Four Bulldogs earn All-Mountain West honors

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. --- After leading the Fresno State softball team to its 33rd NCAA Tournament appearance, Fresno State sophomore pitcher Kamalani Dung was named the 2017 Mountain West Pitcher of the Year to headline a group of four Bulldogs named to all-conference teams by the league's head coaches, the MW office announced Wednesday afternoon.

"What Kama was able to do over 19 games is remarkable," Fresno State head coach Linda Garza said. "It's great to see her work ethic and success get rewarded. She was the most dominant pitcher in conference this year and very deserving of this prestigious award."

In addition to earning the conference's top pitching honors, Dung joined sophomore teammate Morgan Howe as first-team All-MW selections.

"Morgan had an amazing year at the plate," Garza said. "She works hard to master her craft and was consistent all year. It's great to see her earn First Team!"

Fresno State senior Malia Rivers and sophomore Vanessa Hernandez were named second-team All-MW honorees.

"Vanessa came up big in big moments, found ways to drive in runs all year and this is a great honor for her," Garza said. "Malia was steady at the plate putting us in positions to score all year and was a great table setter. I'm proud she finished her career as an All-Conference selection."

This is Rivers' third career second-team All-MW selection and Dung, Howe and Hernandez are first-time honorees.

Kamalani Dung (2017 MW Pitcher of the Year & First-Team All-Mountain West)
Dung, who is originally from Waianae, Hawai'i, 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 over the last nine games, going 8-1 with a 1.92 earned run average and striking out 49 batters in 62 innings, to lead Fresno State to the NCAA Tournament for the 33rd time (third straight) in program history.

During conference play, Dung was 13-6 with a 2.04 ERA, 99 strikeouts and 16 complete games over the course of 120 innings pitched. For the season, Dung also led the MW in wins (25), ERA (2.17), strikeouts (202) and innings pitched (238.1).

This is the third time in Mountain West history the same school earned conference pitcher of the year honors in three straight seasons. Former Fresno State star pitcher Jill Compton was named the MW Pitcher of the Year in 2015 and 2016.

It is the seventh time in MW history an underclassman has won conference pitcher of the year honors and the first since San Diego State's Danielle O'Toole won as a sophomore in 2014.

Morgan Howe (2017 First-Team All-Mountain West)
Howe, a native of Poway, Calif., had a breakout sophomore season as one of the nation's best hitters.

Howe enters the NCAA Tournament ranked 15th in the nation in batting average (.438), which also currently ranks as the sixth-best mark for a single season in program history. She 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.

Howe is currently on a 12-game hitting streak. She also recorded a hit in each of her last 13 conference games and reached base safely in the last 19 league contests.

In MW play, Howe hit .473 with a .536 on-base percentage and .703 slugging percentage. She led the team with 52 total bases and five doubles, while adding 16 RBIs and 13 runs scored.

Vanessa Hernandez (2017 Second-Team All-Mountain West)
Hernandez, who is from Hesperia, Calif., produced arguably the biggest hit of the Bulldogs' season when she connected for a seventh-inning two-out go-ahead grand slam in Fresno State's regular-season finale at Colorado State last Saturday to help propel the Bulldogs into the NCAA Tournament.

During conference play, Hernandez batted .361 with five home runs, four doubles and 18 RBIs. For the season, she led the team with 21 extra-base hits, which included 13 doubles and seven home runs, and two grand slams, with the other also coming in Mountain West play on March 24 versus Boise State.

Malia Rivers (2017 Second Team All-Mountain West)
Rivers, a Brentwood, Calif. native, has been selected to the All-MW second team for the third time in her career.

She was able to get on base consistently for the Bulldogs, hitting .359 in conference play with a .412 on-base percentage. She was always a threat to steal, taking five bases in Mountain West games and scoring 13 runs.

Throughout the season, her 12 stolen bases led the team. Her 42 career stolen bases rank fourth in program history.

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Fresno State Athletics

Four Bulldogs earn All-Mountain West honors

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Players Mentioned

Jill Compton

Kamalani Dung

Vanessa Hernandez

Morgan Howe

Malia Rivers

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