Fresno State Athletics
No. 23 Bulldogs Enter WAC Tournament As No. 1 Seed
5/9/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 9, 2006
FRESNO, Calif. -
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Bulldogs Enter WAC Tournament as Top Seed
The 2006 Fresno State softball team, fresh off its third straight Western Athletic Conference title and ninth in the last 11 years, enters this week's 2006 WAC Softball Tournament as the No. 1 seed. The Bulldogs will play Thu., May 11, 7:30 p.m. and will meet the winner of the Hawai'i/Nevada vs. New Mexico State game. Making up a suspended game, Hawai'i and Nevada will play for the No. 3 and No. 4 seed on Wed., May 10, prior to the tournament. Once that game is a final, Hawai'i and Nevada will be seeded accordingly going into championship play. Winning 14 of their last 16 contests, the 'Dogs went 2-1 last week at San Jose State.
Postseason Announcements
The conference will announce its 2006 All-WAC teams on Wed., May 10, at the WAC Softball Championship banquet, which will be held on campus at at the Residence Dining Hall. The NCAA will announce its 64-team tournament field and regional site hosts on Sun., May 14, 12:30 p.m. (3:30 p.m., EDT) on ESPNews.
Fresno State Hosts 2006 WAC Softball Tournament
Fresno State will host the 2006 WAC Softball Tournament, Thu.-Sat., May 11-13, at Bulldog Diamond. The three-day double-elimination championship will see the top six teams battle it out to capture the WAC's NCAA automatic bid. All-Tournament and Day Passes are on sale through the Bulldog Ticket Office. Tickets can be purchased online at www.gobulldogs.com or by phoning (559) 278-3647. This is the second time that Bulldog Diamond will serve as host. Fresno State hosted the 1999 tournament and wrapped up the 1999 season as the regular-season and tournament champions. Fresno State and Hawai'i are the only current conference schools to have participated in the last WAC Softball Championship. The Bulldogs own a composite record of 3-0 while UH is 2-2 in championship play.Bulldogs Enter WAC Tournament as Top Seed The 2006 Fresno State softball team, fresh off its third straight Western Athletic Conference title and ninth in the last 11 years, enters this week's 2006 WAC Softball Tournament as the No. 1 seed. The Bulldogs will play Thu., May 11, 7:30 p.m. and will meet the winner of the Hawai'i/Nevada vs. New Mexico State game. Making up a suspended game, Hawai'i and Nevada will play for the No. 3 and No. 4 seed on Wed., May 10, prior to the tournament. Once that game is a final, Hawai'i and Nevada will be seeded accordingly going into championship play. Winning 14 of their last 16 contests, the 'Dogs went 2-1 last week at San Jose State.
Wright Collects 1,200th Division I Career Win
In 27 years as a Division I head coach, Margie Wright has achieved historic milestones in her illustrious career. Inducted into the Women's Sports Foundation International Hall of Fame last October and just inducted into her seventh hall of fame on April 1 with the Moline Sexton Ford women's major fastpitch team (Illinois ASA Hall of Fame), she tallied her 1,200th Division I victory on April 22 in the Bulldogs' 5-2 win over Hawai'i. Wright, who is the NCAA all-time winningest softball coach, is now the first Division I coach to reach the 1,200-career win plateau for fastpitch victories. Four years ago, she was the first Division I coach and 24th Division I head coach, regardless of sport, to notch 1,000 Division I wins.
The Margie Wright Show
The Margie Wright Show will air every Tuesday afternoon from 12:30 - 1:00 p.m. on 1430 ESPN Radio. Emceed by Paul Swearengin, Wright what's going on in collegiate softball.
