Fresno State Athletics
Friday, February 22
San Diego, CA (Fowler Park)
1:00 PM
Fresno State
vs
Kansas State
Photo by: Keith Kountz/Fresno State
Diamond 'Dogs head to San Diego for Tony Gwynn Legacy Tournament [Feb. 22-24]
2/21/2019 2:00:00 PM | Baseball
Fresno State Notes (PDF)Kansas State Notes (PDF)Fullerton Game Notes (PDF)Missouri State Notes (PDF)2019 Tony Gwynn Legacy Schedule (PDF)Tournament Central
The Diamond 'Dogs travel to San Diego for the 2019 Tony Gwynn Legacy Tournament facing Kansas State, No. 25 Cal State Fullerton and Missouri State on Friday through Sunday.
SAN DIEGO - Winning two of three games on opening weekend over Utah Valley, the Diamond 'Dogs hit the road for the first time this season traveling to the 2019 Tony Gwynn Legacy Tournament hosted by the University of San Diego and San Diego State on Friday through Sunday.
Games 4-6: Tony Gwynn Legacy Tournament
Friday: vs. Kansas State
Feb. 22, 2019 • 1:00 P.M. • Fowler Park • San Diego, Calif.
Live Stats: USDToreros.com
Radio: 940 AM ESPN
Twitter:Â @FresnoStateBSB
Video: N/A
Series History: Fresno State leads 2-0
Last Meeting:Â Fresno State def. Kansas State, 16-6 (March 20, 1993 in Fresno, Calif.)
Saturday: vs. No. 25 Cal State Fullerton
Feb. 23, 2019 • 1:00 P.M. • Tony Gwynn Stadium • San Diego, Calif.
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Radio: N/A
Twitter:Â @FresnoStateBSB
Video: N/A
Series History: Cal State Fullerton leads 55-38
Last Meeting:Â Cal State Fullerton def. Fresno State, 8-1 (April 30, 2014 in Fullerton, Calif.)
Sunday: vs. Missouri State
Feb. 24, 2019 • 10:00 A.M. • Tony Gwynn Stadium • San Diego, Calif.
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Radio: 940 AM ESPN
Twitter:Â @FresnoStateBSB
Video: N/A
Series History: First meeting
Last Meeting:Â N/A
Stadium Information
Surface:Â Grass (both fields)
Dimensions: Fowler Park: 312 (LF), 391 (CF), 327 (RF); Tony Gwynn Stadium: 340 (LF), 410 (CF), 340 (RF)
Bulldog Headlines
• Fresno State opened its 91st season as a program over the weekend winning two of three games at home over Utah Valley.
• The Diamond 'Dogs won their 11th consecutive season opener and home opener on Saturday afternoon with a 6-3 win over the Wolverines.
• Head Coach Mike Batesole, now in his 17th season leading the Diamond 'Dogs, earned his 800th career win with the Bulldogs' season-opening win over UVU.
• The 'Dogs closed out the series with a Monday doubleheader losing game one, 4-3 before winning game two, 8-3.
• This weekend's Tony Gwynn Legacy Tournament will be the Bulldogs' first regular season neutral site tournament since 2010 when they also went to San Diego to participate in the Aztec Invitational posting a 3-1 record with wins over Fullerton, San Francisco and San Diego State and lost to San Diego.
• Senior second baseman Nolan Dempsey hit .455 in the series with a double, home run, six RBI and nine total bases.
