Fresno State Athletics
No. 3 Bulldog Softball Opens 2000 Season This Weekend
2/7/2000 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 7, 2000
FRESNO, Calif. - No. 3 Bulldogs Open Season at ASU Fiesta Bowl
Voted to capture the 2000 Western Athletic Conference crown and ranked third in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches' preseason top 25, Fresno State opens its season this weekend at the ASU Fiesta Bowl. Formerly known as the ASU-Coke Classic, the three-day 18-team tournament field will have the Bulldogs squaring off against five teams which were recognized in the preseason poll: Kansas (votes), Mississippi State (votes), #13 Nebraska, #18 South Carolina and #4 Arizona. Fresno State will meet Mississippi State for the first time. Against the other opponents, the Bulldogs are 3-0 versus Kansas, 9-6 against Nebraska with the 'Dogs winning seven of the last eight, 1-1 versus South Carolina and 13-27 against Arizona with Fresno State capturing five of the last nine contests in the series meetings.
Wright is NCAA's All-Time Winningest Active Coach
In her 15th season with the Bulldogs, Wright enters the 2000 season as the all-time winningest active coach by victories in NCAA history with a 887-290-3 (.753) slate in 20 years. Having directed the Bulldogs to a national title (1998) and three runners-up (1988-89-90), Wright has led Fresno State softball program to the NCAA Women's College World Series in 10 of the last 13 years. Thirteen wins shy of 900 career wins, Wright also has directed her teams to 14 straight NCAA Regional appearances and has captured 10 outright or shared conference championship titles and 10 regional championship crowns. In addition, Wright is 27 wins shy of becoming the NCAA's all-time career win leader. Wright is on the heals of CS Fullerton's Judi Garman (913-374-4) who retired from active head coaching duties in December.
Fresno State Favored to Win 2000 WAC Softball Title
The Western Athletic Conference released its 2000 softball preseason coaches poll two weeks ago and selected two-time defending champion Fresno State as the league favorite for the sixth consecutive year in the conference race. In a vote by the league coaches (coaches cannot vote for their own teams), Fresno State received all five possible first-place votes for a total of 25 points to lead the WAC poll. The Bulldogs bring a 24-0 conference mark into the 2000 season.
Head Coach Margie Wright
After 14 seasons as head coach of the Fresno State softball program, Margie Wright (Illinois State '74) has directed the Bulldogs to a national title (1998) while guiding the program to NCAA Women's College World Series in 10 of the last 13 years. She owns an impressive 738-210-1 (.778) mark with the Bulldogs and a 20-year career record of 887-290-3 (.753). As the all-time winningest active coach in NCAA Division 1 history, Wright captured her 700th win at Fresno State against San Diego State on March 20, 1999. Having directed the Bulldogs to the WCWS 10 times since 1986, Wright has collected 10 outright or shared conference titles, a WAC tournament championship, 10 regional championship crowns, and 14 straight NCAA postseason appearances. With a NCAA title and three national runners-up trophies to her credit, Wright is the only coach in school history to garner region coach of the year honors (seven times) and is the third head coach overall at Fresno State to capture National Coach of the Year honors (1998). An assistant coach for the 1996 USA Olympic softball gold medal team and leading the USA Softball National Team to a gold medal at the 1998 ISF World Championships, Wright has averaged 53 wins a year and has coached 42 All-Americans and eight GTE Academic All-Americans. Wright, who has posted 50 or more wins 12 times and has notched 60 or more wins twice with seven WCWS appearances in the 1990's, is 13 wins shy of her 900th career victory and 27 wins short of being the NCAA's all-time career win leader.
Fresno State Ranked Third in Preseason Top 25
In the USA Today/NFCA Preseason Coaches' Top 25 poll released Jan. 26, Fresno State received one first-place vote and was picked No. 3 in the nation by Division 1 coaches from across the country.
'Dogs Return Five All-Americans
After setting 18 teams records last season, including wins (65), consecutive wins (21), and home wins (36), Fresno State can point to five All-Americans who contributed to the record-setting year and all five return for the 2000 season. First Team selections included pitcher/outfielder Amanda Scott (Clovis) and first baseman Angela Cervantez (Madera). Second Team accolades went to pitcher Kristen Hunter (Portland, Ore.), while Third Team picks were second baseman Lovieanne Jung (Westminster) and centerfielder Becky Witt (Reseda).