Mackin Garners First Xbox Live WAC Hitter of the Week Award
Freshman Robin Mackin (Newmarket, Ontario) was selected the Xbox Live Western Athletic Conference Hitter of the Week today, making it the first time that she has been selected as a hitter and sixth time on the year in which she has been honored with a weekly conference award. For the third straight week, Mackin led the Bulldogs offensively. With a trio of multiple hit road games at San Jose State, she batted .583 (7-12) with three runs, three doubles, a home run, three RBI, a .583 on-base percentage and 13 total bases for a 1.083 slugging percentage. Mackin connected for her ninth and tenth double as well as hit her fourth home run of the season in the finale. With 13 multiple hit and seven multiple RBI games on the season, she also boasts a current and season-high eight-game hitting streak. In this stretch she is batting .552 (16-29) with five runs, four doubles, a home run, six RBI, 1-1 stolen base and 23 total bases for a .793 slugging percentage. Raising her batting average to .313, Mackin has a team-high 13 2-out RBI games while ranking fourth on the team in hits (42), runs (24), home runs (4) and RBI (26).
Passing the Torch
Mackin, who is 9-2 in her last 11 starts and 11-3 in her last 14, owns a season-best seven-game win streak in the circle. Averaging 10.83 strikeouts per 7/IP this season, she is among the best of the best Bulldog rookie hurlers who went on to earn All-America honors their first year. Ranked No. 2 in school and WAC single-season history for strikeouts (360), Mackin and is on pace to set a new season record for strikeouts per 7/IP. With 18 ten-strikeout games and two no-hitters to date, Mackin is one double digit strikeout performance away from tying the freshman and single-season record, which is 19 set by Jamie Southern in 2002. Mackin also is the third Bulldog to post a 300-strikeout season -- joining Amanda Scott and Southern -- and the fourth rookie to post a 25-win season. In addition, Mackin is among the freshmen best in strikeouts per 7/IP (1st), strikeouts (2nd), appearances (2nd, 40), starts (3rd, 34), innings pitched (4th, 232.2), victories (4th, 25) and shutouts (5th, 11).
Finding Her Groove
In her last 22 starts Mackin has gone 17-5 with seven shutouts and 210 strikeouts (10.63 strikeouts per 7/IP) in 138.1 innings for a 1.16 ERA and holding opponents to a .138 batting average against. In this stretch, she also has totaled 11 10-strikeout games. On the season, she set a new single-game strikeout mark for a 7-inning game (17) and tied the school's single-game strikeout mark for a 5-inning game (9). On the year, Mackin is 25-10 with 11 shutouts, 18 ten-strikeout games and 360 strikeouts in 232.2 innings for a 1.38 ERA while holding opponents to a .155 batting average against.
What's a Slugger to Do
Senior All-America shortstop Christina Clark (Santa Ana, Calif.) has been walked 42 times in 49 games played this season. Walked once last week, she is one away from tying the school's single-season walk mark. Former Bulldog All-America third baseman Gina LoPiccolo was walked 43 times as a senior in 1991 to lead the nation. The most walks in a season for Clark was 29 in 2004. She was walked four times in the night cap against New Mexico State on April 15, tying the school and the WAC's single-game record. Clark would go on to become the school and WAC's career leader in walks (112) on April 28 versus Louisiana Tech.
For the Record
Clark hit a two-run home run against Hawai'i on April 22 to increase her career total to 60 and, in the process, became the 12th NCAA Division I player to reach the 60-career plateau. Having become the school and WAC career home run leader last season, she notched her fourth multi home run performance against New Mexico State on April 15. Clark then hit her 61st career home run on May 6 against San Jose State -- tying her for No. 10 in NCAA Division I history. Still further, she also ranks in four other NCAA Division I career records as she enters the week ranked No. 7 in total bases (548), No. 8 in slugging percentage (.761), No. 11 in intentional walks (14) and No. 13 in runs scored (223). While she is two runs shy of becoming the 12th player in NCAA Division I history to tally 225 or more career runs, Clark owns a .773 slugging percentage this season -- a mark that ranks third-best in school history -- while boasting a current 10-game hit streak (.517, 15-29, 13 runs, three doubles, four home runs, 10 walks, hit by pitch, nine RBI and 30 total bases for a 1.034 slugging percentage).
