Sam GarewalSam Garewal
Maddie Hinkley / ISI Photos
Baseball

No. 25 Georgia Tech Visits for Players' Weekend

Stanford will continue a stretch of five home games in seven days this week when it welcomes No. 25 Georgia Tech for a three-game series in ACC play

Series Info

Game 1

Friday, 6:05 p.m.

Game 2

Saturday, 2:05 p.m.

Game 3

Sunday, 1:05 p.m.

Game Coverage

SERIES NOTABLES

This weekend's series will mark the first games in program history between the Cardinal and Yellow Jackets ... Stanford is a combined 4-4 against teams from Georgia, going 3-4 against Georgia and 1-0 against Georgia Southern

LEADING OFF

  • Stanford is unranked this week after spending time in the rankings in each of the last three weeks, reaching as high as No. 14 in the nation on March 17 ... has scored 189 runs in 26 games this season – an average of 7.27 runs per game ... is +19 in home runs this season, launching 37 compared to 18 allowed ... was picked to finish eighth in the ACC standings according to the league’s coaches ... has made 19 College World Series appearances, including having reached Omaha in three of the last four seasons ... 19 appearances are seventh-most in the nation ... returns 1,476 of 1,899 at bats (78%) and 469.2 of 481 innings (97.6%) from last year
  • Charlie Bates is currently out of the lineup due to an injury sustained in the series against California ... hit .636 (7-for-11) with six runs scored, two doubles, two triples and one RBI in the four-game series vs. Washington ... has hit safely in 12 of his 18 games played this year ... has managed three triples to rank second in the ACC and 17th in the nation
  • Temo Becerra has hit safely in four straight games ... had a six-game hitting streak snapped on March 24 vs. San Jose State, but has hit safely in 22 of the 26 games this season ... had a 14-game hitting streak dating back to 2024 snapped on February 21 ... has compiled nine multi-hit games and a team-high seven multi-RBI contests this year ... batted .375 (12-for-32) with six runs scored, a double and 11 RBIs in February
  • Trevor Haskins has hit safely in seven straight games ... homered in five consecutive games from February 21-28 - the first player to hit a homer in five consecutive games since Brock Jones managed the feat in six straight from May 15-25, 2022 ... had an 11-game hitting streak to start the year snapped on March 2 vs. Xavier, but has hit safely in all but three of his games played this season ... nine homers rank 11th in the conference ... leads the team in multi-hit games (12) and multi-RBI contests (7) ... was named ACC and NCBWA National Player of the Week on February 24 after batting .389 (7-for-18) with five runs scored, two doubles, three homers and 11 runs batted in while guiding Stanford to a 4-0 week that included a victory at Cal State Fullerton and three more vs. Washington ... hit .389 (7-for-18) with six runs scored, a double, four homers (one in each game) and 12 RBIs in a four-game series against Washington from February 21-24 ... finished the month of February hitting .366 (15-for-41) with a team-best 13 runs scored, three doubles, five homers and 17 RBIs to post an .805 slugging percentage ... launched three homers and scored 15 runs while driving in nine in March
  • Ethan Hott has connected for two homers after being held homerless in his first 52 games (157 at bats) ... has a hit in seven of his last 10 games played and has managed four multi-hit games this season ... hit .393 (11-for-28) with five runs scored, two doubles, two homers and nine RBIs in 10 games played in March
  • Brandon Larson contributed a pinch-hit, walk-off single to hand Stanford a 6-5 victory in 10 innings over Santa Clara on April 1 ... has managed a pair of three-hit games this season ... homered in back-to-back games vs. Xavier (March 2) and at No. 4 North Carolina (March 7) - the latter being a grand slam as part of a six-RBI day against the Tar Heels
  • Tatum Marsh has hit safely in six straight games and has reached in 22 straight entering the weekend ... fell a single short of the cycle on February 16 at Cal State Fullerton, including connecting for a go-ahead three-run home run in the sixth inning for his first collegiate round-tripper ... had a seven-game hit streak snapped in the finale vs. Duke on March 16 ... has been hit by 10 pitches this year to rank fifth in the ACC and 98th nationally while averaging .42 hit-by-pitches per game ... batted .370 (10-for-27) with a team-high 13 runs scored, two doubles, two triples, a homer and seven RBIs while managing a .528 on-base percentage (aided by five walks and four hit-by-pitches) in February ... hit .356 (16-for-45) with 10 runs scored, four doubles, a homer and eight RBIs in March
