Stanford baseball schedule has been released, with many thrilling matchups to keep an eye out for. The Cardinal host Clemson, Miami, Florida State, and others, while going on the road to play Cal, Notre Dame, and more. The hype around Stanford baseball is building and building, especially as the football season winds down, and fans are thrilled for the season starting in February.
But one game truly stood out from Stanford’s schedule, and it’s not a game against an ACC foe, a non-conference game, or anything else that you would typically find on a college baseball schedule. In fact, it doesn’t even count against the Cardinal’s win-loss record.
On February 25, Stanford will play host to Waseda University from Tokyo, Japan.
Crazy enough, Stanford isn’t even the only DI program to take on Waseda. In the past, the University of Chicago has developed a rivalry with the Japanese school. When Hawaii travels to Asia, they will also take on Waseda in one of two exhibition games between the programs.
Stanford and Waseda actually do have history, between baseball and academics. 120 years ago in 1905, the Cardinal matched up against the Tokyo program, taking them down 9-1. Since then, although neither have played each other since, both have collaborated on overseas research projects.
Although Waseda may not have the same academic prestige that Stanford does, they still are a valuable university across the pond. They are ranked as the 11th best university in Japan per USA Today, giving Stanford a great opportunity to collaborate with another great academic institution. And now, they get to compete in athletics as well.
A massive reason this game is taking place is likely due to the Japanese phenom that competes for the Cardinal. Rintaro Sasaki, an MLB prospect is helping to globalize the sport, and has brought tons of Japanese fans to watch college baseball, specifically Stanford baseball. Now playing an overseas battle, the two cultures will collide in a positive way.
This is a great opportunity for Stanford baseball, not only to improve as a team mid-season, but to provide an opportunity to truly globalize the sport of college baseball, and even further broadening the scope of baseball in general.
Yes, it’s still a few months away, but Stanford fans need to be counting down the days until they get to witness an incredible overseas battle right in their backyard of Palo Alto. This will be the one game one the schedule that won’t happen often.
AloJapan.com