David Esquer’s first season as head coach of his alma mater produced the program’s first conference title since 2004 and a national No. 2 seed. While that’s a tough act to follow, the Cardinal are motivated to build a stronger team than one that won 46 games, but was unable to win three in the regional round at Sunken Diamond for the second straight year.

Last season Stanford’s starters and bullpen combined to form one of the best pitching staffs in the country. But gone are elite arms Tristan Beck and Kris Bubic who shortened games every Friday and Saturday.

This season the lineup is expected to hold up the pitchers while they get their legs underneath them, which may not take too long if a couple things break right for the Cardinal and pitching coach Thomas Eager.

Stanford lost several top performers and leaders from last season -- Beau Branton and Nico Hoerner, Beck and Bubic in many ways became the core of the team -- but a major strength of the program is its culture. The Cardinal don't feel like they need to rely on one player, or a group, to lead the locker room and the dugout during games.

“There are no egos," said Kyle Stowers, a preseason All-American left fielder. "We all care about each other’s success. When Wulffy (Brandon Wulff) has a great game it means just as much to me as when I do. All 35 guys can say the same about each other. It’s not about who does the job, it’s about getting the job done.”

Esquer wants to establish a familial bond within the team that makes it difficult for players to leave, which the players discussed in this video put together by Stanford.

“They’ve had great role models," Esquer said of the current team's culture. "You have Nico Hoerner, who was a first-round draft pick, and he was able to play with no ego. Tristan Beck and Kris Bubic were as hard a workers and team players as you’ve been around. Those are the things that when they’re passed on are more important than the baseball skills … because that’s long lasting.”

According to Stanford, the players who produced 95 percent of the team's home runs, 79 percent of RBI and 74 percent of total bases last season are back. That's a strong starting point considering players are bound to improve, including Cardinal who have worked to earn greater roles this season.

Esquer announced a tentative lineup during the Bay Are media day that is of course subject to change: Catcher Maverick Handley, left fielder Kyle Stowers, INF Tim Tawa, first baseman Andrew Daschbach, right fielder Brandon Wulff, DH Will Matthiessen, INF Duke Kinamon, INF Brandon Dieter and center fielder Alec Wilson.

Center fielder Christian Robinson is one to watch and is someone Esquer and assistant coach Tommy Nicholson (infield, hitting and third base coach) say will force his way onto the field. The question is where, and not just for Robinson. There is position flexibility throughout the roster.

Kinamon was a star second baseman his sophomore season before missing his junior year due to an injury. But he may play shortstop as well. Tawa can play shortstop, second base or third base, where he set up most of his freshman all-american season. Dieter can play second or shortstop.

No opposing coach will cry tears that Esquer has so many appealing options.

Daschbach and Stowers grabbed a lot of attention last season because of their big-swing potential. The power they provided in the middle of the lineup was crucial to the team's success and will be again.

Tawa may be poised to leap to stardom.

"Tim continues to get better the more he plays," Nicholson said. "Coming from Oregon, playing three sports, there was a lot more for him to tap into. There is still a lot more."

Tawa hit seven home runs with 41 RBI, 44 runs and a team-high 18 doubles last year. It's well known that he was a three-time Oregon state player of the year in football and his composure in big moments was impressive for a freshman.

He'll take on a greater role as a the No. 3 hitter after spending a lot of time at leadoff last year. Handley will likely have that job this season. It's a rare honor for a catcher but it's a recognition of his skill set.

“Having Coach Esquer announce that solidifies the amount of work I’ve put in with him during the past fall and winter. Especially growing into a high on-base percentage guy, being able to run the bases and do the little things that help teams score runs.

“After this fall and winter I feel really confident with the bat. Especially with me it’s my mental approach to get to what type of player I am and what I’m best at doing. I don’t need to compete with guys like Daschbach and Stowers. Know my role as a guy who gets on base, runs the bases well and have the mentality that I want to lead the league in runs scored.”

There are a number of players who made significant strides from last season, Nicholson said. But Robinson could have a breakout season for the Cardinal.

“Shoot, Christian has just been getting better and better," Nicholson said. "He had a really good summer. He came back swinging the bat well. He still had a of development to do in the fall to be more consistent with his swing, and put the barrel on the ball more consistently. He’s a real student of the game and he’s learning a lot.

"I always have to remember he could be a freshman. He reclassified and came a year early. For him to have the experience he had (last year) is huge because he’s ahead of the game. He’s like Tim in that he has a lot of raw ability. In scrimmages the last couple weeks he’s looked really good. Hopefully he can carry that into the season. I kid with him that he has more power than any guy who didn’t hit any home runs last year. I think he’s capable of that. It’s a matter of good swings.”

Stanford returns a lot of established talent in the lineup and that's true in some ways with the pitching, but pieces have been moved around in a way that creates questions about how it will work out.

"The question obviously will be pitching," Esquer said. "(You don’t lose) Tristan Beck and Kris Bubic and have those caliber of guys waiting in the wings."

But there is another Beck waiting. Brendan, Tristan's brother, will take over the family business of starting on Friday night. Brendan was 8-0 his freshman year with a 2.43 ERA in 66.2 IP.

