Fresno State Athletics
No. 22 Softball Opens March with 10-Game Homestand
2/24/2003 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 24, 2003
FRESNO, Calif. -
The Fresno State softball complete release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Bulldog Softball Begins 10-Game Homestand
The Fresno State softball team begins a 10-game homestand on Sat., March 1, when the Bulldogs open their home schedule against Santa Clara at 1:00 p.m. Fresno State will then entertain BYU in a single game on Wed., March 5, 6:00 p.m., before hosting the Hedrick's Hallowell Chevrolet Classic, Thur.-Sun., March 6-9. In two weeks, the 'Dogs will tangle with Southern Utah on Tue., March 11, 6:00 p.m.
Second Chance to Meet the Team
For the second straight year the Fresno State softball team will make its appearance at Hedrick's Hallowell Chevrolet. The Bulldogs are scheduled to appear at the local car dealership from 12:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m.
Home Openers & Series Notes
In home openers, Fresno State is 21-4 overall and 14-3 under head coach Margie Wright. Against Santa Clara, the Bulldogs are 34-0 with the series first starting in 1979. In the series, Fresno State has collected 24 shutout victories. Meeting each other for the first time last year since 1998, the 'Dogs notched 7-0 and 4-0 wins at home on March 2, 2002.
Head Coach Margie Wright
As the NCAA's all-time winningest coach in Division I softball, head coach Margie Wright (Illinois State, 1974) is in her 18th season at the helm of the Fresno State softball program. Wright, who became the first Division I softball coach and 24th Division I head coach overall to record 1,000 Division I victories last year, is 17 wins shy of tallying her 900th school victory with a school mark of 883-270-1 (.766). The 1998 NCAA National Coach of the Year boasts a 24-year career record of 1,030-350-3 (.746). With 10 NCAA Women's College World Series trips under her belt, the eight-time conference coach of the year has collected 13 outright or shared conference titles, a Western Athletic Conference tournament championship, 10 regional championship crowns and 17 straight NCAA postseason appearances at Fresno State. Wright is the only coach in the program's history to garner region coach of the year honors (seven times) and is the third head coach overall at Fresno State to garner National Coach of the Year accolades. Owning a 433-77 (.849) all-time mark at Bulldog Diamond, Wright has recorded 13 50-win campaigns and has averaged 52 wins a season while coaching 45 All-Americans, 13 Verizon Academic All-Americans, four NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship winners and one NCAA Top VIII awardee. In the postseason, Wright is 59-30 with a NCAA title, three national runner-up finishes, three third-place showings and three fifth-place finishes at the NCAA Women's College World Series. Having served on the national level as a USA assistant head coach that won gold in the 1996 Olympic Games and at the ISF World Championships as well as a head coach for the USA Junior Women's National Team that won gold in 1995, Wright has made Fresno State one of just three programs in Division I softball to make eight or more trips to the Women's College World Series.
