Fresno State Athletics
No. 23 Bulldogs Resume Road Play
2/17/2004 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 17, 2004
FRESNO, Calif. -
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Fresno State Resumes Road Play
The Fresno State softball team resumes play on the road this week when they compete at the Campbell/Cartier Classic Feb. 20-22, in Poway, Calif. Coming off a 4-1 weekend at the ASU Fiesta Bowl Tournament, the Bulldogs will play five games, including two match ups against Top 25 teams in No. 16 Oregon and No. 5 Washington. The 'Dogs kick off action on Fri., Feb. 20, versus Loyola-Chicago at 10:00 a.m., before facing the Ducks at 5:30 p.m. On Saturday, Fresno State will tangle with the Huskies at 5:30 p.m. before meeting Ohio at 8:00 p.m. On Sunday, the Bulldogs wrap up tourney play against Iowa State at 9:00 a.m.
Campbell/Cartier History
The 14th Annual Campbell/Cartier Classic, which is being held at Sportsplex USA, is an annual event held in the memory of former Aztec softball players Susanne Campbell and Karin Cartier. Both players lost their lives in a car accident in Mexico during the 1991 softball season. Hosted by San Diego State, the SDSU Spring Classic was renamed in 1994 to the Campbell/Cartier Classic and an endowment fund was set up for future Aztec softball players. Fresno State, which won the classic title in 2001 and finished second in 2000, is making its sixth tournament appearance. Last year, the final game of the tournament was rained out with both San Diego State and Sacramento State posting four wins each.
No Backing Down Here
With both preseason collegiate softball polls out, the Bulldogs' non-conference slate is already loaded as they could face as many as 19 of the Top 25 ranked teams. Of the preseason ranked teams, No. 23 Fresno State will face a minimum of nine Top 25 teams, including four of the top five in both polls (UCLA, Arizona, Oklahoma and Washington). Additionally, Fresno State has the possibility of meeting 10 other preseason Top 25 teams in tournament play at the NFCA Leadoff Classic and/or Kia Klassic (California, Michigan, Nebraska, Louisiana-Lafayette, Georgia, Texas, DePaul, LSU, CS Fullerton and Florida State).
Bulldog Softball Bus Tours
Four Bulldog softball bus tours are scheduled for the 2004 season. Reservations now can be made for trips to Stanford (March 24), UC Santa Barbara (April 21), San Jose State (April 29) and Nevada (May 15). For more information, contact Tim Schiller at (559) 225-3164.
Head Coach Margie Wright
As the all-time winningest NCAA Division I softball coach, Margie Wright (Illinois State, 1974) is in her 19th season as the head coach 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 two years ago, tallied her 900th school win on April 6 with a 7-0 win over Hawai'i last year. She owns a 19-year school mark of 919-286-1 (.763). The 1998 NCAA National Coach of the Year boasts a 25-year career record of 1,082-378-3 (.741). 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 18 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 458-87 (.840) all-time mark at Bulldog Diamond, Wright has recorded 13 50-win campaigns and has averaged 51 wins a season while coaching 47 All-Americans, 13 Academic All-Americans, 11 Olympians, four NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship winners and one NCAA Top VIII awardee. In the postseason, Wright is 62-32 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 10 or more trips to the WCWS.
