Fresno State Athletics
Bulldog Softball Opens at Fiesta Bowl Tournament
2/9/2004 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 9, 2004
FRESNO, Calif. -
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Fresno State Opens Season on the Road
The Fresno State softball team opens the 2004 season this week when the Bulldogs travel to Phoenix to participate in Arizona State's Fiesta Bowl Tournament, Feb. 13-15. Of the five teams on the 'Dogs tournament slate, Fresno State will play four teams that advanced to the NCAA's a year ago. The Bulldogs open tournament play against two teams that received preseason votes in both the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Top 25 and ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 when they battle Massachusetts (11:00 a.m., PST) and Texas State (1:00 p.m., PST) on Fri., Feb. 13. On Valentines Day, Fresno State will tangle with Western Michigan (8:30 a.m., PST) and Syracuse (1:00 p.m., PST). The following day the Bulldogs wrap up tournament action with Texas A&M (7:15 a.m., PST), which appeared in the top 25 in both preseason polls with a No. 18 and No. 17 ranking, respectively.
In Season Openers
In its 27th year as a varsity program, the Bulldog softball program has fared very well in season openers the past 26 seasons. Fresno State is 17-9 all time and 13-5 under head coach Margie Wright. The 'Dogs, who are on the road the first three weeks of the year, will wait until March 3 to make their first appearance at Bulldog Diamond. Fresno State is 21-5 all time in home openers with a 14-4 opening home record under Wright.
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.
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 90.7FM 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 in the Central Valley.
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).
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 an 18-year school mark of 915-285-1 (.762). The 1998 NCAA National Coach of the Year boasts a 24-year career record of 1,078-377-3 (.740). 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.
'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 sophomore shortstop Christina Clark (Santa Ana, Calif.) was voted as the WAC Player of the Year while junior pitcher Jamie Southern (Clovis, Calif.) 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).
Bulldogs Make It 22 Straight
The Bulldog softball program has been no stranger to the national polls. Owning the longest streak for consecutive weeks ranked in NCAA Division I softball history (178), Fresno State now has been nationally ranked in the Top 25 for 179 of 191 weeks since the NCAA's first Top 15 poll in 1983. In addition, it also has been in the nation's official Top 25 poll for the 22nd consecutive year.
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 740 career strikeouts, Southern enters the 2004 season needing 260 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 239 to share the No. 30 spot with Rhonda Wheatley (979, Cal Poly Pomona). Still further, Southern is 112 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 24 years of coaching Division I softball, Wright will add another one in 2004. With 1,078 career victories, she is 22 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.
What's New
Fresno State will play seven new schools in 2004 when the Bulldogs meet Campbell, Illinois (Kia Klassic), Loyola-Chicago (Campbell/Cartier), North Texas (Clovis Auto Row), Princeton (NFCA Leadoff), Syracuse (Fiesta Bowl) and UTEP.
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 in the future, 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 finalists will be announced on May 11.
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 freshman catcher Nichole Willis (Clovis, Calif.) 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.
Fiesta Bowl Opponent Notebook
UMass (0-0) -
Fresno State's season opening opponent ... Bulldogs are 10-1 all-time vs. Minutewomen ... Last met on March 14, 1991 and lost 1-0 at Florida State Tournament ... Opened the series by winning first nine contests ... Seven shutouts in series with Fresno State capturing six ... UMass received votes in the preseason USA Today/NFCA and ESPN.com/USA polls ... Opens season this weekend with Ohio State before facing Fresno State at ASU Fiesta Bowl ... Posted a 39-15 overall record and snagged its 16th Atlantic 10 conference title (11-1) last year ... Returns six starters and 14 letterwinners from a team that advanced to its 13th NCAA appearance in 2003 ... Top returnees include USA Softball Top 40 watch list and senior center fielder Aisha Franke (.403, 54-134, 23 runs, 3 doubles, 14 RBI, 18-20 stolen bases), sophomore third baseman KJ Kelley (.308, 41-133, 14 runs, 6 doubles, 8 home runs, 27 RBI, .534 slug pct.) and junior right-handed pitcher Kelli Arnold (1.58, 13-6, 25 appearances, 20 starts, 5 shutouts, 137.1 innings , 117 strikeouts and .209 opponent average).
