Fresno State Athletics
Rivers Boosts Talented Newcomer Class
9/3/2014 12:00:00 AM | Softball
FRESNO, Calif. - In the middle of their first week of practice, the Fresno State softball team welcomed another new face in sophomore transfer Malia Rivers.
As a freshman last spring for Georgia, the infielder played 19 games and helped the Bulldogs (49-15, 15-9) win the SEC Conference Tournament and Athens NCAA Regional and advance to the Baylor NCAA Super Regional.
As a prep, the Brentwood, Calif., native was a four-year All-BVAL selection as a catcher for Heritage High School, and was named the BVAL All-League MVP as a senior and All-East Bay First Team as a junior.
She paced the BVAL in stolen bases in each of her four seasons, and on-base percentage, batting average and hits in 2010 and 2012. In the North Coast Section, she topped the batting category (.667) and stood second in runs scored (43), third in stolen bases (40) and fifth in on-base percentage (.689).
Named one of the Top 100 athletes in the East Bay, she also played for the USA Elite 18 club team and served as captain.
"Malia comes to us from a very successful program, one that continually has postseason success," Fresno State head coach Trisha Ford said. "Adding someone of her caliber is going to raise the competition during practice, but more importantly she is going to be a difference-maker on game day. She has a lot of strong ties here with both mom Myla and dad Ron being alums. Malia is a special player, one that has multiple weapons in her arsenal. She is going to be exciting to watch on the field, and we are so happy to welcome her into the Bulldog Family."
She follows the lead of her father Ron Rivers, who was a star running back for the `Dogs two decades before.
On the gridiron, he led the team in rushing in 1992 (989, 7.05 avg., 5 TD), '93 (1,007, 6.5 avg., 9 TD) and '94 (1,477, 6.4 avg., 14 TD). He logged 18, +100-yard rushing efforts, including a career-high 218 on 29 carries vs. SDSU in 1993 for two touchdowns. Career-wise, he was the school record holder in career rushing yards when he graduated (3,473) and still ranks second, and his 1,477 yards in 1993 ranks fifth-best in school history. His per carry average (6.6) also is still a school record, as his 12 consecutive games with a rushing TD his junior and senior seasons.
As a pro, he played 75 games over the course seven years in the NFL with Detroit (1994-99) and Atlanta (2000). In that period, he had 175 carries for 749 yards (4.3 average) and three touchdowns, and his three best seasons came vs. the Lions in 1997 (16 games, 29 attempts, 166 yard, 5.7 yards, TD), 1999 (82 rushes, 295 yards, 3.6 avg., 1 TD) and 1999 (7 games, 82 attempts, 295 yards, 3.6 avg., 42.1 yards/game).
Rivers joins a crowded group of 'Dog softball newcomers that also includes junior transfer and infielder Alyssa Villalpando (El Monte, Calif. / University of Hawai'i) and four freshmen that signed National Letters of Intent last fall - infielders Wendy Cardinali (Santa Clarita), Katie Castellon (Stockton), Vanessa Hernandez (Hesperia) and Chase LeeHong (Monterey).
Their arrival will help ease the offensive loss of four `Dog starters from last season - first baseman Stesha Brazil, third baseman Vonnie Martin, shortstop Brooke Ortiz and outfielder Kapri Angotti.
Team-wise last year, the `Dogs (31-21, 15-9) staked runner-up conference honors for the second straight year under Ford, and earlier topped a pair of top-25 teams and 2013 Women's College World Series returnees in No. 6 Washington and No. 14 Nebraska.
Looking ahead to 2015, the `Dogs return four All-MW selections from last spring - MW Defensive Player of the Year and senior center fielder Brenna Moss, junior pitchers Jill Compton and Hannah Harris and sophomore outfielder Kierra Willis. Moss and Compton were also All-Pacific Region choices - the first Bulldog duo since 2008.
Besides practice, the squad looks ahead to several fall exhibition games against area schools that will be announced in upcoming weeks.
"Be Bold!" - Follow the Fresno State softball team on Twitter at @FresnoStateSB.
