Fresno State Athletics
Half Empty or Half Full?
6/16/2003 12:00:00 AM | Softball
June 16, 2003
FRESNO, Calif. -
Final 2003 Fresno State softball release in PDF Format
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Half empty or half full? The answer to that question will be debated on the 2003 Fresno State softball season.
While thoughts may vary on the past year it should not go without notice that the Bulldogs did what they've always done -- found a way to win and prevail.
A promising fall season rudely turned sour when the Bulldogs would face their first of numerous challenges with the loss of three "penciled" starters. Throw in another designated starter that left the team two weeks into the season due to a family tragedy and the 'Dogs now would have just two players that played their original position.
A tough preseason schedule awaited the 15th-ranked Fresno State softball team. A different team from the fall, the young Bulldogs had to start from scratch and reintroduce themselves to each other.
And in finding themselves in new roles they took their knocks in the first month, especially when they were forsaken with a 5-12 start and a non Top 25 ranking for the first time in school history.
A game of inches was never so indicative for the Bulldogs than it was in 2003. Fresno State would lose 13 by two runs or less (11 one-run losses). Of the 11 one-run losses, five came in extra innings not to mention five were Top 25 losses and the opportunity to capture an unprecedented sixth straight Western Athletic Conference title was lost.
In her 18th season at Fresno State, head coach Margie Wright offered no excuses, just an imploration for patience and that a silver lining would be had. With a personal tragedy that saw the death of her sister in early April, the NCAA's all-time winningest softball coach directed the final two months with courage as the team went 20-7, handing her her 900th school victory and made a NCAA record-setting 22nd consecutive postseason showing.
Pushing through the slowest start in school history, Wright did not renounce her team's efforts and talents. Knowing that the Bulldogs had to battle through the scrutiny, Wright made sure her team crawled successfully before it ran.
Fighting off incertitude, the Bulldogs found vindication by going 29-8 in their last 37 games and 31-10 in the last 41. Fresno State recorded three Top 15 wins and posted an 11-game win streak in its turnaround.
The silver lining was the evident growth by a young squad that found solace with leadership as they posted a 36-22 overall record, the program's 26th straight winning season, and a runner-up finish in the WAC race with a 14-4 mark.
Two underclassmen garnered All-America honors in sophomore pitcher/utility Jamie Southern and freshman shortstop Christina Clark.
For Southern it was her second straight All-America accolade. In a season that was supposed to feature additional support in the circle, Southern put the team on her back and grew into a "follow my lead" model.
On the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year watch list for the second straight year, Southern went 25-12 with 17 shutouts, 322 strikeouts and a 0.64 ERA in 253.0 innings. At the plate she hit .337 (60-178) with 21 runs, seven doubles, a triple, eight home runs, 31 RBI and 93 total bases.
Averaging 29 wins in two seasons with Fresno State, she became the first Bulldog hurler to collect back-to-back 300-strikeout seasons. Southern, who enters next season 260 strikeouts shy of being the 18th pitcher in NCAA Division I history to reach the 1,000-strikeout plateau, became just the second Bulldog pitcher to tally 700 or more career strikeouts.
Down the stretch Southern was tough. Closing out the year by winning 10 of her last 12 starts, she went 21-6 in her last 27. In those last 27 games Southern tallied 16 shutouts, one save and struck out 228 for a 0.64 ERA. Finishing third in the final NCAA Division I statistics for ERA (0.64), she also was a force at the plate as she hit .359 (46-128) with 18 runs, six doubles, a triple, eight home runs, 30 RBI and 78 total bases for a .609 slugging percentage in her last 41 games. She also became the sixth Bulldog pitcher to throw back-to-back 20-win seasons.
Clark served notice in her collegiate debut. Leading the team in 14 offensive categories, she tied the school's single-season home run record (15) while batting .382 (73-191) with 54 runs, 15 doubles, four triples, 46 RBI and 141 total bases for a .738 slugging percentage.
Setting a rookie mark in total bases, she ranked the whole season among the nation's best in home runs per game. In unanimity with Southern, Clark was potent at the plate down the stretch. Hitting a grand slam and posting a 12-game hit streak during the year, she batted .446 (54-121) with 39 runs, 13 doubles, three triples, 11 home runs 35 RBI and 106 total bases for a .876 slugging percentage in her last 37 games.
As the 10th freshman in school history to be an All-American (first Bulldog rookie at shortstop), Clark already ranks No. 6 in career home runs at Fresno State as she set the single-game school record in total bases (10 vs. Long Island) and is the first Bulldog to hit three home runs in a doubleheader. In addition she became just the second Bulldog freshman to record 100 or more total bases in a freshman campaign.
In addition to Southern and Clark, junior right fielder/designated player Lori Hoffman put up solid numbers in 2003. A First Team All-WAC selection she quietly put together a 15-game hitting streak, which ranks No. 5 all-time at Fresno State, and ended the year hitting safely in 15 of her last 16. Hoffman, who also belted a grand slam for the Bulldogs this past season, was the third key in the 'Dogs offensive push. In her final 27 games she batted .351 (33-94) with seven runs, double, three home runs, 24 RBI and 43 total bases.
As the third Bulldog to have a multiple home run game, she was one RBI shy of tying the school's single-game RBI mark. She finished second on the team in hits (64), doubles (7), RBI (43) while third in batting (.327), home runs (3) and total bases (80).
The Bulldogs do lose four-year starter and two-time All-WAC catcher Pam West to graduation. Catching every pitch of every inning of every game (1,781.2 innings in 254 career games), West wrapped up her career with a .992 fielding percentage and threw out 68 base runners for 52% accuracy (the 68 runners thrown out ranks second-most in school history).
Fresno State finished among the nation's Top 25 when the Bulldogs were one of 24 teams to reach the semifinals of the NCAA Regional championships in 2003. With five of its six all-WAC performers coming back and two All-Americans, Fresno State led the nation in attendance in total (nine of last 13 seasons) and average (11 of last 13 seasons) this past season.
Appearing in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Top 25 poll the first two weeks of the season, the Bulldogs have ranked among the nation's top 25 in 178 of 190 weeks since 1983. Fresno State closed out the year by receiving votes in the final ESPN.COM/USA Softball Coaches Top 25 poll for a No. 28 ranking.
To have known that the 2003 season would be evidence of "when it rains, it pours" or that the year would illustrate Murphy's law to its fullest would have been no easier than to have lived through it.
There's always a silver lining to what life throws at you and for the Bulldogs it was simply this: resiliency and constitution.
Fresno State brings back all starters but one and returns its top three power hitters and a supporting cast that set the table for them. It will boast the nation's top offensive shortstop and one of the premier pitchers in the country. The "year old" Bulldogs will hold closely the tradition, pride and dedication of Fresno State softball and will use that "growth" as an opportunity to build upon the program's winning tradition.
The 2003 Bulldogs found their way and they prevailed. The numbers are not what Fresno State fans are accustomed to but the development and personal achievements will be their gift back.
Half empty or half full? It's a question that turns philosophical when the approach is optimistic and not pessimistic.
