Skip to main content
World Baseball Network
Join

Stanford Picks Up ACC Series Win with International Duo Jimmy Nati and Rintaro Sasaki

Matt TallariniMay 4, 20256 MIN READ
Ethan Hott, of the Stanford Cardinals on Senior Day in ACC matchup against Boston College Eagles

BRIGHTON, Mass. — With clouds hovering over New England on Senior Day at Eddie Pellagrini Diamond at the Harrington Athletics Village, Stanford unleashed a relentless offensive attack early to defeat Boston College 11-7 and win the weekend series.

Before first pitch, Boston College honored its 2025 senior class; Alex Bryant, JD Ogden, Vince Cimini, Patrick Roche, Nick Wang, Eric Schroeder, Sean Hard, Sam McNulty, Tyler Mudd, and Aidan Harrington.

Stanford, in its inaugural ACC season, improved to 9-18 in conference play and 24-20 overall. Boston College fell to 10-17 in the ACC and 23-26 on the year.

Boston College starter Kyle Kipp lasted just 1.2 innings, allowing seven earned runs on seven hits, one walk, and a strikeout across 13 batters.

Stanford’s Nick Dugan improved to 6-0 on the season with 5.2 strong innings, throwing 101 pitches—63 for strikes—while allowing five hits, one earned run, two walks, and four strikeouts.

The Cardinal wasted no time, with shortstop Temo Becerra launching his first home run of the season over the left-center field wall in the opening inning.

Stanford erupted for six more runs in the second. Japanese freshman Rintaro Sasaki led off with a double. Luke Lavin followed with an RBI groundout, scoring Sasaki to make it 2-0.

Ethan Hott ripped a two-run single to center, driving in Brady Reynolds and JJ Moran. Becerra added a sacrifice fly to score Hott, and Jimmy Nati singled through the left side to plate Trevor Haskins. A wild pitch during Sasaki’s second plate appearance of the inning brought Nati home for a 7-0 lead.

Hott delivered again in the third with a two-run double to left. Becerra followed with an RBI single to center, capping a three-run inning that gave Stanford a 10-0 lead.

Stanford finished 16-for-40 at the plate. Becerra went 3-for-4 with three RBI. Hott drove in four runs on two hits. Reynolds also went 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. Sasaki reached base three times and scored twice. Nati and Moran both had two-hit games.

The Cardinal hit .476 with runners on and .400 with runners in scoring position. They advanced runners 65 percent of the time and went 6-for-7 with a runner on third and fewer than two outs.

Boston College battled late, scoring two in the sixth, three in the eighth, and two more in the ninth. Senior Sam McNulty went 4-for-4 at the plate on Senior Day.

Kyle Wolff crushed his sixth homer of the season in the bottom of the ninth.

Brandon Milner added a 3-for-4 performance with a double, and Cimini drove in two.

Defensively, Stanford turned one double play and committed one error. The pitching staff totaled six strikeouts across four arms. Boston College left 10 men on base and finished 14-for-40.

Boston College head coach Todd Interdonato picked up his 500th career win on Saturday with a 6-2 victory over Stanford. He is in his third season with the Eagles.

The Eagles will next face UMass Lowell on the road May 10 at Edward A. LeLacheur Park in Lowell, Mass., at 5 p.m. EDT.

Stanford returns to the West Coast to play Santa Clara on May 6 at Stephen Schott Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. First pitch is scheduled for 9:05 p.m. EDT.

Postgame Voices from Brighton: Stanford on the Rise

Rintaro Sasaki (Japan – 1B, Stanford)
Freshman Rintaro Sasaki reflected on the series win with quiet confidence.

“This was a tough series, but getting two wins is amazing,” said Sasaki. “We’re working hard, and everyone is gaining confidence again. We just need to focus on the next game.”

Sasaki credited the MLB Draft League last summer with helping him prepare for Division I baseball. “It gave me a chance to adjust to higher-level pitching before the fall season,” he said.

He also praised Dugan’s mound effort: “He was awesome today. Every pitch, every at-bat, he was locked in. We tried to support him with our defense.”

David Esquer (Head Coach, Stanford)
Stanford head coach David Esquer was encouraged by his team’s effort and resiliency.

“With Matt Scott going down, we’re going to need help on the mound,” said Esquer. “Dugan stepped up today, and Keenan helped close it out.”

He also highlighted the global nature of his roster. “We’re lucky. Stanford is a national brand. Jimmy from Australia and Rintaro from Japan—they’re both great players and people who elevate our team.”

On competing in the ACC, Esquer said, “It’s playoff baseball every weekend. We may need to tighten up some things, but it’s going to make us better.”

Jimmy Nati (Australia – 2B, Stanford)
Junior second baseman Jimmy Nati emphasized team chemistry and focus.

“We’ve got the best boys, best culture, best staff,” said Nati. “We’re swinging it well, playing good defense, and doing the little things right.”

He called Dugan “lights out,” adding, “Every time he pitches, we seem to hit better. It’s a good rhythm.”

Nati said ACC play has tested them weekly. “Every team could be a playoff team. Iron sharpens iron.”

He also spoke about the rise of Australian baseball. “Travis Bazzana is one of my best mates. I was there when he went 1-1. With guys like Liam Hendriks and Curtis Mead, our WBC team is going to be deep. Australia is building something special.”

Looking Ahead
Stanford, now with momentum and international firepower, eyes the upcoming ACC Championship with cautious optimism. The 2025 tournament will be held May 20-25 in Durham, N.C., at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

ACC MLBPipeline.com Top 150 Draft Prospect Rankings

No. 3 – LHP – Jamie Arnold – Florida State 

No. 12 – SS – Marek Houston – Wake Forest 

No. 19 – C – Luke Stevenson – North Carolina 

No. 27 – OF – Ethan Conrad – Wake Forest 

No. 34 – RHP – Patrick Forbes – Louisville

No. 38 – OF – Cam Cannarella – Clemson  

No. 53 – SS – Alex Lodise – Florida State 

No. 67 – 2B – Henry Godbout – Virginia 

No. 68 – OF/1B – Henry Ford – Virginia 

No. 71 – SS – Kyle Lodise – Georgia Tech 

No. 73 – OF – Max Williams – Florida State 

No. 80 – RHP – Cam Leiter – Florida State

No. 94 – OF – Kane Kepley – North Carolina

No. 110 – RHP – Matt Scott – Stanford 

No. 140 – 2B – Drew Faurot – Florida State 

No. 150 – RHP – Griffin Hugus – Miami

Share this story
Member Discussion
Loading…
World Baseball Network

Bet on baseball, worldwide. Polymarket runs the prediction markets behind WBN’s live odds — MLB, NPB, KBO, CPBL and more.

Join free ↗

18+ where permitted; availability varies by region. Prediction-market prices are for information only — not financial or betting advice. WBN may earn a referral reward when you join or trade on Polymarket through our links.

NewsScoresOddsShop