Stanford Baseball Heats Up, But Postseason Path Remains an Uphill Battle

Stanford baseball still has a shot at the postseason Shot, but here's what needs to happen

Brady Reynolds and Charlie Bates celebrate | Sean Riordan/ISI Photos

Stanford baseball is making things interesting. Starting the season off slow, and struggling to pick up wins, the Cardinal have since run off a six-game winning streak, including picking up three straight wins via a walk-off.

Things are looking up for the Cardinal as they approach the home stretch of the regular season. Still, the Cardinal have to fight hard if they want to make the postseason, and the road ahead will not be easy.

Per College Baseball Show's Mark Garland, who released his personal top-25 baseball rankings, the Cardinal have major uphill battle over their final 11 games of the season.

Responding to a user on social media who asked about the Cardinal's postseason chances, Garland broke down a scenario in which the Cardinal can ultimately make the postseason, but even if they are able to reach that goal, a postseason berth is not guaranteed.

"I talked on this a little last night," Garland said. "I think they need to go 6-3 in ACC play at minimum and win both midweeks to even be considered. No at large bid has been selected outside the top 60 in RPI for the past five seasons... [The Cardinal] need the eight victories at a minimum."

The Cardinal have a daunting set of games to end the regular season, but after stunning No. 8 Florida State and sweeping the Seminoles, the team has shown that they can compete with anybody. Taking home a win over UC Davis on Monday, the Cardinal are now preparing to hit the road for a three-game series against Notre Dame before coming home for a midweek game against San Francisco.

From there, the Cardinal do not leave the Bay Area for the rest of the regular season, facing NC State in a three-game home series from May 8-10, Saint Mary's in a midweek game on May 12 followed by the final three-game series of the season — a matchup against Cal on the road.

If the Cardinal can make the postseason, it will mark their first time since 2023. Making the College World Series in three straight years from 2021 to 2023, the Cardinal have since failed to make much noise, finishing with a losing record in conference play since that 2023 campaign.

That all said, the Cardinal are a young team with a lot of underclassmen, and with how well they have been playing in recent weeks, notably shortstop Charlie Bates, expect the Cardinal to return to contention very soon.