Fresno State Athletics
Softball Set For Cathedral City Classic
2/22/2012 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 22, 2012
By Jason Clay
jaclay@csufresno.edu
GoBulldogs.com
Cathedral City Classic
Fresno State (7-2)
Dates: Feb. 23-25, 2012
Site: Cathedral City, Calif.
Radio: None
TV: None
Live Stats: Gametracker Links
Video Streaming: GoBulldogs.com/AllAccess
FRESNO, Calif. - The Fresno State softball team hits the road for the first time this season, traveling to the Cathedral City Classic where the Bulldogs are set to play five games in three days from Feb. 23-25.
Fresno State (7-2) enters the weekend riding a four-game winning streak and a hot hand in the circle, as each of the last four Bulldog victories have come via a shutout.
The Bulldogs open the Cathedral City Classic on Thursday against Iowa State at 10:30 a.m. before facing No. 15 Arizona at 1 p.m. This will be just the fourth meeting between Fresno State and the Wildcats in the last 10 years.
On Friday, Fresno State plays Ohio State at 10 a.m. and then faces Iowa at 12:30. The Bulldogs close out the tournament on Saturday against No. 7 UCLA at 1 p.m. Live stats of all games are available at GoBulldogs.com.
Fresno State enters the always-tough Cathedral City Classic playing well in all phases of the game. In the four wins last weekend, Fresno State only allowed six hits, no runs and were nearly flawless in the field. At the plate, the Bulldogs posted 25 runs off of 33 hits in the four victories and had nine extra-base hits.
Senior pitcher Mackenzie Oakes was named the WAC Pitcher of the Week on Monday, one day after throwing her third career no-hitter in a win over Cal State Fullerton. Between her and fellow pitcher Michelle Moses, the Bulldogs posted four-straight shutouts for the first time since May 2009.
Fresno State has a team ERA of 0.80 and enters the weekend holding opposing batters to a .135 average. The Bulldogs have given up just 10 runs in nine games this season.
This is the seventh-straight season that Fresno State has traveled down to the Cathedral City Classic played just outside of Palm Springs, Calif. Over the last six years, Fresno State has posted a 16-13 record in the tournament and is 7-8 against ranked teams in the tournament.
The games against No. 15 Arizona and No. 7 UCLA will be Fresno State's first this year against a ranked team. Last season, the Bulldogs went 7-6 vs. teams in the top 25.
Fresno State's Series Versus the Weekend Opponents
Iowa State: Fresno State is 3-1 all-time against Iowa State and all four meetings have come in early-season tournaments, only one of which (2005 Bulldog Classic) was played in Fresno. The one loss to the Cyclones in the series came in the last meeting on Feb. 28, 2009. The Bulldogs lost that game 1-0 and both teams only registered two hits in the game that was played in Lakewood, Calif. as part of the Mayfair Tournament. Fresno State's three wins in the series (2001, 2003 and 2005) were by the combined score of 23-1.
Arizona: Fresno State trails the all-time series with Arizona, 35-13, and the Wildcats are one of only four programs the Bulldogs have a losing record against (counting only programs they `Dogs have faced 10 or more times). Arizona has won the last eight meetings in the series. The last time the Bulldogs beat the Wildcats was in the 1998 national title game, giving Fresno State its first national championship in any sport. Arizona came into that 1998 game with a NCAA record 67 wins against three losses and it hadn't been scored on in the postseason. What Arizona didn't have against the Bulldogs that day was any offense as Amanda Scott held them to just three singles and Nina Lindenberg hit a home run to give Fresno State a 1-0 victory and the national title.
Ohio State: The all-time series between Ohio State and Fresno State is tied five games apiece. The Buckeyes have won the last three meetings, including a 4-1 victory over the Bulldogs on Feb. 26, 2010 in the Cathedral City Classic. The 17th-ranked Buckeyes edged the 19th-ranked Bulldogs that day by holding Fresno State to just the one run on five hits. Prior to the three-game losing streak, Fresno State had won five of the first seven games in the series and outscored Ohio State 25-11 in the first seven meetings in the series.
Iowa: Fresno State has a 3-2 series advantage over Iowa, but Friday's game will be the first between the schools since 2000. Fresno State won that 2000 meeting on St. Patrick's Day, 3-0, in the Kia Klassic down in Fullerton, Calif. Iowa took 2-of-3 games from the Bulldogs in 1995, but Fresno State won the 1997 meeting 7-6 before taking the 2000 game to gain the series advantage on the Hawkeyes.
UCLA: UCLA has won 42 of the 52 meetings in the series with Fresno State and the Bulldogs have lost 14-straight to the Bruins. The last time the schools met was in 2010. Fresno State lost on March 5 to the fifth-ranked Bruins, 5-4 in the San Diego Classic and fell 7-2 to the Bruins later that year in the NCAA Regional to end the season. The last time Fresno State beat UCLA was on March 12, 2000. That day, the Bulldogs gave third-ranked UCLA its first shutout loss on the year and first shutout loss overall since May 15, 1999 en route to the 2000 Hallowell Chevrolet Classic championship title.
