Fresno State Athletics
Baseball Begins Hectic Three Week Stretch
3/1/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 28, 2006
Fresno, Calif. -
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On Deck
A busy couple of weeks for Fresno State begins this week with four contests, starting on Wednesday night when the Bulldogs host the Dons of San Francisco in the only midweek series of the year. That game will start at 6:35 p.m., and will be broadcast on KFSR 90.7 with Guy Haberman calling the action. Following that matchup, the Bulldogs will have one day off before taking on the Portland Pilots in a weekend series. The team starts with the traditional 6:35 p.m. start on Friday night before moving to evening matchups Saturday at 6:35 p.m., heading into the 1:05 p.m. game on Sunday with the Pilots. Portland, while being a common participant in the Pepsi/Johnny Quik classic, will be facing Fresno State in a full series for the first time, with previous matchups favoring the Bulldogs who have won five of eight games with the Pilots. All three games are scheduled to air on KMJ 580, with Paul Loeffler calling the action and 1988 All-American Steve Hosey providing analysis. The games can also be followed online at www.gobulldogs.com through Gametracker.
In The Hole
The Bulldogs continue facing the Dons in the middle of the week, playing the team two more times on Tuesday, March 7 and Wednesday, March 8. San Francisco remains the only team that Fresno State will play outside of the weekend with the exception of the 2006 Pepsi/Johnny Quik Classic, beginning on March 13. The Dog's will have one final tuneup for the tournament during the week as well, facing 2006 Pepsi/Johnny Quik opponent Bucknell in a 1:05 p.m. matchup on Sunday, March 12.
Scouting San Francisco
The Dons are coming off of what was one of their best years in the history of the program, finishing second in the West Coast Conference with a 20-10 record, posting 38 wins overall as well as taking the2005 Pepsi/Johnny Quik Classic title away from the Bulldogs, winning their two games against Fresno State in the tournament. The loss of 2005 Pepsi/Johnny Quik MVP and first-team All-WCC pitcher Nick Pereira has hurt them out of the gate in 2006, as the team has recorded a 4-8 record to this point of the season, despite havingt some very gaudy offensive numbers, led by Joey Railey's .450 average through twelve games along with Stefan Gartrell hitting .410 to give the team two starters hitting over .400. The Dons are only playing the Bulldogs through the next two weeks, and will get a chance to use their full rotation against Fresno State in the three games against them on March 1,7, and 8.
Scouting Portland
The Pilots have struggled out of the gate this year, losing threeof four games in their first series against Dallas Baptist, a common opponent for both teams. Portland made it through the River City Classic with the same results, splitting games against North Dakota State and falling to Pepsi/Johnny Quik participant Washington State and new WAC member Sacramento State. Finishing last in the West Coast Conference in 2005, the Pilots will hope to lean on the experience gained last season, as the team returns nearly every letterwinner, losing only three from last year. Pitcher Ari Ronick made 15 starts for Portland in 2005, and will look to make a statement at the top of the rotation in 2006.
Cardinal Rules
Fresno State grabbed their first win against Stanford in two years, but lost the series as the Cardinal edged the Bulldogs in the Friday Night matchup 3-2 before taking the rubber game 7-5 on Sunday. Fresno State relied on clutch pitching from Jason Breckley on Saturday, who pitched 2.2 innings of relief, giving up one hit and striking out two whil the Bulldogs added six runs after the fifth inning to get the win. The team was also sparked by bench play throughout the weekend. Pinch-hitters were a perfect 4-for-4 in the win on Saturday, and Ozzie Lewis and Adam O'Daniel both made big performances while stepping into new roles. O'Daniel was solid defensively at third in his first two games of the year, and collected his first collegiate hit in the form of a solo home run on Sunday.
