This weekend, #10 Stanford softball will welcome the California Golden Bears to The Farm for a three-game series. Stanford comes in at 32-9 overall and 8-7 in the Pac-12 while Cal comes in at 29-12-1 overall and 6-8-1 in the Pac-12. Game one will be on Friday at 6:00 PM PT on Pac-12 Bay Area. Game two will be on Sunday at 2:00 PM PT on Pac-12 Los Angeles. Game three will be on Sunday at 2:00 PM PT on Pac-12 Networks.
Last time out: Stanford defeated BYU 1-0 on Monday in a non-conference game. Stanford was in the Beehive State for a three-game series with Utah Friday through Sunday and decided to wrap things up with a single game against the Cougars in Provo. Stanford got swept by Utah in their road series, so it was big for them to defeat the Cougars. Utah is currently ranked #17 in the nation.
On Cal: The Golden Bears have had a strong season and are on the verge of being ranked, so they have a lot on the line in this series. Similar to Stanford, they’ve done in the non-conference, but conference play has been more of a grind given how deep and talented the Pac-12 is.
The top contact hitter for this Bears team is junior catcher Kacey Zobac, who is batting .383 for 8 home runs, 34 RBIs, a .687 slugging percentage, and a .510 on base percentage. The top power hitter for the Bears is senior 3rd baseman Makena Smith, who is batting .354 for 12 home runs, 39 RBIs, a .715 slugging percentage, and a .452 on base percentage.
As a team, the Bears are batting .302 for 58 home runs and 234 RBIs. Their opponents are batting .250 for 27 home runs and 146 RBIs. As for their pitching, the Bears have a 3.38 ERA while their opponents have a 5.72 ERA.
Keys to the series: For Stanford, the first thing they need to do is keep up their pitching intensity in the circle. If Alana Vawter (1.58 ERA), NiJaree Canady (0.12 ERA), and Regan Krause (2.09 ERA) keep bringing the heat, it’s going to be tough for the Bears to generate enough offense to win this series.
The second thing Stanford needs to do is find ways to bring home runners. They’ve done a decent job of getting hits all season long, but where they struggle is when it comes to bringing runners home once they’re on base. If Stanford can get the hits they need, they should be fine provided the pitching holds.
Finally, Stanford needs to match the energy that Cal is going to bring. It’s a rivalry series and Cal will look to pull off the upset on the road. This is a case where energy and grit will make a big difference. Whichever team comes out with more energy will have the edge.
Prediction: I got Stanford winning this series, but I think Cal will take a game off of them. The Bears are playing well and even with this being on the road, I think they’ll find a way to win a game. In truth, if Stanford isn’t careful, this is a series they could lose. It should be interesting to see how this one shakes out.
To connect with CardinalSportsReport.com on Facebook and Twitter, click here.
To connect with Ben Parker on Facebook and Twitter, click here.
Email: slamdunk406@yahoo.com
