Fresno State Athletics
No. 17/20 Softball Continues Preseason Preparation
1/31/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Jan. 31, 2006
FRESNO, Calif. -
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Preseason Practice Continues
The 2006 Fresno State softball team continues its preseason work out at Bulldog Diamond for the third straight week. The 'Dogs roster is 22 strong as they bring back 13 letterwinners, including five starters from a 43-12 squad that captured the program's eighth Western Athletic Conference title as well as making their 20th 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.
Fresno State Selected WAC Preseason Favorites
For the 10 time in 11 years, Fresno State has been picked to capture the Western Athletic Conference title in 2006. The Bulldogs received five first place votes and one second (coaches cannot vote for own team) for a total of 35 points. Hawai'i was tabbed second as it received the final two first place votes for a total of 30 points. Nevada collected 26 points for a third place showing while San Jose State was picked fourth with 19 points. League newcomers Utah State (16 points) and New Mexico State (15 points) were selected fifth and sixth, respectively, while Louisiana Tech rounded out the poll with six points.
Trio of 'Dogs Selected Preseason All-WAC; Sweep Preseason Honors
Fresno State also swept the 2006 WAC preseason awards as senior shortstop Christina Clark (Santa Ana, Calif.) and freshman pitcher Robin Mackin (Newmarket, Ontario, Canada) were selected as the Player and Pitcher of the Year, respectively. This is Clark's third consecutive preseason player of the year honor. Returning as the nation's top active Division I career home run leader (54), the two-time All-America shortstop has led the conference three straight seasons in RBI. She also has led the league in runs, home runs, slugging percentage and total bases the past two years. This is the second time in WAC history that a freshman has been honored as the preseason pitcher of the year. Mackin, who was recently named to the Canada National Team, follows in the footsteps of Jamie Southern who was tabbed the WAC Preseason Pitcher of the Year as a rookie in 2002. Junior catcher Nichole Willis (Clovis, Calif.) also was honored as a preseason All-WAC selection as she received her second consecutive preseason accolade. In addition, Clark was picked at shortstop and Mackin at pitcher for preseason all-conference honors at their respective positions.
In the National Polls
In the national preseason polls released last week by both USA Today/NFCA and ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate, the Bulldogs were ranked in both. Fresno State checked in at No. 20 in the coaches' poll and No. 17 in the USA poll, which is chosen by coaches and selected softball media members. The Bulldogs are no stranger to the national polls as they now have been ranked 24 consecutive years (209 of 221 weeks).
Season Opens in February
The Fresno State softball teams opens the 2006 season on the road. The Bulldogs open the season at the Kajikawa Classic, Feb. 10-12, in Tempe Ariz. The 'Dogs then open at home two days later with Pacific on Feb. 14, 6:00 p.m. After a quick jaunt to UCLA on Feb. 18-19, the Bulldogs are back home to host UC Davis on Feb. 22, 6:00 p.m. Fresno State then returns to tournament action when it competes for the first time at the Palm Springs Classic, Feb. 24-26.
2006 Schedule
Fresno State has 12 teams on this year's schedule that are either ranked or received votes in the preseason polls. In fact, the Bulldogs will tangle with five Top 10 teams in No. 2/2 UCLA, No. 4/4 Texas, No. 6/8 Alabama, No. 7/9 Stanford and No. 9/6 Texas A&M. Fresno State will host its annual Bulldog Classic presented by Bingham Toyota, March 9-12. That field boasts four preseason nationally-ranked teams. In addition, Fresno State will host the 2006 WAC Softball Tournament, May 11-13. This will be the fourth WAC championship had as the Bulldogs hosted the last tournament in 1999.
Trio of All-WAC Bulldogs Return in 2006
While six Bulldogs captured nine all-conference awards, including player, pitcher and coach of the year honors last year, three return in 2006. Clark repeated as a first team pick at shortstop. She also garnered her second straight WAC Player of the Year award as she is the second Bulldog to be a two-time player of the year. In conference play she hit .404 (23-57) with 21 runs, four doubles, seven home runs, 10 walks, 18 RBI and 48 total bases for a .842 slugging percentage. Clark led the league in runs, RBI and total bases. Willis, a two-time all-league honoree, and utility player Kristin Sylvester (Big Bear City, Calif.) were named second team. Head coach Margie Wright was named the WAC Coach of the Year for the fifth time and ninth overall at Fresno State.
