Fresno State Athletics
Softball Begins Preseason Practice Next Week
1/6/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Jan. 6, 2005
FRESNO, Calif. -
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Preseason Practice Begins Next Week
The 2005 Fresno State softball preseason begins next week with practices at Bulldog Diamond. The Bulldogs bring back nine letterwinners, including six starters, from a 48-20 team that captured the program's seventh Western Athletic Conference title as well as making its 19th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance under the NCAA's all-time winningest softball head coach Margie Wright. For interviews with players or Coach Wright, please contact the media relations office. All interviews will take place on the field one half hour prior to or immediately after the designated preseason practice times.
Meet the Team Festivities
The Diamond Club will host its 17th Annual Meet the Team & Silent Auction dinner on Fri., Jan. 28, 6:00 p.m., at TorNino's. Tickets are $40 and $30 for those 65 of age or older. For more information, contact Dorothy Hunter at (559) 439-0605 (deadline is Jan. 24). In addition, the softball team will make its annual Meet the Team appearance at center court in Fashion Fair Mall the following day at 1:00 p.m. Posters, schedule cards, seat option information and much more will be on hand. While signing autographs, players and head coach Margie Wright will be available for interviews.
Polls Release Dates
The Western Athletic Conference is expected to release its preseason coaches poll and preseason All-WAC team early next week. The National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) will release its preseason Top 25 poll on Wed., Jan. 26 while USA Softball will release its preseason ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 at the end of the month.
Season Opens in February
The Fresno State softball teams opens the 2005 season on the road. In fact, the Bulldogs will be on the road the first three weeks of the year with tournaments in Tempe, Ariz., San Diego and Columbus, Ga. Up first for the 'Dogs is the Kajikawa Classic, formerly known as the Arizona State Fiesta Bowl. Fresno State begins the year against New Mexico and CS Northridge on Fri., Feb. 11. The following day, the Bulldogs meet Wisconsin and Buffalo before closing out with California on Sun., Feb. 13.
2005 Schedule
Fresno State, which finished the 2004 season ranked No. 25 in the USA Today/NFCA Poll and No. 21 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll, already has 11 teams on this year's schedule that were either ranked or received votes in the final two polls in 2004. In fact, the Bulldogs will tangle with the top four ranked teams from a year ago in No. 1 UCLA, No. 2 California, No. 3 LSU and No. 4 Stanford. Of the Top 10 in the final two polls, the 'Dogs will play five of them with the chance of meeting the other five in tournament play.
Four-Paw Attack
Returning for Fresno State is a pair of All-Americans and four all-conference players, including the 2004 WAC Pitcher, Player and Freshman of the Year. Spearheading the Bulldogs in 2005 will be seniors Jamie Southern (Clovis, Calif.) and Leticia Pacheco (Boomington, Calif.), junior Christina Clark (Santa Ana, Calif.) and sophomore Nichole Willis (Clovis, Calif.).
