Fresno State Athletics
Softball fall season in full swing, ‘Dogs to host four upcoming games
10/16/2018 4:02:00 PM | Softball
FRESNO, Calif. – In preparation for the 2019 season the Fresno State softball team is practicing and playing exhibition games throughout the month of October.
The 'Dogs will host games on three upcoming dates over the next two weeks, starting with a game against Reedley College on Wednesday at 6 p.m. Fresno State will also face Fresno City College next Thursday, Oct. 25, at 6:00 p.m. and will host Bakersfield College and Saint Mary's on Oct. 28. All fall home games are played at Margie Wright Diamond and admission is free. See the full schedule below.
Fall practice began on Sept. 25 and the 'Dogs played their first fall games with a doubleheader against Stanislaus State on Oct. 7.
"We definitely saw some things in areas we need to get better at," said head coach Linda Garza about the fall opener. "Our offense got better in the second game. We have a lot of new faces and this time of the year I generally feel pitching is ahead of hitting. We forced our pitchers to have to use some of their secondary pitches in games and they struggled a little bit but it was an area where they needed to do so."
The 'Dogs return three pitchers headlined by sophomore ace Danielle East, who set a MW record for strikeouts by a freshman in league games last season and was a 2018 All-MW first team selection. Bolstering the Bulldog pitching staff will be three newcomers including All-American Clovis HS star pitcher Danielle Lung and NFCA All-Pacific region selection Hailey Dolcini, who transferred to Fresno State from UC Riverside.
"I think pitching is still a strong suit of ours," Garza said. "I'm confident in our pitching staff and our defense so it's kind of an exciting time for us to see what they can do."
Fresno State also returns a pair of position players that were All-MW first team selections last season in their first year with the Bulldogs. Hayleigh Galvan also was named NFCA All-Pacific region as she led the team in batting average (.372), slugging percentage (.657), and on-base percentage (.511). Rachel Minogue led the team and ranked fifth in the conference hitting .414 in MW play and was fourth in the league with a .506 MW on-base percentage.
The Bulldogs have 15 total returners, including seven of nine position player starters from 2018, and 10 newcomers on the 2019 roster. The fall season is a first chance for the team to come together before gearing up for the spring in January.
"It's a great opportunity for the newcomers to have some people to look to and know the expectations," Garza said. "We have a lot of young faces that are talented athletes. They have to just learn what Div. I competitive softball really is and what it's like to play. I'm excited for who we are and what we can be but we definitely have work to do."
Fresno State Fall Schedule (Home games at Margie Wright Diamond - FREE admission)
"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.
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The 'Dogs will host games on three upcoming dates over the next two weeks, starting with a game against Reedley College on Wednesday at 6 p.m. Fresno State will also face Fresno City College next Thursday, Oct. 25, at 6:00 p.m. and will host Bakersfield College and Saint Mary's on Oct. 28. All fall home games are played at Margie Wright Diamond and admission is free. See the full schedule below.
Fall practice began on Sept. 25 and the 'Dogs played their first fall games with a doubleheader against Stanislaus State on Oct. 7.
"We definitely saw some things in areas we need to get better at," said head coach Linda Garza about the fall opener. "Our offense got better in the second game. We have a lot of new faces and this time of the year I generally feel pitching is ahead of hitting. We forced our pitchers to have to use some of their secondary pitches in games and they struggled a little bit but it was an area where they needed to do so."
The 'Dogs return three pitchers headlined by sophomore ace Danielle East, who set a MW record for strikeouts by a freshman in league games last season and was a 2018 All-MW first team selection. Bolstering the Bulldog pitching staff will be three newcomers including All-American Clovis HS star pitcher Danielle Lung and NFCA All-Pacific region selection Hailey Dolcini, who transferred to Fresno State from UC Riverside.
"I think pitching is still a strong suit of ours," Garza said. "I'm confident in our pitching staff and our defense so it's kind of an exciting time for us to see what they can do."
Fresno State also returns a pair of position players that were All-MW first team selections last season in their first year with the Bulldogs. Hayleigh Galvan also was named NFCA All-Pacific region as she led the team in batting average (.372), slugging percentage (.657), and on-base percentage (.511). Rachel Minogue led the team and ranked fifth in the conference hitting .414 in MW play and was fourth in the league with a .506 MW on-base percentage.
The Bulldogs have 15 total returners, including seven of nine position player starters from 2018, and 10 newcomers on the 2019 roster. The fall season is a first chance for the team to come together before gearing up for the spring in January.
"It's a great opportunity for the newcomers to have some people to look to and know the expectations," Garza said. "We have a lot of young faces that are talented athletes. They have to just learn what Div. I competitive softball really is and what it's like to play. I'm excited for who we are and what we can be but we definitely have work to do."
Fresno State Fall Schedule (Home games at Margie Wright Diamond - FREE admission)
| Oct. 17 | vs. Reedley College | 6:00 PM |
| Oct. 21 | at UC Davis (DH) | 1:00 PM |
| Oct. 25 | vs. Fresno City College | 6:00 PM |
| Oct. 28 | vs. Bakersfield College | 11:00 AM |
| vs. Saint Mary's | 1:30 PM |
"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.
Follow us on:
Twitter: @FresnoStateSB
Instagram: FresnoStateSoftball
Facebook: FresnoStateSoftball
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