Fresno State Athletics
No. 17 Baseball Travels To Cal Poly For One
2/11/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Coming Up
Fresno State will make a quick stop at Cal Poly tomorrow and then open its home schedule against top-ranked Stanford. The Stanford series will be on the air for all three games with Paul Loeffler and Steve Hosey.
Injury Report
Junior second baseman Scott Beshears is questionable for this week against Cal Poly and Stanford with a dislocated shoulder injury suffered three weeks ago.
All-Time vs. Cal Poly
Fresno State holds a decisive edge over Cal Poly with an 84-31 record all time. The teams have split games the past two seasons, however. Each team has won one game the past two years. The Mustangs and Bulldogs have met every year dating back to 1980.
Fresno State vs. Cal Poly - The Last Time
(FRESNO, Calif. - March, 2001, SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - April, 2001)
Last year the teams split each game winning at home. In March the Bulldogs hosted the Mustangs and dealt them an 8-5 loss. RHP Zach Minor picked up the victory in the game. Later in the season, FS traveled to Cal Poly and were handed a 9-4 loss. RHP Ben Fritz picked up the loss.
Scouting Cal Poly
The Mustangs are coming off a series against San Jose State in which they won two out of three. Cal Poly won the first game 11-1 off a strong outing by RHP Tyler Fitch. So far this year, Cal Poly has been led offensively by first baseman Tony Alcantar and outfielder Jason Barringer. Alcantar is batting .500 with two home runs and 10 RBIs. Barringer is hitting .415 with a homer and nine RBIs. Cal Poly are out-hitting its opposition .333 to .265 on the season. On the mount, Fitch leads the Mustangs with a 2-1 record and a 3.43 ERA.
All-Time vs. Stanford
Stanford is 63-43 all time against Fresno State. Last season, the Bulldogs managed to steal one from the Cardinal in a three-game set. The Cardinal and the Bulldogs have faced each other every year since 1978. Fresno State has not won a series from Stanford since 1999 when it took three of two games.
Fresno State vs. Stanford - The Last Time
(FRESNO, Calif. - Jan., 2001)
The Bulldogs opened their season against Stanford at home. The Bulldogs dropped two of three. FS took game two with a 3-2 10-inning victory. RHP Francisco Nieves came in relief to pick up the victory. In game one, Fresno State fell early against Stanford but battled back losing 11-9. The Cardinal took control in game three with a 9-5 victory. RHP Nick Moran picked up the loss in game three.
Scouting Stanford
The Cardinal will come into Fresno State as the No. 1 in college baseball. Stanford returns all eight position players from a team that finished second in the College World Series last year. This season they have played two series against Cal State Fullerton and Florida State and won both series, taking two out of three. So far this season the Cardinal have been led by Ryan Garko and Carlos Quentin. Each have two home runs. Garko leads the team with a .909 slugging percentage. On the mound, Jeremy Guthrie once again anchors the staff. Guthrie is 2-0 this season with a 3.00 ERA.
What Just Happened
Fresno State dropped two of three against Cal State Fullerton over the weekend. The Bulldogs were shut out in game one 3-0, as Runyon sufferered his first loss of the season. In game two the Bulldogs kept a slight margin throughout the game, but surrendered 10 runs in the final two innings in the 17-11 loss. In game three Ben Fritz turned in another solid performance with a complete game in which he allowed four runs with three being earned. The win snapped a four-game losing this year and an eight-game losing against Cal State Fullerton dating back to 1999.
Bulldogs in the Polls
The Bulldogs droped to No. 17 in Collegiate Baseball's poll. They are currently ranked No. 22 in the Coaches' poll and are not ranked by Baseball America.
Fresno State Against Ranked Opponents
This season the Bulldogs faced their first ranked opponents in No. 16 Cal State Fullerton. Fresno State dropped two out of three. This weekend FS will face No. 1 Stanford. Last year, the Bulldogs were swept by No. 1 Rice.
