Fresno State Athletics
No. 21 Baseball To Host WAC Tournament This Weekend
5/24/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 24, 2006
Fresno, Calif. -
Complete Baseball Release in PDF Format
On Deck
Fresno State rejoins the national rankings at the right time, as the No. 21 Bulldogs return home to Fresno to host the 2006 WAC Tournament at Beiden Field from May 25-28. As WAC Champions, the Bulldogs are the No. 1 seed in the tournament, and will face off with No. 6 seed Sacramento State on Thursday for the team's first game in the tournament. The tourney itself kicks off at 11 a.m. on Thursday, as No. 2 seed Hawai'i will play No. 5 seed Louisiana Tech, followed by No. 3 San Jose State playing No. 4 Nevada. From that point, the tournament will follow a double-elimination format, with three games each day prior to a championship game starting Sunday at noon, and an if necessary game to follow that game. The winner of the tournament will receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals, but the WAC is likely to receive more than one bid. The selection of the remainder of the 64-team field will be presented live at Monday, May 29 at 12:30 p.m. All other tournament information can be found at www.wacsports.com or www.gobulldogs.com.
A Look Back
WAC Champions for the first time since 1995, and sole champions for the first time since 1991, the regular season was one of the most successful for the Bulldogs in recent memory even prior to post-season play. The Bulldogs posted a 39-16 regular season record and an 18-6 conference mark, including series wins during the season over Pepperdine, UCLA and Hawai'i. The team was also the champions of the 2006 Pepsi/Johnny Quik Classic, posting a perfect 6-0 record through the seven-team tournament to capture the title. Those six wins were also part of one of the team's impressive winning streaks, as the Bulldogs won 17 straight games as part of a perfect March, tied for the fourth-longest winning streak in program history.
Scouting Sacramento State
There's no other team that the Bulldogs have had more success againsst this season, winning all six games that the team has played this season against Sacramento State by a total of 61-32. The Bulldogs capped both ends of their conference slate with series against the Hornets, sweeping Sac State as part of the team's 17-game winning streak, and closed out the year in Sacramento, winning three games to capture the conference crown. The Hornets are bringing a surprise to the table, as John Schlager will take the mound for just his fourth start of the season. The left-hander has only pitched 24.0 innings total on the year, and has a 5.62 ERA. The biggest Hornet-killer for the Bulldogs has been outfielder Loren Storey, who has a .611 average against Sacramento State (11-for-18) in the six games the two teams have played.
And The Award Goes To...
Hand in hand with the success that the team has been having this year are individual accolades that are piling up for the Bulldogs in 2006. Most notably, Senior Doug Fister and Steve Susdorf were both named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Team for the West, recognizing exceptional work both in the classroom and on the field. Both players are now eligible for Academic All-American consideration, which will be announced at the end of the month. Several Bulldogs are also eligible for many of the top postseason awards. Shortstop Christian Vitters and Pitcher Eddie Romero have both been added to the Howser Award watch list, given to the top collegiate player in the country. On the pitching side, both Romero and Junior Andy Underwood have been named to the Clemens Award watch list, an honor given to the top pitcher in the country each year. Additionally, the Bulldogs have many players in the running for conference honors, which will be announnced at the WAC banquet preceding the WAC Tournament on May 24.
Pitching Prowess
Much of the success of the 2006 season for the Bulldogs can be attributed to their starting pitching as three veterans are making their presence felt in Doug Fister, Eddie Romero and Andy Underwood. Romero leads the trio in wins so far this season, picking up his 12th last week, keeping him on pace for the national lead in that category. Additionally, Romero was recently added to the watch list for the Roger Clemens award, given annually to the top collegiate pitcher in the nation. Andy Underwood is just behind him with ten wins, and holds a 3.07 ERA, second-best in the conference. An efficient pitcher, Underwood completed three consecutive complete games earlier this season, giving him four on the year. He also is second in the league in strikeouts with 102, and is sixth nationally in innings pitched. Rounding out the three is Friday night ace Doug Fister. A senior out of Merced, Fister was the highest returning draft pick in the nation after being selected by the New York Yankees in the sixth round. Fister is third in the conference in strikeouts with 96, and has matched up with the top starter of each team all year.
Career Watch
Fresno State has several records categories that are under attack in 2006, most notably, the home run lists, which have been greatly shifted. Beau Mills moved up another spot in the home run standings, becoming the top left-handed batter on the list with 34 home runs. Also joining him in that category is Christian Vitters, who hit homer no. 25 to tie Simon Tafoya for the tenth spot. Vitters also reached the top 10 in career RBI against Dallas Baptist, passing assistant coach Matt Curtis, and is quickly moving up currently holding the No. 9 spot with 132 career RBI. Senior Kent Sakamoto also joined the career lists, plaing in game 193 to move into eighth all-time in games played. Sakamoto also reached the career lists in doubles hit with 42 through last weekend. Christian Vitters is also very close in that category with 38 doubles on the year.
