Fresno State Athletics
Dogs Earn Votes in Both National Polls
1/25/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
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2011 Preseason USA Today/NFCA Division I Softball Pool
2011 Preseason ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Poll
Jan. 25, 2011
FRESNO, Calif. - The Fresno State softball program continued to receive national recognition by earning votes in both the 2011 preseason USA Today/NFCA Division I and ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate polls, the two organizations announced this morning.
The Bulldogs received 31 votes in the USA Today/NFCA poll, the 26th most of any team in the country, while in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll, the Dogs earned nine votes to rank in 34th position.
Fresno State returns four 2010 All-Western Athletic Conference honorees - senior shortstop Haley Gilleland, senior catcher Caitlin Stiglich, junior pitcher/first baseman Michelle Moses and junior infielder/outfielder Andrea Ortega - for the 2011 season. Moses was also a 2010 second-team All-West Region honoree.
In 2011, the Dogs will face three schools that competed in the 2010 Women's College Series, including a neutral site game with No. 7/9 Missouri, two neutral site games against 2009 national champion and No. 10/11 Washington and three WAC home games versus No. 8/13 Hawai'i (April 1 and 2).
The April 1 home game against the Rainbow Wahine will mark Fresno State's 16th all-time appearance on national television as ESPNU will broadcast the game with first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m.
The Bulldogs also host longtime rival No. 12/12 California on March 13 at 2 p.m. in the finale of the Bayer CropScience Classic at Bulldog Diamond.
In total, the Dogs are slated to play nine schools ranked in both preseason Top 25 polls and three other schools who received at least one vote in either of the polls.
"Once again we have a very strong national schedule as we do every year," said Fresno State softball head coach Margie Wright, who enters her 26th season while averaging 49 wins per season. "We are playing 14 games against the top 45 in the USA Today/NFCA preseason coaches poll, 12 of which come against the Top 25. In the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate preseason poll, we will be playing 16 games against the top 45, and 12 of those also will be against the Top 25. We're very excited to start our season and look forward to opening the year at home on Feb. 12 with a doubleheader against Sacramento State."
Fresno State went 41-21 in 2010 and advanced to the championship game of the Los Angeles Regional before falling to eventual national champion UCLA. The Bulldogs were ranked four weeks and finished No. 28 in both final polls.
The Dogs are the nation's only program to have qualified for all 29 NCAA Tournaments in the Division I sport's history and head coach Margie Wright, the all-time winningest Division I fastpitch head softball coach, owns 1386 career victories - 14 shy of the 1400 career win milestone.
The Bulldogs have appeared in 12 of the 29 NCAA Women's College World Series and secured the school's first Division I national championship in any sport in 1998, have been a national runner-up four times (1990, '89, '88 and '82), finished third three times (1997, '92 and '91) and tied for fifth four times (1999, '94, '87 and '84).
Fresno State has won 10 of the past 15 regular season Western Athletic championships and three WAC Tournament titles (2009, '07 and 1999).
The Bulldogs are the nation's second-best all-time winningest NCAA Division I softball fastpitch program with a 1,407-471-1 (.749) record since 1982 --- ahead of UCLA, Florida State, Cal State Fullerton, La.-Lafayette, California, Texas A&M and Oklahoma.
Fresno State enters its 34th year of competition with an overall program record 1,491-528-1 (.738) since 1978 - just nine wins away from the program's 1,500th all-time victory.
The USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll is voted on by NCAA Division I head coaches, one representing each conference.
The ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 regular season poll, which is announced every Tuesday throughout the season, will begin on Feb. 15 along with the Player of the Week honors.
Fresno State opens the season on Feb. 12 at 1 p.m. in Bulldog Diamond with a doubleheader against Sacramento State. The Dogs will also serve as the hosts for the 2011 WAC Softball Tournament from May 11-14.
Bulldog Softball Season Ticket Information
Softball season tickets are available for as low as $39 for youth/senior in general admission areas, $65 for adult general admission, $78 for upper reserved seating and $130 for lower box seating. This represents an affordable price reduction from previous seasons and gives Bulldog fans significant savings when compared to the single game ticket price.
Fans can purchase season tickets by logging on to www.gobulldogs.com, calling 559-278-DOGS or by visiting the Bulldog Ticket Office.
"We Are Your Team" - The Fresno State softball team will start the 2011 season on Feb. 12 with a doubleheader against Sacramento State at Bulldog Diamond. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. Season tickets and single-day tickets are available throughout the season at www.gobulldogs.com and the Bulldog Ticket Office.