  • Jimmy Nati has hit safely in 12 straight and has homered in two of the last three games ... has hit safely in all but two games this season ... has contributed a team-best 13 extra-base hits (six doubles, seven home runs) ... ranks second on the team in home runs (7) ... has driven in a run in all but six games this year, including nine of his last 10 ... had an 11-game hitting streak to start the year snapped on March 2 vs. Xavier, also ending a 15-game hitting streak dating back to 2024 ... batted .351 (13-for-37) with eight runs scored, three doubles and seven RBIs in the month of February ... connected for seven home runs and three doubles while scoring 18 runs and driving in 16 during the month of March
  • Brady Reynolds had a six-game hit streak snapped at No. 4 North Carolina on March 8 ... owns 11 multi-hit games and has posted multiple hits in three of his last four entering the weekend ... has contributed a team-best 13 extra-base hits (six doubles, seven home runs) and ranks 15th in the ACC in slugging percentage (.645) ... homered in back-to-back games to close the series at Cal State Fullerton on February 16 and 17 and ranks second on the team in homers (7) ... has compiled five multi-RBI games this year and has contributed 23 RBIs in total to rank fourth on the team ... drove in 13 runs while batting .364 (12-for-33) with eight runs scored, two doubles and three homers in February ... batted .375 (21-for-56) with 16 runs scored, four doubles, four home runs and 10 RBIs in March
  • Rintaro Sasaki posted a multi-homer game on March 15 vs Duke, including a walk-off three-run homer to hand Stanford an 11-1 run-rule victory ... batted .429 (6-for-14) with three runs scored, three homers and eight RBIs vs. Duke ... had a seven-game hit streak snapped at No. 4 North Carolina on March 8 ... has hit safely in 19 of his first 26 collegiate games and has reached in all but three contests after opening his career with a string of 14 straight games reaching safely ... drove in four runs in his collegiate debut at Cal State Fullerton on February 15 and owns six multi-RBI games ... has compiled multiple hits in nine games this season ... batted a team-best .378 (14-for-37) with six runs scored, two doubles and 11 RBIs while posting a .477 on-base percentage in the month of February ... connected for four home runs while scoring six runs and driving in 14 during the month of March ... named Preseason National Freshman of the Year according to Baseball America and is the favorite to win ACC Freshman of the Year according to Baseball America and D1Baseball
  • Charlie Saum broke a scoreless game with a fifth-inning solo home run at No. 4 North Carolina in Stanford's series-clinching 7-0 shutout victory over the Tar Heels on March 9 ... owns eight extra-base hits (four doubles, four homers) this year ... has compiled seven multi-hit games this season ... connected for three home runs while scoring 11 runs and driving in 10 during the month of March
  • Matt Scott was a preseason All-American according to Baseball America (second team) and Perfect Game (third team) ... was a teammate with Georgia Tech's Drew Burress while playing with the U.S. Collegiate National Team this past summer
  • Joey Volchko was a preseason All-American according to Baseball America (second team) and Perfect Game (third team)

THIS WEEK

  • Stanford will continue a stretch of five home games in seven days this week when it welcomes No. 25 Georgia Tech for a three-game series in ACC play
  • The three-game set with Georgia Tech begins Friday at 6:05 p.m. before game two's first pitch at 2:05 p.m. on Saturday
  • Stanford and the Yellow Jackets will conclude the series with a 1:05 p.m. first pitch on Sunday
  • The series will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra and broadcast on KZSU 90.1 FM

UP NEXT

  • After the game series with Georgia Tech, Stanford will remain home to host UC Davis on Monday at 6:05 p.m.
  • The game will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra and broadcast on KZSU 90.1 FM
  • Stanford will then hit the road for three ACC games at Clemson next week

