Bulldogs head to Seattle for NCAA Regionals

Friday, May 19

Seattle, Wash.

6 p.m. PT

Fresno State

#20 Michigan

Bulldogs head to Seattle for NCAA Regionals

5/16/2017 5:45:00 PM | Softball

Seattle Regional Central Fresno State Game Notes (PDF)MW Weekly Release and Stats (PDF)

Fresno State Softball faces No. 20 Michigan on Friday at 6 p.m. PT on ESPN2 and 940 AM ESPN Radio

By: Jason Kelm / Communications Assistant

NCAA Seattle Regional
Seattle, Wash. – Husky Softball Stadium

Friday, May 19
Game 1 - #2 seed Michigan vs. #3 seed Fresno State – 6 p.m. PT
  - TV: ESPN2
- Radio: 940 AM ESPN
- Live Stats: Click Here

Game 2 - #1 seed Washington vs. #4 seed Montana – 8:30 p.m. PT
- TV: ESPN3

Saturday, May 20
Game 3 - Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner – 2 p.m. PT
  - TV: TBD
- Radio: TBD
- Live Stats: TBD

Game 4 - Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser – 4:30 p.m. PT
  - TV: TBD
- Radio: TBD
- Live Stats: TBD

Game 5 - Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner – 7 p.m. PT
  - TV: TBD
- Radio: TBD
- Live Stats: TBD

Sunday, May 21
Game 6 - Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner – 4 p.m. PT
  - TV: TBD
- Radio: TBD
- Live Stats: TBD

Game 7 (if necessary) - Game 6 winner vs. Game 6 loser – 6:30 p.m. PT
  - TV: TBD
- Radio: TBD
- Live Stats: TBD

BULLDOGS HEAD TO SEATTLE FOR NCAA REGIONALS
The Fresno State softball team competes in its 33rd NCAA tournament this weekend as the Bulldogs (34-21) face No. 20 Michigan (41-11-1) on Friday at 6 p.m. PT on ESPN2 and 940AM ESPN Radio at Husky Softball Stadium in Seattle, Washington. The Seattle Regional is a four-team, double-elimination tournament that also includes No. 7 Washington (43-11) and Montana (35-22). This is the third straight NCAA postseason appearance for the 'Dogs and will be the first time they participate in a Seattle Regional.

Fresno State, who received its first at-large bid since 2011, closed out its regular season winning eight of its last nine games, including its final two at Colorado State, and finished the season tied for third place in the Mountain West. Michigan finished second in the Big Ten and won nine of its last 10 games, dropping a Big Ten tournament matchup to Michigan State. Washington, who tied for third place in the Pac-12, has won 13 of its last 14 and is the only team in the regional that the Bulldogs have faced this season. The Huskies defeated the 'Dogs 5-1 on March 4 at the Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, Calif. This is Montana's first-ever NCAA tournament appearance in thier third year as a program. The Grizzlies finished second in the Big Sky and have won five of their last six games, including the Big Sky tournament championship.

Fresno State won five of eight MW series this season, including the last three. Over the last nine games, the Bulldogs have averaged five runs per game and sophomore pitcher Kamalani Dung has thrown every inning in the circle. In Saturday's regular-season finale at Colroado State, sophomore outfielder Vanessa Hernandez's seventh-inning two-out go-ahead grand slam propelled the 'Dogs into the postseason.

Last year, Fresno State competed in the Los Angeles Regional, defeating Bakersfield and falling to Cal State Fullerton twice. Notably, the only other time the Bulldogs have faced Michigan or Washington in the postseason was in the 1998 Women's College World Series en route to Fresno State's national title.

This is first-year head coach Linda Garza's second-ever NCAA tournament appearance as a head coach, leading Wright State to the Horizon League tournament title in 2010 and an automatic berth into the NCAA tournament. The Raiders went 1-2 in the Ann Arbor Regional, defeating Illinois State (10-8) and falling to Michigan (11-2) and Notre Dame (6-5).

For fans that are interested in attending the games, all-tournament passes are available, starting at $24 for adults and $15 for youth/seniors. Single-game tickets are also available, starting at $10 for adults and $6 for youth/seniors.

THE FIELD OF 64
The top 16 teams are seeded and serve as hosts for the regional round, playing at their own campus sites. ESPN will carry the games across a variety of its networks — ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3, SEC Network and Longhorn Network. Each regional is a four-team, double-elimination tournament, concluding with one team advancing to the Super Regionals and reducing the field from 64 teams to 16 in the process.