Oakes Named WAC Pitcher of the Week
Senior right-handed pitcher Mackenzie Oakes was named the WAC Pitcher of the Week on Monday, Feb. 20. It was the fourth time in her career that she has received the award. For Oakes, the honor came after she went 2-0 in two starts last week. She did not give up a single run in the two wins and allowed just two hits in 13.0 innings pitched with eight strikeouts against two walks.
On Sunday against Cal State Fullerton, Oakes threw the 66th no-hitter in program history. It was the third no-hitter of her career. The last time she did so was on March 13, 2010, when she actually tossed a perfect game against Georgetown. The perfect game was the 14th in program history. Oakes' three career no-hitters tie her with Kristen Hunter and Robin Mackin for the 10th-most in program history. Jamie Southern (2002-05) is Fresno State's all-time leader in no-hitters with eight and also in perfect games with four. Oakes is off to a strong start in her senior season. She is 3-0 in four starts with a 0.90 ERA. Opposing batters are hitting just .131 off of her and she has 20 strikeouts against four walks. For her career, she has posted a 40-16 record and a 2.46 ERA in 86 appearances and 56 starts.
Moses Provides 1-2 Punch Along with Oakes in the Circle
Fellow senior pitcher Michelle Moses has fared just as well as Oakes in the circle. Last Saturday, also against Cal State Fullerton, she tossed a one-hitter in the 2-0 win where she accounted for both Bulldog runs with a two-run home run. Moses struck out 13 Titan batters last Saturday, giving her the 13th game in her career where she fanned 10 or more batters in a game. She backed up that win with another solid start in the circle on Sunday against Santa Clara. Moses allowed three hits in the five-inning victory and struck out seven. She has 41 strikeouts on the season, which is tied for the second most in the WAC. Moses sports a 0.78 ERA, has five complete games in five starts, three shutouts and has allowed just six total runs (four earned) in 36 innings pitched.
What a Staff
Collectively as a team, the Fresno State pitching staff is holding opposing batters to a .135 batting average and just over one run and three hits per game. Fresno State has posted four consecutive shutouts for the first time since May 2009. The Bulldogs sport a staff ERA of 0.80, which is second in the WAC behind Hawai'i's 0.66 ERA. Fresno State leads the league in opposing batting average, runs allowed (10) and hits allowed (28). It is also second in strikeouts (62) and fewest walks (16).
Bats Come Alive
After the opening weekend of the season where the Bulldogs were just 24-of-114 (.211) at the plate, Fresno State rebounded in week two by going 33-for-95 (.347). Fresno State scored just 19 runs in the first five games of the season, but in four games last week, put up 25 runs in four victories. The Bulldogs scored seven or more runs in three of the four games and put up nine extra-base hits. The Bulldogs did a tremendous job last week when they had runners in scoring position, batting .371 with runners on second and third. Of Fresno State's 24 RBIs last weekend, one third of them came with two outs, as the Bulldogs were able to come through in the clutch. Fresno State had eight different players drive in runs last weekend with Stesha Brazil, Kaitlin Griffin and Brenna Moss leading the way with four apiece.
Ortega Heats Up
Left fielder Andrea Ortega went 7-for-13 in the four games last week with a double and two runs scored. Her seven hits accounted for 21 percent of Fresno State's 33 hits over the weekend and came after she opened the year going 1-for-10 in four games from Feb. 10-12. Ortega, a fifth-year senior, sports a career .317 batting average, which is the best on the team. She ranks 13th in program history with 33 doubles and needs three more to crack the top 10. Ortega has proven to be very hard to strike out in her career, as she has fanned just 46 times in 486 career at-bats, or just 9.5 percent of the time.
This-N-That
• Sophomore Brooke Ortiz has hit two triples in nine games this year. Last season, her two triples in 54 games tied for the third-most in the WAC.
• Newcomer Stesha Brazil has produced for the Bulldogs right away at the plate and in the field. She is tied for the team lead with three multi-hit games and is batting .333 on the year with five RBIs and two doubles. Brazil has split time between first and third base in the field, playing first when Michelle Moses starts in the circle.
• Saturday's game against UCLA, the fifth of the weekend, will be the 1,700th game coached at Fresno State for head coach Margie Wright. This is Wright's 27th year with the Bulldogs.
WCWS Tickets Now Available
All-session tickets for the 2012 NCAA Women's College World Series are now available for purchase online and over the phone. The 31st annual Women's College World Series will take place May 31 - June 6 at ASA Hall of Fall Stadium in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. All-session tickets, that include access to a minimum of 14 games and up to 17 games, range in price from $70 to $100. All seats are reserved. A complete list of ticket options can be found at NCAA.com/WCWS. Fans wishing to purchase tickets over the phone can do so by calling 866/208-0048. Considered the premier event in collegiate softball, the Women's College World Series will feature the nation's top-eight teams battling it out in a double-elimination tournament format for the 2012 NCAA Division I Softball Championship. Fresno State has been to the WCWS 12 times, which is the third-most WCWS appearances among NCAA Division I teams.
Mid-Major Rankings
Fresno State began the year tied for second with Tulsa in the mid-major rankings, right behind Louisiana-Lafayette. After the 7-2 start, the Bulldogs are now ranked No. 3 in the Mid-Major Softball Poll. UL remains No. 1, followed by Hawai'i who is 12-0 this season.