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS

  • Stanford's series against Georgia Tech from April 4-6 will be Players Weekend, with student-athlete personalities, nicknames, and passions shining throughout the weekend
  • The concession stand will also feature some of Stanford baseball’s favorites, including Rintaro Sasaki’s Chicken Katsudon, Joey Volchko’s Walking Tacos, Charlie Saum’s Bases Loaded Burger, Matt Scott’s Tots & Tenders, Trevor Moore’s Grilled Bratwurst, Christian Lim’s Lemon Pepper Wings, Jimmy Nati’s Carne Asada Nachos, Toran O’Harran’s Oreo Ice Cream Cone and Brady Reynolds’ Brownie Sundae
  • We'll be giving away shirzeys with the players weekend patch on the sleeve on Saturday, April 5 vs. Georgia Tech, while supplies last
  • Fans are invited to stick around after the game on Sunday, April 6 vs. Georgia Tech to get autographs from the entire team on the concourse

A LOOK BACK

  • Stanford suffered a sweep at Virginia last weekend - running its ACC losing streak to six games after being swept by Cal two weekends ago
  • The Cardinal led in all three games last weekend only to have Virginia claw back to earn the victories
  • Stanford hit .342 in the series at Virginia, collecting seven doubles and four homers, but the Cavaliers batted .373 with nine doubles, a triple and three homers to outscore the Cardinal 33-23
  • The Cardinal snapped a three-game skid and got back in the win column on Tuesday at home, defeating Santa Clara 6-5 in 10 innings on a walk-off single from Brandon Larson ... right-hander Kassius Thomas was instrumental in keeping the game tied headed to the bottom of the 10th, inheriting two runners with one out in the top of the frame before striking out Ben Cleary and Dylan Joyce to strand the bases loaded ... Stanford trailed 4-0 before even coming to the plate, as Santa Clara put up four runs on four hits in the top of the first to chase Stanford starter Nick Dugan after just one out recorded ... sophomore Ryan Speshyock took over for Dugan and righted the ship, getting out of the first and ultimately tossing 2 2/3 scoreless innings with five strikeouts to allow the Cardinal offense to breathe ... still trailing 4-0 headed to the bottom of the fourth, the Cardinal got on the board in that inning as Cort MacDonald legged out a double-play ball to drive in Jimmy Nati ... the Cardinal drew within a run in the fifth as Nati and Becerra contributed RBI-singles to cut the deficit to 4-3, and Trevor Haskins launched his team-best ninth homer of the year in the sixth to tie the game at 4-4 ... Santa Clara took advantage of an error charged to Haskins in the seventh to reclaim the lead at 5-4, but a sac fly from Becerra in the bottom of the seventh once again pulled the Cardinal even
  • Stanford’s bullpen was stellar on Tuesday, with seven relievers combining for 9 2/3 innings of one-run baseball – the only blemish being the unearned run charged to Trevor Moore in the seventh ... Ben Reimers followed Speshyock and pitched one inning before Sam Garewal struck out a pair over two scoreless ... Toran O’Harran followed Moore before Ty Uber struck out three over 1 2/3 innings in front of Thomas and his two strikeouts

BIG INNINGS KEYING VICTORIES, HURTING LATELY

  • Stanford has managed 15 different innings scoring at least four runs this season, posting a 12-0 record in games in which is manages at least one big inning
  • The Cardinal's high-water mark for a single inning is seven runs - managed twice this season on February 23 vs. Washington and February 28 vs. Xavier
  • Big innings have also been the undoing of Stanford lately, as the Cardinal has allowed seven such innings in the last eight games, going 2-6 over the span
  • The Cardinal led in all three games of a series at Virginia from March 27-29, but the Cavaliers used a big inning each contest to erase the deficit and eventually earn a series sweep over Stanford
  • Stanford enters Tuesday carrying a 4-6 record when allowing a big inning this season, having dropped six of the last seven when allowing a big inning