Week 2: Campbell/Cartier Tournament
Off to the slowest start in school history at 2-7, Fresno State is fielding a young team (five new position players) that has played four Top 25 teams in its first seven games ... Of the seven losses, four have been a one-run decision going in the opponent's favor with two against the Top 25 (0-1 vs. #4 Nebraska and 1-2 in nine innings vs. #24 Texas A&M) and two happening in extra frames (Texas A&M and Central Florida, 2-3 in 9 innings) ... Turning itself around from week one, Fresno State batted .219 two weeks ago to hitting .252 last weekend ... The Bulldogs have hit four home runs in their first nine games, after totaling eight in 70 games in 2002 and five in 58 games in 2001 ... Against New Mexico, the Bulldogs broke out with season-highs in hits (13), runs (10), RBI (9) and total bases (17) while collecting their first mercy run-rule game ... Senior catcher Pam West (Corona, Calif.) had a solid weekend after batting .333 (4-12) with a run, two walks and two RBI ... She has hit safely in four of her last five games and is batting .375 (6-16) with two runs, a sacrifice, two walks and four RBI ... Freshman shortstop Christina Clark (Santa Ana, Calif.) hit .286 (4-14) with five runs, one walk, one home run, three RBI and seven total bases for a .500 slugging percentage ... On the year, Clark leads the team in runs (9), total bases (17) and slugging percentage (.548) ... Hitting safely in four of her last five games and batting .277 (5-18, 7 runs, 1 walk, 1 HBP, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 11 TB, .611 slug pct.), she also has hit at least one home run in the first two weekends of the season ... Senior left fielder Sha Oliver (Escondido, Calif.) had her first two collegiate starts last weekend against Kansas and New Mexico ... Oliver picked up her first hit as a Bulldog when she went 1-3 in the victory over New Mexico ... Freshman third baseman Veronica Green (Lakewood, Colo.) notched her first collegiate hit when she went 1-2 with a walk against No. 4 Michigan ... Appearing in five games, redshirt freshman infielder/outfielder Daisy Gaynor (Sun Valley, Nev.) made her first start as a Bulldog at third base against New Mexico ... Having made seven appearances and five starts, freshman infielder/outfielder Angelina Diaz (Madera, Calif.) scored her first collegiate run against New Mexico as a pinch runner ... After collecting her first collegiate stolen base against No. 4 Nebraska in the season opener, freshman outfielder Nicole Shan (Whittier, Calif.) also scored her first collegiate run against New Mexico as a pinch runner ... Junior first baseman Monnaye Bernal (Artesia, Calif.) has a modest two-game hit streaking and is batting .429 (3-7) with a double and three RBI ... Junior designated player Shasta Lewis (Bakersfield, Calif.) had her second multiple-hit game on the year when she went 2-3 with a run against New Mexico ... Tallying her first RBI as a Bulldog against Iowa State, Lewis opened the year with a 2-3 performance against No. 4 Nebraska.
Right at Home
Junior Lori Hoffman (Benicia, Calif.) had another solid weekend after playing in right field for three games and pitching one. Last weekend she had three multiple-hit games out of four played. Hoffman batted .500 (7-14) with two runs, double, two walks, four RBI and eight total bases for a .571 slugging percentage. In the tournament opener against Central Florida, she knocked in the tying run in the top of the sixth and the go-ahead run in the ninth before UCF scored two in the bottom of the frame to win 3-2 in nine innings. Hoffman went 2-3 with a walk, a double and two RBI. Versus No. 4 Michigan, she was 2-5 with a run and a RBI. Hitless against Kansas, Hoffman bounced back the next day to go 3-3 with a run, a walk and a RBI versus New Mexico. Hitting .406 on the year, Hoffman has hit safely in seven of nine games with four multiple-hit games. She also has hit safely in four of her last five and is batting .555 (10-18) with four runs, two doubles, two walks, five RBI and 12 total bases for a .667 slugging percentage. With the most multiple-hit games (4) on the team, Hoffman leads the Bulldogs in hitting (.406), hits (13) and doubles (2) while tied for first in RBI (6) and second in runs scored (4), total bases (15) and slugging percentage (.469).
500 K Club
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Jamie Southern (Clovis, Calif.), who has made 61 appearances with 49 starts while completing 47 games, has tallied 479 strikeouts to date and is 21 shy of becoming the eighth Bulldog to reach the 500 career strikeout plateau. In addition, she could be the fastest to reach the 500 career strikeout plateau. Amanda Scott reached the 500 mark her junior year in her 94th career appearance. Wende Ward had 482 strikeouts in 93 games entering her senior year. Terry Carpenter entered her senior year with 435 strikeouts in 104 games while Marcie Green began her final year with 364 in 80 games. Lori Romeiro picked up her 500th in her final year of eligibility but in three years as a pitcher as she had 409 strikeouts in 71 games. Carie Dever entered her senior year with 366 strikeouts in 79 games while Melanie Parrent began her senior year with 303 strikeouts in 99 games.