Week 1 in Review: Bulldogs Go 4-1 at ASU Fiesta Bowl
The Bulldogs opened the 2004 season on the road and posted a 4-1 record at the ASU Fiesta Bowl Tournament ... Fresno State defeated UMass, 8-0 in 5 innings to kick off the year ... The Bulldogs dropped a 5-4 decision to Texas State in the bottom of the seventh with one out ... The 'Dogs bounced back to win their final three after defeating Western Michigan (3-0), Syracuse (6-3) and No. 18 Texas A&M (2-0) ... With three shutout victories recorded and the program's 55th no-hitter posted, the Bulldogs outscored their opponents 23-8 and collected 17 multiple hits while batting .323 ... Fresno State improved to 18-9 all-time in season openers and 14-5 under Wright ... The Bulldogs had three players hit at least .400 ... Junior All-America pitcher Jamie Southern (Clovis, Calif.) led the way offensively ... With at least one hit in every game, Southern batted a team-best .500 (7-14) with three runs, two doubles, two home runs, four walks, five RBI and 15 total bases for a 1.071 slugging percentage ... With the two long balls, she cracked the school's career Top 10 list for home runs and is ranked No. 9 with 11 ... Freshman catcher Nichole Willis (Clovis, Calif.) batted .438 (7-16) with a run, three doubles, a walk, three RBI and 10 total bases for a .625 slugging percentage as she had a hit in every game in her debut ... Sophomore third baseman Veronica Green (Lakewood, Colo.) hit .400 (4-10) with two runs, a double, a walk, two home runs, a team-best seven RBI, 11 total bases and a team-high 1.100 slugging percentage ... Hitting safely in three of four games started and a sacrifice fly as a pinch hitter in another, Green hit back-to-back home runs against Syracuse for her first and second career home runs ... The first long ball by Green was a grand slam and it was the 11th one hit in the program's history ... The last time a Bulldog hit two home runs in a single game was by sophomore All-America shortstop Christina Clark (Santa Ana, Calif.), who had two against Long Island on March 18, 2003 ... The last time a Bulldog hit a grand slam also was by Clark, who belted one at home against Louisiana Tech on May 8, 2003 ... Junior second baseman Leticia Pacheco (Bloomington, Calif.) hit .357 (5-14) with three runs and Clark hit .333 (6-18) with a team-best five runs, a double, a walk, a team-high three home runs, four RBI and a team-best 16 total bases for a .889 slugging percentage ... With the three home runs hit last weekend, Clark moved into the No. 4 spot all-time at Fresno State with 18 dingers.
Southern Named WAC Pitcher of the Week
Southern was honored as Western Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week for the first time in 2004 and the 11th time overall in her career on Feb. 16. Last weekend she recorded three shutout victories that included a perfect game against No. 18 Texas A&M. Southern, who struck out 32 for an average of 11.79 strikeouts per seven innings, held opponents to a .113 batting average and allowed just seven hits. She notched her fourth career no-hitter and third career perfect game against the Aggies while tying the school's single-game strikeout mark (15) for a seven inning game. The perfect game was the 12th thrown in school history while the no-hitter was the 55th recorded by a Bulldog. Now owning the school record for most perfect games thrown (3), she struck out 11 of the first 12 Aggie batters faced before striking out four of the final nine. The last no-hitter, which also was a perfect game, tossed by a Bulldog was done by Southern when she defeated San Jose State, 1-0, on April 13, 2002. Southern opened the year with a one-hitter against UMass before tallying her first 10-strikeout game of the year against Western Michigan with 11. In her career to date, Southern has recorded 10 one-hitters and 35 10-strikeout games.
National Rankings
Fresno State softball has been no stranger to the national polls. Owning the longest streak for consecutive weeks (178) ranked in NCAA Division I softball history, the Bulldogs have been nationally ranked in the Top 25 for 179 of 191 weeks since the NCAA's first Top 15 poll in 1983. In addition Fresno State has been in the nation's official Top 25 polls for 22 straight years. Appearing in the Top 10 for 151 weeks, the 'Dogs 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.
The Race to 1,000
With 772 career strikeouts, Southern needs 228 strikeouts to become just the 19th NCAA Division I player to amass 1,000 career strikeouts. To crack the NCAA Division I career list, she needs 207 to share the No. 30 spot with Rhonda Wheatley (979, Cal Poly Pomona). Still further, Southern is 80 shy of breaking the school and WAC career mark of 851 (Amanda Scott, 1997-2000).
Another Milestone on Horizon
With numerous milestones attained in her previous 24 years of coaching Division I softball, Wright will add another one in 2004. With 1,082 career victories, she is 18 shy of reaching career win No. 1100. As the first NCAA Division I coach to tally 1,000 Division I wins two years ago, she reached the 1,000 mark on March 8, 2002 in the Bulldogs' 5-3 victory over Boston University.
