What's Wrong with Stanford Baseball?

Mar 1, 2025; Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal first baseman Rintaro Sasaki (3) leans against the dugout railing during the seventh inning against the Xavier Musketeers at Sunken Diamond. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Stanford baseball has been in trouble.

Last weekend, the Cardinal traveled to Charlottesville, Virginia, where they took on the Virginia Cavaliers. Stanford got swept, marking their sixth loss in seven games. To make matters worse, they led in all three games, and blew leads to lose the series.

The series sweep wasn't ideal, but what made it worse was the result from the weekend before. A series sweep loss to Cal at home was the worst possible outcome for the Cardinal faithful.

In this week's D1Baseball rankings, Stanford is not in the top 25 for the first time in three weeks, where they spent time at number 18, 14, and 20 in their three series against Duke, Cal, and Virginia.

So what’s wrong with Stanford baseball?

In those six games, Cardinal pitching has given up 13, 13, 6, 11, 13, and 9 runs, for an average of 10.8 per contest. In all other games, they have given up just 4.3 per game. The pitching issues are glaring, and need to be fixed instantly, or Stanford’s season is going to mirror last year's.

Stanford’s three starting pitchers, Matt Scott, Christian Lim, and Joey Volchko have not given this team enough. Scott, the Friday night starter and preseason All-American, has a 5.01 ERA. Lim, the second-best pitcher on the staff, has a 7.88. Volchko, another preseason All-American, has a 6.75.

Now, we all know that these are some phenomenal pitchers that head coach David Esquer has brought into the program, and they're all proven stars, but something needs to change. If the batting is as elite as it is, they need support from the pitching staff, or this season could truly end poorly.

With that being said, this team should have full faith in these pitchers. They will have plenty more opportunities to prove themselves.

On Tuesday night at Sunken Diamond, Stanford snapped a three-game losing streak with a win over Santa Clara. The Cardinal collected one win against San Jose State in between the Cal and Virginia series as well, but this time they will have to continue their winning ways heading into the weekend series against Georgia Tech.

That series will kick off on Friday, April 4 and run through Sunday, April 6.