Fresno State Athletics
No. 20 Softball Prepares For Season Opener
2/6/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 6, 2007
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Up Next For Fresno State: Fresno State opens the 2007 season at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz., hosted by Arizona State. The No. 21 ranked Bulldogs jump right into the year with two games on Friday, February 9 against ranked teams. Fresno State opens the tourney against No. 14 Texas A&M at 11:30 a.m. Friday and then faces No. 4 Northwestern at 3:30 p.m. later that day. The Bulldogs face Northwestern State at 11 a.m. Saturday and New Mexico at 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon. Fresno State wraps up the Classic on Sunday with a single game against Cal State Northridge at 1 p.m.
Follow the Bulldogs: You can follow Fresno State while on the road by logging on to www.gobulldogs.com and click on the gametracker link. Gametracker will be used to cover all of Fresno State's games, both home and away. While the Bulldogs are at home, all of their contests will be aired live on 1430 ESPN or 90.7 KFSR. The first radio broadcast of the season will be Friday, February 16 at 6 p.m. against Louisville.
Preseason Ranked: Fresno State begins the 2007 season ranked No. 20 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Preseason Top 25, and No. 21 in the Preseason USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll. The Bulldogs finished 2006 with a 37-19 record and a No. 23 ranking in both polls. Fresno State will face nine teams that are ranked to begin the season and will play 13 teams voted in the Top 40.
Dogs Picked to Win the WAC: The Western Athletic Conference softball coaches selected Fresno State to win the 2007 WAC regular season crown and Fresno State has been picked to take the preseason crown 11 out of the last 12 years. The coaches also voted on 2007 preseason award winners. For the second-straight season Fresno State's Robin Mackin earned preseason Pitcher of the Year honors. Hawai`i first baseman Tyleen Tausaga earned preseason Player of the Year honors. Fresno State edged out Hawai`i with 35 points to the Rainbow Wahine's 30 for the preseason crown. Defending WAC Tournament Champion Nevada was picked to finish third with 28 points. The Bulldogs and the Wolf Pack were the only WAC teams to advance to the NCAA Tournament last season. Fresno State is the only team in the nation to play in all 25 NCAA Tournaments.
Mackin Named to Amateur Softball Association Top 50 Watch List : The Amateur Softball Association, the National Governing Body of Softball in the United States, has selected its initial "Watch List" for the 6th Annual USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year Award. Fresno State sophomore pitcher Robin Mackin was one of 50 players selected to the list. This award, which is considered one of the most prestigious honors in women's collegiate softball, is designed to recognize outstanding athletic achievement by female collegiate softball players across the country. Past winners of this award include UCLA's Stacey Nuveman, Florida State's Jessica Van der Linden and three-time winner, Texas pitcher Cat Osterman.
What's Next for Fresno State: The Bulldogs return from Tempe, Ariz. Sunday night and turn around and leave Monday night for Santa Clara. Fresno State will face the Broncos in a doubleheader at Santa Clara on Tuesday, February 13 at 1 p.m.
