2024 College Top 25 Preview: No. 15 Stanford

Image credit: Malcolm Moore (Photo courtesy of Stanford Athletics)

Last season: 44-20 (23-7 Pac-12), reached College World Series
Final ranking: No. 6
Coach (record at school): David Esquer (226-92, six seasons)

The good news: Stanford returns a couple of key contributors from last year’s squad, including Pac-12 freshman of the year Malcolm Moore (.311/.386/.564). Moore was a middle-of-the-order bat last year and his 63 RBIs were the third-highest mark on the team. His defense also continues to progress nicely. Veteran infielder Owen Cobb is also back, and in 2023 he hit .324/.368/.471 with 16 extra-base hits and 32 RBIs. After battling injuries for much of the 2023 season, Trevor Haskins is slated to be the everyday shortstop. This summer, Haskins hit .364/.408/.659 with four doubles and three home runs in an 11-game stint in the Cape Cod League. He is a pro-level defender and will provide stability on the left side of the infield. The Cardinal also have who could be the next Pac-12 pitcher of the year in workhorse righthander Matt Scott (5-5, 5.10 ERA). As a true freshman, Scott had a productive first year and showed flashes of his thunderous arsenal. However, his stuff this offseason has taken a step forward and he will get the ball on Friday nights. Stanford also boasts a loaded freshman class and arms like Joey Volchko, Aidan Keenan and Christian Lim look ready to contribute right away.

The bad news: Of the teams ranked in the top 25, there is an argument to be made that Stanford lost the most talent. On top of losing star two-way player Braden Montgomery (.336/.461/.611) to the transfer portal, Pac-12 player of the year Alberto Rios (.384/.485/.707), Pac-12 pitcher of the year Quinn Mathews (10-4, 3.75 ERA), 12th-overall pick and leading hitter Tommy Troy (.394/.478/.699), Carter Graham (.315/.391/.558) and Eddie Park (.333/.413/.475) were all drafted—and that’s just the position-player group. On the mound, in addition to Mathews, the Cardinal lost Joey Dixon (7-0, 4.73 ERA), Drew Dowd (9-3, 4.52 ERA) and fireballer Ryan Bruno (2-2, 5.29 ERA) to the draft, while Brandt Pancer (3-1, 4.18 ERA) transferred to Georgia. That is an immeasurable amount of production—and leadership—to try and replace on both sides of the baseball, and there will no doubt be some growing pains in trying to piece together who fits where. On top of how talented that group was, their leadership was also the main reason why Stanford heads into the 2024 season as back-to-back Pac-12 champions and with three straight College World Series appearances.

Player to know: Brandon Larson, 1B. Stanford is a team that seldom dips into the transfer portal, but the towering 6-foot-6, 240-pound Larson will look to fill the hole left by Carter Graham. He had a great freshman season at UC San Diego, hitting .295/.359/.537 and leading the team in both home runs and RBIs with nine and 45, respectively. Larson’s bat will provide the Cardinal lineup with a big-time power boost, while also playing quality defense.

Path to Omaha: The Cardinal last year won their second consecutive Pac-12 championship and returned to the College World Series for the third time in as many seasons. But just like their previous two trips, it ended with a loss. While Stanford did go 0-2 in Omaha, it played two highly-competitive games against No. 1 overall seed Wake Forest and Tennessee. The Cardinal lost 3-2 and 6-4, respectively, but jumped out to leads in both games. This year may be a different story. There is a lot of figuring out to do, and the path to the CWS is certainly more murky than in years past. Their freshmen class will need to be ready to make an impact, while other guys who previously have not gotten many reps will step into everyday roles. However, Stanford always seems to play its best baseball when it matters most, and this is a team that nobody will want to see come tournament time.

Pos.	Name	Year	AVG	OBP	SLG	AB	HR	RBI
C	Malcolm Moore	So.	.311	.386	.564	257	15	63
1B	Brandon Larson	So.	Transfer—UC San Diego
2B	Owen Cobb	R-Sr.	.324	.368	.471	210	6	32
3B	Temo Becerra	Jr.	.316	.385	.491	57	2	7
SS	Trevor Haskins	Jr.	.083	.154	.208	24	1	4
OF	Jimmy Nati	So.	.114	.226	.136	44	0	6
OF	Ethan Hott	R-Fr.	Did not play – redshirt
OF	Saborn Campbell	Jr.	.211	.297	.246	57	0	3
DH	Jake Sapien	Jr.	.301	.398	.473	93	3	16
Pos.	Name	Class	W	L	ERA	IP	SO	SV
SP	Matt Scott	So.	5	5	5.10	67	62	1
SP	Nick Dugan	So.	1	0	7.30	62	63	1
SP	Christian Lim	Fr.	HS—Nashville
RP	Joey Volchko	Fr.	HS—Larkspur, Calif.
RP	Aidan Keenan	Fr.	HS—Morgan Hill, Calif.
RP	Toran O’Harran	So.	1	1	11.65	17	25	0