STANFORD BASEBALL 2010 SEASON OUTLOOK COACHING STAFF 2010 PLAYER PROFILES 2009 SEASON REVIEW BASEBALL HISTORY PROFESSIONALS RESULTS/RANKINGS STANFORD UNIVERSITY 2010 OPPONENTS 21 • www.gostanford.com 2010 Cardinal ALL MEDIA GUIDE B 2010 BASE 2010 STANFORD BASEBALL Infielder Stephen Piscotty is another talented freshman, after hitting .450 last year across the Bay in Pleasanton at Amador Valley High. Also returning is infielder Adam Gaylord, who hit .289 last year. He is slated to play third base. Veteran Jonathan Kaskow is slated to start at first after batting .242, but Marquess has the option to use Justin Ringo, Piscotty, or outfielders Kellen Kiilsgaard and Kellen McColl. The starter at first, said Marquess, will be one who is swinging the bat best. Uncharacteristic for a Stanford club, the 2009 squad batted just .279, the lowest batting average since the 1989 team hit .276. Following the free swingers of 2008, who struck out a record 481 times (in 12 extra games), the 2009 team struck out 419 times, the second most in school history. While the 2008 CWS team hit 81 home runs, last year’s squad hit just 49 and scored just 341 runs. The biggest question mark going into the season will be how the offense develops. The one positive is that they fielded at a .977 clip, a school record. Despite the frustrations at the plate, it did not carry over to the field. In the outfield, Kiilsgaard is coming off a strong summer in Alaska and a .313 sophomore season as he drove in 46 runs. The team’s largest production came from the outfield last year, which needs to be replaced; Brett Milleville (.306, 52 RBIs, 14 homers) and Joey August (.304, 36 RBIs) both graduated. Heisman Trophy runner-up Colin Walsh Toby Gerhart (.288, 36 RBIs) decided to forego his final baseball season to prepare for the NFL Draft. Jake Stewart is one of those players expected to step right in right away. Stewart, a top-100 prospect out of high school, hit .544 last year. He is probably the team’s fastest outfielder and is slated to play center. Junior David Giuliani, who has appeared in just 10 games, has been impressive in the fall and has fought his way into the lineup. Guiliani 2010 Outlook is almost as fast as Stewart, and maybe the outfielder with the best arm. McColl should also see significant time in the outfield. Another rarity for the club was its ERA, 5.12. Just three times since 1980 has the tanford Baseball, despite not making the postseason in 2009, have reason for club produced an ERA over 5.00. If history is any indication, each of those club’s next Shigh hopes in 2010. The Cardinal’s recruiting class is one of the nation’s best, the seasons, produced an ERA a run lower. defense from catcher through the middle infield to center field is an anchor point for the Lefthander Brett Mooneyham is the team’s returning wins leader, going 6-3 with a rest of the team, and with a combined 82 years of coaching experience in the dugout, 4.14 ERA in 13 games last season. If it wasn’t for back-to-back starts in early May in the Cardinal are poised for a run through Omaha. which he gave up 11 runs over 10.1 innings, the southpaw would have had an ERA “I’m happy with how the fall went,” said head coach Mark Marquess. “The freshman under 4.00. Mooneyham, who struck out at least 10, three times last year, finished the class is living up to the hype. They have adjusted to the program and made it very year by allowing just one earned run over his last two starts (0.60 ERA). Control was an competitive.” issue, as he walked 54 on the season. In the over three decades Marquess has been at the helm of the Stanford program, Jordan Pries was another young pitcher that struggled at times adjusting to the the Cardinal has made an NCAA Regional 25 times. Fourteen times it has furthered its college game. Finishing with a 4-4 mark and 4.62 ERA, it could have been that much quest to the College World Series. It has played in five championship games. In 1987 better, as the righthander gave up 14 runs over his final three starts. and 1988, it won national titles. Pries earned the starting assignment after the first two weeks in the bullpen, starting This year’s team returns five starters and two-thirds of a weekend rotation. Each his final 11 games. Despite allowing three or fewer runs in six of his first eight starts of those players will be pushed by the No. 2 recruiting class