Fresno State Athletics
Dogs Open Postseason vs La Tech
5/26/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 26, 2011
Complete Release in PDF Format 
MESA, Ariz. - Fresno State enters the 2011 Western Athletic Conference Tournament ranked No. 23 in the country and as the No. 2 seed. The Bulldogs earned a piece of the 2011 WAC regular season title which gave them a first round bye in the tournament. The Dogs begin tournament play Thursday, May 26 at 3:00 p.m. against no. 3 seed Louisiana Tech.
No. 3 Seed Louisiana Tech
Louisiana Tech finished the season in third place in the WAC earning the No. 3 seed. La Tech had an overall mark of 32-15 in the regular season and was 12-12 in conference play. Louisiana Tech went 3-1 against Sacramento State the weekend before the tournament started and split a four-game series with Fresno State earlier this season.
Regular Season Run Down
Winning WAC championships is becoming a routine for the Bulldog baseball program. The Bulldogs earned a share of the 2011 WAC regular season championship, marking the sixth consecutive year the Dogs have won a piece of the WAC Title. Fresno State finished the WAC season 17-7 and tied with Hawai'i for the top spot in the WAC.
Dogs Tournament Tradition
For the sixth year in a row, Fresno State has earned a piece of the WAC title. The Bulldogs has won four the last five Western Athletic Conference Tournament titles. Prior to Hawai'i winning last year, the Bulldogs had won four-straight titles. The only other school to win four-straight WAC tournament titles was Arizona State from 1975-1978. Rice won three tournaments in a row from 1997-99 before the tournament took a hiatus in 2000 until 2005. Altogether in the history of the program, the Bulldogs have won 32 conference championships since 1922.
Batesole in the Post Season
Under head coach Mike Batesole the Bulldogs are 33-11 in post season play, including the WAC and NCAA tournaments combined. The Bulldogs have gone 19-3 in the WAC Tournament since 2006 with four consecutive WAC Tournament titles. In 2008, Batesole and the `Dogs won the programs first National Title. Batesole is 3-1 in NCAA First Round games.
Heating Up in the Post Season
Under the helm of head coach Mike Batesole the Bulldogs are 84-36 for a winning percentage of .700 in the month of May. Since the return of the tournament in 2006, Fresno State is 63-24 (.724) in May. The Bulldogs have won nine of their last 16 games heading into the WAC Tournament. Last season, Fresno State won 12 of its last 16 games heading into the tournament.
Nine Bulldogs Earn All-WAC Honors
The WAC coaches selected junior Dusty Robinson as the conference Player of the Year, senior Greg Gonzalez Pitcher of the Year and Aaron Judge was named WAC Freshman of the Year. Fresno State also had a total of nine Bulldogs earn All-WAC honors. Seven Bulldogs including, Gonzalez, Robinson, Judge, Muno, Jordan Ribera, Garrett Weber, Austin Wynns earned first-team All-WAC honors. Juniors Josh Poytress and freshman Brennan Gowens received second-team All-WAC recognition for the 2011 season.
"We Are You Team!" - Fresno State will battle for the 2011 Western Athletic Conference Tournament title in Mesa, Ariz., this week. You can always stay connected with Fresno State Athletics on Facebook and Twitter (@FSAthletics).