.400/100/500 Club
Clark, who is ranked in 12 all-time career school categories and 10 all-time WAC career marks, is looking to hit .400 or better her senior year. As the lead off batter for the Bulldogs, Clark is batting at a current clip of .443 - an average that ranks No. 5 in Fresno State single-season history. In fact, she will look to post the first .400 season in the last seven years after narrowly missing the magic mark in 2004 (.396). In addition, Clark has 107 total bases on the year and became just the second Bulldog to record four consecutive 100-total base seasons as well as being just the second player in school and league history to record 500 or more career total bases.
Reaching Higher
While Clark is currently ranked in five NCAA Division I all-time career marks, she also has three more records she can climb into before the season is over. With 287 career hits, she needs 14 to crack the NCAA all-time hit list. With 54 career doubles, Clark is six shy of cracking into the NCAA career doubles chart. With 113 career walks, she is nine short of breaking into the NCAA's career category for all-time walks.
Team Notables
Fresno State won its third straight WAC title, ninth in the last 11 years and 20th overall in the program's history after closing out last weekend by winning two of three on the road versus San Jose State ... In addition, head coach Margie Wright notched her 16th conference title in 21 years at Fresno State ... Winning 14 of their last 16 and 24 of their last 30, the Bulldogs are hitting .300 on the season and have seven starters with 24 or more RBI ... In the final game against SJSU, sophomore second baseman Jenna Cervantez (Clovis, Calif.) made school history when she became the first Bulldog to be involved in three double plays ... Clark also made school history when she became just the second Bulldog to post four consecutive 100-total base seasons ... With 51 runs and 62 hits on the season to date, she has posted her fourth straight 50-run and 60-hit season ... Mackin became the fourth Bulldog rookie hurler to post a 25-win season after recording a 6-1 win over San Jose State ... Seniors Katrina Jacques (Fresno, Calif.) and Daisy Gaynor (Sun Valley, Nev.) each had collegiate firsts last week ... Jacques made her first collegiate start in the doubleheader against the Spartans ... She came up with a full out diving catch in the sixth inning in the series finale ... Gaynor, who had only one at bat this season (a RBI double against CS Northridge on Feb. 12), batted .500 in the final two games of the regular-season versus San Jose State ... Collecting her first career triple, Gaynor went 2-4 with three runs, a walk and a sacrifice.
First Impression
Freshman third baseman Haley Perkins (Fresno, Calif.), who has started all 49 games at third base, continues to be one of the top newcomers in the WAC. Owning a season-best 10-game hit streak, Perkins is batting .381 (8-21) with four runs, a triple, two walks, two sacrifices, a RBI, 2-2 in stolen bases and 10 total bases for a .476 slugging percentage in her current six-game hit streak. In her last 24, she is hitting .355 (27-76) with 15 runs, two doubles, a triple, two home runs, eight walks, a sacrifice fly, four sacrifice hits, nine RBI, 2-2 in stolen bases and 37 total bases for a .487 slugging percentage. She is third on the team in multiple hit games (14) while owning the second-best batting average on the team (.350) and hitting safely in every game but nine.
Dialing In
Junior centerfielder Shannon Garvin (Fresno, Calif.) hit her first home run as a Bulldog when she connected for a three-run shot in the `Dogs 10-2, 5 inning win over Utah State. Garvin batted .500 (2-4) with two runs, a double, a home run, two walks, three RBI and six total bases for a 1.500 slugging percentage versus the Aggies. Against New Mexico State, she hit her second of the season with a two-run shot and ended up batting .500 (3-6) with two runs, three RBI and six total bases for a 1.000 slugging percentage. Garvin then hit her third home run against San Jose State with a two-run shot as she batted .364 (4-11) with two runs, two RBI and seven total bases for a .636 slugging percentage. On the year all her home runs have come with at least one runner on base.