The Florida Gators are the No. 1 seed in the championship for the third consecutive year and will host the Gainesville Regional. The remaining seeds hosting regionals: No. 2 Arizona (Tucson Regional), No. 3 Oregon (Eugene Regional), No. 4 Florida State (Tallahassee Regional), No. 5 UCLA (Los Angeles Regional), No. 6 Washington (Seattle Regional), No. 7 Auburn (Auburn Regional), No. 8 Tennessee (Knoxville Regional), No. 9 Texas A&M (College Station Regional), No. 10 Oklahoma (Norman Regional), No. 11 Utah (Salt Lake City Regional), No. 12 Ole Miss (Oxford Regional), No. 13 LSU (Baton Rouge Regional), No. 14 Kentucky (Lexington Regional), No 15 Baylor (Waco Regional), and No. 16 Alabama (Tuscaloosa Regional).

The SEC received the most bids (13), for the third consecutive year, followed by the Pac-12 (8). Three teams are making their first appearance in the tournament: East Tennessee State University, Montana and Saint Francis (Pennsylvania). Only 12 schools have been crowned the NCAA Division I softball champion since the tournament started in 1982, including Fresno State in 1998, and all 12 will compete in this year's bracket.

ESPN will cover every game from all 16 Regionals of the NCAA Division I Softball Championship for the first-time ever.

ABOUT THE MICHIGAN WOLVERINES
The No. 20-ranked Michigan softball team earned its 23rd straight -- and 25th overall -- selection to the NCAA Softball Championship. It is just the fifth time in program history that U-M will play a regional round on the road.

The Wolverines (41-11-1) are 79-13 all-time in the NCAA Regional round and have won 18 regional titles. Last season, U-M swept through its regional and super regional opposition en route to its 12th WCWS appearance. Michigan head coach Carol Hutchins is in her 33rd season as the Wolverines' head coach and passed former Fresno State head coach Margie Wright as the NCAA's all-time winningest coach in 2016. Hutchins and the Wolverines won the 2005 national championship.

Six Wolverines earned All-Big Ten honors, including four to the first team, which included Megan Betsa, Tera Blanco, Faith Canfield and Kelly Christner being named to the All-Big Ten first team.

Fresno State leads the all-time series with Michigan 8-4 and will meet for the first time since 2011, when the Bulldogs beat the then-ranked No. 5/6 Wolverines 3-1 in the Judi Garman Classic. Fresno State and Michigan have met once before in postseason play with the Bulldogs defeating the Wolverines 8-0 in 1998 during the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City.

ABOUT THE MONTANA GRIZZLIES
The Montana softball team won the Big Sky Conference tournament to earn its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.

In its third season of existence, Montana (35-22) is under the direction of head coach Jamie Pinkerton, who also led Arkansas to the NCAAs in 2008 and 2009. The Grizzlies are 25-7 in their last 32 games.

Three players from the Montana softball team, which finished second in the regular season behind Weber State, were named All-Big Sky Conference, included Bethany Olea and Michaela Hood as first-team selections, while Delene Colburn was voted second team.

Fresno State has won the only meeting between the Bulldogs and Grizzlies, with Fresno State winning a 5-1 home game over Montana in 2015.

ABOUT THE WASHINGTON HUSKIES
The No. 7-ranked University of Washington softball team is the No. 6 overall seed for the 2017 NCAA Tournament and hosts an opening round regional for the 11th time in program history.

Washington (43-11) is making its 24th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance (1994-2017) and has won 17 regional titles. Washington head coach Heather Tarr is in her 13th season leading the Huskies' program, which has included leading UW to the 2009 national championship title.

Four Huskies earned 2017 All-Pac-12 honors as voted on by the conference coaches. Ali Aguilar, Taran Alvelo, Casey Stangel and Sis Bates were each given conference honors after their performances on the field during the 2017 season.

Washington leads the all-time series with Fresno State, 12-9.   The Bulldogs and Huskies have played each other twice before in postseason play with the teams splitting the contests in 1998 during the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City. Fresno State won the 1998 national championship.