Texas State (5-0) -
Formerly known as Southwest Texas State ... Opened the year with its own Bobcat/CenturyTel Classic last weekend and captured the tournament title after defeating New Mexico State (4-0), Texas-San Antonio (5-2), Tulsa (1-0), Texas Tech (4-3) and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (3-1) ... Travels to Baylor on Wed., Feb. 11, prior to going to Phoenix ... Bulldogs are 2-0 all-time vs. Bobcats ... Last met on March 7 & 9, 1996 at the Arizona Tournament (11-2, 7-0) ... Texas State received votes in the preseason USA Today/NFCA and ESPN.com/USA polls ... Coming off a 43-16-1 season that saw a second place finish in the Southland Conference (21-5-1) ... Returns eight starters and 10 letterwinners from a team that advanced to its third NCAA Regional appearance in 2003 ... Top returnees include USA Softball Top 40 watch list and senior outfielder Kristen Zaleski (.381, 77-202, 49 runs, 18 doubles, 8 triples, 7 home runs, 28 RBI, 132 total bases, .653 slugging pct., 39-44 stolen bases), sophomore right-handed pitcher Katie Trahan (.329, 53-161, 16 runs, 8 doubles, 9 home runs, 38 RBI; 2.70 ERA, 12-9, 26 appearances, 15 starts, 2 shutouts, 132.0 innings, 61 strikeouts and .243 opponent average) and senior right hander Nicole Neuerburg (1.39, 34-9, 55 appearances, 50 starts, 16 shutouts, 296.1 innings, 321 strikeouts and .198 opponent average).
Western Michigan (0-0) -
Opens the year with a doubleheader at Arizona State on Thur., Feb. 12, before playing in the Fiesta Bowl ... Bulldogs are 1-1 all-time vs. Broncos ... Last met on March 7, 1992 at New Mexico State Tournament (6-3) ... WMU was Fresno State's first opponent at the 1982 NCAA WCWS (lost 5-0) ... Coming off a 30-24 season while capturing the West Division title in Mid-American Conference regular-season play (17-7) before going on to win the league tournament crown ... Returns six starters and 10 letterwinners that made its second NCAA Tournament showing in 2003 ... Top returnees include senior right-handed pitcher/outfielder Jaymie Voss (.342, 51-149, 26 runs, 7 doubles, 4 home runs, 27 RBI; 3.48 ERA, 3-6, 10 appearances, 8 starts, 1 shutout, 50.1 innings, 21 strikeouts and .290 opponent average) and senior right-handed pitcher Laura Steward (1.77, 13-4, 27 appearances, 19 starts, 5 shutouts, 3 saves, 122.2 innings, 113 strikeouts and .204 opponent average).
Syracuse (0-0) -
Opens the season this weekend ... Will meet Nevada and No. 5 Washington before playing Fresno State ... This is the first meeting between the Bulldogs and the Orangewomen ... Coming off a 17-25 season that saw an eighth place finish in the Big East Conference (7-13) ... Returns five starters and nine letterwinners ... Top returnees include junior infielder Rachel Park (.382, 52-136, 22 runs, 10 doubles, 4 home runs, 16 RBI, 74 total bases, .544 slug pct.), sophomore outfielder Tanya Rose (.316, 42-133, 26 runs, 8 doubles, triple, 7 home runs, 20 RBI, 10-10 stolen bases) and junior right-hander Haley Larsen (4.85, 2-6, 18 appearances, 16 starts, 69.1 innings, 33 strikeouts and .310 opponent average).
#18 Texas A&M (3-0) -
Opened the year last week at home with a single game win over North Texas (6-1) before playing at Stephen F. Austin and recording a doubleheader sweep (2-0, 5-0) ... Hosts Houston on Wed., Feb. 11, before traveling to Phoenix ... Opens the season with preseason rankings of No. 18 by USA Today/NFCA and No. 17 by ESPN.com/USA Softball ... Bulldogs are 9-4 all-time vs. Aggies ... Met last year at Fiesta Bowl Tournament and Fresno State dropped a 2-1, 9 inn. decision to Texas A&M ... 'Dogs had won previous nine meetings prior to last season ... Aggies won first three contests to open the all-time series ... With seven shutouts recorded (Fresno State owns six), four games have been decided by a run and eight by two runs or less in the series ... Coming off a 38-22 season and a fifth place finish (10-8) in the Big 12 ... Returns seven starters and 10 letterwinners from a team that made its 14th trip to the NCAA's ... Top returnees include junior outfielder Jana James (.335, 62-185, 28 runs, 21 doubles, 3 triples, 2 home runs, 32 RBI, 95 total bases, .514 slug pct.), senior right-hander Lindsay Wilhelmson (1.92 ERA, 18-8, 33 appearances, 29 starts, 5 shutouts, 178.1 innings, 128 strikeouts and .209 opponent average) and senior right-handed hurler Jessica Slataper (2.00, 14-14, 34 appearances, 28 starts, 5 shutouts, 185.2 innings, 187 strikeouts and .188 opponent average).
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).