TV/Radio Schedule
The 2004 Fresno State softball television schedule has been set. Comcast (ch. 14) will broadcast the first game of Bulldog softball doubleheaders against six opponents this upcoming season: Pacific, UCLA (tournament game), Ohio State, Nevada, San Jose State and Tulsa. Both The Big Dawg, ESPN 1430 AM and KFSR 90.7 FM are on board to broadcast 12 games a piece. Of the Bulldogs' 30 home games in 2004, 24 games will be heard live on the radio.
Swinging Away
Tying the school's single-season home run record with No. 15 against Long Beach State on May 15 at the NCAA Regionals, Clark not only tied former All-America standout Michelle Bolt for most home runs in a season but also tied Bolt for the fastest Bulldog to reach 15 home runs as they both did it in 54 games. With Clark being the Bulldog to hit 10 or more home runs in a season, she already has collected three in as many days in the first weekend of play. In her career, she moved up the school's all-time career home run list and is ranked No. 4 with 18. In the WAC's record book, she is two shy of ranking 10th all-time. Southern also cracked the school's Top 10 list and is ranked No. 9 with 11. The school's all-time career home run mark is 36 by Nina Lindenberg (1996-99) while the WAC's all-time career mark is 46 by Scia Maumausolo (CS Northridge, 1993-96).
Rolling Along
Not giving up a run in 19.0 innings of work, Southern has picked up where she left off a season ago. In her last 27 starts she is 23-4 with a no-hitter (perfect game), 18 shutouts and 236 strikeouts in 177.2 innings for a 0.43 ERA (99 hits, 16 runs, 11 earned runs, 31 walks, 9.32 strikeouts per 7/IP). She is 17-3 in her last 20 starts as she has tossed a no-hitter (perfect game), 14 shutouts and has struck out 181 (8.67 strikeouts per 7/IP) in 146.1 innings for a 0.43 ERA (71 hits, 12 runs, 9 earned runs, 26 walks).
Whatever is Needed
Senior Lori Hoffman (Benicia, Calif.) has filled every position asked of her. Putting up solid numbers in 2003 that saw her earn First Team All-WAC honors at utility, she continues to do the same after seeing time as a pitcher, first baseman, right fielder and designated player in her Bulldog career. While quietly posting a 15-game hitting streak a season ago, a mark that ranks fifth-best all-time at Fresno State, she already has seen time in the circle and as a designated player in the first five games of the season. Hoffman picked up her first pitching victory since her rookie year when she came into the Syracuse game in a relief role on Feb. 14. She pitched the final four innings and allowed just two hits in the Bulldogs' 6-3 win. Hoffman had made just one start in 2003 and two starts the year before after making 31 appearances and 17 starts with an 11-10 mark as a freshman.
All-America Flavor
The Fresno State softball team returns 11 letterwinners, including six starters, from a 36-22 team that was of one of 24 squads to reach the semifinals of NCAA Regional Championship play a year ago. The 2004 Bulldogs also have an All-America flavor to it as they return two All-Americans in Clark and Southern. Two of the four newcomers bring in All-America credentials as well in Nichole Willis and junior outfielder Porsha Finley (West Covina, Calif.). Willis was the 2003 Diamond Sports High School Catcher of the Year and a three-time Louisville Slugger/NFCA High School All-American while Finley garnered 2003 Louisville Slugger/NFCA CalJC Second Team All-America honors.