FRESNO STATE INDIVIDUAL STANDOUTS
Kamalani Dung (sophomore pitcher) - Dung has been the Bulldogs' ace since day one of the 2017 season, throwing shutouts against Indiana and Purdue in her first two starts of the year. She notched her first career no-hitter against Florida Gulf Coast on Feb. 17 and has pitched a MW-best eight shutouts. Dung has thrown every inning for the Bulldogs over the last nine games, going 8-1 with a 1.92 ERA and striking out 49 batters in 62 innings. She leads the MW in wins (25), ERA (2.17), strikeouts (202) and innings pitched (238.1). Dung was named MW Pitcher of the Week in back-to-back weeks after sweeping UNLV and New Mexico.

Morgan Howe (sophomore outfielder) - Howe, who enters the weekend on a 12-game hitting streak, has been a consistent offensive force for the Bulldogs this year, leading the team with 19 multi-hit games and adding 11 multi-RBI games. Her .438 batting average this season ranks sixth-best all-time in a single season for a Bulldog and is second in the MW this season. Howe was named MW Player of the Week on March 21 after hitting .600 (6-for-10) with a home run, double, four RBIs and four runs scored in a MW series win over San Diego State. She has reached base safely in 45 of 54 games this season and her 63 hits and .512 on-base percentage rank second in the MW. Howe hit her first career grand slam on March 21 against Bakersfield.

Vanessa Hernandez (sophomore outfielder) - Hernandez propelled the Bulldogs into the NCAA tournament with a seventh-inning two-out go-ahead grand slam in their final regular-season game against Colorado State last Saturday. She leads the team with 21 extra-base hits, including 13 doubles and seven home runs. Hernandez recorded a double in four straight games at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge in Mexico in February, including a walk-off double in extra innings against Cal State Fullerton on Feb. 18. She has reached base safely in 44 of 55 games this year. Hernandez leads the Bulldogs with two grand slams this year, the other coming on March 24 against Boise State.

Savannah McHellon (junior utility) - McHellon leads the Bulldogs with 10 home runs and 44 RBIs this season, ranking fifth and sixth in the MW, respectively. The junior transfer, who spent her freshman year at Georgia and sophomore year at Northwest Florida State College, has been instrumental in the middle of the lineup throughout the season and has split time defensively between pitching and first base. McHellon hit a grand slam against Boise State on March 24 and leads the team with 12 multi-RBI games. She was named MW Player of the Week after the first weekend of the season after hitting .615 (8-for-13) with two home runs, eight RBIs and a 1.154 slugging percentage at the ASU Kajikawa Classic.
Kierra Willis (senior outfielder) - Willis, the 2016 MW Player of the Year and three-time All-MW selection, is Fresno State's all-time walks leader with 127 and currently leads the team this season with 37 free passes, the fifth-most in a single season in program history. Her 19 career triples rank third all-time at Fresno State and her 149 runs are 10th-best among the Bulldog greats. She has six triples this year, which is the 10-most in a season for a Bulldog.

Lindsey Willmon (senior catcher) - Willmon, who leads the Bulldogs with 40 runs scored, ranking fifth in the MW, and is second with nine home runs, began the season at first base and was moved to catcher on March 10, the position she grew up playing. She currently ranks third all-time in Fresno State history with a .596 career slugging percentage. Willmon came to the Bulldog program as a junior transfer from Hawai'i last year and was an All-MW selection in 2016.

