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| Game Info |
Stanford vs. No. 3 UCLA
Klein Field at Sunken Diamond
Friday, April 24 - 7 p.m. PT
Hanewich (2-3, 4.35) vs. Kaprielian (7-3, 2.12)
Pac-12 Networks (JB Long, JT Snow)
Saturday, April 25 - 7 p.m. PT
Brakeman (1-1, 3.15) vs. Watson (6-3, 2.15)
ESPNU (Roxy Bernstein, Mike Rooney)
Sunday, April 26 - 2 p.m. PT
TBA vs. Canning (6-1, 2.63)
Pac-12 Networks (JB Long, JT Snow) |
| All-Time Series |
Stanford leads, 156-105 (.598) since 1959
Streak: Stanford W2
Last: Stanford 5, UCLA 2 (5.4.14)
2014: Stanford, 2-1 |
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STANFORD, Calif. -- Stanford welcomes No. 3 UCLA to Klein Field at Sunken Diamond Friday-Sunday in hopes of its third straight Pac-12 series win. The Cardinal has not lost a series to the Bruins since 2010.
Stanford (17-21, 4-11 Pac-12) has gotten back on track with six wins in its last nine games after a slow start. Series victories over California and Utah and a near no-hitter against the Bears during a non-conference game Tuesday give the Cardinal momentum into its three games against the highly-touted Bruins.
UCLA (29-8, 14-4 Pac-12) sits atop the Pac-12 standings, having not dropped a series all season. A powerful pitching staff with each weekend starter sporting a below-3.00 ERA is the strength to the consensus top-4 squad.
The Bruins follow Friday-night starter and Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year candidate James Kaprielian (7-3, 2.12 ERA) with senior lefty Grant Watson (6-3, 2.15 ERA) and freshman right-hander Griffin Canning (6-1, 2.63 ERA). Stanford will match with Brett Hanewich (2-3, 4.35 ERA) and Marc Brakeman (1-1, 3.15 ERA), who continues his climb back from injury.
Stanford’s lineup may not be at full strength for the test against UCLA’s staff. Leading hitter Mikey Diekroeger (.315, HR, 15 RBI) has not played in the last three games, as he battles a shoulder injury, and Austin Barr (.292, 2 HR, 15 RBI) has been out since April 3.
Drew Jackson and Zach Hoffpauir, the winners of the last two Pac-12 Player of the Week awards, give Stanford enough fire power to compete with anyone. Hoffpauir is hitting .319 with three homers and 12 RBI in April, while Jackson is riding a five-game hitting streak and seven-game reached base streak entering the weekend.
The Cardinal has raised its team batting average from .237 to .252 over the last nine games, thanks in part to the hot hitting of Hoffpauir and Jackson. Committing one or fewer errors in eight of the last nine has also helped Stanford find itself on the winning side more frequently.
The schedule does not get any easier for Stanford, as trips to Oregon and No. 7 USC are coming up over the next two weekends.