No. 1 Pitching Staff In Tact
Ranked No. 1 in the country in ERA since the first release of the NCAA statistics on April 7 last year, the Fresno State pitching staff posted a NCAA ERA best of 0.51 with a single-season school-record of 545 strikeouts as well as 38 shutouts in 75 games. The 2000 Bulldog pitching staff boasts the top two pitchers in the nation returning from a year ago in Scott and Hunter. These two combined for three no-hitters, including a perfect game, and 12 one-hitters while averaging 7.48 strikeouts per seven innings.
Bulldogs In the WAC
Fresno State, which has led the conference in batting average the last five years and has had the WAC Freshman of the Year the last four straight, has finished among the top three since competing in the WAC since 1993 and has captured three WAC crowns. Four different programs which are or were members of the WAC have won the conference title and the league's NCAA automatic bid: (Utah, 1991-92), CS Northridge (1993-94-95), Colorado State (1997) and Fresno State.
Fresno State's National Rankings
Fresno State has been no stranger to the national polls for the last 19 years. Nationally ranked every week since 1983, the Bulldogs have been in the nation's Top 20 for 19 straight years. The Bulldogs enter the 2000 season with a No. 3 ranking while receiving one first-place vote. In the national polls, the 'Dogs have been ranked No. 1 five times and No. 2 35 times.
ASU Fiesta Bowl Opponents
Kansas: Kansas opens its 2000 campaign at the ASU Fiesta Bowl against the Bulldogs. The Jayhawks finished the 1999 season with a 31-30 overall mark and an 8-8 record in Big 12 play. Kansas reached the semifinals against Arizona in NCAA Regional and was eliminated by the Wildcats, 6-1. Earning votes in the USA Today/NFCA preseason poll, KU was picked fourth in the Big 12 coaches' poll. Returning for the Jayhawks is sophomore centerfielder Shelly Musser who led KU last season in batting (.296), hits (59), runs (35), triples (4) and stolen bases (45). Musser established the school's single-season stolen base record overall and by a freshman. In the circle, senior right- hander Sarah Clopton (Workman) returns after posting a 20-15 record with 239 strikeouts, 10 shutouts, four saves and a 1.40 ERA in 259.2 innings.
Mississippi State: Voted to finish third in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference in the coaches' preseason poll, Mississippi State returns seven starters from last year's 38-29 campaign. Opening their season with an exhibition game against Mississippi University for Women last week, the Bulldogs will meet Texas A&M in their tournament opener at the ASU Fiesta Bowl before taking on Fresno State. Sophomore outfielder/RHP Kellie Wilkerson returns for the Bulldogs after hitting a team-high .443 and posting team-bests in hits (90), home runs (13), RBI (65) and walks (30). In the circle, Wilkerson is the only returning pitcher from last year's staff with a 7-8 record and a 2.12 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 85.2 innings pitched.
#13 Nebraska: After posting a 35-21 mark in 1999 with a No. 20 final national ranking, No. 13 Nebraska was selected second in the preseason Big 12 coaches' poll. The Cornhuskers open tournament play with Wisconsin and UNLV before battling Fresno State. Senior infielder Jennifer Lizama is back after batting a team-high .387 and leading the team in hits (63), runs (51), home runs (16), RBI (30), walks (40) and stolen bases (25). Senior right-hander Jenny Voss went 23-11 last year with six shutouts, three saves, 140 strikeouts and a 1.13 ERA in 229.0 innings of work.
#18 South Carolina: In the second ever SEC preseason poll, No. 18 South Carolina was picked to finish first in the Eastern Division. South Carolina, which shared the Eastern Division crown with Tennessee last season, is coming off a 49-21 overall worksheet and a 17-11 mark in conference action after advancing to its eighth NCAA Regional. Though without its 1999 SEC Player of the Year (Kim Pietro), USC's pitching staff is led by sophomore All-American Megan Matthews who notched the third-highest number of strikeouts in a season (313) as a freshman. All-Southeast Region utility player Joyce McMillin, who pitched 54.2 innings last season with a 7-2 mark and a 1.98 ERA, is the top gun returning at the plate. Last season McMillin was second to Pietro in batting (.342), hits (69), runs (40), doubles (13) and RBI (33) while leading the team in home runs (9). South Carolina will meet Texas A&M and No. 4 Arizona before playing Fresno State in tournament play.