CALIFORNIA KINGS

  • Stanford is the winningest Division I program in California since the 2016 season, compiling 338 victories
  • UC Santa Barbara has won 334 games since 2016, followed by UC Irvine (311), UCLA (305) and Sacramento State (284)

TOUGH WITH TWO

  • The Cardinal is hitting .320 with two outs this season and has compiled 81 two-out RBIs while allowing 46 and limiting opponents to a .227 average
  • Brady Reynolds has totaled 15 two-out RBIs, while Rintaro Sasaki has delivered 12 and Jimmy Nati has plated 10
  • Reynolds has been especially clutch, batting .395 (15-for-38), along with Brandon Larson (.400), Sasaki (.356) and Temo Becerra (.355)
  • Included in the two-out totals are a 5-for-8 (.625) for Larson, an 11-for-19 (.579) for Reynolds and a 7-for-13 (.538) for Sasaki with runners in scoring position and two outs
  • On the mound, starter Christian Lim has allowed five hits with two outs this season, limiting the opposition to a .156 average (5-for-32) ... Aidan Keenan has also excelled at closing the door, allowing a 2-for-19 clip (.105) with two outs ... other notable relievers include Ben Reimers (.118), Ryan Speshyock (.125) and Ty Uber (.200)
  • Looking only at hitting with runners in scoring position and two outs, Stanford is batting .362 as a team in the situation while allowing a .244 average to its opponents

PRODUCTIVE IN THE 3RD, 6TH AND 8TH

  • Stanford is +31 in runs this season, outscoring its opponents 189-158
  • The third, sixth and eighth innings have been especially productive, with the Cardinal boasting a 28-13 advantage in the third, a 26-18 margin in the sixth and a 21-9 advantage in the eighth
  • The damage in the third has come in large part due to extra-base hits as Stanford has posted five doubles, two triples and eight homers in the third inning - the most round-trippers of any stanza this season ... the Cardinal has connected for seven homers in fifth innings and five in eighth innings this year

COMEBACK CARDINAL

  • The Cardinal has managed nine come-from-behind victories over the first 26 games this season
  • With that said, most of the comebacks have come in the first two-thirds of the game as the Cardinal is 1-7 when trailing after six innings and 1-5 when trailing after seven
  • Stanford erased a pair of five-run deficits in the final two games of a four-game set at Cal State Fullerton on February 16 and 17
  • The Cardinal trailed 8-4 after two innings and 11-6 after three on February 16, but scored four in the fifth, three in the sixth and one in the seventh to earn a 14-11 victory
  • The Cardinal trailed 5-0 after two innings, 6-3 after six and 7-3 after eight on February 17, but scored four in the ninth and two in the 10th to win 9-7
  • The comebacks continued in week two of the season, as Stanford erased two more late-inning deficits against Washington
  • Stanford trailed 9-7 in the sixth inning on February 22 before scoring four in the bottom of the sixth to eventually earn an 11-9 victory
  • The Cardinal trailed 3-0 headed to the sixth on February 23, but scored seven runs in the sixth en route to a 9-5 victory over the Huskies
  • Stanford allowed the first two runs in a game vs. Xavier on February 28, trailing 2-0 in the third, before responding with 10 unanswered runs to earn the 10-2 victory
  • Stanford allowed three runs in the first inning at No. 4 North Carolina on March 7 before outscoring the Tar Heels 7-3 over the final five frames to win 13-9
  • The Cardinal allowed the first run on March 14 vs. Duke, but responded with five unanswered to defeat the Blue Devils 5-1
  • Stanford trailed 4-0 headed to the third inning, but scored five in the third and four in the fourth to eventually defeat Duke 10-5 on March 16
  • Most recently, Stanford allowed four runs in the top of the first inning vs. Santa Clara on April 1, and trailed 5-4 in the seventh, before walking off with a 6-5 victory in 10 innings
  • The comeback in the finale at Cal State Fullerton on February 17 marked the first comeback in the ninth inning or later since defeating Washington State 5-3 in nine innings on April 5, 2024 despite trailing 3-1 headed into the final frame
  • The Cardinal managed 10 come-from-behind victories a year ago, including two in the seventh inning or later

