Stanford Softball Comes in At No. 2 In Preseason Top 25

The Stanford softball program experienced their most successful season since 2012 last season when they went 42-17.

They made a magical run to Oklahoma City led by their two aces in the circle NiJaree Canady and Alana Vatwer who has since transferred to South Carolina. The Cardinal came up just short against the eventual champs Oklahoma, who were responsible for sending Stanford home after beating them 4-2 in nine innings.

Stanford finished the year 45-17, and clearly are headed in the right direction ahead of the upcoming season. The biggest thing that this team was missing was a big bat in the middle of the lineup, which they added via the transfer portal as they were able to bring in Indiana slugger Taryn Kern. She was awarded 2023 Big Ten Player of the Year, 2023 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, and a first-team All-American by D1Softball.com. On top of that, she led the Big Ten in eight categories, sporting a .930 slugging percentage, .575 on-base percentage, 1.505 OPS, 45 walks, hit by 23 pitches, 68 runs, hit in 68 RBIs, and smacked 23 home runs.

Her 23 home runs nearly eclipsed the total (26) that Stanford had as a team. In adding Kern, and returning a slew of team players, the Cardinal are receiving a ton of preseason love, as D1Softball ranked them as the No. 2 team in the country in their top 25 preseason rankings, only behind Oklahoma.

If the Cardinal can continue to improve at the plate as a unit, while also having a new arm step up in the circle to replace Vawter, they can make a legitimate run at the title and prevent Oklahoma from winning a fourth title in a row.