Hoffman Puts Up Solid Numbers
Hoffman put up solid numbers in 2003. The First Team All-WAC at utility saw time as a pitcher, right fielder and designated player this last year. She quietly put together a 15-game hitting streak (April 12-May 17), which ranks No. 5 all-time at Fresno State, and batted .431 (22-51) with four runs, walk, two home runs (one grand slam), sacrifice fly, 19 RBI and 28 total bases for a .549 slugging percentage; she ended the year hitting safely in 15 of her last 16. In Hoffman's last 27 games she hit .351 (33-94) with seven runs, double, three home runs (one grand slam), walk, sacrifice fly, 24 RBI and 43 total bases for a .457 slugging percentage. Hoffman, who is the third Bulldog this season to have a multiple home run game, had a career-high six RBI and a grand slam in the Bulldogs' 11-2 win over Nevada on April 26. For WAC games only, her multi-home run game tied the league's single-game record. Hoffman finished second on the team in hits (64), doubles (7) and RBI (43) while third in batting (.327), home runs (3), total bases (80) and slugging percentage (.408).
Clark Ties Quickest Mark to 15
Tying the school's single-season home run record with No. 15 against Long Beach State on May 15, 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. She is the fifth Bulldog to hit 10 or more home runs in a season.
Serving Notice
As the second Bulldog freshman to reach the 100 total base plateau in school history, Clark wrapped up a terrific freshman campaign. Setting a rookie mark in total bases with 141 (fourth highest mark in a season), her slugging percentage of .738 ranked third-best in a season at Fresno State. Clark ranked all eight weeks in the NCAA in home runs per game while tying the school's single-season record in home runs (15). In the school's career charts, she is tied for sixth in career home runs with former Bulldog standout Lindsay Fossatti. Clark had a season-best 12-game hit streak and batted .550 (22-40) with 17 runs, eight doubles, triple, three home runs (grand slam), five walks (two intentional), 3-3 stolen bases, 14 RBI and 41 total bases for a 1.025 slugging percentage. Her bat was potent over the last 37 games in that she was held hitless only six times and reached base in 35 of the those 37 games. In this 37-game span, Clark batted .446 (54-121) with 39 runs, 13 doubles, three triples, 11 home runs (grand slam), 14 walks (three intentional), two hit by pitch, 6-6 stolen bases, 35 RBI and 106 total bases for an .876 slug percentage. In her last 41, Clark was held hitless in eight games but reached base in 36. Clark batted .425 (57-134) with 41 runs, 13 doubles, four triples, 11 home runs (grand slam), 14 walks (three intentional), three hit by pitch, sacrifice fly, 6-6 stolen bases, 36 RBI and 111 total bases for an .828 slug percentage.
Southern Storm
At Fresno State, Southern reached the 500-career strikeout plateau against Cal Poly on March 6 when she struck out seven. She became the eighth Bulldog pitcher and the sixth WAC hurler to tally 500-career strikeouts. Southern also 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 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.
20-20 Win Seasons
As the first Bulldog to throw back-to-back 300 strikeout seasons, Southern is the seventh pitcher to post at least 20 or more wins in back-to-back season. In 2003, she tallied 322 strikeouts (8.91 per 7/IP) in 253.0 innings with 14 ten-strikeout games for a 0.64 ERA as she went 25-12 overall with 15 shutouts. In league play Southern went 10-2 and with seven shutouts wins and 106 strikeouts in 85.2 innings for a 0.49 ERA. This marked the second straight year in which she tallied 10 or more league wins. In school history only four Bulldogs have recorded a 30-win season: Maureen Brady (36, 1994), Southern (33, 2002), Scott (33, 2000) and Terry Carpenter (30, 1991).
Nearly Untouchable
Southern virtually was untouchable in her last 27 starts as she went 21-6 with 228 strikeouts in 186.2 innings for a 0.64 ERA. Going 14-3 in her last 17 starts, she has tossed 11 shutouts with 149 strikeouts (8.21 strikeouts per 7/IP) in 127.1 innings for a 0.50 ERA (64 hits, 12 runs, 9 earned runs, 22 walks). Southern went 20-4 in her last 24 starts and pitched 15 shutout victories as she struck out 204 (9.03 strikeouts per 7/IP) in 158.2 innings for a 0.49 ERA (92 hits, 16 runs, 11 earned runs, 27 walks). On the year she had a season-best streaks of 68.1 innings without an earned run and 28.2 scoreless innings.
Southern Offering
While doing her job in the circle, Southern had a great season at the plate as a sophomore. She finished second on the team in batting (.337), doubles (7), home runs (8) and total bases (93) while third in hits (60) and RBI (31). Garnering her first WAC Player of the Week pick this season, Southern was the first Bulldog to collect a multi home-run performance since Nina Lindenberg (4 times in 1997). Hitting four home runs in a span of two days, she hit a three-run shot against No. 3 Nebraska and a two-run home run versus Hawai'i while collecting a pair of solo shots against No. 13 DePaul. In the Bulldogs' nine-game win streak, she batted .360 (9-25) with four runs, double, triple, two home runs, four walks, hit by pitch, eight RBI and 18 total bases for a .720 slugging percentage.
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).
Clark & Southern 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.