National Rankings
Fresno State softball has been no stranger to the national polls. Nationally ranked every week for 178 consecutive weeks since the NCAA's first Top 15 poll in 1983, the Bulldogs have been in the nation's Top 25 polls for 21 straight years. Ranked in the Top 10 for 151 weeks, the Bulldogs achieved their first No. 1 national ranking on March 14, 1989. They were ranked No. 1 for two straight weeks in 1997 before finishing as the No. 1 team in the final 1998 USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll. In 1999, Fresno State opened the year with a No. 1 preseason ranking after winning the national title in 1998. The softball program's five No. 1 rankings is the most ever by a Bulldog athletic team.
Southern on USA Softball Watch List
For the second straight year, Southern is on the USA Softball national watch list for its end of the year award given to the top collegiate softball player. The Second Annual USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award is being likened to the Heisman Trophy; this award is the only national player of the year award that is designed to recognize outstanding athletic achievement by collegiate softball players. Making the initial list this year of 40 potential honorees, Southern was a final four candidate last season. The initial list this season represents 23 colleges and 11 different conferences. If a player does not appear on the initial list watch list, a player is still eligible for consideration.
Santa Clara Notebook
A member of the newly formed Pacific Coast Softball Conference, Santa Clara is 9-8 on the year and the Broncos have won their last three straight and four of their last six. Santa Clara is coming off a split on the road at No. 21 Pacific (1-0, 1-5) before winning three of four at home with a split versus Humboldt State (1-2, 5-1) and a sweep over San Jose State (5-0, 6-2). Off until they come to Fresno on Saturday, the Broncos are 1-3 versus the Top 25 and Santa Clara has played all its Top 25 contests on the road: No. 6 Washington (2-3, 5-7) and No. 21 Pacific (1-0, 1-5). Leading the team offensively is freshman second baseman Jenny Brown, who is batting .373 (19-51) with 12 runs, three doubles, 10 walks, three sacrifices, six RBI, 4-4 stolen bases and 22 total bases for a .431 slugging percentage in 17 games. Senior right fielder Tracie Hall is batting .216 (11-51) with five runs but she has two doubles and three home runs to lead the team in RBI (12). In the circle, redshirt junior right-hander Jaime Forman-Lau is 7-4 with four shutouts and 81 strikeouts in 77.2 innings for a 1.35 ERA.
A New Look
Without affiliate members Portland State and Loyola Marymount, the WAC welcomes Nevada, which is fielding a softball program for the first time since 1989. The WAC will receive the NCAA automatic bid for 2003 but not in 2004 due to softball league membership longevity. WAC member UTEP will field a softball team in 2004.
2003 Bulldog Softball Capsules
Jr., 1B, Monnaye Bernal
Has started 7 of eight games at first base ... has a current two-game hit streak and is batting .429 (3-7) with a double and three RBI ... had first hit as a Bulldog versus No. 4 Nebraska (1-3) ... knocked in first RBI as a Bulldog against Iowa State ... had first double as a Bulldog versus New Mexico.
Fr., SS, Christina Clark
Leads the team in runs (9), home runs (3), total bases (17) and slugging percentage (.548) ... has hit safely in four of last five and is batting .277 (5-18) with 7 runs, 1 walk, 1 hit by pitch, 2 home runs, 5 RBI and 11 total bases for a .611 slugging percentage ... has hit at least one home run in the first two weekends of play ... hit her first collegiate home run versus No. 24 Texas A&M ... has two multiple hit and two multiple RBI games ... 2003 preseason all-WAC.
Fr. LF, Angelina Diaz
Has five starts with four in left field and one in right ... scored first collegiate run against New Mexico.
Fr., RHP, Laura Ferreira
Made first collegiate start versus Wisconsin and had a no-decision ... pitched 2.1 innings and gave up three runs on five hits while walking one and striking out one.
Fr., 3B, Veronica Green
Has eight starts a third base ... picked up first collegiate hit and walk against No. 4 Michigan ...had a sacrifice against Kansas.
