Fresno State Athletics
#22 Softball Wraps Up 2001 Season
6/5/2001 12:00:00 AM | Softball
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June 5, 2001
FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State Falls Short in Quest for 13th WCWS Bid
Making its 20th straight NCAA appearance and 24th postseason showing overall in the 24-year history of the Fresno State softball program, the Bulldogs posted a 1-2 record in NCAA Region II action in Los Angeles. Opening regional play as the No. 2 seed, Fresno State dropped a 3-1 nine-inning decision to No. 5 seed Wisconsin. Falling into the loser's bracket, the Bulldogs rallied back that evening with a 6-4 victory over No. 6 seed Coastal Carolina on May 17. On the second day, Fresno State was eliminated from postseason play after No. 3 seed CS Northridge handed the `Dogs a 3-1 loss. Junior third baseman Lindsay Fossatti (Tustin, Calif.) was selected to the 12-member NCAA Tournament all-regional team. Hitting her fourth home run on the season against Coastal Carolina, Fossatti batted .444 (4-9) with a run, four RBI, walk, sacrifice fly and seven total bases for a .778 slugging percentage. Fossatti was one of nine players to bat above .400 as she finished sixth-best among the hitters in regional play. Freshman LHP/DP Lori Hoffman (Benicia, Calif.) hit .400 (4-10) with a walk and four total bases. In addition, as a team, Fresno State posted the second-best batting average among the regional teams after hitting .253, tied for the fewest strikeouts (12) and was the only team to throw out runners (two) attempting to steal. Unfortunately, the team ERA of 2.74 in 23.0 innings ranked fourth among the six teams despite opponent's only hitting .203 against.
Bulldogs Snag Fourth Straight WAC Crown
Since joining the Western Athletic Conference in 1983, the Bulldogs have finished among the top three. Entering the 2001 as the preseason favorite, Fresno State captured the WAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament last weekend. As a result, Fresno State is the first program to capture five WAC titles and the first ever to win four consecutive crowns. The Bulldogs have posted an 81-7 (.920) mark in the last four years with five league titles in the past six years.
Twelfth Annual Diamond Club Golf Tournament
With all proceeds benefitting the Fresno State softball program, the 12th Annual Fresno State Diamond Club Tournament will be held on Saturday, Sept. 22, at the Madera Public Golf Course. The shotgun scramble format starts at 1:00 p.m. Entry fee is $100 and includes green fee, tournament fee, golf cart, small bucket of balls, drinks, dinner and tee prizes. This event is tax deductible. The deadline is Sept. 15. If not a golfer, items can be donated for the hospitality area, for prizes or for the opportunity to be a tee sponsor. For more information or details, contact Rosie Synn at (559) 297-7272.
Head Coach Margie Wright
Concluding her 16th 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 15 years. As only the second NCAA Division I coach to amass 900 or more Division I career wins, she owns an impressive 831-243-1 (.774) mark with the Bulldogs and a 22-year career record of 980-323-3 (.752). Becoming the NCAA's all-time career win leader on March 23 with a 2-1 victory over CS Northridge last season, Wright will enter the 2002 season just 10 victories shy of being the first NCAA Division I coach to accumulate 1,000 Division I wins. Having directed the Bulldogs to the WCWS 10 times since 1986, Wright has collected 12 outright or shared conference titles, a WAC tournament championship, 10 regional championship crowns, and 16 straight NCAA postseason appearances. With an NCAA title and three national runner-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 at Fresno State to garner National Coach of the Year accolades (1998). Boasting a 403-72 (.848) home field record, Wright has averaged 52 wins a year and has coached 42 All-Americans and 12 Verizon Academic All-Americans. An assistant coach for the 1996 USA Olympic softball gold medal team, Wright also helped the USA Softball National Team to a gold medal at the 1998 ISF World Championships.
1,000th Division I Win Up Next in 2002
This past spring, Wright picked up her 800th victory at Fresno State at the NFCA Leadoff Classic on Feb. 25 with a 3-1 victory over Missouri and tallied her 950th career victory against Colorado State on March 7. Wright, who is the NCAA's all-time winningest coach, will enter the 2002 season 10 wins shy of being the first NCAA Division I coach to collect 1,000 Division I victories.