Where Fresno State Rank Offensively in the Mountain West/nation in 2019 (as of 2/21/19)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
• .277 Batting Average: No. 5
• .394 Slugging Pct: No. 5
• .346 On base Pct: No. 5
• 4 sacrifice bunts: No. 2 - 9th nationally
• 17 Runs: No. 7
• 26 Hits: No. 7
• 14 RBI: No. 7
• 5 Doubles: No. 7
• 0 Triples: N/A
• 2 Home Runs: No. T-3Â
Where Fresno State Rank Pitching in the Mountain West/nation in 2019 (as of 2/21/19)
• 3.33 ERA: No. 3
• .208 Opposing bat average: No. 2
• 1 save: No. T-2
• 25 strikeouts: No. 6
• 10 Earned runs allowed: No. 1
• 21 Hits allowed: No. 1
• 11 walks allowed: No. 1
• 3 doubles allowed: No. 1
• 0 triples allowed: N/A
• 2 home runs allowed: T-2
Where Fresno State Rank Fielding in the Mountain West/nation in 2019 (as of 2/21/19)
• .991 Fielding Percentage: No. 2
• 29 Assists: No. 7
• 2 double plays: No. T-3
Where Fresno State Players Rank in the Mountain West/NCAA in 2019 (as of 2/21/19)
Batting average: Nolan Dempsey - T-9th (.455)
Slugging percentage: Dempsey - 2nd (.818)
RBI: Dempsey - T-5th (6)
Home runs: Dempsey & Zach Presno - T-2nd (1)
Sacrifice bunts: 4 players - T-4th (1)
Stolen bases: McCarthy Tatum & Zach Ashford - T-1st (1)
Opposing Batting Average: Davis Moore -14th (.190)
Innings pitched: Moore - T-3rd (6.0)
Strikeouts: Nikoh Mitchell & Oscar Carvajal - T-8th (5)
Wins: Ryan Jensen & Kevin Larson - T-1st (1)
Saves: Jamison Hill - T-1st (1)
Walks allowed: Jaime Arias & Carvajal - T-1st (0)
Doubles allowed: Arias & Carvajal - T-1st (0)
A look at the Kansas State Wildcats
The Wildcats enter Friday afternoon's game with a 2-3 overall record after splitting a four-game series last weekend at CSUN and then fell 7-6 at California Baptist on Wednesday.Â
Meeting for only the third time ever, Kansas State is coming off a 23-31 record in 2018 and a ninth place finish in the Big 12 and welcomes veteran head coach Pete Hughes into the program who sports a career record of 654-495-3 (.569) over 22 years.
The Wildcats return leading hitter, junior outfielder Will Brennan, who earned First-Team All-Big 12 honors after hitting .359 a year ago leading the team in hits (79), runs (49), doubles, (13) and on-base percentage (.454). Â Brennan continues to hit at a high clip so far this season starting the season off with 11 hits in 20 at-bats for a .550 batting average.Â
On the mound, the Wildcats had a 5.85 team ERA a year ago, and through five games this season are sitting at 5.57. Junior right-hander Tyler Eckberg gets the start on Friday and comes in with one start under his belt, Kansas State's season opener, where he threw five innings and allowed eight hits, four earned runs and struck out nine.
A look at the No. 25 Cal State Fullerton Titans
Ranked No. 25 by D1Baseball.com, the Titans opened up the season with last weekend at the MLB4 Tournament with a pair of wins defeating then-No. 19 TCU, 2-0 and Virginia, 6-5 and fell to No. 1 Vanderbilt, 14-9.
Coming off a 36-win season in 2018, a Big West conference regular season title and an appearance in a Super Regional, the Titans look were picked to repeat as Big West champions in 2019 with leading hitter, senior infielder Hank LoForte, returning after hitting .339 a year ago. Of the seven position players who started 53 or more games a year ago, six return this springÂ
On the mound, the Titans did lose the services of Fresno native Colton Eastman who won 10 games a season, as Fullerton has a young staff with only five wins back on the mound from a year ago.
This will be the 'Dogs first game against Fullerton since 2014 and 94th meeting overall as the teams played annually between 1980-99 missing only the 1993 season.
A look at the Missouri State Bears
Missouri State is off to a 1-2 start to the season after playing at the Texas State Tournament last weekend in San Marcos, Texas. The Bears defeated Utah, 6-2 on Saturday and fell to MW foe Nevada, 16-4 on Friday and host Texas State, 10-0 on Sunday.
Led by head coach Keith Guttin, now in his 37th year at Missouri State, the Bears are coming off a 40-17 season in 2018 that saw them win both the Missouri Valley Conference regular and tournament championships. The Bears advanced to the Ole Miss Regional posting a 1-2 mark.
Meeting the 'Dogs for the first time ever, the Bears return junior catcher Drew Millas, a 2018 NCBWA Second-Team All-American, who led the team with a .321 average a year ago and led the team in hits (68), RBI (61). On the mound, junior right-hander Logan Wiley will get the start for the Bears on Sunday after starting the season opener against Nevada where he lasted 4.1 innings allowing six hits and five earned with a pair of strikeouts.
