The Cardinal expected to have one of the most productive lineups in the Pac-12 before the season started; after a slow start No. 3 Stanford (29-6, 13-2 Pac-12) is routing opponents and lighting up the scoreboard, winning nine of the past ten games.
Stanford has averaged 8.4 runs per game in the last 15 and hit 33 home runs. The Cardinal have had five home runs in a game twice in the past week (April 19 at Oregon and April 23 vs. San Jose State). Since Pac-12 play started the Cardinal are hitting .303.
"It has been a process," said head coach David Esquer after the 15-7 win over SJSU Tuesday. "We didn't start hot like we thought we'd be able to. We've been building into our game. Some guys are getting hot with the bat and we still have a few more guys to go. There are a couple guys who have yet to have their stretch and we're going to need that as we're moving on with the season."
The desert-hot hitting Arizona Wildcats come to The Farm Friday to try their hand at derailing Stanford's run of dominance. The Wildcats have lost five straight games but are dangerous. The lineup is balanced (.301/.484/.416) and is led by Nick Quintana’s nine home runs and 43 RBI. But the pitching staff's ERA of 6.37 explains a lot of the problems for Arizona (18-20, 6-12).
"They're a good club," Esquer said. "They've had a couple tough weeks but nothing indicative of the type of team they are, especially with the weather being warm here. That plays to their strength, which is offense. It's Pac-12 baseball; any given weekend, if you don't come ready to play, you can get surprised."
Aside from a head-scratching loss to UC Davis April 16 -- the first midweek loss since 2016 and to a 10-18 Aggies squad -- the Cardinal have been playing at a high level since dropping a high-pressure home series versus No. 1 UCLA.
"We really committed to learn from that series and not take it as a negative," Esquer said. "We didn't want to feel defeated. Let's pay attention to the things we need to do to flip that outcome or play a little bit better. It was the highest level of baseball that could be played in the country. Let's embrace it and not run from it."
The Bruins lineup was limping similar to Stanford before the start of the series between the top two ranked teams in the country. UCLA beat up Stanford's frontline pitchers in the second and third games of that series like no one else has this season. And the Bruins' elite pitching staff made it difficult for the Cardinal hitters, but junior slugger Andrew Daschbach (hitting .433 in Pac-12 play with six home runs and 15 RBI) described the success they had that weekend as a launchpad.
"In baseball, especially, success helps remind you how good you are as a player," he said. "After UCLA we started to realize how talented we are and I think that's rare coming off a two-loss series at home. But people are saying those are the best arms in the country and we won on Friday, scored five runs on Saturday and scored seven on Sunday. If we can do that against the best staff in the country then we should be able to put up double digits (against other teams)."
Daschbach was one of several of Stanford's best hitters who did not fare well in the non-conference schedule. He, Kyle Stowers and Tim Tawa each struggled to find their top form. They started playing like their normal selves when Pac-12 play began.
Stowers (.316 with two home runs and nine RBI) has done well since moving to leadoff and Tawa (.298 with four home runs and 14 RBI) is showing the pop in his bat.
Their emergence has reinforced the relatively steady trio of Will Matthiessen (overall .368 BA with team-leading 35 RBI); Brandon Wulff (.327 in Pac-12 with eight home runs and 17 RBI); and Maverick Handley (.333 in Pac-12 and 16 runs scored).
"It's funny because all year people have been saying the bats are going to get going," Daschbach said. "Just let it happen. Don't go out there and try to find something; let it come to you. It's about time that we started to get going."
In the meantime the Cardinal won with the reliable collaboration of the pitchers and defense. Stanford has allowed only 13 home runs this season and six in conference play. For comparison, Stanford is 29th nationally with 45 home runs.
And the team's fielding percentage of .978 (.980 in Pac-12) would be one of the better single season marks in program history.
Handley is the linchpin behind the plate. He helps direct a staff that knows its strength is pitching to the game plan and not for swinging strikeouts.
"The pitching staff trusts the defense," he said. "They're not trying to punch guys out, trying to overthrow a slider for a strikeout that ends up getting hung and getting banged out of the ballpark. They know to keep pitches down, try to get ground balls, and the defense is going to swallow it up, and I'm going to hopefully block it behind the dish."
And from his vantage point he's watched the team embrace its identity and improve.
"We took UCLA as another bump in the road," he said. "We're going into every series trying to do our game plan, our routine. We're definitely starting to buy into the team that we are. We're better than everybody."