In the Books
Having been featured in USA Today (May 9, 2000) and showcased in Sports Illustrated's "Faces in the Crowd" (May 22, 2000) for her coaching success, Wright has been singled out in a book documenting 42 of the most successful and illustrious female coaches and athletic administrators over the past 30 years. Written by Nena Hawkes and John Seggar the book is entitled Celebrating Women Coaches: A Biographical Dictionary.
Fossatti & Witt Are Verizon Academic All-Americans
Two Bulldogs were named to the Verizon Academic All-America team in senior center fielder and first team selection Becky Witt (Reseda, Calif.) and third team honoree Fossatti. Witt and Fossatti is the university's 29th and 30th student-athlete to garner Verizon (formerly GTE) Academic All-America status. With Fresno State softball boasting 14 overall Academic All-Americans, the program boasts the most Academic All-Americans by any Fresno State team (14) and 12 have come under 16th-year head coach Margie Wright. With eight softball players selected in the last seven years as Academic All-Americans, Witt picked up her second consecutive honor after being named third team in 2000. With Fossatti collecting her first Academic All-America accolade, Witt also becomes just the fourth softball player and the 12th overall Bulldog to be a first team pick. Both Witt and Fossatti are Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society members at Fresno State.
Witt, a two-time All-American, owns a 3.60 GPA and is majoring in kinesiology-sports medicine. The five-time Dean's List selection is the school's 2001 NCAA Postgraduate and Western Athletic Conference Stan Bates nominee. Witt batted a career-high .396 her final year and finished her career ranked in the Top 10 in the NCAA record books in hits (No. 9, 331), runs (No. 8, 224) and at bats (No. 10, 866). Witt also set the school's career mark in stolen bases (50) in addition to being the second Bulldog to ever score 200 or more career runs and the fourth to ever have 300 or more career hits. Witt also concludes her career ranked in eight Top 10 Fresno State all-time record books and seven Top 10 all-time annals in the WAC.
Fossatti, a three-time first team all-Western Athletic Conference pick, boasts a 3.93 GPA and is majoring in kinesiology-exercise science. The five-time Dean's List member is a three-time President's List honoree (4.0 GPA a semester) and was the recipient of the 2001 Harold Haak Scholarship handed out at the Kiwanis Torch of Excellence Dinner earlier this month. Named to her first NCAA Tournament all-regional team, Fossatti had a season-best .291 batting average. She connected for her first career grand slam against 2001 NCAA Champion Arizona and moved up the career chart in home runs at No. 8 all-time with nine. As the top RBI producer for the Bulldogs (33) this past spring, Fossatti closed out the year with at least one RBI in her last five games and had a team-high seven multiple RBI games.
Softball Banquet Award Winners
Witt was named Most Valuable Player and picked up the Academic Excellence Award at the annual awards dinner held in May. Witt is the fifth Bulldog outfielder and third center fielder to garner MVP honors. The Golden Glove Award went to freshman second baseman Pam Perez (Fresno, Calif.). Perez started all 58 games at second base and committed just two errors in 225 total chances for a .991 fielding percentage - the highest on the team. Perez is the first true second baseman overall to receive this award. The Coaches' Award went to sophomore catcher Pam West (Corona, Calif.). As the ninth Bulldog catcher to pick up this honor, West threw out 20 would-be base stealers for a 74% accuracy. Leading the nation in percentage of runners thrown out, the 20 would-be base stealers thrown out ties for the third-best mark in a single season at Fresno State. Still further, the seven bases stolen against are the fewest given up in a season. The Most Inspirational Award went to junior first baseman Vanessa Czarnecki (Riverside, Calif.). Starting at first base for the first time this season after spending the first two in right field, Czarnecki is the third first baseman to collect this award and received this award for the second straight year. Czarnecki turned 14 double plays at first base while moving up to No. 7 all-time in school history in career sacrifices (45). The Bulldog Achievement Award went to Fossatti and she is the first third baseman to garner this award. The Most Improved Award went to sophomore pitcher Leslie Poole (Akron, Ohio). Nationally ranked during the season in ERA, Poole was a 20-game winner after transferring from Tennessee. Poole finished at 20-7 with 11 shutouts, 85 strikeouts and a 1.35 ERA in 187.0 innings. Having had a streak of five consecutive shutout wins, including a 1-0 victory over then No. 4 Stanford, Poole had a season-best streak of 47.2 scoreless innings. Poole is the sixth Bulldog pitcher to receive this award. The Career Achievement Award went to senior shortstop Alicia Dowland (La Palma, Calif.). As just the second shortstop to be selected honored, Dowland posted her second-best season in her career with a .274 average and 45 hits along with a career-high in doubles (8) and walks (14). Dowland, along with Witt, were members of the 1998 NCAA Championship team, led Fresno State to four straight WAC crowns, two Women's College World Series appearances and four NCAA Tournaments.