Bulldogs vs. opponents from the Big 12, Big West & Missouri Valley Conferences
Fresno State will see its first opponent from the Big 12 since 2016 when they host Oklahoma and are 17-13 all-time against the league. Very familiar with all the teams in the Big West, the 'Dogs have played eight of the nine opponents hailing from California numerous times. The 'Dogs are 458-313-1 (.594) all-time and will also see Cal Poly later this season after playing UCSB, CSUN, Hawai'i, UC Riverside and Long Beach State in 2018. Finallly, the Bulldogs are 16-9 all-time against opponents from the Missouri Valley with 14 of those contests coming against Dallas Baptist, most recently in 2010.
Batesole reaches 800 career win milestone
Head coach Mike Batesole reached career win number 800 on Saturday in the Bulldogs' 6-3 season-opening win over Utah Valley at Bob Bennett Stadium. Beginning his 17th season at the helm of the Bulldogs, Batesole has won 545 games at Fresno State and 256 at CSUN from 1996-2002.Â
In his career, Batesole has won at least 30 games in 19 of his 23 years as a Division I head coach and in 13 of his 16 seasons at Fresno State.
Dempsey off to hot start
Now in his second season as a Bulldog, senior second baseman Nolan Dempsey has gotten off to a hot start going 5-for-11 in the Utah Valley series with three singles, a double, home run and led the team with six RBIs and nine total bases.
The San Carlos, Calif., native ranks second in the Mountain West with a .818 slugging percentage and has added a stolen bases and sacrifice bunt so far this season.
New 'Dogs in action                    Â
Five Bulldogs made their debuts over the weekend against the Wolverines with redshirt freshman pitcher Kevin Larson and outfielder Dylan Johnson saw action in two games apiece.
Three true freshman also saw action with infielders Ryan Higgins and Jeff Jamison pinch-running and outfielder EJ Andrews, Jr. saw action in all three games playing while also playing left field.
Ashford a hard one to strike out
Senior center fielder Zach Ashford has been one of the toughest Bulldogs to strike out over his four-year career and has yet to do it in 11 at-bats this year. In 502 career at-bats, Ashford has only been sent down on strikes 73 times, or 14.5 percent, of the time.
Up next
The Bulldogs return home next weekend to open the month of March with Mountain West play as UNLV (3-2) comes to Fresno for a three-game series starting Friday at 6:05 p.m. All weekend will be Dog Pound Student Weekend.
"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:Â
Twitter:Â @FresnoStateBSB
Instagram:Â fresnostateathletics
Facebook:Â FresnoStateAthletics
Games 4-6: Tony Gwynn Legacy Tournament
Friday: vs. Kansas State
Feb. 22, 2019 • 1:00 P.M. • Fowler Park • San Diego, Calif.
Live Stats: USDToreros.com
Radio: 940 AM ESPN
Twitter:Â @FresnoStateBSB
Video: N/A
Series History: Fresno State leads 2-0
Last Meeting:Â Fresno State def. Kansas State, 16-6 (March 20, 1993 in Fresno, Calif.)
Saturday: vs. No. 25 Cal State Fullerton
Feb. 23, 2019 • 1:00 P.M. • Tony Gwynn Stadium • San Diego, Calif.
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Radio: N/A
Twitter:Â @FresnoStateBSB
Video: N/A
Series History: Cal State Fullerton leads 55-38
Last Meeting:Â Cal State Fullerton def. Fresno State, 8-1 (April 30, 2014 in Fullerton, Calif.)
Sunday: vs. Missouri State
Feb. 24, 2019 • 10:00 A.M. • Tony Gwynn Stadium • San Diego, Calif.
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Radio: 940 AM ESPN
Twitter:Â @FresnoStateBSB
Video: N/A
Series History: First meeting
Last Meeting:Â N/A
Stadium Information
Surface:Â Grass (both fields)
Dimensions: Fowler Park: 312 (LF), 391 (CF), 327 (RF); Tony Gwynn Stadium: 340 (LF), 410 (CF), 340 (RF)
Bulldog Headlines
• Fresno State opened its 91st season as a program over the weekend winning two of three games at home over Utah Valley.