AN EARLY SIGH OF RELIEF

  • Stanford's relief corps impressed through 18 games this season, with 10 relievers combining for a 7-0 record with a 3.86 ERA and six saves over 81 2/3 innings of work
  • The Cardinal bullpen did not allow a run over four games and 13 2/3 innings from March 9-16, surrendering just seven hits and two walks while striking out 19 batters
  • The early success did not continue over the next seven games, with Stanford relievers sporting an 0-4 record and an 8.63 ERA over 32 1/3 innings from March 21-29
  • Stanford’s bullpen was once again stellar on April 1 vs. Santa Clara, with seven relievers combining for 9 2/3 innings of one-run baseball – the only blemish being an unearned run charged in the seventh inning
  • Aidan Keenan has allowed 16 baserunners over 11 appearances and 15 2/3 innings while striking out 18 batters, limiting opponents to a .179 average against, and converting four saves (third in the ACC and 38th nationally) to go along with one victory
  • Keenan has inherited 10 runners this year, allowing just one to score
  • Ty Uber has recorded a victory and converted a pair of saves over 12 appearances, surrendering five runs on 12 hits with 19 strikeouts over 20 innings to manage a 2.25 ERA
  • Uber has allowed just four of his 13 inherited runners to score this season
  • Ben Reimers has allowed just five runs on 11 hits and six walks over his first 11 appearances and 16 1/3 innings this season to sport a 2.76 ERA while collecting a victory
  • Reimers has inherited 14 runners this year, allowing five to score

THE BATS ARE HOT

  • The Cardinal offense has been strong through the first seven weeks of the season, batting .309 with 189 runs scored, 277 hits, 42 doubles, six triples, 37 home runs and 179 RBIs while slugging .493 and posting a .390 on-base percentage ... the 277 hits rank 10th in the ACC, six triples rank seventh, and 37 home runs are eighth
  • Stanford is averaging 7.27 runs per game, 10.65 hits per game, 1.62 doubles per game and 1.42 home runs per game
  • The Cardinal had a string of 16 straight games with a home run snapped on March 21 (29 home runs over the span) - the longest streak of games with a homer since belting 52 homers in an 18-game span from May 1 - June 3, 2022 ... Stanford has homered in all but six games this season, but has been held without one in four of its last eight overall
  • Trevor Haskins has been one of the most dangerous hitters in the nation this year, compiling 29 runs scored, four doubles, nine homers and 27 RBIs, while Brady Reynolds has scored 24 runs to go along with six doubles, seven homers and 23 RBIs while batting .355
  • Reynolds has hit safely in 18 of the first 26 games of the season, compiling 11 multi-hit games and five multi-RBI contests
  • Haskins leads the team in multi-hit games with 12 and also paces the squad in multi-RBI games with seven
  • Jimmy Nati has hit safely in all but two of his games played this season, while Haskins has hit safely in all but three, and Temo Becerra in all but four
  • Nati has managed three multi-RBI games this year, but has driven in at least one in all but six games this season - including nine of the last 10 entering the weekend
  • Freshman Tatum Marsh paces the squad in average, batting .364 with seven doubles, two triples and two homers while scoring 24 runs and driving in 15 ... Marsh has hit safely in all but six of his games played and has reached in 22 straight entering the series vs. Georgia Tech
  • Rintaro Sasaki reached in each of his first 14 collegiate games, and has reached in all but three while posting nine multi-hit games and six multi-RBI contests
  • Sasaki has hit safely in all but seven games to start his career and posted his first three home runs in a series vs. Duke - including a two-homer game on March 15 - before adding one against Cal on March 22
  • The Cardinal offense guided Stanford to a 9-0 start in the month of February, batting .340 with 81 runs scored, 19 doubles, five triples and 10 homers to post a .529 slugging percentage and a .434 on-base percentage
  • Stanford's offense batted .291 with 102 runs scored, 22 doubles, a triple and 26 home runs in the month of March to boast a .478 slugging percentage
  • Stanford hit .355 with 42 runs scored, 55 hits, 10 doubles, two triples and four home runs in four games to open the season at Cal State Fullerton
  • The Cardinal hit .315 with 29 runs scored, seven doubles, two triples and five home runs to post a .524 slugging percentage in a four-game sweep of Washington in week two
  • Stanford split a four-game series with Xavier in week three, batting .305 with 25 runs scored, seven doubles, a triple and six home runs
  • The Cardinal managed 10 extra-base hits (five doubles, five home runs) and scored 21 runs over three games in a road series victory at No. 4 North Carolina to start ACC play
  • Stanford swept an ACC home series against Duke, hitting .323 with two doubles, a triple and nine home runs to outscore the Blue Devils 26-7