Mackin Selected to Canada National Team
After helping the Canada Elite Team to a third place finish at the 2005 Canada Cup, she is now a member of the Canada National Team after being selected at the recent January camp. Having competed for Team Canada at the 2005 Pan American Championship in Guatemala City, Guatemala this past November-December, Mackin helped her country qualify for the 2006 World Championship as well as the 2007 Pan American Games. At the Canada Cup, she threw a three-hit shutout in Canada's 2-0 win over China Beijing. She also had a relief appearance against the Canada National Team as the Elite Team posted a 3-2 victory. In her first year as a Bulldog, she was a stellar four-year softball standout at Newmarket High School. With four straight undefeated years and four consecutive York Region Championships, she went undefeated in the circle while posting a career ERA of 0.00.
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 209 of the 221 weeks since the NCAA's first Top 15 poll in 1983. Fresno State has been in the nation's official Top 25 polls for 24 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 program's five No. 1 rankings is the most ever by a Bulldogs' athletic team.
Fresno State Makes 24th NCAA Tournament Appearance
The Fresno State softball program made its 24th NCAA Softball Championship appearance last season as the Bulldogs remain the only program to have qualified for all 24 NCAA Softball Championships. The Bulldogs hosted their 19th NCAA Regional as second-ranked and nationally No. 2 seed California, Fresno State, Long Beach State and BYU made up the tournament field. Fresno State advanced to the NCAA Region 2 championship game against California after recording shutouts over Long Beach State (4-0) and BYU (3-0). California advanced to the Baylor region and captured the NCAA Super Regional title. By winning the Super Regional, the Golden Bears made their 10th NCAA WCWS appearance and went 0-2.
Toughest of Them All?
While eight of the 16 NCAA Regional sites featured just one Top 25 team, the Fresno Regional was loaded with three Top 25 programs as well as another that just sat out of the national spotlight. However, Fresno's regional was one of three that showcased three Top 25 schools, Region 2 was the only site in which there were four Top 30 programs and all four schools either won or shared a conference title. In looking at the other regional sites, there were also four other sites that had two Top 25 teams. In two of the last three regionals that Fresno State hosted, two schools went on to claim the national title: California (2002) and UCLA (2003).
Bulldog Historical Notes
Fresno State is the only program in the nation to have qualified for all 24 NCAA Softball Championships ... The Bulldogs hosted its 19th NCAA Regional since 1982 and 20th regional overall since 1978 ... In NCAA Regional play, the 'Dogs own a 48-26 (.657) tournament mark ... Under head coach Margie Wright, the Bulldogs are 42-21 (.678) in regional action .. The Bulldogs advance to the NCAA Tournament after capturing its second straight Western Athletic Conference title and eighth in the last 10 years ... Garnering the league's NCAA automatic bid, Fresno State has captured 16 conference crowns in the last 21 years (2005-04-02-01-00-1999-98-96-92-91-90-89-88-87-86-85) while winning 19 league titles overall.
Clark in the WAC's Career Annals
While Clark climbed up the school's career record book, she made her mark in the WAC's annals as well. Of the 14 career hitting records kept by the WAC, Clark ranks in seven of the Top 10: No. 1 home runs (54), No. 2 slugging percentage (.760), No. 4 total bases (441), No. 5 runs (172), No. 8 RBI (144) and No. 10 walks (71).
Final Release of NCAA Statistics
In the ninth and final release of the NCAA Division season statistics (June 14, 2005), Clark ranked in five final categories: No. 4 runs per game (1.0), No. 16 toughest to strike out (20.9), No. 19 home runs per game (0.29), No. 29 slugging percentage (.731) and No. 67 batting average (.383). As a team, the Bulldogs finished No. 13 in W/L percentage (.782, 43-12) and in ERA (1.43).
Home Cooking for Returning Players
While Fresno State posted a 25-8 home field record last season, six Bulldogs enjoyed hitting at home as three returning starters batted better than .300. Clark hit .323 (31-96) with 24 runs, two doubles, a triple, seven home runs, 13 walks, 22 RBI and 56 total bases for a .583 slugging percentage. Sylvester batted .321 (25-78) with 13 runs, eight doubles, a triple, a home run, 10 walks and 15 RBI while totaling 38 total bases for a .487 slugging percentage. Finally, Willis batted .302 (29-96) with 19 runs, three doubles, two triples, two home runs, seven walks and 13 RBI to go along with 42 total bases for a .438 slugging percentage.
Softball Season Ticket Information
Season tickets for the 2006 Fresno State softball season is currently available. Tickets can be purchased on-line at www.gobulldogs.com or through the Bulldog Ticket Office at (559) 278-DOGS.
Bulldogs on the Radio
Fresno State softball will be heard throughout the Central Valley on ESPN 1430 AM and KFSR 90.7 FM this season. The radio schedule for both outlets will be released shortly. In addition, select road games also will be carried this season. Home games and select road games also will be available on www.gobulldogs.com.