Team Notables
The Bulldogs established several records this past season in fewest wild pitches (4, record was 5 in 1988), fewest fielding errors (51, record was 58 in 1998), stolen bases in a game by an individual (3 by Becky Witt vs. Colorado State, tied mark) and career stolen bases (51 by Becky Witt, record was 39 by Laura Berg) ... Fresno State collected its 1,075 victory in the program's history with a 2-0 defeat over North Carolina on March 17 ... The Bulldogs are three wins shy of the program's 1,100th ... A week later, Fresno State picked up its 170th WAC win with a 4-1 victory over Loyola Marymount on March 24 ... The Bulldogs are 19 wins shy of recording the program's 200th WAC victory ... Fresno State recorded a mercy game 11 times and went extra innings four times ... The Bulldogs swiped 47 bases in 56 attempts ... The 47 stolen bases are the most by a Bulldog team since 1995 when those Bulldogs stole 47 in 54 attempts ... The 47 stolen bases by the 2001 and 1995 Bulldogs rank as the third-most in a single season in school history ... Fresno State opened the season with an invitational win at the 2001 Campbell/Cartier Tournament after going 5-0 ... The Bulldogs were the only team to ever go undefeated in the tournament's 11-year history ... Fresno State had eight games rained out in 2001 ... The Bulldogs nearly scored twice as many runs as their opponents (206-105) and posted the second-highest fielding percentage ever by a Bulldog team with a .972 this past spring.
Caught in the Act
West laid down the law went it came to stealing -- that is stealing a base off this catcher. Throwing out 20 runners for a 74% accuracy of would-be basestealers (7-27), West not only led the nation of runners thrown out by percentage but allowed the fewest stolen bases off a Bulldog catcher ever in a season. The 20 runners thrown out ties for the third-best mark in a single season (20 by Christa Yorke, 1994).
Surging Power
Fossatti, a three-time first team all-WAC, had her best season as a Bulldog after posting personal bests in batting (.291), RBI (33) and slugging percentage (.399). Missing out on eight games because of weather, Fossatti also would have surpassed her marks in hits, walks and total bases. Leading the team in RBI and walks, Fossatti belted her first career grand slam in Tucson against 2001 NCAA Champion Arizona and had her first career multiple-home run game on the road against Georgia. Ranked in career walks and home runs at Fresno State, Fossatti had a team-best seven multiple-RBI games. Named to her first NCAA Tournament all-regional team, she also garnered Verizon Academic All-America third team honors in 2001.
Reflecting Into a New Poole
Poole, a three-time Western Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week honoree, made her mark after transferring from Tennessee. Poole went from a 10-10 mark with two shutouts and 54 strikeouts in 128.1 innings for a 3.55 ERA in her rookie season to a 20-7 record with 11 shutouts and 85 strikeouts in 187.0 innings for a 1.35 ERA. Stringing together five consecutive shutout wins, including a 1-0 victory over then No. 4 Stanford, Poole was nationally ranked in ERA for two weeks (No. 47, 1.02 ERA on April 9 and No. 41, 1.00 ERA on April 16). Poole had a season-best streak of 47.2 scoreless innings and during this streak she gave up 32 hits, walked nine and struck out 16 in nine appearances. Opening the year with a streak of 34.2 innings without an earned run, she also opened with a streak of 31.0 scoreless innings.