Bearing Down
Hitting .348 on the season, sophomore first baseman Kristin Sylvester (Big Bear City, Calif.) has hit safely in 30 of the last 34 games. In this stretch she is batting .381 (43-113) with 16 runs, 12 doubles, a triple, three home runs, five walks, hit by pitch, 22 RBI and 66 total bases for a .584 slugging percentage. In her last 12 contests, Sylvester is hitting .341 (14-41) with five runs, two doubles, a triple, a home run, a walk, a hit by pitch, six RBI and 21 total bases for a .512 slugging percentage. While second on the team in multiple hit games (16), she owns a season-best 13-game hitting streak, which ranks tied for ninth all-time in school history. In this hit streak she batted .463 (19-41) with nine runs, four doubles, two home runs, eight RBI, two walks and 29 total bases for a .707 slugging percentage.
Leaders of the WAC
In the overall WAC statistics, Fresno State is tops in pitching (1.97), hitting (.300) and fielding (.971). Individually, the Bulldogs have three of the top 10 batters in the WAC in Clark (.443, 1st), Perkins (.350, 4th) and Sylvester (.348, 7th). In addition, Clark, Perkins and Sylvester rank one-two-three in hits with 62, 56, and 55, respectively. Clark is tops in runs (51), doubles (16) and total bases (107) while tied for third in triples (4) and fifth in stolen bases (8). Perkins is tied for fourth in runs (34) while Sylvester is tied for third in doubles (12). In the circle, Mackin leads the league in ERA (1.38), wins (25), innings pitched (232.2) and strikeouts (360) while second in appearances (40).
In the NCAA Statistics
In the fourth release of the NCAA statistics (April 30), Clark and Mackin are ranked for the fourth straight week. Ranked among the top six in walks every week, Clark currently ranks No. 4 in walks per game (0.89). In runs and batting average, she is at her highest ranking in both as Clark is No. 7 in runs per game (1.04) and No. 14 in batting (.445). She makes her second appearance of the season in slugging percentage and checks in at No. 21 (.773) for the second consecutive week. And, for the first time on the year, Clark ranks No. 17 in doubles per game (0.35). In the circle, Mackin remains in the Top 10 for victories for the fourth straight week as she comes in at No. 9 (24). Among the Top 15 every week, she also ranks No. 12 in strikeouts per 7/IP (10.8). In the Top 50 each of the four weeks, Mackin ranks No. 39 in ERA (1.38).
WAC Tournament Field
No. 2 seed San Jose State (23-25) notched its highest WAC finish after finishing second in the standings with an 11-6 record ... The Spartans, who are batting .258 and own a team ERA of 3.52, has won nine of their last 14 games; they are 14-18 away from home ... No. 3/4 seed Hawai'i (27-20) tentatively is third in the conference standings with a 9-7 mark ... Having to resume their postponed game versus Nevada on Wednesday, the Rainbow Wahine are 4-6 in their last 10 while hitting .300 and owning team ERA of 2.26 team; they are 10-9 away from home ... No. 3/4 seed Nevada (28-29) tentatively is fourth in the WAC standings with a 9-8 league record ... While wrapping up its final WAC game against UH on Wednesday, the Wolf Pack have won nine of their last 10 games and are batting .271 with a team ERA of 3.40; they are 15-26 away from home ... No. 5 seed New Mexico State (25-21) placed fifth in the WAC in its first year as a league member ... The Aggies, who were idle last week and are 3-4 in their last seven outings, are hitting .278 and own a team ERA of 3.15; they are 12-15 away from home ... No. 6 seed Louisiana Tech (18-29) finished sixth in the seven-team conference standings ... The Lady Techsters, who are batting .290 and have a team ERA of 4.93, have won five of their last nine; they are 9-19 away from home.
Rain Outs Over the Years
This season, 11 games have been lost to Mother Nature and, including last season, 22 total games have been cancelled due to weather. While the last two seasons have seen the most rain outs (11) in the last seven years, the last time a season was played without inclement weather was in 1999. Since 2000, 43 games have been lost to rain.
'Dogs WAC Preseason Favorites
For the 10th time in 11 years, Fresno State has been picked to capture the league title in 2006. The Bulldogs received five first place votes and one second 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 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 Clark and Mackin 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. 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.