BULLDOG BITES HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND
- Fresno State won the 1998 NCAA National Championship, defeating Arizona 1-0 in the championship game.
- Fresno State is 92-72 overall in postseason play, including a 62-49 mark in the NCAA regional round.
- Fresno State faced both Michigan and Washington in the WCWS en route to winning the 1998 national title, defeating Michigan 8-0 in five innings with a no-hitter by Amanda Scott and splitting versus Washington (1-3, 6-1), its only postseason matchups against either team.
- Last year, Fresno State went 1-2 in the Los Angeles Regional, defeating Bakersfield and falling to Cal State Fullerton twice.
- This year, Fresno State finished tied for third place in the Mountain West. The Bulldogs won the Mountain West title in 2015 and 2016.
- Fresno State will compete in its 33rd NCAA postseason tournament with an RPI of 47. Fresno State has six wins against top 50 RPI teams and 16 wins against top 100.
- Fresno State has won 30 or more games in 36 straight seasons and has won eight of its last nine games.
- Fresno State first-year head coach Linda Garza makes her second NCAA appearance as a head coach. Garza led Wright State to a Horizon League title in 2010 and automatic berth into the tournament.
- Fresno State owns the all-time series records against Michigan (8-4) and Montana (1-0), while Washington owns the all-time advantage between the teams 12-9.
- Fresno State is 4-2 versus the Big Ten, 3-4 against the Pac-12 and 2-0 versus Big Sky opponents.
- Fresno State is 1-4 against ranked teams this season. Fresno State defeated then-No. 25 BYU 6-1 on March 10.
- Fresno State began the season ranked No. 24 in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Coaches' Poll and moved up to No. 21 following the first weekend of the season. The Bulldogs fell out of the top 25 on Feb. 21.
- Fresno State led the Mountain West in the 2017 regular season in ERA (2.98) and triples per game (0.31).
- On Feb. 12 in a 24-8 win over Stanford, Fresno State set a program record with 23 RBIs and tied the program single-game records for runs (24), home runs (6) and total bases (40).
- Fresno State's five grand slams this year have set a program record.
- Fresno State pitchers have allowed the most walks in program history (170).
- Fresno State is 9-6 in neutral-site games.
- Fresno State is 16-2 when scoring in the first inning.
- Fresno State is 21-6 when scoring first.
- Fresno State is 23-2 when scoring five runs or more.
- Fresno State's longest winning streak this season is six games, earned in sweeps of UNLV and New Mexico.
- Fresno State has had two players named MW Player of the Week this season (Morgan Howe and Savannah McHellon) and Kamalani Dung has been named MW Pitcher of the Week twice.
- Fresno State sophomore pitcher Kamalani Dung ranks 13th in the nation in wins (25), 17th in shutouts (8) and 26th in strikeouts (202).
- Fresno State sophomore outfielder Morgan Howe ranks 15th in the country in batting average (.438) and 32nd in on-base percentage (.512).

2017 BULLDOG RANKINGS (USA Today/NFCA)
Preseason – #24
Feb. 14 - #21
Feb. 21 - RV
Feb. 28 - NR
March 7 - NR
March 14 - RV
March 21 - RV
March 28 - NR
April 4 - NR
April 11 - NR
April 18 - NR
April 25 - NR
May 2 - NR
May 9 - NR
May 16 - NR

2017 FRESNO STATE
RPI RANKINGS
March 20 - 30
March 27 - 33
April 3 - 40
April 10 - 42
April 17 - 46
April 24 - 53
May 1 - 52
May 8 - 47
May 15 - 47

MOUNTAIN WEST RPI RANKINGS (5/15/17)
42 - San Diego State
47 - Fresno State
55 - San Jose State
66 - Utah State
91 - Boise State
93 - Colorado State
95 - Nevada
118 - UNLV
165 - New Mexico

2017 BULLDOGS IN NONCONFERENCE (20-12)
A-Sun - 1-1
Big 12 - 0-1
Big Sky - 2-0
Big Ten - 4-2
Big West - 5-2
Pac-12 - 3-4
SEC - 0-1
WAC - 1-0
WCC - 4-1

2017 BULLDOGS VS RANKED TEAMS
#9 Oregon (L, 4-1 – 2/10/17)
#12 Minnesota (L, 9-2 – 2/24/17)
#8 Washington (L, 5-1 – 3/4/17)
#25 BYU (W, 6-1 – 3/10/17)
#25 BYU (L, 8-6 – 3/11/17)

BULLDOGS FINISH REGULAR SEASON WITH SERIES WIN IN FORT COLLINS
Last week, Fresno State took two of three games at Colorado State, including must-win games on Friday and Saturday to keep the Bulldogs in contention for an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament. Sophomore Kamalani Dung, who pitched every inning for the Bulldogs over the last nine games, is only the third Fresno State pitcher to reach the 25-win mark since 2008, also accomplished by Jill Compton in 2015 (28) and 2016 (25) and Morgan Melloh in 2008 (41) and 2009 (30). Though Fresno State fell to the Rams 5-3 on Thursday, the Bulldogs came back to defeat them 7-2 on Friday and 5-2 on Saturday.

