STANFORD, Calif. - The Cardinal head to Florida this week, set for the Clearwater Invitational that features a stacked lineup of participating teams. Stanford opens up against Georgia Tech before facing No. 7 Florida State, No. 3 Texas and No. 2 Tennessee in succession. The weekend ends with a rematch against Minnesota, who the Card beat 3-0 last weekend. All five games will be broadcast nationally on the ESPN family of networks.
Clearwater is calling
Stanford heads to Clearwater, Fla. for a strong slate of nationally televised games against some of the top teams in the nation. Day one of the tournament features a tilt with Georgia Tech followed by No. 7 Florida State, with both games on ESPN U. Day two sees the Card take on a pair of top-three teams in the country in No. 3 Texas and No. 2 Tennessee, with both games broadcast on ESPN 2. The Card finishes on day three with a rematch against Minnesota, after beating the Gophers 3-0 in San Diego.
NiJaree still doing NiJaree things
Through three games, sophomore pitcher NiJaree Canady leads the NCAA in strikeouts with 33. Canady went 1-1 in two starts at the SDSU Season Kickoff, adding in a save in her lone relief appearance. Canady boasts a 0.43 ERA in 16.1 innings pitcher, allowing just four hits and one earned run. The Topeka, Kans. product has walked just two while striking out 33 - with opposing batters hitting just .074. Canady was named the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week for her efforts, the fourth time in her career that she's earned the honor.
Caelan Koch's return
After an injury ended last season, senior Caelan Koch returned in emphatic fashion last week. On opening day, she slugged a two-run homer to pad the Cardinal lead in a 3-0 win. Through five games, Koch leads Stanford in batting average (.357), hits (5), RBI (3) and OPS (.971).
Making their debuts
Freshmen Ava Gall, and Jade Berry, as well as sophomore transfer Taryn Kern, all earned their first hits with the Cardinal over the weekend. Kern tripled on Feb. 8, scoring on the next pitch to give Stanford the win over then-No. 24 San Diego State. Gall hit two doubles on the weekend, while Berry hit a two-out double to score two and give the Card the lead against UC Santa Barbara. Freshman pitcher Alyssa Houston made her first start in the circle, pitching 2.2 scoreless innings while allowing just two hits.
Dominant in the circle
The Cardinal pitching staff finished the weekend with a 0.79 ERA, striking out 45 and allowing just 23 hits in five games. Senior Regan Krause went 2-1 to start the year, allowing just three runs in 13.1 innings of work.