Clark On Preseason Watch List; Programs 18th Professional Draft Pick
On Feb. 1, the Amateur Softball Association announced its initial watch list for the Fifth Annual USA Softball College Player of the Year Award and Clark was among the top 50 picks. Selected to her third straight national preseason watch list, she also was tabbed as the preseason WAC Player of the Year for the third consecutive season. In addition, Clark became the program's 18th professional draft selection when she was chosen No. 18 overall in the inaugural 2006 ProFastpitch X-Treme Tour draft.
Berg/Scott Named to NCAA Division I 25th Anniversary Softball Team
On April 18, the NCAA announced its Division I Softball 25th Anniversary Team and Fresno State was honored with two selections on the ten-player squad in former Bulldog All-Americans Laura Berg (Santa Fe Springs, Calif.) and Amanda Scott (Clovis, Calif.). Based on their outstanding achievements during NCAA championship competition, including All-Women's College World Series honors, Berg was one of two outfielders selected while Scott was one of four four-time NCAA First Team All-Americans as well as one of six pitchers voted to the prestigious list. In their collegiate careers, Berg and Scott both participated in the WCWS three times with the 1998 season seeing the Fresno State softball program reach the pinnacle of success with the university's first and only NCAA Division I team championship title. At the 1998 WCWS Berg batted .471 (8-17) with three runs, two RBI, a stolen base and eight total bases as the lead off batter. Going on to be a three-time USA Softball Olympic gold medalist, Berg wrapped up her collegiate career with a .414 batting average and ranks No. 2 all-time in NCAA Division I history with 396 career hits. Also in 1998, Scott garnered WCWS MVP honors after pitching a three-hit shutout victory over two-time NCAA defending champion Arizona in the title game. At the WCWS that year she would go 3-1 with a pair of shutouts and 16 strikeouts in 23.2 innings for a perfect 0.00 ERA. A 2000 USA Softball Olympic alternate, Scott wrapped up her collegiate career by being the university's first NCAA Top VIII Award winner, a NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipient and a two-time Honda Awards Softball finalist. The two-time Academic All-American ranked 36 consecutive weeks nationally in ERA and was a two-time NCAA ERA statistical champion.
National Rankings
Fresno State softball has been no stranger to the national polls as the Bulldogs own the longest streak for consecutive nationally-ranked weeks (178) in NCAA Division I softball history. In the 24-year history of national polls, the Bulldogs have been nationally ranked in the Top 25 for 219 of the 233 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.
Bulldog Alumni on the Coaching Ranks
Currently 23 former Bulldogs, 17 of whom played for Wright, are coaching softball on either the collegiate, high school or professional level. Professionally, Julie Smith is the general manager and head coach of the New York/New Jersey Juggernaut. Eight are on the Division I level: Michelle Bento (head basketball coach at Santa Clara), Laura Berg (assistant coach at Fresno State), Carie Dever (assistant coach at Virginia), Marcie Green (assistant coach at Fresno State), Nina Lindenberg (assistant coach at Temple), Kim Maher (head coach at Purdue), Lisa Mize (assistant coach at Santa Clara) and Amanda Scott (assistant coach at Iowa). On the junior college, six 'Dogs are currently active: Randi Berg (assistant coach at El Camino Community College), Erica Blanco (head coach at Long Beach City College), Michelle Bolt (head coach at College of the Sequoias), Sandi Taylor (head coach at Bakersfield College), Ella Vilche (head coach at Chabot College) and Rhonda Williams (head coach at Fresno City College). On the high school level, there are eight former Bulldogs who are coaching: Angela Cervantez (assistant coach at Madera), Vanessa Czarnecki (assistant coach at Riverside Poly), Debbie Fagundes (head coach), Roberta Garcia (head coach), Dina Lopez (head coach), Jaime Maxey (head coach at Bullard), Judy Tucker (head coach at Madera) and Peggy Williams (head coach at Clovis West).
The Sixth Annual Jenny Eller Blood Drive Challenge
The Sixth Annual Jenny Eller Blood Drive Challenge remains underway. When a donor mentions the name Jenny Eller, Coach Wright, Fresno State softball or the "Donor Team," they will receive a commemorative 2006 softball t-shirt. For details, phone (559) 224-2900.
