Boise State believes it can beat Stanford softball with experience, elite offense
The Boise State softball team should have two distinct advantages over Stanford in their opening-round matchup at the Gainesville Regional on Friday in Florida — experience and offense.
The Broncos (34-14) are playing in the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row, while the Cardinal (32-18) are making their first appearance since 2013.
And after going two-and-out in their NCAA debut last season, the Broncos expect to feel more comfortable when they face Stanford at 10 a.m. MT on ESPNU.
“We’d never really played in front of thousands and thousands of people before and you get to UW like we did last year and I think a lot of us had to soak it in a little bit,” Boise State senior Morgan Lamb said. “... I think that was a good opportunity for us to realize what regionals is all about and what postseason is all about, just focusing on reaching our full potential and winning some games now.”
The Broncos have good reason to believe their first tournament victory is within reach. Offensively, Boise State is one of the top teams in the country. The Broncos rank No. 10 overall in batting average (.327), No. 11 in home runs per game (1.31), No. 10 in scoring (6.69) and No. 9 in slugging percentage (.543). None of the other three teams in the double-elimination Gainesville Regional — Florida (44-15), Boston University (37-18) or Stanford — rank higher than the Broncos in those four statistical categories.
Unlike last season, Boise State won’t have to face a regional host in the first round. The Broncos are 16-1 in neutral-site contests this season.
“It’s going to be competitive. It’s a good one,” Boise State coach Maggie Livreri said. “We like that we face Stanford. We think that’s somebody that we can beat or at least compete with for sure.”
Boise State has a limited history with Stanford, winning 9-1 in six innings in 2016 and suffering a 9-1, five-inning loss in 2018. Both teams finished fifth in their respective conference standings in 2019, but Stanford checks in with a No. 28 RPI compared to Boise State at No. 40.
The Cardinal were among ESPNW’s picks for a regional upset, having logged wins this season over No. 19 Michigan, No. 18 Northwestern and No. 3 UCLA. However, Stanford also has losses to Mountain West squads Colorado State and UNLV, both of which the Broncos have beaten at least once this season.
“I think this group needs to prove it to themselves,” Livreri said. “I think that’s the overall message is that we are good enough and want to build a program that’s consistent and consistently being there, so I think they’re excited to prove that just to one another.”
That’s why the Broncos are choosing to focus on the controllable aspects of Friday’s game, a tactic that was key to their program-record 17-game winning streak earlier this season.
“We’re just kind of staying locked in on each other and feeding off each other’s energy,” Lamb said. “... Playing together as a team is the only way we’re going to be successful this postseason.”
Broncos recognized by league, region
Five Boise State softball players received All-Mountain West honors from the league’s coaches on Wednesday.
Sophomore right fielder Ashlyn Adams, senior shortstop Rebekah Cervantes, junior third baseman Bradie Fillmore and senior center fielder Kora Wade made the first team, which ties a program record. Junior left fielder Jessica McKay was selected to the second team.
On Thursday, Fillmore and Wade were named to the NFCA All-Pacific Region First team, and Cervantes was a third-team selection.
GAINESVILLE REGIONAL SCHEDULE
Friday
Game 1: Boise State vs. Stanford, 10 a.m. MT, ESPNU
Game 2: Florida vs. Boston University, 12:30 p.m., ESPN3
Saturday
Game 3: Winner 1 vs. Winner 2, noon
Game 4: Loser 1 vs. Loser 2, 2:30 p.m.
Game 5: Loser 3 vs. Winner 4, 5 p.m.
Sunday
Game 6: Winner 3 vs. Winner 5, 10 a.m.
Game 7: Winner 6 vs. Loser 6, 12:30 p.m. (if necessary)
This story was originally published May 16, 2019 at 11:45 AM.
