Orange Open ACC Play at No. 19 Stanford

Series Details: Friday, March 7 – Sunday, March 9; Stanford, Calif.; Stanford Stadium
Live Video: ACC Network Extrav
Live Coverage: Stats
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STANFORD, Calif. – Syracuse softball (16-3, 0-0 ACC) begins ACC play with a three-game series at conference newcomer No. 19 Stanford (14-3, 2-1 ACC) this weekend, running from Friday, March 7, to Sunday, March 9. The Orange enter their first conference series tied with the 2011 squad for the best start in program history at 16-3.

The series opens Friday night at 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT), with games to follow on Saturday at 5 p.m. ET (2 p.m. PT) and Sunday at 3 p.m. ET (12 p.m. PT). All three matchups will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra.

ORANGE UPDATE:
Syracuse wrapped up its final regular-season tournament with a 4-1 showing at the Blue Hen Invitational. The Orange closed the weekend with two big wins on Saturday, March 1, scoring 15 runs on 17 hits in a dominant 15-2 victory over Morgan State before walking off Quinnipiac, 4-3, on an RBI single.

Junior Madelyn Lopez has led the Orange offense, ranking sixth in the ACC with a .500 batting average (31-for-62). Her 31 hits are the third-most in the conference, along with 12 RBIs and 17 runs scored. Senior Angie Ramos is also off to a strong start ahead of conference play, hitting .453 (24-for-53) with 14 RBIs.

In the circle, Syracuse's five-player pitching staff has posted a conference-best 1.38 earned run average. Julianna Verni and Madison Knight have handled the bulk of the innings, with Verni's 0.61 ERA leading the ACC and Knight ranking fourth in the league with 58 strikeouts.

Syracuse enters the 2025 ACC season looking to build on its success from last year, when it secured nine conference wins, including four victories over then-ranked Virginia Tech and Florida State. The Orange aim to carry that momentum forward after a strong start to the current campaign.

SCOUTING THE CARDINAL
Stanford enters the series against Syracuse ranked in all four major softball polls. The Cardinal sit at No. 19 in the NFCA and D1 Softball rankings, No. 20 in the USA Softball poll, and No. 21 in Softball America's rankings.

Stanford's strong start to the season can be largely attributed to their impressive offensive performance. The Cardinal lead the ACC with a .394 batting average, ranking third in the nation. They also top the ACC in home runs per game at 2.06, total home runs with 35, and runs per game at 8.59. Additionally, Stanford boasts a college softball-best .722 slugging percentage.

In their first season as a member of the ACC, Stanford opened conference play with a three-game series against Georgia Tech, securing two out of three wins. The Cardinal were also picked to finish fourth in the newly aligned ACC.

SERIES HISTORY AGAINST STANFORD
Syracuse has never beaten Stanford in four total games in the all-time series between programs. The teams have not faced off in over a decade, with the last game between the Orange and the Cardinal being played on Feb. 23, 2014, when Stanford downed 'Cuse, 11-5, in five innings.

SERIES SCHEDULE:

Friday, March 7, 9 p.m. ET
Saturday, March 8, 5 p.m. ET
Sunday, March 9, 3 p.m.

UP NEXT:
The Orange travel to take on Duke in their second ACC series of the season from Friday, March 14 through Sunday, March 16.

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