Fresno State Athletics
No. 6 Fresno State Softball Off This Week
3/28/2000 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 27, 2000
FRESNO, Calif. -
Bulldogs Take Break, Resume Homestand Next Week
What's unusual about this week? The Bulldogs will have a week off before resuming the second half of their 14-game homestand to kick off the month of April. Fresno State hosts its third to last non-conference opponent with Cal Poly on Tuesday, April 4, 6:00 p.m. On Saturday, April 8, the 'Dogs open Western Athletic Conference action at Bulldog Diamond with conference newcomer Portland State at 1:00 p.m. Fresno State entertains San Jose State the following day at 1:00 p.m. before closing out its 14-game homestand with Pacific on Wednesday, April 12 (make-up date from rain out on Feb. 23).
West Regional Rankings
The first set of regional rankings are set to be released this week. With Fresno State being 5-0 against its West region opponents, the NCAA Regional rankings will be released four times during the season on March 27, April 10, April 24 and May 8.
Wright On -- Breaks NCAA Career Win Mark
With a 21-year NCAA Division 1 all-time career record of 917-299-3 (.753), Fresno State head coach Margie Wright became the NCAA's all-time career win leader at home on March 23 with a 2-1 win over CS Northridge. Entering the season as the NCAA's all-time active winningest coach by victories, Wright tied the NCAA career mark on March 21 with a pair of wins over Texas A&M Corpus Christi for wins No. 912 and 913. Picking up her 900 career victory against Texas on March 4 (2-0) to become only the second coach on the Division 1 level to amass 900 or more career wins, Wright surpassed former CS Fullerton head coach Judi Garman (913-374-4/20 years). Retiring from head coaching duties last December, Garman claimed the title for all-time wins on the NCAA Division 1 level on Feb. 15, 1998 with a 2-1 win over Oregon. She surpassed former UCLA head coach Sharron Backus (840-167-3/21 years). In her 15th season at Fresno State, Wright has led the university to its only national team championship (1998) and owns a school record of 768-219-1 (.778).
Bulldog Softball Bus Tour
Be a part of the Red Wave as a bus tour has been set up for the Fresno State-San Jose State doubleheader in San Jose on Saturday, April 29. Departing from the parking lot in front of the Bulldog Ticket Office, the bus will leave Fresno at 8:00 a.m. and stop for lunch at Valley Fair Mall before going to the 1:00 p.m. game against the Spartans. After the doubleheader at Twins Creek Complex, the bus will return home, stopping along the way for dinner, and arriving in Fresno approximately 8:00 p.m. The cost is $35.00 per person (game ticket not included). For reservations or additional information, call Tim Schiller at (559) 225-3164.
Head Coach Margie Wright
In her 15th season as head coach of the Fresno State softball program, Margie Wright (Illinois State, 1974) has directed the Bulldogs to a national title (1998) while guiding the program to the NCAA Women's College World Series in 10 of the last 13 years. As only the second NCAA Division 1 coach to amass 900 or more career victories, she owns an impressive 768-219-1 (.778) mark with the Bulldogs and a 21-year career record of 917-299-3 (.753). Entering the 2000 season as the all-time winningest active coach in NCAA Division 1 history, she became the NCAA's all-time career win leader on March 23 with a 2-1 victory over CS Northridge. 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, has notched 60 or more wins twice with seven WCWS appearances in the 1990's.
Cervantez Garners WAC Player of the Week
Last Monday, senior first baseman Angela Cervantez (Madera) was selected as the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Week. Garnering her third WAC Player of the Week honor in her career, Cervantez led the Bulldogs offensively two weeks ago with a .368 batting average. After going 7-19 at the plate with two runs, double, two home runs, 14 total bases and a .737 slugging percentage, Cervantez batted in the Nos. 4-7 spots while hitting a home run in two consecutive days against No. 14 Iowa and UNLV. Against Iowa, she had two of the team's three RBI after going 1-2 with a run and her second home run on the year with a two-run shot in the sixth. In the loss against CS Northridge she posted a RBI double for the Bulldogs and also went 2-2 with a walk. Against UNLV, she hit her third home run with a solo shot to lead off the sixth inning. Cervantez has a current and career-high 12-game hitting streak and is batting .412 (14-34) with six runs, double, three home runs, two walks, 10 RBI and 23 total bases for a .676 slugging percentage.
