Fresno State Athletics
No. 2 Stanford Cardinal (43-18)
5/13/2002 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Location: Stanford, Calif.
Conference: Pac-10
Enrollment: 6,556
Nickname: Cardinal
Colors: Cardinal & White
President: John L. Hennessy
Athletics Director: Dr. Ted Leland
Senior Woman Administrator: Debbie Gore-Mann
Head Coach: John Rittman (New Mexico State, 1986)
School Record: 253-118-1 (6 years)
Career Record: Same
Assistant Coaches: Lonni Alameda (Associate Head), Sara Pickering
2002 Record: 43-18
2002 USA Today/NFCA Final Regular-Season Ranking: No. 8
NCAA Regional Appearances: 5th
WCWS Appearances: 1 (2-2, .500)
NCAA Postseason Tournament Record: 4 years (8-9, .471)
NOTES: Stanford, which has remained in the top-10 of the national poll all season and has been ranked as high as No. 2, enters postseason play having won six of its last 10 contests and finished tied for sixth place in the Pac-10 conference. The Cardinal has faced five of the six teams in its regional, with the exception of Evansville. The Cardinal defeated both Cal State Fullerton and Fresno State three times this season, swept a doubleheader against Pacific and took one out of three against rival California.
Last season's squad (54-16-1) recorded the best single-season in Cardinal softball history, finishing with a program-best 54 wins and making its first appearance at the Women's College World Series, where it finished 2-2. Stanford closed out the 2001 season ranked third in the nation and spent five weeks at No. 3. The Cardinal captured its first NCAA regional championship, defeating Pacific 9-1 to move on to Oklahoma City.
This year marks Stanford's fifth overall NCAA appearance, as the Cardinal have advanced to NCAA Regionals every year since 1998. In 1999, Stanford was sent to Fresno State and finished 0-2 (losses against Pacific and Fresno State). The Cardinal is 8-9 overall in the postseason and 6-7 in NCAA Regional action.
