Bulldogs open season Friday at Kajikawa Classic

Friday, February 9

Tempe, Ariz.

8:00 AM PT

Fresno State

#3 Oregon

Bulldogs open season Friday at Kajikawa Classic

2/7/2018 10:49:00 AM | Softball

Game Notes: Kajikawa Classic (PDF)

By: Andrew Tomsky / Assistant Director of Communications

Fresno State at 2018 Kajikawa Classic (Tempe, Ariz.)
vs. #3 Oregon • Feb. 9, 2018 • 8:00 AM PT
    TV: Pac-12 Network (Ann Schatz/Barbara Jordan) • Stream: Pac-12.com/Live  • Live Stats
vs. Stanford • Feb. 10, 2018 • 8:00 AM PT
    TV: Pac-12 Network (Ann Schatz/Barbara Jordan) • Stream: Pac-12.com/Live • Live Stats
vs. #7 Arizona • Feb. 10, 2018 • 4:00 PM PT
    TV: None • Stream: None • Live Stats
vs. Purdue • Feb. 11, 2018 • 8:00 AM PT
    TV: None • Stream: FloSoftball ($) • Live Stats
vs. Notre Dame • Feb. 11, 2018 • 10:30 AM PT
    TV: None • Stream: FloSoftball ($) • Live Stats

Scouting the Kajikawa Classic
• Oregon advanced to the semifinals of the Women's College World Series in 2017 and ended the year ranked fourth in NCAA Div. I. The Ducks are No. 3 in the preseason polls this year as they return all three of their pitchers from last season, a group that combined for a 54-8 record with a 1.41 ERA - the 5th best in Div. I - and .197 opposing batting average. Oregon hit .327 as a team last season and returns leading hitter Alexis Mack, who hit .427 in 2017.

• Stanford struggled in 2017, finishing 19-32 with a 2-22 record in Pac-12 games. The Cardinal return seven starters and lost just three letter winners while bringing in a new head coach in alum Jessica Alister. The Cardinal really struggled in the circle last season with a 5.74 team ERA and a .326 opposing batting average. The team's top returning hitter is sophomore Teaghan Cowles, who hit .313 and had 26 RBIs as a freshman last year.

• Arizona won the Pac-12 championship last season and ended the year ranked ninth in the nation after narrowly missing out on a WCWS berth. The Wildcats led NCAA Div. I with 94 home runs and with a .583 slugging percentage last year while ranking second in the nation scoring 7.23 runs per game. Arizona returns 12 letterwinners and six starters from last season including three All-Americans in Jessie Harper, Dejah Mulipola, and Taylor McQuillin.

• Purdue was 20-36 overall and 9-14 in the Big Ten last season. The Boilermakers had a 4.56 team ERA in 2017 and averaged just 3.30 runs scored per contest. Junior Mallory Baker was the team's top hitter last season, hitting .350 with 29 RBIs. As a team Purdue hit just 13 home runs in 56 games but the team did have 64 stolen bases. Fresno State is 6-0 all-time against Purdue and beat the Boilermakers 4-0 on the same date (Feb. 11) and in the same location last year.

• Notre Dame is receiving votes in the preseason polls after going 34-23 and qualifying for the NCAA Regionals for the 19th consecutive season in 2017. The Fighting Irish return seven starters and lost only four letter winners from last year. Junior Ali Wester hit .398 last year as one of five UND starters to hit better than .300. Senior Katie Beriont is the team's top returning pitcher. The Bulldogs have not played the Fighting Irish since March 16, 2007.

Season Openers
• Fresno State opens the 2018 season facing five Power-5 schools at the Kajikawa Classic. Three of the five played in the 2017 NCAA Regionals, with Oregon reaching the WCWS.
• The Bulldogs have won their first game of the season in each of the last three years. The last time the 'Dogs dropped their opener was against Oregon in the 2014 Kajikawa Classic - the exact same matchup as the 2018 opener.