Witt & Scott Clean Up WAC Honors This Week
Fresno State made it a clean sweep this week as the Bulldogs garnered WAC Player and Pitcher of the Week honors. Junior centerfielder Becky Witt (Reseda) sizzled at the plate as the leadoff batter after hitting .727 (16-22) with eight runs, walk, home run, two RBI, stolen base and 19 total bases for a .864 slugging percentage. Witt lead all Bulldog players in batting, hits, runs and total bases while being one of two 'Dogs to hit a home run. With five multiple-hit games in her last eight games, Witt extended her hitting streak to eight straight and is batting .643 (18-28) with eight runs, walk, four RBI, home run and 2-2 stolen bases. Senior RHP/OF Amanda Scott (Clovis) went 3-0, recorded a pair of shutout wins, a save and broke the WAC's career mark in wins and RBI. Scott threw a three-hitter against Texas A&M Corpus Christi, a one-hitter against BYU and a five-hitter against CS Northridge. She tied her career-high in strikeouts (14) -- her fifth 10-strikeout game -- versus the Islanders while picking up her third save (ninth career) against the Matadors. Scott posted a 0.00 ERA while scattering nine hits and striking out 23.
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. In the national polls, the 'Dogs have been ranked No. 1 five times and No. 2 35 times.
Understand This
Fresno State is 8-8 against the Top 25 to date this season. Of the nine losses on the year, eight have come via the top three ranked teams (Washington, Arizona & UCLA) at the time played in the national poll, the lone unranked loss coming against CS Northridge. Of the 16 games against the Top 25, four have gone extra innings in which the Bulldogs are 2-2 (def. Long Beach State in 10 and Michigan in 11, lost to UCLA in 8 and Arizona in 10). Fresno State is likely the only team in the country in which it has played the Nos. 1-3 teams in the country nine times within a span of 26 games (32 days) from Feb. 13 through March 16 (No. 1/2 UCLA, four times, No. 2/3 Arizona, three times, and No. 1 Washington, twice). What are these opponent's batting against Fresno State: .168 against with 107 strikeouts and a .968 fielding percentage.
Simply Amazing
With her fifth WAC Pitcher of the Week honor this season, Scott is making her senior season a memorable one. In 21 starts this season, she has completed 19 games but what is astonishing is her recording 15 shutout victories with 181 strikeouts in 18 starts. All in a two week period, Scott broke the school's career strikeout record against UNLV on March 18 (current mark of 718) and followed that by breaking two WAC all-time career record in wins against Texas A&M Corpus Christi (current mark of 92-16) and career RBI record against BYU (current mark of 202) last week. Earlier in the year, she became the WAC's career leader in saves (current mark of nine) against Arkansas on Feb. 18. In her last 15 starts, she is 14-1 with 11 shutouts and a pair of no-hitters for a 0.26 ERA. Having thrown four shutout wins in her last five starts, she has struck out 127 while giving up six runs (four earned), 37 hits and 15 walks in 108.0 innings in her last 15 outings. With a season-high streak of 53.0 scoreless innings and a current streak of 35.0 innings without an earned run, Scott has seven 10-strikeout game performances, including a career-high 14 against #2 Arizona, #14 Michigan and Texas A&M Corpus Christi, and is averaging 7.63 strikeouts per seven innings. With two no-hitters, five one-hitters, and three saves this season, Scott has given up only nine runs (seven earned) in her last 113.2 innings of work since Feb. 26.
