Fresno State Athletics
No. 9 Dogs Open WAC Play On The Road
4/6/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 6, 2011
Complete Release in PDF Format 
FRESNO, Calif. - The No. 9 Fresno State baseball team kicks off the 2011 Western Athletic Conference season on the road against San Jose State April 8-10. It is the second-straight year the Bulldogs open conference play on the road. The last time the Dogs started the season at home was in 2009.
Fresno State vs. San Jose State
The Bulldogs lead the overall series 150-73 over the Spartans. The Dogs and Spartans faced each other six times in 2010 with Fresno State winning four of those games. The last time the teams met on the diamond was at the WAC Tournament and the Bulldogs won both games, 12-10 and 13-1.
About the Spartans
San Jose State has an overall record of 19-9 heading into the first weekend of conference play. The Spartans lost a midweek game 5-2 against No. 11 Stanford. SJSU has a home record of 12-2 after 14 games at Municipal Stadium. The Spartans have a team ERA of 4.12 with 236 strikeouts. Roberto Padilla has an ERA of 2.70 after six starts and a 5-2 record. The team is hitting .269 with eight home runs and 147 RBIs. Danny Steinstra is hitting a team-high .385 with 10 doubles and 27 RBIs.
Reigning WAC Champs
The Bulldogs went 16-8 in Western Athletic Conference play in 2010 and clinched the regular season crown. Fresno State has won four conference titles and four tournament championships in the last five years. The Bulldogs were picked by the WAC coaches to finish first in 2011. Last season, the `Dogs won series against Hawai'i, Sacramento State, New Mexico State and split series with San Jose State, Louisiana Tech and Nevada.
Three's Company
The Bulldogs are one of three Top 25 teams that has only three or less losses, which is the least amount in the country. Fresno State has the third best winning percentage in college baseball with a 20-3 record (.870) and Virginia leads the nation with a record of 28-2 (.933). The teams that are ranked higher than the Dogs in the Top 10 range between three and seven losses on the season.
How the Dogs Stack Up Nationally
The Bulldogs rank among the top 20 in the nation in several statistical categories. As a team, the Dogs have the 16th best ERA (2.50) in the country and the third best winning percentage (.870). Dusty Robinson is eighth in doubles per game (.55). Danny Muno is 17th in the country in walks per game (0.96). Junior Charlie Robertson is fourth in the nation in saves with nine. Greg Gonzalez is third in the nation in wins (6).
Ranking the Dogs
Currently, Fresno State is ranked in all four major baseball polls. The Bulldogs broke into the Top 10 of Baseball America's Top 25 polls. The Dogs are No. 9 in both Baseball America and No. 11 in Collegiate Baseball's polls. The Bulldogs stayed at No. 12 in the USA Today Coaches poll. The fourth poll the Bulldogs are ranked in is the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association at No. 15, which is up six spots from last week.
Bulldogs Versus Ranked Opponents
The Bulldogs compiled a record of 8-1 against teams that are currently or were in the top 30 polls. This weekend, Fresno State faces San Jose State, who was at one point ranked No. 30 in Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll. The Dogs swept a three-game series over San Diego, who was ranked No. 28 in a preseason poll. Both CSU Bakersfield and Nebraska broke into the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll the week that they faced the Dogs. The Roadrunners were ranked No. 30 and the Huskers were ranked No. 29. Fresno State also had two wins over now ranked No. 23 Oregon State.
Red Hot on the Road
After two road trips in 2011, the Bulldogs are 4-1 on the road. The Dogs swept UC Davis at Dobbins Baseball Complex and then won a three-game series at University of Nebraska. Fresno State's next road trip is April 8-10 at San Jose State. The Bulldogs were red hot on the road in 2010 and accumulated a record of 17-6 while away from Pete Beiden Field.
Bulldogs Score First
Head Coach Mike Batesole stresses the importance of scoring first and the Bulldogs are doing just that. Fresno State has outscored opponent 141-72 in 23 games. In the first three innings, the Dogs have outscored opponents 55-29.
Fresno State Streaks
The Bulldogs have several hitting streaks that have reached double digits. Junior Dusty Robinson has a current hit streak of 16 games and sophomore Austin Wynns has currently recorded a hit in the last 11 games. Earlier this season, senior Danny Muno recorded a hit in the first 11 games and including the final 10 games of the 2010 season, Muno had a hitting streak of 21-games. The longest winning streak the Bulldogs had this season was nine games.
Gonzalez King of the Mound
Preseason All-WAC pitcher Greg Gonzalez picked up where he left off in 2010. The righty leads the team and league in strikeouts with 52. He struck out a career-high 12 batters against Nebraska on March 12. Gonzalez has the best ERA (1.36) and opposing batting average (.174) in the WAC. He also leads the conference in wins with a 6-0 record on the hill this season.
Charles in Charge
Charlie Robertson leads the league and team in saves. The junior has recorded nine saves in 10 appearances. Robertson has not allowed an earned run in 16.1 innings. He also has limited the opponents to only five hits. Robertson is five away from breaking the single season record for saves of 13 set by Brandon Burke in 2008. Burke also holds the career save record at 24.
"We Are Your Team!" The Bulldogs begin the 2011 Western Athletic Conference play on the road against San Jose State. The Dogs and Spartans play four-games April 8-10. Fresno State returns home April 15-17 hosting Nevada. For tickets call 278-DOGS or log on to gobulldogs.com.