READY TO PLAY RIGHT AWAY

  • David Esquer wrote three freshmen into his Opening Day lineup, as Charlie Bates, Tatum Marsh and Rintaro Sasaki earned starts in their collegiate debuts
  • The three freshmen are the most for the Cardinal in an Opening Day lineup since Adam Crampton, Kody Huff and Brock Jones started game one in 2020
  • All three players have been key contributors through 25 games this season, with Marsh batting a team-best .364 with 24 runs scored, seven doubles, two triples, two home runs and 15 RBIs ... Marsh fell a single short of the cycle on February 16 at Cal State Fullerton, including connecting for a go-ahead three-run home run in the sixth inning for his first collegiate round-tripper, and has made a handful of spectacular defensive plays in the outfield - including a diving catch at Virginia on March 29 that earned the No. 3 spot on SportsCenter's Top 10 plays
  • Sasaki has driven in 25 runs while batting .296 with 12 runs scored, three doubles - including a three-RBI double to help spark a comeback victory over Cal State Fullerton on February 16 - and four home runs ... Sasaki homered three times in the series vs. Duke from March 14-16 while batting .429 with three runs scored and eight RBIs
  • Bates hit .636 (7-for-11) with six runs scored, two doubles, two triples and one RBI in the four-game series vs. Washington from February 21-24 and has totaled a team-best three triples to go along with three doubles and 12 runs scored through his 18 games played

STACKED WINS TO START THE YEAR

  • Stanford began the season 9-0 for the first time since opening the 2018 campaign at 10-0 - the first season under Clarke and Elizabeth Nelson Director of Baseball David Esquer
  • The nine-game win streak to start the season was the longest win streak for Stanford since winning 17 straight from May 3 – June 3, 2022

CARDINAL TABBED EIGHTH IN PRESEASON POLL

  • Preparing for its first season in the ACC, Stanford was picked to finish eighth in the conference standings according to the league’s coaches
  • The Cardinal, which has made a trip to the College World Series in three of the last four seasons, is looking for a bounce-back year after missing the NCAA Tournament in 2024
  • Virginia, one of four ACC squads to reach the College World Series a year ago, was selected as the 2025 ACC preseason favorites after garnering 13 of the 16 possible first-place votes ... Florida State and North Carolina, both of which made the College World Series in 2024, were slotted in second and third places, respectively ... the Seminoles logged 230 total points and two first-place votes, while the Tar Heels earned 217 total points
  • Clemson recorded the final first-place vote and totaled 214 points as they were projected as the fourth-place finisher ... reigning ACC Champion Duke was slotted as the fifth-place team, earning 182 total points
  • Wake Forest was tabbed as the sixth-place finisher with 171 total points, while NC State was picked narrowly behind the Demon Deacons with 168 total points ... like Florida State, North Carolina and Virginia, NC State also made a trip to the 2024 Men’s College World Series
  • Stanford (143 points), Louisville (128) and Georgia Tech (113) rounded out the top 10 of the ACC’s preseason poll
  • Seven of the 16 ACC teams entered the 2025 season ranked in the D1Baseball and Baseball America Top 25 polls, including Virginia checking in at No. 2 according to D1Baseball and No. 5 by Baseball America ... Clemson, Duke, Florida State, NC State, North Carolina and Wake Forest also entered the year ranked by the publications

