Fresno State Athletics
Softball Announces Laura Berg Jersey Retirement
1/6/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
By: Kimberly Fisher
kimfisher@csufresno.edu
GoBulldogs.com
FRESNO, Calif.- Head coach Trisha Ford is pleased to announce that Fresno State is going to retire former Bulldog All-American and three-time USA Softball Olympic gold medalist Laura Berg's No. 44 jersey on Feb. 28 prior to `Dogs 5:30 p.m. matchup with Oregon State.
The announcement comes on Tuesday, which is also Berg's birthday.
"I'm very excited and honored," Berg said. "I loved being a Bulldog and I'm still shocked from when coach Ford told me about this honor."
Berg is now in her third season as head coach of the Oregon State Beavers and her team will be in Fresno the weekend of her jersey retirement for the Fresno State Louisville Slugger Bash.
The Santa Fe Springs native guided Fresno State to its first NCAA Division I national title in 1998 as a senior outfielder and ended her Bulldog career leading the WAC in triples, runs, hits, at bats, games played and total bases. Berg is the only player to produce more than 300 career hits and a 160-game defensive errorless streak as an outfielder. She is second all-time in NCAA history with 396 career hits.
Not only was Berg a four-time All-American, but a world-class athlete. She first joined the U.S. Women's Softball National Team in 1994, while attending Fresno State. Berg is the most decorated USA Softball Olympic athlete in history, accumulating 11 total medals (10 gold) while competing in the U.S. Olympic Games, the International Softball Federation Women's World Championship and the Pan American Games.
Softball was an Olympic sport from 1996-2008 in which Berg represented the U.S. National Team in all four appearances, helping claim three gold medals for her nation (1996- Atlanta, 2000- Sydney, 2004- Athens) and one silver (2008- Beijing). She is only athlete in USA Softball history to compete in four different Olympics.
Berg graduated from Fresno State in 1998 with a Bachelor of Science degree in recreation and leisure studies, served as the assistant coach for the Bulldog softball program from 2000-03 and returned for a second time in 2005 after participating in the 2004 Summer Olympic Games.
"Laura is a very special person and this honor is well deserved," Ford said. "She is the only four-time USA Softball Olympian in the country and someone who wore the Bulldog jersey proudly. Berg and her teammates helped bring home a national championship in 1998 and we are excited about the opportunity to honor her."
The ceremony will be held during the first annual Fresno State Louisville Slugger Bash on Saturday, Feb. 28 at Margie Wright Diamond. The jersey retirement ceremony beginning at 5:30 p.m. will include a banner commemorating her success as a Bulldog and fans will leave the game with a Laura Berg player trading card to remember the monumental occasion.
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