Fresno State Athletics
No. 27 `Dogs Face Louisiana Tech
4/16/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 16, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format 
FRESNO, Calif. - The Fresno State baseball team hosts Louisiana Tech in their first WAC series at home. The four-game series begins tonight and concludes on Sunday. The `Dogs are first in the WAC with a 3-1 record (20-14 overall) and moved into Collegiate Baseball's top-30 poll at No. 27.
The last time the Bulldogs faced Louisiana Tech was during the 2009 regular season in Ruston, La. The Bulldogs of La Tech won four game by scores of 11-9, 17-5, 14-12 and 14-6. Fresno State leads the overall series, 24-18.
About the LA Tech
Louisiana Tech is currently third in the WAC after the first weekend of league games. The Bulldogs spilt a four game series with San Jose State. LA Tech is 17-14 overall this season. The Bulldogs are hitting .330 and Joey Ford is leading the way with a .391 batting average. Clint Ewing leads the team in home runs with eight. The pitching staff has a combined ERA of 5.92 and 222 strikeouts.
Bulldogs On The Move
Fresno State made its national poll debut this week, entering the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Top-30 poll at No. 27. The Bulldogs are also receiving votes in the USA Today Poll and NCBWA poll. It is the first time this season the Bulldogs have been ranked. The `Dogs have played two teams that are currently ranked and another three teams that were ranked at some point this season.
Gonzalez in the National Spotlight
Greg Gonzalez was lifted into the limelight after throwing a no-hitter Saturday night. He was named the Verizon Wireless WAC Athlete of the Week, Louisville Sluggers National Player of the Week, NCBWA Pro-Line Pitcher of the Week and College Baseball Insider Regional Player of the Week. Gonzalez became the seventh Bulldog in Fresno State history to throw a no-hitter. In his first career start, the junior threw a complete game shutout and silenced the Rainbow batters throwing his first career no-hitter. The last no-hitter by a Bulldog pitcher was in 1976 by Rob Cruess against Sacramento State. Gonzalez tied his career-high of seven strikeouts and threw seven innings, his longest outing of the season. The righty-handed pitcher faced just over the minimum of 22 batters and sat down 17 in order.
Another One Bites the Dust
Whenever an opposing batter is struck out at Beiden Field, "Another One Bites the Dust" is played. Already this season teams are tired of hearing it after the Bulldogs have a total of 215 strikeouts. The `Dogs recorded a team high 13 strikeouts against CSU Bakersfield on April 13, 2010. Josh Poytress leads the team in strikeouts with 37.
Red Hot on the Road
The Bulldogs are red hot on the road and have accumulated a record of 9-4 while away from Pete Beiden Field. The `Dogs won three of four games at Les Murakami Stadium in Honolulu, which is one of the hardest places to play in the WAC.
Ribera's Home Run Count Rises
Jordan Ribera leads the team in home runs hit with 14 and is tied for fourth in the nation in hitting home runs. He is three home runs behind the national leader. Opening weekend, the first baseman tied the school record for consecutive home runs with three. Ribera finished the 2009 campaign with two game-winning home runs against New Mexico State and earned the WAC Tournament MVP honor.
Going... Going... GONE!
As a team, Fresno State has hit 36 home runs in 34 games, which is the third in the WAC. Jordan Ribera leads the way with 14. Also contributing to the home run count is; Danny Muno, Dusty Robinson, Kaohu Gaspar, Garrett Weber, Bobby Coyle, Trent Garrison, Kenny Wise, Brennan Gowens and Isacc Vivas.
It Takes Two...
The `Dogs are fourth in the nation in turning double plays and are three behind the national leaders. The Bulldogs have recorded a total of 41 this season. Against Oregon, the Bulldogs tied the single game record of five double plays. The last time that many double plays were turned was in 1986 against Washington State and Pacific.
Baseball Games Streamed on GoBulldogs.com
Fans can now watch live video of all the home games of the 2010 baseball season for a small price via the Fresno State All-Access player at www.gobulldogs.com. Fans who sign up for All-Access can view live and archived video and audio from many Fresno State sports and special features and interviews with student-athletes and coaches.
"We Are Your Team" - The No. 27 Fresno State Bulldogs take on Louisiana Tech in a four-game series at Beiden Field April 16-18. Tickets are available at the Bulldog Ticket Office or by calling 278-DOGS.