On Thursday, Dung tied her season-high with 10 strikeouts and Fresno State recorded three runs on six hits, including three doubles, and didn't strike out for the second time this season. Seven different Fresno State batters recorded a hit, with the Bulldogs' runs coming on a two-run pinch-hit double by sophomore Dominique Jackson and an RBI double by senior Lindsey Willmon. On Friday, Fresno State found its winning form again. Dung took a shutout into the sixth inning and earned her 24th win of the season, while Willmon and sophomore Morgan Howe hit their ninth and sixth home runs of the season, respectively. On Saturday, a two-out seventh-inning grand slam by sophomore Vanessa Hernandez powered Fresno State to a victory to capture the Bulldogs' third straight Mountain West series. It was the sophomore's second grand slam of the season and Fresno State's program-record fifth grand slam this year.

Hernandez, who went 3-for-3 on Saturday with her seventh home run of the year, leads the Bulldogs with 21 extra-base hits this season and Howe extended her hitting streak to 12 games after going 1-for-3 with a walk and run scored. Willmon (2-for-4, RBI) hit her first triple of the season to knock in a run in the top of the fifth to get the Bulldogs on the board and Fresno State's all-time walks leader Kierra Willis (1-for-3, R, BB) came up big in the top of the seventh to load the bases with a two-out walk.

BULLDOGS SWEEP NEW MEXICO IN FINAL HOME SERIES OF SEASON
Fresno State swept New Mexico with its eighth shutout of the year in a 5-0 victory on May 5, a 10-1 run-rule win on May 6 and a 3-1 conclusion on May 7. It was the Bulldogs' second-straight MW sweep and increased their season-best winning streak to six games. Dung once again pitched every inning for Fresno State, going 3-0 with a 0.37 ERA and was named MW Pitcher of the Week for the second consecutive week. Fresno State hit four home runs in the series (Hernandez, Howe, McHellon, Willmon), including three in the third inning on May 6.

Bulldogs earn road sweep over unlv
Fresno State swept UNLV in Las Vegas April 28-30 for its first conference sweep of the season. In each of the three games, the Bulldogs scored the go-ahead runs in the final inning, the first time the 'Dogs had done so since joining the MW in 2013. Dung threw all 23 inning for the Bulldogs, including her MW-best seventh shutout of the season on April 29, going 3-0 with a 2.13 ERA and allowing only three walks and four extra-base hits in the series. She would go on to earn MW Pitcher of the Week following the performances.

The Bulldogs needed an extra-innings rally to take down UNLV on April 28 as they defeated the Rebels 6-4 in nine innings. The 'Dogs took game one of a Mountain West series for the fifth time in six opportunities this year. Heading into the ninth inning with the game tied 4-4, freshman Haley Fuller led off with a single to left and was pinch run for by sophomore Kaitlyn Jennings. Senior Malia Rivers then reached on an error and freshman Miranda Rohleder knocked Jennings in with a single up the middle. Sophomore Morgan Howe came up to the plate immediately after and sent Rivers home with a single to left to give the Bulldogs their final lead of the game. On April 29, Dung, starting for the second game in as many days, threw her Mountain West-best seventh shutout of the season and the 'Dogs scored all three of their runs in the top of the seventh to clinch their third MW series of the year.

Junior Savannah McHellon (2-for-3) got the Bulldogs' seventh-inning rally going with a single, senior Kierra Willis knocked in the go-ahead run, and sophomore Dominique Jackson's RBI was her second of the year. Freshman Haley Fuller recorded a career-high five putouts, including three athletic plays in foul territory, and freshman second baseman Miranda Rohleder notched four assists for the third time this season. For the first time this season, the Fresno State softball team came from behind in the seventh inning to complete the Bulldogs' sweep of UNLV with a 4-3 victory on April 30. The 'Dogs went into the final frame down 3-1 and used a combination of two doubles, a single and a walk to come out ahead.

BULLDOGS FALL IN TWO OF THREE TO SAN JOSE STATE
Fresno State defeated San Jose State on April 28, 8-2, but fell on April 29, 4-3, and April 30, 9-3. On April 28 the Bulldogs scored their most runs since recording nine against Nevada on March 31. Dung threw her 20th complete game of the season and allowed three hits or less in a start for the 13th time this season. Willmon led the Bulldogs offensively with a two-run home run. On April 29, Dung relieved Mejia in the circle with no outs in the first and pitched the rest of the game, while Rivers led the offense, going 3-for-4 with a run. On April 30, McHellon, Mejia and Santana each made an appearance and allowed nine runs on 12 hits and two walks. Willmon notched a solo home run in the game.