REPPING THE RED, WHITE AND BLUE

  • Matt Scott and Joey Volchko were selected to play with the 2024 United States Collegiate National Team following the conclusion of the season
  • Scott pitched for the U.S. in the International Friendship Series vs. Chinese Taipei while Volchko played for Team USA in a Summer League tour
  • This weekend will reunite Scott with a teammate from Team USA, as Georgia Tech was represented by Drew Burress
  • Scott's squad swept all five games against Chinese Taipei and Volchko and the U.S. went 3-1 in four games on the summer circuit
  • The International squad also defeated the Summer Tour group 4-3 in a Fourth of July game
  • Scott got the start in the finale against Chinese Taipei, working four scoreless innings and allowing just one hit and a walk with two strikeouts
  • Volchko got the start against the Coastal Plain League's best, allowing one run on one hit with seven strikeouts over four innings in a 2-1 victory for the Collegiate National Team

RINTARO HAS ARRIVED

  • Rintaro Sasaki, the top-ranked high school baseball player in Japan, is in his first season on The Farm
  • Sasaki has been tabbed the preseason National Freshman of the Year according to Baseball America and is the preseason Freshman of the Year pick in the ACC according to D1Baseball and Baseball America
  • He entered the year ranked No. 1 among freshmen according to Baseball America and No. 3 according to Perfect Game
  • Rintaro made his stateside debut last summer for the Trenton Thunder in the Draft League before finishing with an outstanding nine-game stint in the Appy League over which he slashed .391/.913/1.508 with three home runs and eight RBIs
  • The power-hitting first baseman graduated from Hanamaki-Higashi High School in March of 2024, enrolled at Stanford for the spring quarter last year, and began practicing with the program upon his arrival in March
  • While he practiced with the team during the 2024 campaign, Sasaki did not play in a game for the Cardinal
  • "We are excited to welcome Rintaro into our Stanford family," David Esquer said following Sasaki's signing. "He may be the most high-profile international prospect to play college baseball in the United States in a long time. His power bat plays right into our style of play, and we look forward to him contributing immediately to help us achieve our goals of competing for and winning national titles."
  • Sasaki hit a Japanese high school record 140 home runs, and was projected to be selected first overall in the Nippon Professional Baseball Draft, but forewent the Draft to attend Stanford
  • According to scouts, in addition to boasting elite raw power, Sasaki has also shown an advanced approach at the plate - walking twice as many times as he struck out
  • Training under his father, Hiroshi Sasaki, Sasaki posted an impressive slash line of .413/.514/.808 during his high school career
  • Shohei Ohtani starred for Hanamaki-Higashi (while being coached by the elder Sasaki) before signing with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, while Yusei Kikuchi also prepped under Sasaki at Hanamaki-Higashi before playing for the Saitama Seibu Lions
  • Helping to blaze a trail for Japanese high school players looking to play in the United States, Sasaki chose to attend Stanford for the quality of education and to take steps toward achieving his dream of playing in Major League Baseball

NO PLACE LIKE HOME

  • Often considered one of the most beautiful college baseball facilities in the country, Klein Field at Sunken Diamond is the home to Stanford baseball
  • The “Sunken Diamond” name comes from the excavation to provide fill for the earthen berm within which Stanford Stadium was built in 1921, leaving a large, sunken field
  • The fixed seating capacity of Klein Field at Sunken Diamond is 2,113 ... with the addition of disabled seating and general admission lawn seating, the total capacity of the facility is 4,000
  • The original dimensions were 360 feet to left field, 350 to right field, and 500 feet to center field ... in 1978, a new seven-foot high fence was installed, bringing the dimensions to the current 335 to both left and right fields, and 400 to center field ... the outfield fence was increased to 10 feet in 1995
  • Sunken Diamond features ample foul ground from first to third base, with home plate sitting approximately 70 feet from the backstop

