | Tournament Central
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Stanford (11-2) vs. #23 Northwestern (11-3)
Friday • 4:45 p.m. PT • Stanford, Calif.
Live Stream • Stanford Live Stream
Live Statistics • GoStanford.com

Stanford (11-2) vs. Montana (3-12)
Friday • 7 p.m. PT • Stanford, Calif.
Live Stream • Stanford Live Stream
Live Statistics • GoStanford.com

Stanford (11-2) vs. Montana (3-12)
Saturday • 4:45 p.m. PT • Stanford, Calif.
Live Stream • Stanford Live Stream
Live Statistics • GoStanford.com

Stanford (11-2) vs. North Dakota State (7-6)
Saturday • 7 p.m. PT • Stanford, Calif.
Live Stream • Stanford Live Stream
Live Statistics • GoStanford.com

Stanford (11-2) vs. North Dakota State (7-6)
Sunday • 11:15 a.m. PT • Stanford, Calif.
Live Stream • Stanford Live Stream
Live Statistics • GoStanford.com

Stanford (11-2) vs. Cal Poly (3-10)
Sunday • 1:30 p.m. PT • Stanford, Calif.
Live Stream • Stanford Live Stream
Live Statistics • GoStanford.com

QUICK HITS
» Stanford is receiving votes in the latest NFCA poll (10) ... owns a #21 ranking according to Fastpitch News ... has delivered 30 two-out RBI ... is 6-for-12 with the bases loaded (2 2B, 3B, HR) ... has put the leadoff hitter on base 35% of the time (29-for-83) ... leads the Pac-12 in triples (6) ... has scored first in nine of the 13 games this year ... has posted five or more runs in all but five games this season ... is tied for first in the Pac-12 in hit-by-pitches (14) ... has swiped 17 bases in 20 attempts to place fourth in the Pac-12 in stolen bases ... ranks fifth in the Pac-12 in ERA (1.63) ... is 1-0 against ranked opponents this year.
» Montana Dixon has been hit by five pitches this year to rank second in the Pac-12.
» Maddy Dwyer is 5-1 with a 1.43 ERA and one save over seven appearances (six starts).
» Taylor Gindlesperger is a perfect 5-for-5 in stolen bases.
» Alyssa Horeczko is a perfect 6-for-6 in stolen bases ... ranked fourth in the Pac-12 in stolen bases.
» Hannah Howell has reached safely in all five of her games played.
» Kristina Inouye ranks tied for seventh in the Pac-12 in RBI (14) ... is 10-for-25 (.400) with runners on base this year, including 9-for-18 (.500) with runners in scoring position.
» Emily Klingaman is second in the Pac-12 in triples (2).
» Carolyn Lee ranks fourth in the Pac-12 in ERA (1.11).
» Kiana Pancino is 3-0 with three saves and a 1.47 ERA over nine appearances (one start) ... leads the Pac-12 and is second in the nation in saves (3).
» Emily Young connected for a two-out inside-the-park grand slam in the bottom of the third against Seattle University on February 9.

THIS WEEK
Stanford will return home this week, hosting the five-team Stanford Invitational from Friday through Sunday. The Card will welcome Cal Poly, North Dakota State, No. 23 Northwestern and Montana to Smith Family Stadium. The full tournament schedule can be found on the tournament central page on the Stanford softball website. Stanford's portion of the tournament begins on Friday at 4:45 p.m. when it hosts Northwestern.

LAST TIME OUT
Stanford went 5-0 at the LSU Invitational last weekend, posting a pair of wins over CSUN, and beating No. 7 LSU, Michigan and Memphis to run its record to 11-2 - the best start to a season since 2014. The Cardinal hit just .207 over the weekend, but also pitched to a 1.60 ERA. Maddy Dwyer collected a pair of victories and converted the save in Stanford's 7-5 win over #7 LSU on Thursday night. The right-hander did not allow an earned run over 13.2 innings. Kiana Pancino (1-0, 1.75 ERA, 2 SV) and Carolyn Lee (1-0, 1.85 ERA) also impressed in the circle, with Lee striking out a career-best 10 hitters in Stanford's second win over CSUN on Sunday.

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS
» Stanford faculty/staff members can claim up to four (4) tickets to the march 27 doubleheader against Saint Mary's by participating in the BeWell program and completing their SHALA.

ALLISTER AT TIGER PARK
While she is 5-0 at LSU's Tiger Park as head coach of Stanford, Jessica Allister's success in that venue precedes her move to The Farm. Allister went 9-0 over two trips to Baton Rouge while leading Minnesota, finishing 5-0 in 2014 and 4-0 in 2017, to accumulate a 14-0 overall record at one of the toughest venues to play in the nation.

DON'T RUB IT
Stanford led the Pac-12 in hit by pitches in 2018, drawing 56. That trend has continued into 2019, as the Card has been hit by 14 pitches so far this season. Junior Montana Dixon leads the way with five hit by pitches, placing second in the Pac-12.
 
SIXTH INNING
Stanford's 5-0 record at LSU last weekend was highlighted by big sixth innings. The Card outscored opponents 14-2 in the sixth inning last weekend, including posting seven runs in the sixth against #7 LSU and six more against Michigan. Overall this season, Stanford is outscoring opposition 19-2 in the sixth.

