Fresno State Athletics
Softball Begins Nine-Game Homestand
3/5/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 5, 2007
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UConn, Bulldog Classic Ahead for Fresno State: After playing 16 of its first 19 games on the road, Fresno State returns to Bulldog Diamond to a welcome site of the Bulldog Classic, presented by Bingham Toyota. But first the Bulldogs will UConn in a doubleheader on Tuesday, March 6 beginning at 6 p.m. The Classic begins Thursday afternoon with Colorado State and Toledo playing in the first game at 4:30 p.m. Fresno State will conclude the first day when it faces BYU at 7 p.m. The Classic is busy on Friday, with five games being played and another five games will be played on Saturday. The Classic closes on Sunday, when three games are played, including Fresno State versus Penn State at 2 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.
Who's Hot: Fresno State sophomore pitcher Robin Mackin has not only been controlling the circle for the Bulldogs, but Mackin has picked up her performance at the plate as well. In the UNLV Invitational, Mackin led Fresno State with a .333 batting average (5 for 15) and also had a .412 on base percentage in the leadoff spot. Mackin also went 2-1 in the tournament, with a 0.60 earned run average. Mackin struck out 22 batters in 23 1/3 innings and opponents hit .190 against her in four appearances.
Mackin Earns Second WAC Pitcher of the Week Honor: Fresno State sophomore Robin Mackin has been named the Western Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week after she had a solid weekend at the UNLV Invitational. This is the second honor of the season for Mackin, the WAC's reigning Pitcher of the Year. Mackin went 2-1 with one save for the Bulldogs last weekend at the UNLV invitational. Mackin helped the Fresno State beat No. 18 Cal and No. 23 Nebraska, while saving the game in a 2-0 win over UNLV. These were the Bulldogs first two wins against ranked teams this season. Mackin held opponents to a .190 average and allowed only two earned runs over 23 1/3 innings. Despite losing in the final game of the tournament to DePaul, Mackin allowed no earned runs while striking out six during the eight inning loss to the Demons.
Facing some of the Best: Fresno State hasn't backed away from playing some of the best teams in the country this year. The Bulldogs are coming off two victories over ranked teams last week, beating No. 18 California 2-1 and beating No. 23 Nebraska 3-2. So far this season Fresno State has faced No. 13 Texas A&M, No. 4 Northwestern and No. 1 Tennessee. The Bulldogs also hosted Louisville, who was preseason ranked No. 21 and was just outside the Top 25 when the Cardinals visited Bulldog Diamond.
Barr Bringing It From the Pen : Fresno State sophomore pitcher Merryann Barr has been stepping in out of the bullpen and picking up right where Robin Mackin has left off. Barr went 1-1 in the UNLV Invitational, but had an outstanding 0.62 earned run average and had seven strikeouts in 11 1/3 innings pitched. Opponents also struggled at the plate, hitting .175 against the right hander.
What's Next: Fresno State plays in one more non-conference tournament at the Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, before hosting Ohio in a doubleheader at Bulldog Diamond. After the non-conference game, Fresno State begins WAC play when it travels to Nevada to face the Wolf Pack on March 23-24.
