clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Stanford Vs. Vanderbilt: No. 2 Cardinal Open Season Against No. 10 Vandy

The Stanford Cardinal enter their 2012 baseball season ranked No. 2 in the country, eyeing the Pac-12 Championship and a deep playoff run this year.

via <a href="http://cbssacramento.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/stanford-logo.jpg?w=300">cbssacramento.files.wordpress.com</a>
via cbssacramento.files.wordpress.com

The No. 2-ranked Stanford Cardinal baseball team opens up their 2012 regular season campaign on Friday as they play host to the No. 10-ranked Vanderbilt Boilermakers for a three game set.

Stanford is coming off an NCAA Super Regional appearance in 2011 and are returning seven starters and 10 pitchers with Division-I experience to the squad this year. Mark Marquess enters his 36th year as the skipper of the Caridnal, and hopes to make a big splash this season by taking the inaugural Pac-12 title and hopefully making a deep run in the playoffs.

Four Pac-12 teams are also ranked in the national top-25 this year, making the Cardinal's schedule one of the the nation's toughest that also includes visits from No. 5 Texas and No. 6 Rice during the season.

LHP Mark Appel, utility man Stephen Piscotty and infielder Kenny Diekroeger are all seen as viable candidate's as 2012 Golden Spikes Award winners, who have had 10 finalists but never a winner in the school's history. Amybe that will change this year.

Vanderbilt won last year's series in Nashville 2-1... the all-time series is 4-3 in the Boilermaker's favor.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

Feb. 17 @ Stanford 5:30 p.m.
L-Ziomek (3-0, 1.59) vs.
R-Appel (6-7, 3.02)

Feb. 18 @ Stanford 1:00 p.m.
R-VerHagen (JC) or R-Beede (frosh) vs.
L-Mooneyham (3-7, 5.07 in 2010)

Feb. 19 @ Stanford 1:00 p.m.
L-Selman (0-0, 1.42) vs.
R-Vanegas (1-0, 3.35) / R-McArdle (7-4, 4.21)

For more on the Cardinal, head over to Rule of Tree.