Jr., LHP/RF, Lori Hoffman
Has made eight starts in right field and one in pitching ... leads the team in batting (.406), hits (13), doubles (2), RBI (6) and multiple hit games (4) ... has hit safely in seven of nine games ... has hit safely in four of last five and is batting .555 (10-18) with four runs, two doubles, two walks, five RBI and 12 total bases for a .667 slugging percentage ... has four multiple hit and one multiple RBI games ... 2003 Campbell/Cartier All-Tournament ... in the circle, she has made 16 career appearances versus Top 25 teams with nine starts ... owns career-best streaks of 25.0 scoreless & without an earned run in innings pitched.
Jr., CF, Mitzi Ing
Has made nine starts in center field ... has one multiple hit game (versus Iowa State, 2-3) ... tied career-best 2 hits and 2 runs scored versus Iowa State ... has a career-best three-game hit streak posted from Feb. 9-15 (.400, 4-10, 3 runs, 2 walks, HBP).
Jr., DP, Shasta Lewis
Has made eight starts with seven starts as the designated player and one in left field ... has two multiple hit games ... had first hit as a Bulldog versus #4 Nebraska (2-3) ... knocked in first RBI against Iowa State ... scored first run versus New Mexico.
So., 2B, Leticia Pacheco
Has nine starts at second base ... had one multiple hit game ... 2002 second team all-WAC.
Sr., RHP, Leslie Poole
Has made two relief appearances (Wisconsin and #4 Michigan) and assumed one loss ... is 0-1 with a 5.48 ERA in 7.2 innings of work ... in career, has 47.2 scoreless innings streak ... has two one-hitters, three two-hitters & two three-hitters.
So., RHP/UT, Jamie Southern
Is 2-4 on the year with one shutout, 61 strikeouts and a 0.81 ERA in six starts ... is averaging 9.93 strikeouts per 7/IP in 43.0 innings of work ... has five 10-strikeout games ... has 10-strikeout games in five of six starts ... has season-high 13 strikeouts versus Kansas ... has one one-hitter and one two-hitter on year ... is 0-2 against the Top 25 and both losses have been by a run (1-0 vs. #4 Nebraska and 2-1 vs. #24 Texas A&M in 9 innings) ... has given up one earned run, two walks and has struck out 23 in last 12.0 innings ... 2003 Campbell/Cartier All-Tournament ...in career, has tallied 24 career 10-strikeout games ... has tossed 13 extra inning games ... has 12 career one-run loss games ... is 37-14 with four saves & 24 shutouts with 47 complete games in 49 starts & 61 appearances ... in 406.2 innings pitched, has yielded 194 hits, 41 runs, 27 earned runs, 74 walks while striking out 479 (8.25 strikeouts 7/IP) for a 0.47 ERA ... is 6-8 vs. Top 25 teams with a save, five shutouts & 131 strikeouts in 122.1 IP (7.51 strikeouts 7/IP) ... owns career-best 11.2 hitless IP streak, 52.1 scoreless IP & 92.2 innings without an earned run ... 2002 WAC Pitcher and Freshman of the Year ... two-time WAC Preseason Pitcher of the Year ... two-time preseason all-WAC ... two-time NFCA National Player of the Week (2002) ... 2002 Fresno State Female Athlete of the Year ... seven-time WAC Pitcher of the Week (2002) ... First Team All-West Region & NCAA All-Tournament ... First Team All-American ... Easton Sports All-American ... Honda Awards Softball finalist ... USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year finalist.
Sr., C, Pam West
Is second on the team in batting (.321), hits (9) and home runs (1) while tied for first in RBI (6) ... hit first collegiate home run versus Wisconsin ... has three multiple hit and three multiple RBI games ... in last three years, has thrown out 45 for a 62% accuracy (28-73) ... in career, has thrown out 57 would-be basestealers (56-113) for a 52% accuracy ... has a .992 career fielding percentage (10 errors in 1,354 chances) ... 2002 second team all-WAC ... two-time preseason all-WAC.
