Fresno State Athletics
No. 25 Dogs Start Road Trek in Logan
4/20/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
FRESNO, Calif. - No. 25 Fresno State (26-11, 10-2 WAC) will visit Utah State (10-35, 4-8 WAC) on Friday at noon and 2 p.m. Pacific and finish the series on Saturday at 11 a.m. PT.
The Bulldogs are a game back of New Mexico State in the WAC title race with nine games left.
The live statistics of all Fresno State games can viewed with Gametracker at www.gobulldogs.com.
Bulldogs Sweep Spartans, Return to ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25
A three-game sweep of San Jose State and 10-2 start to WAC play propelled Fresno State back into the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll at No. 25. One of the Bulldogs' six Top 25 victories was a 3-1 win over now-No. 1/1 Michigan (39-3). The Dogs have received votes every week the two major national polls released their rankings this season.
No. 25 Fresno State Sports Six Top 25 Wins, NCAA RPI of 26
On the season, Fresno State is 26-11 with six wins over Top 25 teams for a 6-4 mark against schools ranked in the two major national polls. The Bulldogs also sport a WAC-leading RPI of 26 in the latest NCAA RPI release. Four WAC schools are ranked in the national Top 125: Fresno State (26), New Mexico State (54), Hawai'i (64) and Boise State (120).
No. 25 Fresno State's 2011 Top 25 Wins
• Fresno State 3, No. 5/6 Michigan 1 [March 19, 2011]
• Fresno State 6, No. 8/10 Missouri 3 [February 18, 2011]
• Fresno State 4, No. 19/18 Oklahoma State 3 [February 25, 2011]
• Fresno State 5, No. 20/25 Hawai'i 0 [April 1, 2011]
• Fresno State 2, No. 20/25 Hawai'i 1 [April 2, 2011]
• Fresno State 2, No. 20/25 Hawai'i 0 [April 2, 2011]
Ortega's Big Week Helps Dogs Make WAC Push
Junior outfielder Andrea Ortega hit .700 (7-for-10) with a .900 slugging percentage and scored five runs and clubbed two doubles to lead the Dogs to a three-game sweep of San Jose State. During the series, she ripped an RBI double and scored a game-ending run as she became Fresno State's top hitter with a team-best .316 season batting average.
PREVIEW: Utah State Aggies
• Utah State Aggies [WAC] (Friday - Noon / 2 p.m. PT & Saturday - 11 a.m. PT)
- The Utah State Aggies are 10-35 on the season, 2-5 in home games and 4-8 in WAC play
- Fresno State leads the all-time series with Utah State, 25-11
- In the circle, Shelbi Tyteca is 3-9 and Mandy Harmon is 7-20
- At the plate, Kassandra Uchida leads the Aggies with a .346 batting average
- Last weekend, Utah State took two of three from then WAC-leader Boise State
- Carissa Millsap-Kalaba is in her second season as the Utah State head softball coach
DOG WATCH: Bulldogs Climbing into Record Books
• Haley Gilleland is Fresno State's all-time stolen base leader (78) & 19-for-21 this year
• Haley Gilleland is sixth all-time in the WAC in stolen bases (78)
• Haley Gilleland is sixth all-time at Fresno State in career hit by pitch (23)
• Michelle Moses is second all-time at Fresno State in career home runs (38)
2011 WAC Tournament All-Session Tickets on Sale
• 2011 WAC Tournament Central (Hosted by Fresno State)
All-session tickets for the 2011 WAC Softball Tournament hosted by Fresno State at Bulldog Diamond May 11-14 are on sale now. The all-session pass is good for all 10 games (11 if the second game on Saturday is necessary). Single day tickets go on sale to the general public beginning Tuesday, May 11. Tickets can be purchased online at www.gobulldogs.com and over the phone at (559) 278-3647.
Fresno State is One of the Nation's Elite Programs
• Margie Wright is the all-time winningest Division I fastpitch head softball coach (1,412)
• Margie Wright won her 1,400th career game on March 15 with a 3-2 win over Bradley
• Fresno State won its 1,500th career game on March 10 with a 1-0 win over Idaho State
• Fresno State is in its 34th year with an overall record of 1,517-539-1 (.739) since 1978
• Fresno State is the nation's second-best all-time winningest NCAA Division I softball fastpitch program with a 1,433-481-1 (.750) record since 1982 --- behind Arizona and ahead of UCLA, Florida State, Cal State Fullerton, La.-Lafayette, California and Oklahoma.
• Fresno State is the nation's only program to qualify for every NCAA Tournament (29)
• Fresno State has appeared on national television 16 times, including April 1 5-0 win
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 (78) after going 19-for-21. As the leadoff hitter, she is batting (.306; 38-for-124) with a team-high six doubles. Gilleland also has scored 19 runs, owns 11 RBI and drawn 12 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 .270 with a team-best nine home runs, five doubles, a .565 slugging percentage, 22 runs scored, 26 RBI and 65 total bases.
Moses, Gilleland Named WAC Hitters of the Week
Junior Michelle Moses earned her third career WAC Hitter of the Week honor after hitting for the cycle and batting 6-for-8 (.750) with two home runs, a triple, a double, three singles, four RBI, three runs scored and a 1.875 slugging percentage on Opening Day. Senior Haley Gilleland earned her first career WAC Hitter of the Week honor for going 5-for-11 (.455) with three runs, a pair of doubles, five RBI and two stolen bases at the Cathedral City Classic.
Moses Earned WAC Pitcher of the Week Honors
Junior Michelle Moses tossed her first career no-hitter and propelled Fresno State to a sweep of then-No. 20/25 Hawai'i and 6-0 start to WAC play. In the series, Moses went 2-0 with the no-hitter, a pair of complete game shutouts, 13 strikeouts, a two-inning save of perfect relief and tossed 16.0 innings of scoreless ball to extend Fresno State's win streak to seven.
Oakes Honored as Back-to-Back WAC Pitcher of the Week
Earlier this season, junior pitcher Mackenzie Oakes earned back-to-back WAC Pitcher of the Week honors. In the first week, Oakes recorded a 3-0 record over three starts with a 0.67 earned run average to lead Fresno State to wins over No. 5/6 Michigan (3-1), Illinois (3-2) and Bradley (3-2). In the second week, Oakes went 2-0 with a 0.44 earned run average in a pair of complete-game road wins over the Lady Techsters (2-0 and 2-1 in nine innings).
Newcomers Making Instant Impact
Freshmen Brooke Ortiz and Demi Walker have earned a spot in the Dogs' starting lineup. At the plate, Ortiz is .293 (36-for-123) with 17 runs and Walker is batting .205. Junior newcomer Rebecca Hall delivered a two-out, two-run single on a 1-2 pitch to spark a 4-3 win over then-No. 19 Oklahoma State. Freshman Vonnie Martin also has a single this season.
Fresno State Picked to Finish Second, Three Dogs Named All-WAC
In the annual Western Athletic Conference coaches preseason poll, Fresno State was picked to finish second and three Bulldogs earned selections to the preseason All-WAC team - senior shortstop Haley Gilleland, junior pitcher/first baseman Michelle Moses and senior catcher Caitlin Stiglich. Hawai'i, the defending WAC champion who advanced to the 2010 Women's College World Series, was tabbed as the preseason conference favorite.
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 is at www.gobulldogs.com.
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).
"We Are Your Team!" -- After a six-game road trip, the Bulldogs will return home to host Nevada on May 6 (6 p.m.) and May 7 (1/3 p.m.) in the final WAC weekend. Make sure to stay connected with Fresno State Athletics on Facebook and Twitter (@FSAthletics).