She'd Be on My Team
Why wasn't Witt a four-time All-American? Don't ask but the answer be known is that any program in the country would have penciled in this ESPN highlight reel showcasing speed, unthinkable catches and defensive prowess in their line up. Instead, Witt is a two-time NCAA All-American and Verizon Academic All-American who ranks in three Top 10 NCAA career records in hits, runs and at bats while just missing out in games played. A career .382 batter, Witt shattered the school's career record in stolen bases (51) this season while also tying a 20-year old record for most stolen bases in a game (3 vs. Colorado State, March 7). This season, Witt became just the second Bulldog to score 200 or more career runs (March 19, Dartmouth) and was just the fourth Bulldog to collect 300 or more career hits (March 27, No. 8 CS Fullerton). Against the Top 25, Witt batted .400 (22-55) with 10 runs, two doubles, five walks, hit by pitch, 3-3 stolen bases, RBI and 24 total bases in 16 games. She posted a season-best .396 batting average and stole a season-high 18 bases despite being cheated out of eight games due to weather. Witt had 14 multiple-run games and 26 multiple-hit games.
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 polls, the 'Dogs have been ranked No. 1 five times, No. 2 35 times, No. 3 31 times and No. 4 20 times. Fresno State has been in the poll's Top 10 in 148 of the last 162 weeks in addition to being ranked every week for 162 consecutive since the NCAA's first Top 15 poll in 1983.
NCAA Regional Rankings
The NCAA Division 1 Women's Softball Committee released its fourth and final Division I women's softball biweekly regional poll on May 10. The first three rankings listed the top ten teams in alphabetical order, only. The West Region is comprised of the Western Athletic Conference and the Big West Conference schools. In the final NCAA West Region poll, the NCAA ranked just six teams and did not list schools with records below .500: CS Fullerton, Pacific, Fresno State, Hawai'i, CS Northridge and Loyola Marymount.
Fresno State in the NCAA Tourney
Fresno State is the only program in the country to have qualified for each of the 20 NCAA Division I Women's Softball Championships. In the NCAA Tournament, Fresno State owns a 71-41 (.634) overall postseason record. In NCAA Regional action, the Bulldogs are 41-18 (.695) and 30-23 (.567) in NCAA Women's College World Series play. The Division I Women's Softball Championship Committee selected teams from the following eight regions to participate in the championship: Central, East, Northeast, South, Mideast, Midwest, West and Pacific. Twenty-one conferences were granted automatic qualification for the 2001 championship. Six conferences participated in a play-in to determine the remaining three automatic berths. In the NCAA Region II at Los Angeles, Fresno State (Western Athletic Conference) and Coastal Carolina (Big South Conference) were the only two teams to earn the NCAA automatic bid.
Top Attendance Drawer
With record ticket sales in five of the last six years and preseason sales surpassing the 1,000 plateau for the last five straight seasons, Fresno State is again the country's leader in attendance for the ninth time in 11 years (unofficially in 14 of last 16). Even though a home doubleheader was rained out this past spring, the Bulldogs drew at least 34,000 fans for the sixth consecutive year and owns an astonishing 541-119-1 (.820) home field record. With more than 260,000 (260,042) fans passing through the turnstiles the past six years, Fresno State is averaging 2,261 fans per date in 115 dates at Bulldog Diamond and has set Top 25 single-date attendance marks the last six seasons, including the No. 5 all-time mark of 3,623 vs. Loyola Marymount on April 21.
2001 Bulldog Softball Individual Notebook
Jr., 1B, Vanessa Czarnecki
Had a five-game hit streak (.429, 6-14, 3 R, RBI, 3 BB, 1-1 SB, 2 SH, 6 TB) ... had seven multiple-hit performances & three multiple RBI games ... scored two or more runs in a game three times ... turned 14 double plays ... in career, tied for No. 7 in school history in career sacrifices (45) ... 5x Deans List ... 3x WAC all-Academic, WAC Scholar-Athlete and Fresno State Scholar-Athlete.