in the country (Baseball (3.97 ERA) he had just two wins to show for it. One of those no-decisions was a 10- America). strikeout performance over seven shutout innings against ASU. “You don’t know how they (the freshmen) will play against an opponent, but they are “We have higher expectations for both of them this year,” said Marquess. “The not overmatched,” said Marquess. “I’ve been pleasantly surprised. They are probably conference is very rich in pitching. And that’s what they want (to be challenged).” ahead of schedule.” The bullpen features the biggest question mark after the loss of first round pick Drew In the dugout is 82 years of coaching experience. Stanford graduates Marquess Storen. Storen’s 3.80 ERA, seven wins and seven saves are gone, as are Max Fearnow’s and assistant Dean Stotz have been together for 33 years, and will be joined by newly 21 appearances and 4.29 ERA and Blake Hancock’s 4.70 ERA over 16 games. acquired pitching coach Rusty Filter, who spent the last 16 years at San Diego State, “We have a lot of good arms,” said Marquess, who expects to see eight to 10 arms and the last three tutoring National Pitcher of the Year and first round pick Stephen used heavily this season. “We don’t have the luxury of a Storen in the bullpen like we Strasburg. Mario Iglesias, the Cardinal’s former ace from the mid-1990s World Series have had over the last two years. We may go with two closers, it all depends how it teams, rounds out the staff. plays out.” “I’ve been very fortunate,” said Marquess. “Dean had a chance to leave awhile Righthander Mike Marshall is the most experienced reliever. In 21 appearances he ago, and chose to stay, because it was Stanford. It’s very unusual (for coaches to stay had a 4.10 ERA, striking out nearly a batter an inning. Spot starter Brian Busick had together), but I’ve been fortunate. Rusty has been a huge addition. He has a lot of a 4.50 ERA over 11 games and four starts, while Carey Schwartz (5.11 ERA), Scott experience, and he was the one who developed Strasburg. Mario will work with our Snodgress (5.85 ERA) and Kyle Thompson (6.55) each appeared in at least 10 games, outfielders and help Rusty with the staff. I’m happy with my staff.” but with limited success. The team’s core is up the middle. And its strength is further bolstered by a deep Snodgress is trying to nail down the third starting job, following a stellar summer in and talented infield. Juniors second baseman Colin Walsh, an all-star in the Cape Cod Alaska, that Baseball America acknowledged by projecting the leftie as the fourth best League this past summer, and Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year and shortstop Jake prospect in that summer league, three slots ahead of his teammate, Kiilsgaard. Schlander, return to the middle of the diamond; catcher Zach Jones has one of the Snodgress finished the summer leading the league in strikeouts and ranking in the stronger arms in the Pac-10 and freshman center fielder, Jacob Stewart, the team’s top-10 in the league in ERA, going 2-3 with a 2.93 ERA over 10 games and eight starts, fastest player, make up that core. striking out 55 over 43.0 innings. Opponents batted just .151. Walsh is the team’s leading returning hitter, at .320, and was hitting over .400 in the Newcomer mark Appel is the top newcomer out of the pen, earning prep All-American Cape at the all-star break at Fenway Park prior to a cooling off over the final month. His status out of San Ramon in the East Bay and as a top-200 draftee out of high school. double play mate, Schlander, hit .232 last year and will be challenged by freshman Kenny If all the pieces fall into place, it could be another run through Omaha. Something that Diekroeger, who can play third, second or short. Diekroeger, from nearby Woodside and is not so rare when it comes to Stanford Baseball. The Menlo School had a 1.069 slugging percentage last year as a prep and a .586 average. Freshman Eric Smith should also be in the mix. 22 • www.gostanford.com 2010 BASEBALL MEDIA GUIDE 2010 STANFORD BASEBALL Projected Starting Lineup Brett Mooneyham STANFORD BA STANFORD Player Yr B/T Notes *C Zach Jones Jr. R/R Started 55 games in 2009, 18 steals S E 1B Jonathan Kaskow Jr. S/R Reserve last two years had 11 starts in 2009 B *2B Colin Walsh Jr. S/R All-Star in the Cape; Leading returning hitter ALL 2010 SEA S *SS Jake Schlander Jr.