Fresno State Athletics
Annual Softball Classic Starts Thursday
3/8/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
• 2011 Bayer CropScience Classic Central
• All-Access (Live Video)
• Classic Notes - Fresno State
March 8, 2011
FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State will host the 2011 Bayer CropScience Classic from March 10-13, 2011 while welcoming Bradley, No. 11 California, Drake, Idaho State and Troy to campus for the annual non-conference tournament at Bulldog Diamond.
Live video and statistics of all Fresno State games can be viewed with All-Access and Gametracker at www.GoBulldogs.com.
Dogs Start 8-4 with Two Top 20 Wins Against Big 12 Schools
After its first 12 games of 2011, Fresno State is a 8-4 with two wins over Top 20 teams (then-No. 8 Missouri and then-No. 19 Oklahoma State) and a 2-1 record against Top 25 teams.
Blood Drive, Character, Alumni & Men's & Women's Fastpitch Days
On Saturday, Fresno State will hold a Blood Drive and its first Character Day. All fans who either donate blood at Bulldog Diamond or dress up as a character (no masks allowed) will receive free admission to Saturday's Fresno State games. The Dogs will close the Classic on Sunday afternoon against the Golden Bears. The first 500 fans on Sunday will get a free Fresno State cup in honor of Alumni and Men's & Women's Fastpitch Day.
WRIGHT WATCH: All-Time Wins Milestones
• Margie Wright is the all-time winningest Division I fastpitch head softball coach (1,394)
• Margie Wright is six wins shy of the 1,400 career win milestone entering the week
• Margie Wright is in her 26th season as Fresno State's head softball coach
DOG WATCH: Bulldogs Climbing into Record Books
• Haley Gilleland is Fresno State's all-time stolen base leader (66)
• Haley Gilleland is tenth all-time in the WAC in stolen bases (66)
• Michelle Moses is third all-time in career home runs at Fresno State (32)
• Caitlin Stiglich is one grand slam away from tying Christina Clark's program record (5)
• Demi Walker has either reached base safely or recorded a sacrifice in every game
Fresno State is One of Nation's Elite Programs
• Fresno State is the nation's second-best all-time winningest NCAA Division I softball fastpitch program with a 1,415-475-1 (.750) record since 1982 --- ahead of UCLA, Florida State, Cal State Fullerton, La.-Lafayette, California, Texas A&M and Oklahoma.
• Fresno State is in its 34th year of competition with an overall program record 1,499-532-1 (.739) since 1978 - just one win away from the program's 1,500th all-time victory.
• Fresno State is the nation's only program to qualify for every NCAA Tournament (29)
Speedy Gilleland Sprinting in Senior Season
The speed of senior shortstop Haley Gilleland cemented itself in the Bulldog career record books. Gilleland is already Fresno State's all-time career leader for stolen bases (66) after going 7-for-7 through the Dogs' first 12 games of the season. As the leadoff batter, she leads the team in batting (.366; 15-for-41), doubles (5), runs scored (10), stolen bases (7) and on base percentage (.469). Gilleland has also added eight RBI and drawn six walks.
True Triple Threat Moses One of West Region's Top Performers
Junior right-handed pitcher and first baseman Michelle Moses is one of the West Region's best pitchers, hitters and defenders. On Opening Day, she recorded the first cycle in program history. The triple threat continues to improve her game and blasted three home runs in the first three games of the season. In 2011, she is batting .325 with a team-best .650 slugging percentage, nine RBI and 26 total bases. Moses has also scored eight times.
Newcomers Making Instant Impact
Freshmen Brooke Ortiz, an infiedler., and Demi Walker, an outfielder, have started all seven games this season. At the plate, Ortiz is hitting .317 (13-for-41) with seven runs scored and Walker is batting .314. Junior Rebecca Hall, another newcomer has played in 11 games and delivered a two-out, two-run single on a 1-2 pitch in a 4-3 win over then-No. 19 Oklahoma State. Freshman Vonnie Martin recorded a hit in one of her three games played.
Fresno State Blasting Home Runs with Purpose
Fresno State set a program record in 2010 with 51 home runs and has continued its offensive firepower in 2011 with eight home runs through the first 12 games.
ESPNU Back on Campus on April 1
The storied rivalry between Fresno State and Hawai'i will be featured at Bulldog Diamond in an ESPNU broadcast of the Dogs and Rainbow Wahine's Western Athletic Conference softball game on April 1 at 7 p.m. Fresno State will be making its 16th appearance on national television in program history. This is the second straight season that the Bulldogs have been selected for the regular season WAC softball showcase on ESPNU. Last year, Fresno State defeated Louisiana Tech 2-1 in the national broadcast on May 7, 2010.
ESPNU Shines Spotlight on the Bulldogs
After the Bulldogs' 4-3 win against No. 19 Oklahoma State on Feb. 25 in Cathedral City, Fresno State's Haley Gilleland, Michelle Moses and Mackenzie Oakes taped segments with ESPNU for the upcoming national broadcast of the Fresno State-Hawai'i game. Bulldog head coach Margie Wright, the NCAA's all-time winningest Division I fastpitch softball coach, was also interviewed on her career, the program and current topics affecting the sport of softball.
Six Games This Season Have Been Either Washed Out or Postponed
Due to inclement weather conditions that made the USD and SDSU fields unplayable, Fresno State's games against No. 10/11 Washington, UC Davis and San Diego were canceled and will not be rescheduled for a future date. The Bulldogs also had a doubleheader with Pacific previously scheduled for Feb. 15 changed to a single game on April 5 at 2 p.m. due to an inclement weather forecast for the Stockton area. Due to travel concerns and time restraints, Oregon State elected to postpone the Feb. 27 game against Fresno State to a later date.
Bulldogs to Host 2011 WAC Softball Tournament May 11-14
Fresno State will serve as the hosts for the 2011 Western Athletic Conference Softball Tournament from May 11-14. The top six schools qualify for the double-elimination tournament with the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament awarded to the winner. The Bulldogs have won three WAC Tournament titles (2009, `07 and 1999) and 10 of the past 15 regular season WAC championships. Ticket information will be announced later this year.
Fresno State Continues to Perform as the WAC's Premier Program
With its strong commitment to premier athletic competition and academic performance, Fresno State finished second in the 2009-10 Western Athletic Conference Commissioner's Cup standings and remained the best program throughout the eight years of the award. Since the 2002-03 academic year when the Cup race started, Fresno State has scored a WAC-best 679.5 points for an average of 84.94 points per academic year. The Bulldogs rank first among the current WAC institutions with an average finish of 2.375, ahead of Boise State (3.63) and Nevada (3.88) as the top three WAC schools. Fresno State is also one of two repeat Cup winners (2007-08 & 2008-09), along with Rice University (2003-04 & 2004-05).
Welty Accepts Dogs' Invitation to Join Mountain West Conference
President John D. Welty announced this summer that Fresno State accepted an invitation to become a member of the Mountain West Conference. The Bulldogs will leave the Western Athletic Conference after the 2012 softball season to compete against Boise State, Colorado State, Nevada, New Mexico, San Diego State and UNLV. Boise State will move from the WAC to the MWC in 2011 while Nevada will move with Fresno State for the 2013 season.
"We Are Your Team!" --- Fresno State returns to Bulldog Diamond on March 10 when the Dogs host Idaho State in the 2011 Bayer CropScience Classic. Fans can purchase all-tournament tickets for as low as $8 (youth) or $15 (adult) by logging on to www.gobulldogs.com, calling 559-278-DOGS or by visiting the Bulldog Ticket Office.
