It's not basketball, but it
is a women's sport played by a very good Stanford team.
The Stanford Softball Team has advanced to the third round of the NCAA playoffs — the Super Regional, which is softball's Sweet Sixteen. Each pair of teams plays at a different location this week in a best-of-three series.
Stanford plays Arizona at the
Boyd & Jill Smith Family Stadium, which is between Maples and El Camino Real, just south of the Sunken Diamond. The first game is on Thursday at 6:30, the second on Friday at 5:30, and the third (if required) at 8:30. The winner advances to the Softball World Series in Oklahoma City next week.
Unless this post generates way more interest than I expect, you'll be able to buy tickets at the stadium. You can also buy tickets on-line, but the added charges make that considerably more expensive.
Stanford and Arizona are closely-matched rivals. They've played three times this season, Stanford has won twice. Stanford is #4 in the Pac-10, Arizona #3. Stanford's NCAA RPI is #10, Arizona's is #7. Each team has four players that earned All-West Region honors this season.
Three of Stanford's outstanding players are:
- Senior pitcher Missy Penna ranks among the top 10 pitchers in the nation. She pitched her 1200th career strikeout two weeks ago — the first active pitcher in the nation to do that. She pitched her 50th career shutout last week — the most in Stanford history. She was a 2008 All-American.
- Junior outfielder Alissa Haber leads Stanford in nearly every offensive category for the third year in a row. She is hitting .439 with 79 hits, 21 doubles (third-best in the nation), 54 runs, a .722 slugging percentage, a .500 on-base percentage and 18 stolen bases. She was an All-American in 2007 and 2008.
- Freshman shortstop Ashley Hansen is hitting .397 with 19 doubles, five triples and four home runs. She is the Pac-10 Freshman Player of the Year.
So: Smith Stadium at 6:30 on Thursday and 5:30 on Friday — it's a lovely way to spend a Spring evening!
Tara was a student at Buffalo Seminary about 40 years ago. She remembers listening to alumnae addressing the student body and thinking that she would never do that.
The 2009 Summer National Senior Games are not associated with Stanford Women's Basketball, but most of the events will take place at Stanford and one of the sports is women's basketball*.
It's not basketball, but it is a women's sport played by a very good Stanford team.
Last month the University of Oregon announced a rather surprising choice for women's basketball head coach — Paul Westhead, who had previously coached WNBA, NBA and various men's basketball teams.
Jake Curtis, Stanford Cardinal Basketball Examiner, completes his series of articles about Stanford's alltime best women basketball players by revealing his top two choices: Candice Wiggins and Jennifer Azzi. Read more...
Kayla, Jeanette and Jayne were named today as three of the 14 finalists for the USA Basketball World University Games team. They will return to Colorado Springs on June 18 and train through June 25, when the team is expected to depart for the 2009 World University Games in Belgrade, Serbia. The 12-member roster will be announced prior to the team's departure. Here is a full report and quotes from the finalists.
Sarah and Nneka were named today as two of the 14 finalists for the USA Basketball U19 World Championship team. They will return to Colorado Springs on July 9 to begin training for the 2009 FIBA U19 World Championship, which will be held July 23-Aug. 2 in Bangkok, Thailand. The eventual 12-member team will be finalized prior to the team’s departure for Thailand. Here is a full report and quotes from the finalists.
Nneka, Sarah, Jayne and Kayla are four of the 14 the contenders who earned gold medals in prior USA Basketball competitions. Before the first trial session, these players were asked about their medals, their memories and their experiences while wearing red, white and blue. Read more...
Jake Curtis, Stanford Cardinal Basketball Examiner, writes about JJ's being the missing piece to Stanford's hopes of winning a third national championship. Read more...
Sarah and Nneka have been invited to try out for the 2009 USA Basketball Women’s U19 World Championship team. They are two of the seven invitees that were on the USA U18 National Team that won the gold medal last year.
Jayne, Kayla and Jeanette have been invited to try out for the 2009 USA Basketball Women's World University Games Team. Eligible athletes for the USA team must be currently enrolled in a college or university and have remaining NCAA athletic eligibility.
It seems Tara has been coaching Stanford forever. So how much longer will she coach?
John Rawlings (Stanford Magazine) writes about the Cardinal's 2008-09 season, the final game against UConn and how the players found consolation in sharing the season's journey, despite the jarring ending.
