Softball On SI

Stanford Softball Targets NCAA Attendance Record in Rivalry Showdown vs. Cal

The Cardinal aim to break the NCAA attendance record that was set at the Women's College World Series last year.
Maren Angus-Coombs|
Stanford's River Mahler (1) and Taryn Kern celebrate after a Women's College World Series softball game between the Stanford Cardinal and the UCLA Bruins at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, Sunday, June 2, 2024. Stanford won 3-1.
Stanford's River Mahler (1) and Taryn Kern celebrate after a Women's College World Series softball game between the Stanford Cardinal and the UCLA Bruins at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, Sunday, June 2, 2024. Stanford won 3-1. | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Stanford Cardinal are taking advantage of their temporary home this season and are aiming to make softball history during their upcoming series against Cal.

The rivalry game between Stanford and Cal on April 19, known as The Big Swing, gives softball fans in the Bay Area a rare opportunity as the program eyes the NCAA softball attendance record of 12,566.

With the Cardinal playing all of their home games at football's Stanford Stadium, there is plenty of room. Stanford is also opening the upper deck to increase capacity from the approximately 6,700 seats available for all other home games.

The record of 12,566 was set on the first day of the 2024 Women’s College World Series on May 30. The regular-season record of 8,930 was established on March 31, 2023, when Oklahoma hosted Texas in Norman, Okla.

As of Wednesday, Stanford has sold more than 5,000 tickets.

Stanford is coming off a rough weekend at Virginia Tech, where the Hokies swept the Cardinal in three games.

However, it is time for the Cardinal to look ahead as they welcome Saint Mary's to town on Wednesday followed by a three-game series against Clemson beginning Friday.

Despite losing star pitcher Nijaree Canady to the transfer portal after last season, Stanford hasn't missed a beat. Kylie Chung has taken over as the team's ace and leads the pitching staff with a 278 earned run average and a 9-3 record across 25 appearances.

Offensively, the Cardinal are led by Taryn Kern, Emily Jones and River Mahler.

Kern leads the team in home runs (10), slugging percentage (.800), runs scored (33), and on-base percentage (.517). Jones leads the team with a .455 batting average and Mahler has a team-high 33 RBIs.

More news: Softball America Releases First In-Season Bracketology Update

More news: UConn Softball’s Kaitlyn Breslin Earns National Recognition Following Stellar Week

More news: Softball Community Unites in Support of FSU’s Lonni Alameda Amid Cancer Battle

Published | Modified
Maren Angus-Coombs
MAREN ANGUS-COOMBS

Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and has been a sports writer since 2008. She has been covering college softball since 2016 for various outlets including Softball America, ESPNW and Hurrdat Sports. She is currently the managing editor of Softball On SI and also serves as an analyst for Nebraska softball games on Nebraska Public Media and B1G+.

Home/News