Split Squad
• The 2018 Bulldog rosters is nearly evenly split with 13 returners and 12 newcomers.
• Fresno State returned and lost nearly the same number of starters (5/4) from the 2017 team while returning one of their two primary starting pitchers from last year.
• The class breakdown is also fairly balanced with five seniors, eight juniors, six sophomores, and six freshmen.

A History of Wins
• In 2017 Fresno State qualified for the NCAA Regionals for the third straight year and the 30th time in the last 33 seasons.
• The Bulldogs have won at least 30 games in 36 straight seasons with an overall winning record in each of those years.
• Fresno State has won 23 conference titles, 59 NCAA Regional games, and 93 total postseason games in its storied history, reaching the Women's College World Series 12 times with four runner-up finishes and the 1998 NCAA title.

Dual Threat
• Senior Savannah McHellon is set to lead the 'Dogs both at the plate and in the circle after earning All-Pacific Region First Team honors last year.
• McHellon led the team with 10 home runs and 44 RBIs while hitting .282 in her first season as a Bulldog in 2017.
• The former Junior College All-American also pitched in 21 games with 16 starts, throwing the second-most innings on the team, and picked up five wins and a save last year.

Super Support
• In 2017 Fresno State led the MW and ranked 13th in NCAA Div. I in average home attendance.
• The 'Dogs averaged 1,101 fans per game over 25 home dates as 27,513 members of the Red Wave visited Margie Wright Diamond.
• New Mexico had the second highest average attendance in the MW last year at just 469 fans per game, less than half the Bulldogs average.
• The 'Dogs drew more fans than any other team in California and have averaged more than 1,000 fans per game for 25 consecutive seasons.

Stacked Schedule
• Fresno State has a very difficult schedule in 2018, playing 15 games against 2017 NCAA Tournament teams with three against squads that reached the WCWS.
• The Bulldogs face eight teams that ended 2017 nationally ranked and play 12 games against Power-5 opponents.
• The squad also plays 14 games against teams that played in the 2017 National Invitational Softball Tournament, bringing the total to 29 games against 2017 postseason schools.

Six Ranked Opponents
• The Bulldogs will face six teams that are ranked in the preseason NFCA/USA Today Coaches' Poll.
• Four ranked opponents are in the top-eight in the nation (#3 Oregon, #5 UCLA, #7 Arizona, #8 LSU). The 'Dogs will also face six teams that received votes in the preseason poll.

'Dogs Picked Third
• The Mountain West Coaches selected Fresno State to finish third in the preseason conference poll.
• The top three teams in the poll are the three MW schools from California, as San Diego State was picked first and San Jose State second followed by the Bulldogs.
• The 'Dogs finished tied with Utah State for third place in the MW last season and earned one more point than the Aggies in the 2018 preseason poll.

Votes Received
• Fresno State earned votes in the 2018 preseason USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll. San Diego State was the only other MW team to receive a vote in the poll.
• The Bulldogs have been ranked in the top-25 in each of the last two seasons, reaching No. 17 in 2016 and No. 21 in 2017 after not being ranked since the 2011 campaign.

Crushing the Cardinal
• In Fresno State's last meeting with Stanford, which took place at the Kajikawa Classic last season, the 'Dogs tied the program scoring record in a 24-8 win in 5 innings.
• The 24 runs tied the single-game scoring record, originally set against Boise State in 2014, while the team established a new program record with 23 RBIs.
• The Bulldogs also tied single-game program records for home runs (6) and total bases (40).

20th Anniversary of 1998 National Title
• Throughout the 2018 season the Bulldogs will celebrate the 20th anniversary of Fresno State's 1998 national championship.
• Fresno State is the only non-Power 5 school that has won a WCWS national title since 1986 and is one of just two non-Power 5 schools to ever win the WCWS since its inception in 1982 (Cal State Fullerton, 1986).
• The 'Dogs will honor the team throughout the year and in a pregame ceremony on Saturday, March 24, as several team members as well as coach Margie Wright will be in attendance.