Sr., SS, Alicia Dowland
Hit safely in seven of last nine & batted .296 (8-27) with a run, 2 RBI, 2 doubles, walk, sacrifice & 9 total bases ... hit safely in 23 of last 37 (.302, 32-106, 9 R, 7 doubles, 11 RBI, 9 BB, 2 HBP & 3 SH) ... had 11 multiple hit games & three multiple RBI games ... had a pair of four-game hit streaks (March 17-20: .500, 5-10, 2 R, 5 RBI, double, 2 walks, 2-2 SB, SH, April 1-7: .500, 6-12, R, RBI, double, 7 TB, .583 slug pct.) ... turned six double plays ... WAC Player of the Week (March 19) ... 1999 Second Team All-WAC ... 1998 NFCA Scholar-Athlete ... 4x Deans List ... 3x WAC & Fresno State Scholar-Athlete ... 2000 WAC All-Academic ... member of 4 WAC championship teams ... member of 1998 NCAA title team.
Jr., 3B, Lindsay Fossatti
Ended season with at least one RBI in last five games (total of 10, including three multiple) ... hit safely in last two WAC games & batted .667 (4-6) with a run, six RBI and sac fly ... hit safely in 17 of last 27 & batted .351 (26-74) with 8 R, double, 2 HR (grand slam), 19 RBI, 11 BB, 1-1 SB, 2 HBP, SH, SF, 31 TB ... in last 29 games, batted .344 (31-90, 15 R, 3 doubles, 2 HR, 19 RBI, 2 HBP, 15 BB, SH, 2 SF, 40 TB) ... had 12 multiple-hit games & team-high seven multiple RBI games ...led team in RBI (33) & walks (29) ... hit first career grand slam vs. Arizona ... hit a pair of home runs and season-best nine total bases against Georgia (first career multi home run game) ... had career-high 5 RBI vs. Georgia ... stole first collegiate base against UC Riverside ... season-high seven-game hit streak (.545, 12-22, 3 R, 2 RBI, double, walk, 1-1 stolen base, 13 TB) ... turned four double plays ... named NCAA Tournament all-regional (.444, 4-9, run, home run, walk, sac fly, seven total bases) ... 2x WAC Player of the Week (April 2 & Feb. 26) ... ranks No. 8 in career home runs (9) ... 2001 Harold Haak Scholarship honoree ... two consecutive semesters with a 4.0 GPA ... 1999 all-West Region ... 3x first team all-WAC ... 3x WAC all-academic, WAC Scholar-Athlete & Fresno State Scholar-Athlete ... 5x time Deans List ... 3x Presidential List (4.0 GPA) ... Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society ... 2001 Verizon Academic All-American & All-District VIII.
Fr., LHP/DP, Lori Hoffman
In WAC play, gave up four runs (two earned), 14 strikeouts and seven walks in 48.1 IP for a 0.29 ERA and a 5-1 league mark ... opened WAC season with a streak of 25.0 scoreless IP ... led team in doubles (12) & second in RBI (29) ... had nine multiple-hit games & six multiple RBI games ... had a six-game hit streak & batted .471 (8-17, 4 RBI, 2 BB, two doubles, triple) ...had 12 appearances vs. Top 25 teams with six starts ... owned Top 25 wins over #11 DePaul, #15 Oregon State, #8 CS Fullerton ... first collegiate start vs. #11 DePaul (W 2-1) ... made second start vs. Oregon State & got first shutout (2-0) ... season-high seven strikeouts vs. #4 Stanford ... season-best streaks of 25.0 IP scorelss & without an earned run ... went 11-10 on year with six shutouts (combined for 2), 58 strikeouts & 1.17 ERA in 31 appearances.
Fr., 2B, Pam Perez
Ended WAC season with a three-game hitting streak (.444, 4-9, run, RBI, 1-1 stolen base, SF) ... hit safely in five of last six & batted .300 (6-20) with 2 runs, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 1-1 SB, HBP, SF, 9 TB ... batted .265 (9-340 with 2 runs, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 1-1 stolen base, HBP, SF and 9 TB) in last 11 games ... season-high five-game hit streak (.462, 6-13, 3 R, 2 BB, 1-1 SB) ... had six multiple-hit games & one multiple RBI game ... turned eight double plays.
