Fresno State Athletics
Softball Tabbed No. 15 in Preseason Ranking
1/29/2003 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Jan. 29, 2003
FRESNO, Calif. -
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Unfamiliar with what the 2003 Fresno State softball squad has to offer this upcoming season due to the influx of 11 Bulldog newcomers, the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division I Top 25 poll was released this morning and 22 NCAA Division I coaches representing all eight regions voted the Bulldogs No. 15 to start the year off.
With the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 preseason poll giving seven Pac-10 teams recognition, Fresno State is one of 15 schools in the preseason poll that tallied at least 50 wins a year ago. The Bulldog softball program, which has now been nationally ranked in the Top 25 polls for 21 straight years, now has been nationally ranked for 177 consecutive weeks dating back to the first collegiate softball poll that was released March 8, 1983 (NCAA Top 15).
Fresno State opens its 2003 season next weekend, Feb. 7-9, at the Fiesta Bowl Tournament. The Bulldogs will play four of their five games at the Rose Mofford Sports Complex and one contest at Arizona State's Farrington Stadium. The 'Dogs will take on the Big 12, literally, with meetings against No. 4 Nebraska, Wisconsin (Big 10), No. 24 Texas A&M, No. 12 Texas and Iowa State.
The following weekend, the Bulldogs travel to San Diego for the 13th Annual Campbell/Cartier Tournament, Feb. 14-16, at the Sportsplex USA. Fresno State, which won the tournament in 2001, will play five games and will meet Central Florida, No. 4 Michigan, Kansas, Oregon and New Mexico.
The Bulldogs open the month of March at home and will play the first 10 games of the month at home. Their first appearance at Bulldog Diamond will be March 1 against Santa Clara (6:00 p.m.) before playing BYU in a single game on March 5.
The Bulldogs will host the Hedrick's Hallowell Chevrolet Classic, March 6-9, before closing out their 10-game homestand with Southern Utah on March 11. After a trip to the Kia Klassic (March 13-16), Fresno State returns home to close out the month of March with games against Long Island (March 18), CS Northridge (March 21), San Diego State (March 23) and No. 14 Stanford (March 26).
Fresno State has 10 Top 25 teams on its slate, including four match ups against the Top 10, and could meet as many as five more Top 25 opponents in tournament play at the Kia Klassic (No. 2 Arizona, No. 6 Washington, No. 9 Florida State, No. 10 CS Fullerton and No. 13 Arizona State).
The USA Today/NFCA Coaches Top 25 poll will be released every Wednesday beginning Feb. 19.
Fresno State softball is the second Bulldog athletic team to start the year off with a preseason ranking. With softball coming in at No. 15, the women's tennis team checked in at No. 26.
Fresno State softball season tickets are currently on sale at the Bulldog Ticket Office. Tickets also will be available on-line to purchase at www.gobulldogs.com.