• The Diamond 'Dogs won their 11th consecutive season opener and home opener on Saturday afternoon with a 6-3 win over the Wolverines.
• Head Coach Mike Batesole, now in his 17th season leading the Diamond 'Dogs, earned his 800th career win with the Bulldogs' season-opening win over UVU.
• The 'Dogs closed out the series with a Monday doubleheader losing game one, 4-3 before winning game two, 8-3.
• This weekend's Tony Gwynn Legacy Tournament will be the Bulldogs' first regular season neutral site tournament since 2010 when they also went to San Diego to participate in the Aztec Invitational posting a 3-1 record with wins over Fullerton, San Francisco and San Diego State and lost to San Diego.
• Senior second baseman Nolan Dempsey hit .455 in the series with a double, home run, six RBI and nine total bases.
Where Fresno State Rank Offensively in the Mountain West/nation in 2019 (as of 2/21/19)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
• .277 Batting Average: No. 5
• .394 Slugging Pct: No. 5
• .346 On base Pct: No. 5
• 4 sacrifice bunts: No. 2 - 9th nationally
• 17 Runs: No. 7
• 26 Hits: No. 7
• 14 RBI: No. 7
• 5 Doubles: No. 7
• 0 Triples: N/A
• 2 Home Runs: No. T-3Â
Where Fresno State Rank Pitching in the Mountain West/nation in 2019 (as of 2/21/19)
• 3.33 ERA: No. 3
• .208 Opposing bat average: No. 2
• 1 save: No. T-2
• 25 strikeouts: No. 6
• 10 Earned runs allowed: No. 1
• 21 Hits allowed: No. 1
• 11 walks allowed: No. 1
• 3 doubles allowed: No. 1
• 0 triples allowed: N/A
• 2 home runs allowed: T-2
Where Fresno State Rank Fielding in the Mountain West/nation in 2019 (as of 2/21/19)
• .991 Fielding Percentage: No. 2
• 29 Assists: No. 7
• 2 double plays: No. T-3
Where Fresno State Players Rank in the Mountain West/NCAA in 2019 (as of 2/21/19)
Batting average: Nolan Dempsey - T-9th (.455)
Slugging percentage: Dempsey - 2nd (.818)
RBI: Dempsey - T-5th (6)
Home runs: Dempsey & Zach Presno - T-2nd (1)
Sacrifice bunts: 4 players - T-4th (1)
Stolen bases: McCarthy Tatum & Zach Ashford - T-1st (1)
Opposing Batting Average: Davis Moore -14th (.190)
Innings pitched: Moore - T-3rd (6.0)
Strikeouts: Nikoh Mitchell & Oscar Carvajal - T-8th (5)
Wins: Ryan Jensen & Kevin Larson - T-1st (1)
Saves: Jamison Hill - T-1st (1)
Walks allowed: Jaime Arias & Carvajal - T-1st (0)
Doubles allowed: Arias & Carvajal - T-1st (0)
A look at the Kansas State Wildcats
The Wildcats enter Friday afternoon's game with a 2-3 overall record after splitting a four-game series last weekend at CSUN and then fell 7-6 at California Baptist on Wednesday.Â
Meeting for only the third time ever, Kansas State is coming off a 23-31 record in 2018 and a ninth place finish in the Big 12 and welcomes veteran head coach Pete Hughes into the program who sports a career record of 654-495-3 (.569) over 22 years.
The Wildcats return leading hitter, junior outfielder Will Brennan, who earned First-Team All-Big 12 honors after hitting .359 a year ago leading the team in hits (79), runs (49), doubles, (13) and on-base percentage (.454). Â Brennan continues to hit at a high clip so far this season starting the season off with 11 hits in 20 at-bats for a .550 batting average.Â
On the mound, the Wildcats had a 5.85 team ERA a year ago, and through five games this season are sitting at 5.57. Junior right-hander Tyler Eckberg gets the start on Friday and comes in with one start under his belt, Kansas State's season opener, where he threw five innings and allowed eight hits, four earned runs and struck out nine.
A look at the No. 25 Cal State Fullerton Titans
Ranked No. 25 by D1Baseball.com, the Titans opened up the season with last weekend at the MLB4 Tournament with a pair of wins defeating then-No. 19 TCU, 2-0 and Virginia, 6-5 and fell to No. 1 Vanderbilt, 14-9.
