Chimney Sweep

Brandon Wulff provides the ability as Stanford baseball enjoys sizzling begin

An “old school baseball game,” as David Esquer puts it, helps explain how Stanford got its best start since 1998.

When Rice’s catcher reached for a throw on Saturday, he was hit hard by a 6-1, 230-pound rocket named Brandon Wulff. The ball was hit free and Wulff hit, although it took seven stitches because the catcher mask was pressed over his mouth.

Stanford (8-0), ranked 4th in the nation by Baseball America, has received superior pitching from starters Tristan and Brendan Beck, Kris Bubic and Erik Miller, and auxiliaries Jacob Palisch, Zach Grech and Jack Little, among others. Preseason All America shortstop Nico Hoerner (11-for-29) and newcomer outfielder Tim Tawa (9-for-28) were tough times.

The Cardinal was unbeatable, although second baseman Duke Kinamon – who tensed a muscle while warming up before the season opener – has not yet played.

As a result, Esquer was forced to make four line-up changes just before his first game as Stanford Skipper. Kinamon will miss the four-game home streak with Michigan that kicks off Friday night, but Esquer is hoping to be back in the Pac-12 opener against USC on March 23rd.

The club now has a healthy Wulff, and that’s huge. The Junior Right Fielder is 12-for-26 (0.462) with a 0.692 slugging percentage and a 0.548 on-base percentage.

“He did a great job with two strokes,” said Esquer. “He’s had a few base hits with two hits. I’m more proud of that than of the home run. If you can be a tough opponent with his strength and power, that makes you a complete player. “

The home run he was referring to was a grand slam in Rice’s opening game over four games. Wulff called it “one of the best swings I’ve had in my life”.

According to the scouting report, Rice’s pitchers liked to start hitters with fastballs inside. “This one licked a little over the plate,” he said.

Last year, his sophomore year, Wulff hit .231, which he attributes to being too worried to hit. In 46 games (of which he started 44) ​​he had almost as many strikeouts (29) as there were hits (33).

He credits Esquer for emphasizing that he “brings our best club speed to our field, not the pitcher’s”. He also believes Esquer encouraged a more relaxed attitude among players and that has paid off.

“We still have the urgency that we want to win a national championship,” said Wulff. “Nobody really pushes. Much of it comes from the leadership and experience we have. “

Like Grech and Little’s relief combo, Wulff played at Bishop Gorman High in Las Vegas. “In my senior year we were absolutely stacked,” said Wulff. “We had 13 D-1 boys. We won the state title. “

He didn’t play on Gorman’s hard-hitting football team, partly because his father, an orthopedic surgeon, was too concerned about head injuries. Not that Brandon complained about it. “I never really saw football growing up,” he said. “To this day I don’t quite understand it.”

As a child he played the piano for 14 years. In fact, he played the national anthem on an electric keyboard before a game at Stanford last season.

“I was more nervous doing this in front of 500 people than playing in Regionals in front of 3,000,” he said. “I think it destroyed my first at-bat. I was still shaking from playing the anthem. “

He struck. This year, however, it hits exactly the right note.

Tom FitzGerald is a contributor to the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: tfitzgerald@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @tomgfitzgerald

Weekend series

WHO: Michigan (2-5)

at No. 4 Stanford (8-0)

Where: Sunken diamond

Friday: 6:05 pm

Saturday (DH):

1:05 p.m. and 5:05 p.m.

Sunday: 14 o’clock P12Net

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button