Predictions for Stanford Baseball in 2026

Ever since David Esquer’s reign leading the Cardinal began back in 2018, Stanford has been to five NCAA Tournaments, four Super Regionals, and three College World Series. Esquer has turned Stanford into one of the premier programs in the sport, and will be looking to continue those previous accomplishments in the future.

The past two years have been less fun on The Farm, as Stanford has missed a trip to Omaha in back-to-back seasons.

Pair that with a transition to a tough conference, and the Cardinal look like they may be in a poor position going into the future. However, Stanford has tons of remaining talent from last year’s team, and has a good mix of young and experienced bats ready to make an impact. Now the true question is: Does Stanford have the arms to make a run?

Today marks the start baseball season, and Stanford is preparing for a pivotal one, where their program can either rise to the top and continue to make progress, or dig their hole even deeper as a program, making it tougher to climb out of.

Stanford will play 52 games this season, with 32 set to be played at their home stadium, Sunken Diamond in Palo Alto, CA.

The Cardinal will play four types of games. First, they have tournament games, which feature singular matchups against teams on a given weekend. This will only happen on the first weekend for the Cardinal this season as Stanford has traveled to Arizona for three games in Surprise, and then a Monday contest in Scottsdale.

Second are midweek games, which will typically be on a Monday or Tuesday against a local team. Third are the non-conference series, where Stanford will take on Cal State Fullerton, Fresno State, and Utah Valley. Finally, Stanford plays 10 conference series, with five coming at home and five coming away, taking on the best of the best in the ACC.

The first weekend of matchups is going to prove difficult with matchups against Arizona, Michigan, Oregon State and Nebraska. There isn't an easy game in the bunch, and Stanford would likely be thrilled to escape with a .500 record after that first weekend.

The midweek games should provide some easier wins for the Cardinal, given their depth and decent pitching, which should provide them with the upper hand most days. It also won't hurt that those contests will mostly be at home. Stanford could also collect some wins across their non-conference schedule, playing against mid-major opponents.

Conference play for Stanford is going to make or break their season, as the Cardinal will be matched up against tough ACC opponents. If they can go roughly .500 here too, then they will have had a solid season, and could be looking at some extra games once the regular season is through.

To make things fun and shoot for the sky, we have the Cardinal going 35-17 overall, and reaching the tournament as a regional host by the skin of their teeth making it as a 16 seed, the final regional host. That is, if they can hit all of those previous markers.

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