Black and Riday-White
Senior outfielder Tobey Riday-White continued his tear over the weekend against the Titans. Riday-White, who is currently on a four-game hitting streak, already surpassed his home run total of last season with two this year. Over the weekend, he batted .538 with a home run and three runs scored. He had a slugging percentage of .900 and struck out just once against Cal State Fullerton. Riday-White's .458 batting average leads the WAC as well as his 11 hits so far this year.
Versatile in Style
Junior Ben Fritz has proven to be Mr. Versatility once again for the Bulldogs. Not only does he lead the starting pitching staff with a 2.65 ERA, he is batting .346 and has not committed an error this season at three positions. In his complete game win over the Cal State Fullerton, Fritz got out of a one-out bases-loaded jam by snaring a line drive and doubling up the runner at third. Fritz leads the WAC with four doubles so far.
Pete Beiden Statue Day
On April 20, legendary Fresno State baseball coach, Pete Beiden, will be honored with the unveiling of a statue at Beiden Field. The statue will be approximately seven-feet tall on a three-foot base. It will feature Beiden with his infamous fungo bat in hand watching over the crowd as they enter the stadium. The Bulldogs will face Nevada that night at 7:05 p.m. The ceremony will be held prior to the game.
Bulldogs Picked First in the WAC by Collegiate Baseball Fresno State was picked to win the WAC title in Collegiate Baseball's preseason poll. The Bulldogs were picked ahead No. 12 Rice and Nevada. Last season FS finished second behind the Owls. RHP Bob Runyon was selected as the preseason WAC Pitcher of the Year and Rice third baseman Hunter Brownw as selected as preseason WAC Player of the Year. Last season shortstop Josh Labandeira was WAC Player of the Year becoming the first Bulldog to ever win the award.
Ben Fritz earns preseason WAC Player of the Year selection by Baseball America
Junior catcher/pitcher Ben Fritz (San Jose, Calif.) was selected as the preseason WAC Player of the Year by Baseball America. Fritz was selected by the WAC as a preseason selection in two positions. Fresno State was picked second behind Rice in the preseason poll. Also earning preseason honors was freshman second baseman Carl Lipsey (Fresno, Calif.). Lipsey was selected as the preseason WAC Freshman of the Year. Also earning preseason All-WAC selections by Baseball America were seniors catcher Brad Harper (Madera, Calif.) and pitcher Bob Runyon (Atwater, Calif.).
WAC Preseason Poll by Collegiate Baseball
1. Fresno State
2. Rice
3. Nevada
4. San Jose State
5. Hawai'i
6. Louisiana Tech
WAC Preseason Poll by Baseball America
1. Rice
2. Fresno State
3. Nevada
4. San Jose State
5. Hawai'i
6. Louisiana Tech
WAC Preseason Poll
1. Rice
2. Fresno State
3. Nevada
4. San Jose State
5. Hawai'i
6. Louisiana Tech
Aces in the Deck
Last season the Bulldogs had three pitchers take most of the load, each going over 100 innings. The good news is they're all back to do it again. Seniors Bob Runyon, Zach Minor (Walnut Creek, Calif.) and Francisco Nieves (Oakland, Calif.) were one, two, three in several pitching categories including innings pitched, wins and complete games. Runyon led the staff going 10-1 with a 3.54 ERA, four complete games, 93 strikeouts and 127 innings pitched.
The Runyon File
Runyon's consistency from last season has propelled him to several preseason awards in the preseason. He was voted second-team preseason All-America by the NCBWA (National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association) and third-team by Collegiate Baseball. Runyon earned national attention last season in the NCAA Regionals when he threw a complete-game gem against Oral Roberts to keep Fresno State alive in the tournament. He allowed just one run and fanned seven batters. In 2001, Runyon was a secon-team All-WAC selection.