BULLDOGS WRAPPED UP NONCONFERENCE PLAY IN SANTA BARBARA
Fresno State sophomore pitcher Kamalani Dung tied her season-high with 10 strikeouts and allowed only four hits through the first six innings, but the Gauchos scored twice in the final frame to win 2-1 on April 19. Junior transfer Savannah McHellon knocked in the Bulldogs' lone run in the top of the fifth on a pinch-hit single up the middle.

BULLDOGS SHUT OUT SANTA CLARA, DROP TWO AT CAL
Fresno State began its spring break with a 2-0 shutout at Santa Clara on April 13. Sophomore pitcher Kamalani Dung recorded her MW-best sixth shutout of the year and allowed just one hit in the game. On April 14 at Cal, the Bulldogs fell victim to the mercy rule for the first time of the year when the Bears came out ahead 8-0 in five innings. On April 15, the Bulldogs held a 1-0 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh until Cal came through and scored two runs to complete the sweep with a 2-1 victory.

BULLDOGS GET SWEPT BY UTAH STATE IN DOUBLEHEADER
Fresno State fell to Utah State 1-0 and 7-4 in a MW doubleheader on April 7, marking the first time since 2012 that the Bulldogs were swept in a conference series. Howe and Willis each recorded home runs in the second game of the day.

BULLDOGS DROP MW SERIES TO NEVADA
Fresno State defeated Nevada with a convincing 9-1 victory in six innings on March 31, but fell 8-4 on April 1 and 7-4 on April 2. Willmon hit a walk-off three-run home run on Friday and McHellon hit her own three-run home run in the game and added a solo shot on Saturday. Willis became Fresno State's all-time walks leader in the series.

BULLDOGS OUTLAST PACIFIC, 5-4
McHellon hit a three-run home run in the first inning and earned her fifth victory in the circle, while sophomore Kamalani Dung closed out the last two innings to notch her second save of the year on March 29. The Bulldogs saw five different players get a hit and score a run, while the team walked seven times.

FRESNO STATE TAKES SECOND MW SERIES, DEFEATS BOISE STATE
The Bulldogs won a MW series with Friday and Saturday wins for the second time of the season after defeating Boise State 9-0 in five innings on March 24 and 8-2 on March 25. Fresno State couldn't complete the sweep, falling 2-1 in nine innings on March 26.

Over the three-game span, the Bulldogs were walked 24 times, while the Broncos took only three free passes. Fresno State had three home runs, including two grand slams (McHellon and Hernandez) and an inside-the-park home run. Pitching was a highlight for the 'Dogs, allowing only two earned runs and 12 hits over 21 innings and striking out 17. On March 24, the Bulldogs hit grand slams in the first and second innings, the first time in program history that Fresno State has hit grand slams in consecutive innings.

BULLDOGS RALLY TO DEFEAT BAKERSFIELD, 13-11
Fresno State was down by seven in the first inning and came back to defeat the Roadrunners on March 21, using four pitchers and needing a grand slam from Howe in the process. Senior Malia Rivers had a career-high four hits in the game while junior transfer Sarah Santana earned the victory in her first appearance of the season.

BULLDOGS WIN FIRST MW SERIES OF THE SEASON
Fresno State defeated San Diego State in two out of three games in its first MW series of the year March 17-19. The Bulldogs recorded double-digit hits in each game.

On March 17, Fresno State won 10-7, hitting four home runs in the process. On March 18, the Bulldogs won 7-6 in a back-and-forth game that saw three lead changes. On March 19, Fresno State fell 6-3 while the Bulldogs sent three pitchers into the circle. The Bulldogs and Aztecs were picked to finish first and second, respectively, in the MW Preseason Coaches' Poll.

FRESNO STATE INVITATIONAL
Fresno State went 4-1 in the Fresno State Invitational March 10-12 with wins against No. 25 BYU (6-1), Oregon State (4-1, 6-2) and Sacramento State (5-2). The Bulldogs fell to No. 25 BYU 8-6 in eight innings. Over the weekend, McHellon went 2-0 with a 0.91 ERA and notched her first save of the season. She struck out five batters in her three appearances while allowing eight hits and three walks in 15.1 innings. At the plate, McHellon had four hits, including a double, and drove in five runs.

Willis hit her second and third home runs of the season and drove in five runs as well. Hernandez knocked her second ball over the fence and notched four RBIs, while Rivers had a team-high seven hits over the five games, recording five runs and five RBIs.