Campbell/Cartier Opponent Notebook
Loyola-Chicago (0-0) -
Opens the season this weekend against Fresno State ... First meeting between the two schools ... Returns 11 Ramblers, including six starters, from a 33-23 team that captured the Horizon League Conference title (16-5) ... Top returnees include junior shortstop Keilah Williams (.300, 45-150, 23 runs, 5 doubles, triple, 13 RBI, 14 walks, 5-6 stolen bases), senior right hander Jenny Rice (2.73, 14-8, 36 appearances, 21 starts, 2 shutouts, 3 saves, 141.0 innings, 90 strikeouts and .260 opponent average) and sophomore right hander Lindsey LaChiana (2.73, 10-7, 21 appearances, 16 starts, 2 shutouts, 112.2 innings, 49 strikeouts and .247 opponent average).
#16 Oregon (5-4) -
Competed at the ASU Fiesta Bowl Tournament last weekend and went 3-2 ... Defeated No. 13 CS Fullerton (10-1, 5 inn.), CS Northridge (6-1) and No. 10 Texas (4-1) while losing to No. 18 Texas A&M (8-3) and Ohio State (3-1) ... Opened the season at the Florida International Tournament and went 2-2 ... Dropped season-opener to No. 7 Georgia (11-6) before defeating Florida International, 9-1 (6 inn.) ... Was then blanked 3-0 by Florida Atlantic before wrapping up tournament play with a win over Iowa State (8-0, 6 inn.) ... Leading the team is junior catcher Ashley Richards, who is batting .387 (12-31) with 7 runs, 2 doubles, 2 home runs and 8 RBI ... Right behind her is senior catcher Jenn Poore, who is hitting .385 (10-26) with six runs, six walks, a home run and 3 RBI ... In the circle, junior right hander Ani Nyhus is 4-2 with a shutout and 20 strikeouts in 31.0 innings for a 2.71 ERA ... Bulldogs are 28-1 all-time vs. Ducks ... Was supposed to meet last year at Campbell/Cartier but rained out ... Last meeting was at the 1998 Fiesta Bowl Tournament (won 9-4 in season opener) ... 'Dogs have won the last nine and opened the series winning the first 19 ... Lone loss was 1-0, March 22, 1990 at the Pony Invitational ... In 2003, team posted a 37-19 overall record and finished tied for third in the Pac-10 (10-11) ... Returns five starters and 12 letterwinners that made the program's eighth appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
#5 Washington (10-1) -
Participated in the ASU Fiesta Bowl Tournament last weekend and went 6-0 ... Recorded wins over Syracuse (11-1, 5 inn.), No. 10 Texas (14-4, 6 inn.), Texas Tech (6-0), No. 18 Texas A&M (4-2), Dayton (10-2, 6 inn.) and UMass (5-2) ... Opened the year at the Long Beach State Tournament and went 4-1 with victories over San Diego State (8-0, 5 inn.; 7-6, 11 inn.), Long Beach State (3-0) and Santa Clara (1-0) while losing to No. 1 UCLA (5-3) ... Leading the team is freshman second baseman Dominique Lastrapes, who is hitting .442 (19-43) with 8 runs, three doubles, 6 RBI and 5-6 stolen bases ... In the circle, senior All-America right-handed pitcher Tia Bollinger is 6-1 with a shutout and 44 strikeouts in 39.2 innings for a 0.88 ERA ... Bulldogs are 7-7 all-time vs. Huskies ... Have split the last two meetings with both played in 2002 (won 2-0 on Feb. 22 at NFCA Leadoff Classic and lost 5-4 on March 14 at Kia Klassic) ... Washington has won three of last four and four of last six ... Fresno State opened the series with a 5-3 mark ... UW posted a 47-16-1 record and made its 10th NCAA Tournament appearance in 2003 ... Finishing fifth in the Pac-10 (9-12), it advanced to the NCAA WCWS and tied for fifth after going 5-2 in the postseason ... The Huskies return 13 letterwinners and nine starters from a team that finished with a No. 6 national ranking and made its sixth appearance at the WCWS ... Senior right-handed pitcher Tia Bollinger and junior catcher/designated player Kristen Rivera on the initial Top 40 watch list by USA Softball.