Year Two
• In 2018 the Bulldogs will play their second season under head coach Linda Garza.
• A Fresno native, Garza led the 'Dogs to a 35-23 record in her first season at the helm as the 'Dogs finished third in the Mountain West and qualified for the NCAA regionals, earning a postseason win over Montana.
• The entire coaching staff is unchanged in 2018 with assistant coaches Jodie Cox and Justin Shults and volunteer assistant Haley Janzer (Perkins) back this year.

Junior Leader
• Center fielder Vanessa Hernandez was one of just four Bulldogs to start every game last season and shined both at the plate and in the outfield.
• She hit .292 during her sophomore season - the best average among the team's 13 returning players - while leading the team with 14 doubles and tied for second with 40 RBIs.
• Hernandez also shined in center, tallying a .981 fielding percentage with seven outfield assists and only two errors in 58 games.

Triple Time
• Fresno State led the Mountain West and ranked 12th in NCAA Div. I averaging 0.31 triples per game last season. The 'Dogs were tied for 11th in the nation with 18 total triples.
• Nine different Bulldogs had at least one triple and three had multiple triples. Katie Castellon had three triples to lead all returning players.

How do you spell HAY-lee?
• The Bulldogs have three players with the same name spelled three different ways: sophomore Haley Fuller, sophomore Hayleigh Galvan, and freshman Hailee Rios.
• Fresno State has a fourth HAY-lee as well in volunteer assistant coach Haley Janzer.
• The 'Dogs also have two Savannah's (Berkowitz and McHellon) but they are spelled the same way.

Early Leads = Late Wins
• Last season Fresno State was 15-1 when leading after the first inning and 20-1 when leading after two.
• The Bulldogs scored in the first inning in 19 games last season, going 17-2 in those contests as the 'Dogs scored in the first inning in nearly half of their 35 wins.

On a Rohl
• Sophomore Miranda Rohleder became the 'Dogs starting second baseman during her freshman season and ended the year as one of just two Bulldogs to reach base in all three games of the NCAA Seattle Regional.
• For the season Rohleder ranked third on the team with 11 multi-hit games and recorded a team season-high five hits and five runs in a win over Stanford.
• She was also second on the team in doubles (8) and stolen bases (3) and had seven multi-RBI games.

Pitching Prowess
• By most statistical measures the Bulldogs had the best pitching staff in the MW last season.
• The 'Dogs led the conference in ERA (2.95), strikeouts (289), and fewest home runs allowed (27) while ranking second in the league in opposing batting average (.252).

The Night is Nice
• Fresno State enjoyed playing under the lights in 2017 as the 'Dogs went 15-6 overall in night games. The team was 15-4 in regular season night games.
• The 'Dogs had a 2.70 team ERA and a .234 opposing batting average at night compared to a 3.11 ERA and .262 opposing average in day games, in which they had a 20-17 record.

Infield Intact
• The Bulldogs return their entire starting infield (not including catcher) from 2017.
• Senior Savannah McHellon (1B), sophomore Miranda Rohleder (2B), and senior Katie Castellon (SS) were primary starters at their positions while sophomores Haley Fuller and Schuylar Broussard split time at third base.
• The 'Dogs will have a new catcher, however, with the graduation of Lindsey Willmon.

Bulldog Family
• Freshman Aaliyah Cuevas, a central valley native from Madera, plays her first season with the Bulldogs in 2018 after her father, Jose, wrestled at Fresno State in 1990.
• Aaliyah's first season as a Bulldog happens to be the school year in which wrestling returned to Fresno State after the program had been discontinued in 2006.

Winning Every Inning
• In 2017 Fresno State scored more total runs than their opponent in each of the first six innings. The 'Dogs and their opponents were level in 7th inning scoring, 22-22.
• The most dominant innings were the 3rd, in which the 'Dogs outscored their opponents 44-21 (+23), and the 4th, when they had a 54-32 (+22) advantage.
• Fresno State also had a 9-6 edge in total extra-inning runs.

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