Ready to Break Out
Junior Ben Fritz has proven to be Fresno State's most versatile player filling any role he is called upon. The P/C/1B/DH has excelled in all positions throwing out over 50 percent of runners, saving seven games and hitting over .280 last season. Fritz needs 11 more saves to break the Bulldogs all-time mark of 17. This past summer Fritz showcased his talents in the Alaska League for the Anchorage Glacier Pilots, guiding them to a National Baseball Congress World Series title along with Bulldog teammate Zach Minor. He was voted Summer League first team All America by Baseball America. Fritz was voted to the preseason All-WAC team as a DH and relief pitcher, being the only player named to two positions.
Super Sophomore
Casey McGehee (Aptos, Calif.) will try to avoid the "sophomore jinx" clich? and continue building on his first year success that landed him freshman All-America honorable mention and second team All-WAC honors. Last season, McGehee started 62 of the 64 games he played in with a .324 BA, five home runs and 50 RBIs. McGehee finished third on the team in several offensive categories including runs scored (45), hits (80), RBIs and total bases (117). The right-handed slugger made his presence felt in the biggest game of his life. Against Pepperdine in the NCAA Regionals last year, McGehee exploded for four RBIs including a two-run homer to help the Bulldogs defeat the Waves 8-6 and keep Fresno State alive in the regionals. This season he will make the switch to his natural position at third base after playing in the outfield last season.
Revamped Infield
The Bulldogs will have a fresh new look in the infield for the 2002 season. After the departures of shortstop Josh Labandeira, first baseman Brandon Gemoll, second baseman Oscar Lopez and third baseman Nick Garcia, the Bulldogs will have a new regular at each spot. At third base, sophomore Casey McGehee will be making the switch from the outfield. The double-play combination will feature junior Scott Beshears (Fresno, Calif.) at second base and sophomore Chris Patrick (Fresno, Calif.) at shortstop. At first base newcomers freshman Kyle Atrat (Clovis, Calif.) and junior transfer Brian Pierce (Clovis, Calif.) will both look to contribute. Others that also look to challenge for playing time in the infield include freshmen Carl Lipsey (Fresno, Calif.), Jordan Prieto (Clovis, Calif.) and junior transfer T.J. Boyd (Kingsburg, Calif.).
End of an Era
2002 will mark the end of an illustrious coaching career by one of college baseball's legends, Bob Bennett. Coach Bennett is in his 34th and final season that has seen him win numerous awards, make two College World Series appearances and have 31 players go on to the Major League level. Bennett remains as solid today as he was 35 years ago coming off WAC Coach of the Year accolades from last season.
Countdown to 1,300
Bob Bennett needs 28 -wins to become the sixth or seventh baseball coach (Larry Hays, Texas Tech - 1,284 wins) in NCAA division I history to reach the plateau. This past weekend the Bulldogs took one game from Cal State Fullerton to give Bennett 1,272 career victories.
What About Bob?
Bob Bennett remains as consistent today as he did when he took over the reigns in 1967. Coach Bennett earned his third career WAC Coach of the Year honor last season guiding the Bulldogs to their second consecutive 40+ win season. Since 1987 the Bulldogs have won at least 33 games. Bennett has guided Fresno State to 25 consecutive winning seasons.
Bulldogs in the NCAA Tournament
Fresno State will look to make its 29th appearance in the NCAA tournament in program history. The Bulldogs have qualified for the tournament the past two seasons but have failed to advance each time. FS has not advanced past the regionals since 1991 when they reached the College World Series. The Bulldogs are 48-54 all-time in postseason play with a 4-6 mark in three College World Series appearances (1959, 1988 and 1991). Last season the squad traveled to Los Angeles for the NCAA Regionals and won two straight after losing the first game. Host team, USC, eliminated the Bulldogs with a 8-0 shutout. Under Bennett, the Bulldogs have made 21 NCAA tournament appearances and two College World Series appearances.