JUDI GARMAN CLASSIC
Fresno State went 3-2 at the Judi Garman Classic March 2-4 with wins against Long Beach State (4-2), Iowa (11-7) and Indiana (4-3). The Bulldogs fell to No. 8 Washington (5-1) and Northwestern (5-3). Over the weekend, Dung went 2-1 with a 1.98 ERA and picked up her first save of the season. She struck out a season-high 10 batters against LBSU on March 2 and notched her career-high ninth victory against Indiana on March 3.

The Bulldogs' extra-inning game against LBSU was their third of the season and in their victory over Iowa, scored in double digits for the fifth time this year. Against Northwestern, freshman Schuylar Broussard hit her first collegiate home run, while sophomore Vanessa Hernandez knocked her first one out this year. Junior Savannah McHellon's home run against Washington was the only hit for the Bulldogs in the competition.

BULLDOG CLASSIC
Fresno State went 4-2 in the Bulldog Classic Feb. 23-26 with wins against Cal Poly (3-2), UC Davis (3-0, 7-3) and Idaho State (11-6). The Bulldogs fell to now-No. 10 and undefeated Minnesota (9-2) and Cal Poly (2-0). Over the weekend, Dung went 2-1 with a 0.95 ERA, a .215 opposing batting average and notched 12 strikeouts in 22.0 innings pitched. She came close to a perfect game in Feb. 25's contest against UC Davis, as the first 14 batters were retired and she allowed only two hits with no walks in her fourth shutout of the season.

The Bulldogs' competition on Feb. 23 against Cal Poly went into extra innings and Castellon notched her first walk-off double in the 3-2 victory over eight innings. Freshman Maddi Hackbarth hit her first collegiate grand slam on Feb. 23 against Idaho State, the first grand slam for a Bulldog since Dominique Jackson on April 30, 2016, and the 10th at home since 1991.

Freshman pitcher Samantha Mejia notched the complete-game victory on Feb. 26 against UC Davis in her first collegiate start. She allowed two earned runs on eight hits with three strikeouts.

PUERTO VALLARTA COLLEGE CHALLENGE
Fresno State participated in the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge in Mexico Feb. 23-25, going 2-3 in the tournament and landing three players on the all-tournament team: Dung, Rohleder and Willis. The Bulldogs defeated Florida Gulf Coast, 9-0, and Cal State Fullerton, 12-11, while falling to Mississippi State, 4-1, FGCU, 4-3, and Texas Tech, 9-6. The Bulldogs played in their first extra-innings game of the season against Cal State Fullerton, defeating the Titans on a walk-off double by Hernandez in the eighth.

Dung went 2-2 over the weekend, including her first collegiate no-hitter against FGCU on Feb. 24, and held opponents to a .208 batting average. Dung, who became the 21st Bulldog pitcher to throw a no-hitter and the first since Jill Compton on March 6, 2015, notched the 73rd in program history. She walked three and struck out six in the game. Rohleder hit .429 (6-for-14) with four RBIs, five runs scored and three walks, while Willis went 5-for-10 (.500) from the plate with seven walks, three runs and an RBI.

ASU KAJIKAWA CLASSIC
Fresno State began its season with a 4-1 record at the Arizona State Kajikawa Classic Feb. 10-12. The Bulldogs shut out Indiana, 2-0, and Purdue, 4-0, and defeated Stanford 24-8. The 'Dogs' first loss came to now-No. 4 Oregon, 4-1. The Bulldogs broke the program record for RBIs in a game with 23 against Stanford and tied the records for runs (24) and total bases (40). Rohleder had a stellar showing in the game, going 5-for-5 and coming a double short of hitting for the cycle. She also scored five runs and knocked in three.

Dung went 3-0 and recorded the first two shutouts of her career in the tournament, while holding opponents to a .155 batting average and notching 15 strikeouts in 17.0 innings. McHellon was named Mountain West Player of the Week following the tournament after hitting .615 (8-for-13) with two home runs, eight RBIs and a 1.154 slugging percentage.

COVERAGE
Fresno State Athletics strives to meet the needs of Bulldog fans around the country by providing several outlets to follow the 'Dogs' 2017 journey. Stay up-to-date with the latest news via Twitter (@FresnoStateSB), Facebook (Fresno State Softball), Instagram (@fresnostatesoftball) and Snapchat (FSAthletics). A full recap and final results can be found at GoBulldogs.com following each competition.

"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" – The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogscholarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160.