So., RHP, Leslie Poole
Went 20-7 with 11 shutouts (combined for 6), 85 strikeouts & 1.35 ERA in 187.0 IP ... threw five consecutive shutout wins (including a 1-0 win vs. #4 Stanford) ... season best streak of 47.2 scoreless innings (gave up 32 hits, walked nine & struck out 16 in 6 starts & 3 relief) ... opened year with a streak of 34.2 IP without an earned run & 31.0 scoreless IP ... in last 103.1 innings, gave up 18 runs -- 17 earned -- 21 walks & 43 strikeouts for a 1.15 ERA ... season-best six strikeouts vs. two teams ... turned two double plays ... had two one-hitters, three two-hitters & two three-hitters ... 3x WAC Pitcher of the Week (April 9, April 2 & Feb. 19) ... 2000 Fresno State Scholar-Athlete ... 2001 second team All-WAC.
So., C, Pam West
Had a five-game hit streak & batted .500 (6-12, 2 R, 3 RBI, 3 BB, HBP) ... threw out 20 basestealers for a 74% accuracy (7-27) ... led nation in percetnage of runners thrown out (74%) ... the 20 would-be basestealers thrown out is the third-best mark in school history ... the seven stolen bases are the fewest ever given up ... had one pick off ... turned two double plays ... had four multiple hit games & one multiple RBI game ... 2x Fresno State Scholar-Athlete ... 2000 WAC all-Academic.
Jr., LF, Tiffany Whipple
Ended WAC play with a five-game hit & batted .429 (6-14) with five runs, double, triple, RBI, walk, sacrifice, 1-1 stolen base & nine total bases ... second on team in batting (.333), hits (59), runs (40), & multiple-hit games (16) ... season-high nine-game hit streak (.452, 14-31, 9 R, double, 3 RBI, BB, HBP, SF, SH, 4-4 SB, 15 TB, .484 slug pct.) ... in last 41 games, batted .352 (44-125) with 31 runs, 11 RBI, 4 doubles, triple, 7 walks, 9-11 stolen bases, 3 HBP, 4 SH & SF... WAC Player of the Week (March 26) ... 2000 Fall Deans List ... 2000 Fresno State Scholar-Athlete ... 2001 second team all-WAC.
Sr., CF, Becky Witt
Finished career ranked in three NCAA Top 10 categories (#8 runs, 224, #9 hits, 331, and #10 at bats, 866) ... led team in batting (.396), runs (50), total bases (80), at bats (192), hits (76), stolen bases (18) & multiple-hit games (26) ... had 14 multiple-run games ... season-high nine-game hit streak (.500, 15-30, 11 runs, RBI, double, three walks (one intentional), 4-4 stolen bases and two hit by pitch) ... tied 20-year old single-game school record in SB (3) vs. Colorado State ... set school record in career stolen bases (50) & had season-best 18 swipes ... second Bulldog to score 200 or more career runs (March 19 vs. Dartmouth) ... fourth Bulldog to have 300 or more career hits (March 27 vs. CS Fullerton) ... batted .400 (22-55, 10 R, 2 doubles, 5 BB, HBP, 3-3 SB, RBI & 24 TB) vs. Top 25 teams ... WAC Player of the Week (April 23) ... 2001 WAC Stan Bates nominee (athletics, academics and citizenship) ... 2001 Fresno State Torchlighter honoree (3.5 cum GPA) ... in career, ranks in eight Fresno State& in seven WAC career records ... at FS is No. 1 in SB (51), No. 2 in R (224), No. 3 in H (331), No. 4 in BA (.382) & at bats (866), No. 7 in TB (370), No. 8 in slug pct. (.427) & No. 10 in games played (261) ... 2x All-American & Verizon Academic All-American ... 4x all-West Region & all-WAC ... 2x NCAA Tournament All-Regional ... 1998 WAC Freshman of the Year ... 3x GTE/Verizon Academic All-District VIII ... Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society ... 4x WAC all-academic, WAC Scholar-Athlete & Fresno State Scholar-Athlete ... 5x Dean's List ...member of 4 WAC title teams & 1998 NCAA championship team .