Brendan can't bring the heat like Tristan, but he earned an impressive compliment from pitching coach Thomas Eager last year that Eager felt most comfortable calling a game for Brendan, because the younger Beck has complete control of all three of his pitches (fastball, changeup, slider).

“I still feel really comfortable with all my pitches," Beck said. "I’m not going to be the guy who can rear back and blow 90-plus by you. I’m definitely a mix and match kind of guy. So far this fall and winter we’ve really worked on refining those things and making them better. I’m trying to make my slider a bit more of an out pitch, trying to miss a few more bats.”

Beck may not have the definition of "Friday stuff" but he has the confidence and command on the mound to win big games. Eager pointed to wins at Texas and in the regional elimination game against Baylor as prime examples of Beck's mental toughness.

"I remind him you don’t have to be a different pitcher because you’re pitching on Friday," Eager said. "We want you to do what you did before and we’ll handle the rest.”

Who starts on Saturday has not been officially announced but the current leader is reportedly sophomore left-hander Jacob Palisch. He pitched 47 innings last year and recorded a 1.72 ERA, .198 B/AVG and .75 WHIP.

“This past winter he has been lights out. He’s hard to hit the first and second time around," Handley said.

Erik Miller is set to start on Sunday even though he has the ability to be the ace of most pitching staffs. Miller's physical ability has never been the question. He's a 6-5, power lefty who has everything that makes scouts swoon. He had a great summer in Cape Cod and he has received preseason all-america recognition.

“There are a couple things mechanically but it all starts between the ears for him," Eager said of Miller's struggles in the past. "It’s what is he trying to accomplish on every pitch, and one pitch at a time, and moving to the next pitch. Don’t worry about something that happened, whether it’s a hard-hit ball, a walk or an error. It’s getting onto the next pitch and not letting frustration fuel him to try to do more. With him less is always more. His stuff is really good. I always remind him he doesn’t have to do too much.”

Handley has been working with Miller all fall and winter after Miller appeared to make strides in Cape Cod.

“He figured out how to throw strikes. With the stuff he has I would not want to face that guy on Sunday. He has been working on his mental game. Physically he’s all you want. He knew that and he … found what his weakness is and addressed it. It takes a lot of character to do that. I’m sure he doesn’t want to be a Sunday guy, but for him he’s bought into what the team wants. Right now we need him at Sunday.”

Before last season everyone expected Stanford's starting pitching to be at least good, if not great. The bullpen was a major question mark. A year later there is confidence that the bullpen is in good hands.

The No. 1 reason is that Jack Little is arguably the best closer in college baseball and he has the ability to shut down the final three innings of a game. He's a unanimous first-team all-american on preseason list.

He tied the program record with 16 saves as a sophomore and he allowed three earned runs in 45.1 IP. He struck out 58 and only walked eight batters. His .60 WHIP led the team.

Little's presence makes every other decision about how to organize the bullpen easier. If Palisch starts then Will Matthiessen likely takes the role of setting up Little. Like Little, Matthiessen can pitch multiple innings and in key games Stanford may only need that two-man combination to end the game after the starter steps off the mound.

But there are other good options as well. Submariner Zach Grech pitched 34 innings last year and was a clutch performer in tough situations.

“Has been unbelievable this winter," Handley said of Grech. "He has been nasty this fall and winter.”

Left-hander Austin Weiermiller also has been praised for his improvement this offseason. He started two games last year and had several long relief outings. He was 5-1 as a freshman.

Two freshmen will be expected to help right away. Right-hander Alex Williams will probably be the mid-week starter and Eager compared his skill set to Beck. Like Beck he's a confident pitcher capable of working both sides of the plate with all of his pitches, but won't miss bats with heat.

The one who has that ability is Cody Jensen.

“He’s pretty nasty," Handley said. "He has some freshmen tendencies. He gets a little wild and is not all the way there mentally. He’s got some good (stuff).”

Stanford's pitching staff does not have feature many guys who are expected to miss bats. Tristan Beck and Bubic could post 10-strikeout games, but that's not likely to happen often with the current group.

That means there's a lot of pressure on the defense to make sure that weak contact, and the occasional hard-hit ball, is an out. So, it's a good thing that most of the players who helped post a .9782 fielding percentage are back. That was the third best mark in school history.

Stanford loses highlight-machine Hoerner at shortstop, but multiple athletes are available to fill in, including his old double-play partner, Kinamon. The senior infielder made only four errors on 305 chances his sophomore season. He has great range and can play on either side of second base.

Handley is one of the best human backstops in the country. Losing him to injury before the Oregon State series last year was a major blow to the pitching staff's ability to not care about getting the baseball dirty.

Stanford has some questions to figure out about balancing offense with defense at certain spots. For example, Wulff is a solid right fielder and his bat is a must-have in the lineup. But Wilson and Robinson are better defenders who aren't as consistent, yet, at the plate.

Esquer likes to make defensive substitutions late in games and Wilson, and Nick Brueser at first base, were often brought in for those situations.

Stanford's glove work is expected to make life easier for the pitchers regardless of who exactly is on the field.