Ohio (0-0) -
Opens this weekend in San Diego ... Will meet Long Beach State, Hawai'i and CS Northridge before playing the Bulldogs ... The only meeting between the two schools was March 21, 1996 (Fresno State won 8-0 at the Pony Invitational) ... Last year, the Bobcats went 10-31-1 overall and finished sixth (3-20) in the East Division of the Mid-American Conference ... Returns 11 letterwinners and eight starters ... Top returnees include senior outfielder Erin Chapman (.411, 46-112, 23 runs, 10 doubles, 2 triples, 4 home runs, 16 RBI, 72 total bases, .643 slug pct., 12-14 stolen bases), junior utility player/right-handed pitcher Jenny Tisevich (.292, 31-106, 16 runs, 8 doubles, triple, 7 home runs, 24 RBI, 62 total bases, .585 slug pct.; 4.81, 3-6, 18 appearances, 14 starts, 67.0 innings, 37 strikeouts and .274 opponent average) and sophomore right hander Candy Warden (4.54, 3-10, 22 appearances, 15 starts, 91.0 innings, 33 strikeouts and .334 opponent average).
Iowa State (1-4) -
Coming off a bye week ... Opened the year at the Florida International Tournament, Feb. 6-8, and went 1-4 ... Dropped first four games to No. 7 Georgia (2-0), Florida Atlantic (5-0), No. 16 Oregon (8-0, 6 inn.) and Florida International (3-0) before bouncing back with a 1-0 win over FIU ... Struggling offensively and defensively in first five games of the year with a .080 team batting average and a .938 fielding ... Junior outfielder Misty Kimura is hitting a team-high .250 (3-12) ... Last season she batted .117 (7-60) with 2 runs, 2 doubles and 2 home runs ... Freshman right-hander Alyssa Ransom is 0-2 in two starts and owns a 1.62 ERA and 9 strikeouts in 13.0 innings ... Sophomore right-hander Kristen Karanzias is 1-2 in three starts and owns a 4.57 ERA and 8 strikeouts in 15.1 innings ... A year ago, she went 6-9 with a 3.97 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 93.1 innings ... Fresno State is 2-0 all-time vs. Cyclones ... Met twice at the Campbell/Cartier; winning 8-1 last year and 8-0 in the Bulldogs' season opener in 2001 ... In 2003, went 19-28 overall and finished seventh (6-12) in the Big 12 ... Returns nine letterwinners, including three starters.
Two 'Dogs on USA Softball's Initial Top 40 Watch List
Clark and Southern have been selected to the USA Softball's Initial Top 40 Watch List for 2004 Collegiate Player of the Year honors. In its third year of sponsoring this list, Southern appears on the list for the second time while Clark is earmarked for the first time. Southern, a two-time All-American at pitcher and utility, was a final three finalist in 2002. As a freshman she led the nation in ERA (0.44) and finished sixth in victories. Southern, who was the second freshman ever in NCAA Division I history to led the nation in ERA, went 33-10 with 22 shutouts and 400 strikeouts (third freshman in DI history to tally 400 or more strikeouts in rookie debut). Throwing 19 ten-strikeout games and three no-hitters, she went on to be the first Western Athletic Conference player to garner WAC Freshman and Pitcher of the Year accolades in the same season. Comparable to the Heisman Trophy and as the only national award of its kind in the country, the softball collegiate player of the year award will recognize the women's top Division I player. Announced at the end of the season, this award is designed to recognize outstanding athletic play as 40 players representing 26 colleges and 12 different conferences are being initially tabbed. While players not initially included on the list may be added, the Top 25 finalists will be announced on April 6 with the list being narrowed down to the Top 10 on April 28. The final three will be announced on May 11.