#4 Arizona (2-1): After playing an exhibition doubleheader at home against Central Arizona College two weeks ago, No. 4 Arizona opened its 2000 season at home last weekend with its own Arizona Softball Classic. The Wildcats went 2-1 after sandwiching a pair of wins over No. 5 Southern Mississippi (9-1, 10-2) between a loss to No. 2 Washington (1-0). Arizona will host Pima Community College in another exhibition game on Wednesday, Feb. 9, before participating in the ASU Fiesta Bowl. UA, which finished the 1999 season at 53-16 and finished second in the Pac-10 with a 19-9 record, return a trio of junior All-Americans in right-handed pitcher Becky Lemke and outfielders Lauren Bauer and Nicole Giordano. At 1-1 on the season, Lemke pitched a no-hit five-inning game against No. 5 Southern Mississippi (9-1) in the tourney opener before suffering the 1-0 loss to the Huskies. Arizona opens tournament action in the ASU Fiesta Bowl with Georgia, No. 18 South Carolina, Texas A&M and Tennessee-Chattanooga before squaring off against Fresno State.
In the WAC ... Great Scott!
Scott is 24-0 with six saves and 12 shutouts in WAC play since Feb. 27, 1998. Since her freshman year, she is 35-1, 231.0 IP, six saves, 19 shutouts, 136 hits, 31 runs, 16 earned runs, 11 multiple hits, 39 walks, 211 strikeouts, 0.48 ERA and a 6.39 strikeouts per seven innings. Her only loss was at then No. 25 Colorado State on April 28, 1997 (1-0). With a final ERA of 0.24, Scott broke the WAC's single-season record in ERA held by Amy Windmiller of CS Northridge (0.36, 1994). With six saves in her career -- all in the WAC -- Scott is second on the WAC's career save chart.
#1 In ERA & Doubles, 'Dogs Reset Attendance Mark
Fresno State boasted the best pitching staff in the country with a 0.51 ERA as well having the collegiate's best pitcher in Scott with a 0.24 ERA and the nation's top hitter in doubles by Cervantez with 26. Returning for the Bulldogs and contributing to the best pitching staff nationally was Hunter who finished third nationally in ERA (0.61). In addition, the Bulldogs recorded the second-highest number of wins (65) in the nation -- second to Illinois-Chicago's 67 -- and was only one of three schools to record 60 wins this season (UIC, 67, Fresno State, 65, UCLA, 63). And, Fresno State broke its own NCAA single-season attendance mark it set two years ago (51,133) with nearly 56,000 fans in 1999 (55,746).
Scott & Hunter Part of 500 Strikeout Season
The 1999 Bulldog pitching staff set a new single-season school record in strikeouts (545) and were the first to fan 500 batters in a year. Scott (231), Hunter (216) and Lindsay Parker (98) were the culprits. The most strikeouts in a season by a Bulldog pitching staff was 404 in 1992.
1999: A Record-Setting Year
Fresno State, which will bring a 26 consecutive conference win streak and a 12 straight WAC road win streak into next season, set/tied 18 team records in 1999, including attendance (55,746), win-loss (65-10), conference win-loss (24-0), consecutive win streak (21), wins in a season (65), home wins (36), road wins (29), strikeouts (545), strikeouts in a game (18) and fewest walks (61) to name a few.
'Dogs Makes NCAA Tournament History
Fresno State is the only program in the country to have qualified for each of the 18 Division 1 Women's Softball Championships. Fresno State captured its first NCAA softball title, its 12th regional title overall and made its 12th trip to NCAA Women's College World Series out of 18 postseason championships since 1982. In the NCAA Tournament, Fresno State owns a 67-37 (.644) total postseason record: 37-14 (.725) in NCAA Regional action and 30-23 (.566) in WCWS play.
Bulldogs Are Top Draw
In 1999, Fresno State drew its largest single-season attendance with nearly 56,000 fans while resetting its own NCAA record. With the NCAA officially keeping total and average attendance marks since 1991, the Bulldogs have led the country in both categories in seven of the last nine seasons (unofficially in 12 of last 14). Fresno State, which holds four NCAA attendance records including total (51,133) and average (2,557) in a season, has drawn more than 175,000 fans and has averaged nearly 2,300 per home date since the new diamond was built in 1996. The Bulldogs own a 118-13 mark in that span.
Fresno State In the NCAA Tournament
Fresno State is the only program to have qualified for each of the 18 NCAA Division 1 Women's Softball Championships. The Bulldogs captured their 12th regional championship title after sweeping through regional action at home with a 4-0 mark. In the NCAA Tournament, Fresno State owns a 67-37 (.644) postseason record: 37-14 (.725) in NCAA Regional action and 30-23 (.566) in NCAA Women's College World Series play. The 1999 NCAA Women's College World Series was held at the Don Porter Hall of Fame Stadium, May 27-31, in Oklahoma City, Okla. Fresno State finished in a tie for fifth place with Arizona after going 1-2 in WCWS action. The Bulldogs opened play with a 1-0 victory over Southern Mississippi before dropping 1-0 decisions to eventual national champion UCLA and California.