A GREAT START
Stanford opened the year strong at the Kajikawa Classic, going 4-1 on the weekend. The Cardinal opened the year with victories over Bradley, Kansas, Western Michigan and Seattle before dropping an extra-inning affair to Weber State on Sunday. Stanford hit .305 with seven doubles, two triples and six homers en route to outscoring opponents, 36-15. The Cardinal pitching staff also excelled, registering a 2.10 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. Senior Carolyn Lee made three starts and pitched to a 1.09 ERA with a .99 WHIP over 19.1 innings, while sophomore Maddy Dwyer went 2-0 in her two starts.

HAVE A DAY, INOUYE
Junior infielder Kristina Inouye guided they way for Stanford offensively on Opening Day, finishing the two games hitting .833 (5-for-6) with two runs scored, a double, a triple and nine RBI. She slugged 1.333 and reached at an .857 clip. Overall on the weekend, Inouye batted .467 and drove in a Pac-12 best 11 runs while slugging .867. The native of Huntington Beach, Calif. posted 25 RBI a year ago.

BURKS LAUNCHES A PAIR
Senior Whitney Burks connected for a pair of home runs in the season-opener on February 8 against Bradley. The team leader in home runs with five in 2018, Burks wasted no time getting her first in 2019, sending a leadoff shot out to straight-away centerfield in the second inning before capping an eight-run seventh with a three-run home run. The native of Fairfax Station, Va. finished the game 2-for-3 with two runs scored, the four RBI and a pair of walks. The multi-homer game was the first of Burks' career, and the first for the Cardinal since Kylie Sorenson hit a pair at Hawaii on March 4, 2016.

A LOOK  BACK
Stanford finished the 2018 season with a 24-31 overall record and a 3-21 mark in the Pac-12. It was the most overall and conference wins for the Cardinal since 2014. In fact, after the first weekend of conference play, Stanford had already exceeded its win total from 2017. The Cardinal reached the 20-win mark for the first time since 2014. Among Stanford's highlights were a six-game winning streak in March, the Cardinal's longest since a 13-game unbeaten stretch to open 2014. The Cardinal also earned wins over UCLA and Arizona in the same season for the first time since 2013.

CARD PICKED EIGHTH IN PRESEASON POLL
Stanford has been chosen by the conference coaches to finish eighth in the stacked Pac-12 Conference this season, the league announced on February 5. UCLA, which received five first-place votes and totaled 61 points overall, edged Washington as the favorite to win the Pac-12 title. Washington received four first-place votes and 60 overall points. The Bruins and Huskies are ranked first and second, respectively, in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top-25 poll to open the season. Arizona is tabbed third with 50 points, followed by Arizona State in fourth with 43 points. California and Oregon State share fifth with 31 points, followed by Utah (19), Stanford (17), and reigning Pac-12 Champion Oregon (12) to round out the poll.

FOWKES, WHITE NAMED TO ISRAELI NATIONAL TEAM
Senior outfielder Molly Fowkes was added to the Israeli National Softball Team on January 23, joining a squad that already includes former Stanford standout Leah White. Fowkes, White and their teammates will compete at the European Championships in late June. The top six teams will then move on to compete at an Olympic Qualifying tournament in July. In order to play for Israel, athletes are required to have at least one Jewish parent or grandparent and must travel to Israel to receive dual citizenship.

ALL-REGION RECOGNITION
Teaghan Cowles and Hannah Howell earned National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-West Region third team honors at third base and outfield, respectively, last season. It was the first career honor for both Cowles and Howell.

ACADEMIC ACCOLADES
Stanford led the Pac-12 with nine all-academic picks last year. Carolyn Lee, Victoria Molina and Lauren Wegner were selected to the first team, while Whitney Burks, Teaghan Cowles and Arden Pettit landed on the second team. Alyssa Horeczko, Hannah Howell and Kristina Inouye were honorable mention. Additionally, Lee was a CoSIDA Academic All-District pick.

MAKE IT A TRIPLE
Teaghan Cowles had six triples in 2018, tying for second all-time for a single season in Stanford program history. It was the most in a year since Cassandra Roulund also had six in 2013. Cowles has racked up 10 triples in her first two years on The Farm - fourth-most all-time.

STOLEN BASE A STAPLE
Stanford's offense got a serious boost from its success on the basepaths last year, ranking fourth in the Pac-12 with 55 stolen bases in 67 attempts. In fact, the Cardinal's 55 steals were 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 was anchored by Teaghan Cowles, who was fifth in the conference going 18-19. Alyssa Horeczko was 12-16, ranking ninth in the Pac-12, to give Stanford two players with at least 10 steals for the first time since 2014. The Card has seemingly picked up where it left off, swiping 17 bases in its first 20 attempts this year. Horeczko is 6-for-6, while freshman Taylor Gindlesperger is 5-for-5 to lead the way.

SINGLE SEASON MARKS
Stanford's 17 triples and .974 team fielding percentage from 2018 both matched the third-best output in a single season in program history, while the Cardinal's 55 stolen bases tied for 10th. Individually, Teaghan Cowles's 18 stolen bases tied for the ninth-best mark in a single season.

ALLISTER RETURNS TO THE FARM
Jessica Allister completed 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.

MILESTONE FOR ALLISTER
Head coach Jessica Allister registered her 300th career win against Santa Clara on Feb. 25, 2018. Now in her eighth season as a head coach, Allister holds a 314-138 (.695) career record.