'Dogs are WAC's Favorite while Sweeping Preseason Honors
The Western Athletic Conference released its preseason softball coaches poll on Jan. 14 and Fresno State was selected as the preseason favorite by the league coaches for the eighth time in the last nine years. The Bulldogs edged out Hawai'i by receiving four first-place votes for 34 points. UH, the defending WAC champion, tallied three first-place votes and totaled 33 points. Tulsa was tabbed third with 26 points and Nevada was picked fourth with 18 points. Louisiana Tech and San Jose State tied for fifth place with 15 points while WAC newcomer UTEP, which is fielding its first softball program in school history, was voted seventh with six points (coaches cannot vote for their own team). The conference coaches also selected their preseason All-WAC team and Clark was voted as the WAC Player of the Year while Southern was selected as the WAC Pitcher of the Year. In its third year of selecting a softball preseason WAC Player and Pitcher of the Year, Clark is the first Bulldog to be a preseason player pick while Southern is honored as the preseason pitcher of the year for the third consecutive year. Looking for its 18th conference title overall since 1978, Fresno State has captured six WAC titles in the last eight years while finishing second, twice. The Bulldogs are the only WAC program to have captured that many softball crowns as well as being the only program to win five straight (1998-2002).
Fresno State Returns Some of WAC's Best
In the final 2003 WAC statistics, the Bulldogs return some of the league's best overall. Fresno State brings back three of the top five hit leaders in Clark (73), Hoffman (64) and Southern (60). While all three also return as three of the top five on base percentage leaders as well, Clark and Southern are back as the WAC's top two sluggers with a .738 and .522 slugging percentage, respectively. Overall, Clark is back as the WAC's top player in batting (.382), hits, runs (54), RBI (46), doubles (15), home runs (15), total bases (141), slugging percentage and on base percentage (.439). Southern returns as the WAC's top pitcher in ERA (0.64), opposing batting average (.161), strikeouts (322) and strikeouts per seven innings (8.91) while second in wins (25), game started (36) and innings pitched (253.0). Hoffman finished second in the WAC in RBI (43), third in hits and fourth in batting (.327).
Two Bulldogs Named to USA Elite Team
On Jan. 9, USA Softball announced its 2004 Women's Elite Team. The 14-player squad has two Bulldogs in Clark and Southern. The team will represent the United States at the 2004 Canada Cup, the U.S. Champions Cup and other events during the year. Clark, who was injured, was named to the 2003 USA Junior Women's World Championship team that won silver last October. She helped the USA Junior Women's National Team capture gold at the 2002 First Junior Women's Pan Am Championship. Named to her second straight USA Elite Team, Southern is coming off a gold medal at the 2003 Canada Cup in which she helped the elite team defeat the USA National Team en route to her first international gold medal. In 2002, she and the elite team took second to the national squad and captured silver.
Clark & Southern Named Second Team All-Americans
Fresno State had two players named to the 2003 Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association's (NFCA) Division I All-America Second Team in Southern (utility) and Clark (shortstop). Southern picked up her second consecutive All-America accolade while Clark was honored for the first time. Southern wrapped up the season with a 25-12 overall record with 17 shutouts, 322 strikeouts and a 0.64 ERA in 253.0 innings. At the plate she batted .337 (60-178) with 21 runs, seven doubles, triple, eight home runs, 13 walks, 31 RBI and 93 total bases for a .522 slugging percentage. Clark, who tied the school's single-season record in home runs (15), finished the year batting .382 (73-191) with 54 runs, 15 doubles, triples, 15 home runs, 17 walks, 7-7 stolen bases, 46 RBI and 141 total bases for a .738 slugging percentage. Clark led the Bulldogs in 14 offensive categories: batting, runs, hits, doubles, triples, home runs, RBI, total bases, slugging percentage, walks, sacrifice flies (2), stolen bases, multiple-hit games (20) and multiple-RBI (11).
Southern Storm
At Fresno State, Southern became the quickest Bulldog pitcher to post 500 career strikeouts as she accomplished the feat in 64 appearances. In addition, she became just the fourth Bulldog hurler to tally 600 or more career strikeouts and on May 10, 2003 she became the second pitcher to amass 700 or more career strikeouts. Southern recorded her 50th career win against La Tech on April 10 and her 60th career victory versus No. 7 Georgia on May 17. As the first Bulldog to throw back-to-back 300 strikeout seasons.
