Fresno State Athletics
Bulldogs Back in Top 25
3/1/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
FRESNO, Calif. - With wins over a pair of teams ranked in the Top 20 and a 6-1 start to the 2011 season, the Fresno State Bulldog softball team is back in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 poll at No. 23, the National Fastpitch Coaches Association announced Tuesday morning.
"We have been playing pretty good teams - both ranked and unranked - and we've played them well," head coach Margie Wright said. "Any step we can take forward is a plus. It all comes down to the end of the season, but I am happy with our progress."
Fresno State started the season with an Opening Day doubleheader sweep of Sacramento State before the Dogs downed then-No. 8 Missouri 6-3 in the San Diego Classic I. At the prestigious Cathedral City Classic this past weekend, Fresno State defeated then-No. 19/18 Oklahoma State 4-3, the ACC's Virginia 4-1 and six-time defending Atlantic-10 champion UMass 7-5 with a lone loss against Syracuse's Jenna Caira, who pitches for the Canadian National Team, 4-3.
Senior Haley Gilleland and junior Michelle Moses, two of the Bulldogs' preseason All-WAC honorees, have been selected as a WAC Hitter of the Week during the first three weeks of the season.
In the circle, junior Mackenzie Oakes leads Fresno State with a perfect 4-0 record and a 2.36 earned run average in four appearances, including three complete games. Moses is 2-1 on the year and paces the WAC in strikeouts per game (9.04). Both of Moses' wins were over Top 20 teams (Missouri and Oklahoma State).
At the plate, freshman infielder Brooke Ortiz is hitting a team-best .400 (10-for-25) with five runs scored. Gillleland, the Dogs' leadoff hitter, delivered the game-winning double against the Cowgirls to top the team with four doubles and six runs scored. Moses has hit three home runs and senior Caitlin Stiglich launched her fourth career grand slam in the win over the Minutewomen.
Fresno State will return to San Diego for the second time this season on Friday for the Campbell/Cartier Classic when the Bulldogs face BYU at 9 a.m. and tournament host San Diego State at 6 p.m. In the three-day affair, the Dogs will also compete against No. 25 Houston, Long Beach State and Baylor at SDSU's Softball Stadium. The live statistics of all games can viewed through Gametracker at www.gobulldogs.com.
"We Are Your Team!" --- Fresno State takes to the road for the next month and returns to Bulldog Diamond on March 10 when the Dogs host the 2011 Bayer CropScience Classic. Fans can purchase season tickets for as low as $39 (youth) or $65 (adult general admission) by logging on to www.gobulldogs.com, calling 559-278-DOGS or by visiting the Bulldog Ticket Office.