Coming off a 36-win season in 2018, a Big West conference regular season title and an appearance in a Super Regional, the Titans look were picked to repeat as Big West champions in 2019 with leading hitter, senior infielder Hank LoForte, returning after hitting .339 a year ago. Of the seven position players who started 53 or more games a year ago, six return this springÂ
On the mound, the Titans did lose the services of Fresno native Colton Eastman who won 10 games a season, as Fullerton has a young staff with only five wins back on the mound from a year ago.
This will be the 'Dogs first game against Fullerton since 2014 and 94th meeting overall as the teams played annually between 1980-99 missing only the 1993 season.
A look at the Missouri State Bears
Missouri State is off to a 1-2 start to the season after playing at the Texas State Tournament last weekend in San Marcos, Texas. The Bears defeated Utah, 6-2 on Saturday and fell to MW foe Nevada, 16-4 on Friday and host Texas State, 10-0 on Sunday.
Led by head coach Keith Guttin, now in his 37th year at Missouri State, the Bears are coming off a 40-17 season in 2018 that saw them win both the Missouri Valley Conference regular and tournament championships. The Bears advanced to the Ole Miss Regional posting a 1-2 mark.
Meeting the 'Dogs for the first time ever, the Bears return junior catcher Drew Millas, a 2018 NCBWA Second-Team All-American, who led the team with a .321 average a year ago and led the team in hits (68), RBI (61). On the mound, junior right-hander Logan Wiley will get the start for the Bears on Sunday after starting the season opener against Nevada where he lasted 4.1 innings allowing six hits and five earned with a pair of strikeouts.
Bulldogs vs. opponents from the Big 12, Big West & Missouri Valley Conferences
Fresno State will see its first opponent from the Big 12 since 2016 when they host Oklahoma and are 17-13 all-time against the league. Very familiar with all the teams in the Big West, the 'Dogs have played eight of the nine opponents hailing from California numerous times. The 'Dogs are 458-313-1 (.594) all-time and will also see Cal Poly later this season after playing UCSB, CSUN, Hawai'i, UC Riverside and Long Beach State in 2018. Finallly, the Bulldogs are 16-9 all-time against opponents from the Missouri Valley with 14 of those contests coming against Dallas Baptist, most recently in 2010.
Batesole reaches 800 career win milestone
Head coach Mike Batesole reached career win number 800 on Saturday in the Bulldogs' 6-3 season-opening win over Utah Valley at Bob Bennett Stadium. Beginning his 17th season at the helm of the Bulldogs, Batesole has won 545 games at Fresno State and 256 at CSUN from 1996-2002.Â
In his career, Batesole has won at least 30 games in 19 of his 23 years as a Division I head coach and in 13 of his 16 seasons at Fresno State.
Dempsey off to hot start
Now in his second season as a Bulldog, senior second baseman Nolan Dempsey has gotten off to a hot start going 5-for-11 in the Utah Valley series with three singles, a double, home run and led the team with six RBIs and nine total bases.
The San Carlos, Calif., native ranks second in the Mountain West with a .818 slugging percentage and has added a stolen bases and sacrifice bunt so far this season.
New 'Dogs in action                    Â
Five Bulldogs made their debuts over the weekend against the Wolverines with redshirt freshman pitcher Kevin Larson and outfielder Dylan Johnson saw action in two games apiece.
Three true freshman also saw action with infielders Ryan Higgins and Jeff Jamison pinch-running and outfielder EJ Andrews, Jr. saw action in all three games playing while also playing left field.
Ashford a hard one to strike out
Senior center fielder Zach Ashford has been one of the toughest Bulldogs to strike out over his four-year career and has yet to do it in 11 at-bats this year. In 502 career at-bats, Ashford has only been sent down on strikes 73 times, or 14.5 percent, of the time.
Up next
The Bulldogs return home next weekend to open the month of March with Mountain West play as UNLV (3-2) comes to Fresno for a three-game series starting Friday at 6:05 p.m. All weekend will be Dog Pound Student Weekend.
"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:Â
Twitter:Â @FresnoStateBSB
Instagram:Â fresnostateathletics
Facebook:Â FresnoStateAthletics
Players Mentioned
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