Who's Hot
The Bulldogs batted .360 over six games last week en route to a 6-0 mark at home ... Fresno State had five player bat better than .300 last week and was led by Witt's .727 performance ... Sophomore second baseman Lovie Jung (Westminster) batted .476 (10-21) with seven runs, four doubles, walk, 1-1 stolen base, eight RBI and 14 total bases for a .667 slugging percentage ... Cervantez hit .412 (7-17) with four runs, double, home run, three walks, sac fly, six RBI and 11 total bases for a .647 slugging percentage ... Freshman catcher Pam West (Corona) hit .357 (5-14) with two runs, two doubles, two RBI and seven total bases for a .500 slugging percentage ... Sophomore third baseman Lindsay Fossatti (Tustin) batted .313 (5-16) with two runs, four RBI, two walks and five total bases ... For the month of March, Witt led all players with a .394 average (37-94) with a team-high 18 runs, four walks, triple, home run, six RBI, 6-6 stolen bases and 42 total bases ... Jung was next with a .391 average (34-87) with a team-high six doubles, 20 RBI, 45 total bases and a .517 slugging percentage while adding a triple, home run, six walks and being 5-5 in stolen bases ... Cervantez hit .338 (23-68) with eight runs, three doubles, three home runs, 16 walks, 16 RBI and 35 total bases for a .515 slugging percentage ... Fresno State went 22-5 in the month of March while collecting 15 shutout wins and posting a 0.56 ERA in 189.0 innings ... Scott went 14-1 with 11 shutouts, one save, 132 strikeouts, nine runs (seven earned) for a 0.43 ERA in 113.2 innings ... Sophomore left-hander Kristen Hunter (Portland, Ore.) went 7-4 with four shutouts, 57 strikeouts, 16 runs (eight earned) for a 0.81 ERA in 69.0 innings.
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 in 1999, Scott broke the WAC's single-season record in ERA held by Amy Windmiller of CS Northridge (0.36, 1994). With nine saves in her career, Scott is listed first on the WAC's career save chart.
Overall ... Great Scott!!
Looking to become the program's first four-time NCAA First Team All-American, Scott has been honored as the NFCA National Player of the Week as well as being selected WAC Player of the Week for the fourth times this season. In the Hallowell Chevrolet Classic, Scott went 4-0 and pitched three shutouts and struck out 30 while yielding one run (unearned - international tie breaker rule) in 29.0 innings. Named to the all-tournament team, Scott pitched the championship game against #3 UCLA and kept the Bruins to two hits while striking out three. At the plate in tourney play, she led the Bulldogs with a .556 batting average (10-18) with three runs, double, triple, four RBI and 13 total bases for a .722 slugging percentage. At the NFCA Leadoff Classic, Scott earned all-tournament honors after going 3-0 with three shutouts and a pair of no-hitters. Giving up just one hit in 25.0 innings, Scott walked four and struck out 31 as opponent's batted a paltry .014 against. With six career no-hitters and becoming the first pitcher in 16 years to throw back-to-back no-no's, Scott no-hit Florida State and #14 Michigan. Scott also added a career-high 14 strikeouts against the Wolverines (tied with 14 against #2 Arizona on March 14 and Texas A&M Corpus Christi on March 21) while posting a streak of 19.0 hitless innings in tournament play. At the Campbell-Cartier Classic she went 2-1 and appeared in four games after posting a 0.55 ERA in 25.1 innings. Scott notched her fourth career no-hitter against CS Northridge (1-0) in the tournament opener and collected her second save on the season against Arkansas. She followed those performances with another shutout victory over #15 Long Beach State (1-0, 10 inn.). Scott appeared in all five games at the ASU Fiesta Bowl. She went 2-0 as a starter, recording shutout wins over Kansas and No. 18 South Carolina, and made three relief appearances and picked up a win against Mississippi State and a save against Nebraska. With seven 10-strikeout performances and five one-hitters on the year, Scott is 7-3 against Top 25 teams, Scott's three losses on the season are by the hands of No. 1/2 UCLA & No. 2 Arizona in 10 innings. As a starter, Scott is 18-3 with 18 complete games and 15 shutouts (150.0 IP, 56 hits, 13 runs, nine earned runs, 19 walks, 164 strikeouts and 495 at bats for a .113 average against. In relief, she is 1-0 with three saves in seven appearances (16.0 IP, eight hits, four runs, three earned runs, six walks, 17 strikeouts and 55 at bats for a .145 average against).
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 (1996-98-99).
Bulldogs Are Top Draw
Fresno State drew its largest single-season attendance in 1999 while resetting its own NCAA record for the second time in three years. 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 (55,746) and average (2,557) in a season, has drawn more than 176,000 fans and has averaged nearly 2,300 per home date since the new diamond was built in 1996. Having set a new season record in ticket sales for the fifth consecutive year, including sales surpassing the 1,000 plateau for the last four straight, the Bulldogs are 132-15 at home in Bulldog Diamond since 1996.