ACC BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

  • Beginning this spring with the 2025 ACC Baseball Championship in Durham, N.C., all 16 teams in the ACC will compete in a single-elimination championship
  • The championship will remain six days as it has in previous years, running from Tuesday, May 20, through Sunday, May 25, 2025, from Durham Bulls Athletic Park
  • Since 2006, the ACC Baseball Championship has been played in a pool play or round-robin style format ... the tournament last expanded its field size in 2017, moving from 10 to 12 teams
  • Under the new format, the top four seeds in the championship will be based off the performance in the regular season and will receive a double-bye into the quarterfinal round, which is scheduled to be held on Thursday and Friday ... seeds five through eight will earn a bye into Wednesday’s second round ... seeds 9-16 will begin play with four first-round games on Tuesday
  • The single-elimination championship format will feature four games per day on Tuesday (first round) and Wednesday (second round) ... two quarterfinal games will take place on both Thursday and Friday, while Saturday will host the two semifinal contests ... Sunday will host the championship game
  • The ACC Baseball Championship returns to Durham for the 14th time overall and the ninth time since 2009

GOODBYE PAC-12, HELLO ACC

  • The 2024 season was Stanford's final in the Pac-12 conference, as the Cardinal joined Bay Area rival California as new members of the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2025
  • Stanford was one of the oldest members of the Pac-12 Conference, joining the then Pacific Coast Conference, founded in 1915, for the 1918 season
  • The Cardinal won 21 Pac-12 titles, with the first coming in 1924 and the last in 2023
  • The ACC sent eight teams to the NCAA Tournament in 2024, including an NCAA-record tying four teams to the Men’s College World Series
  • Five ACC baseball programs competed in the Super Regional round with four teams earning the right to host a year ago
  • The ACC has placed at least one team in each of the last 18 College World Series and at least six teams in each of the last 20 NCAA Tournaments

HOME OF CHAMPIONS

  • Stanford is the all-time leader with 136 NCAA team championships (71 men, 65 women), and 168 national championships overall (77 men, 89 women, 2 coed)
  • So far this athletic year, Stanford has won a national title in artistic swimming
  • The Cardinal owns the most recognizable streak in college athletics, having won at least one NCAA team title during each of the last 48 seasons, dating back to the 1976-77 campaign
  • Entering the 2024-25 athletic year, the Cardinal has also produced 562 NCAA individual champions and 645 overall
  • Stanford has won the Learfield Directors’ Cup in 26 of the possible 30 seasons, including a 25-year streak from 1995-2019

#OLYMPIANSMADEHERE

  • Stanford concluded the 2024 Paris Olympic Games with a school-record 39 medals, shattering its previous best while cementing its reputation on the world’s biggest stage as the nation’s top collegiate program
  • The 39 medals were 12 more than the previous record of 27 at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games
  • Stanford’s haul of 39 medals (12 gold, 14 silver, 13 bronze) was the most by any school at one Olympics
  • Cardinal student-athletes medaled in 13 of Stanford's 36 varsity sports: artistic swimming, women’s basketball, women’s fencing, men’s gymnastics, sailing, men’s rowing, women’s soccer, women’s swimming and diving, men’s track and field, men’s volleyball, women’s volleyball, men’s water polo, women’s water polo
  • The Cardinal boasted 19 first-time medalists - a total that ranks second in school history behind the 21 at the 2008 Beijing Games
  • If Stanford was a country in the 2024 Games, it would have finished tied with Canada for 11th place
  • Boasting a school-record 59 Olympians with Cardinal ties, Stanford won at least 20 medals for the sixth time in school history (2020, 2016, 2008, 1996, 1924)
  • The Cardinal’s 59 Olympians (20 male, 39 female) represented 14 countries across 20 varsity sports
  • In addition to the 59 qualifiers, Stanford’s Olympic representation also included five alternates, one national team head coach and three national team assistant coaches
  • For the third straight Olympics, Stanford totaled more Team USA selections (37) than any other school, reinforcing its status as the preeminent training ground for U.S. national team competition
  • Stanford has won 128 medals combined over the last five Summer Games
  • All told, Stanford’s affiliates have captured 335 overall medals (162 gold, 93 silver, 80 bronze) from 196 medalists, and the Cardinal has produced at least one medalist in every Olympics in which the U.S. has competed since 1912