Bulldogs break from MW play to host Fresno State Invitational

2019 Fresno State Invitational | March 28-31, 2019 | Fresno, Calif. | Margie Wright Diamond (3,288)
Radio: 790 AM ESPN2 (Thursday FS game only)
Play-by-Play: Matt Norville
Video: Mountain West Network (All Games)
Live Stats: Sidearm
Twitter: @FresnoStateSB

Full Tournament Schedule

Fresno State (16-11) vs. San Diego (14-15) • Mar. 28, 2019 • 7:30 p.m. PT
Series History: FS leads 5-3 | Streak: FS W 4 | Last: FS 12-6 (2/11/17)

Fresno State (16-11) vs. San Diego (14-15) • Mar. 29, 2019 • 6:00 p.m. PT
Series History: FS leads 5-3 | Streak: FS W 4 | Last: FS 12-6 (2/11/17)

Fresno State (16-11) vs. Santa Clara (7-18) • Mar. 30, 2019 • 4:30 p.m. PT
Series History: FS leads 51-2 | Streak: FS W 4 | Last: FS 9-1 (4/4/18)

Fresno State (16-11) vs. Pacific (14-15) • Mar. 30, 2019 • 7:00 p.m. PT
Series History: FS leads 84-23-1 | Streak: FS W 5 | Last: FS 10-5 (2/17/18)

Fresno State (16-11) vs. Santa Clara (7-18) • Mar. 31, 2019 • 12:30 p.m. PT
Series History: FS leads 51-2 | Streak: FS W 4 | Last: FS 9-1 (4/4/18)

Fresno State (16-11) vs. CSU Bakersfield (10-13) • Mar. 31, 2019 • 3:00 p.m. PT
Series History: FS leads 8-1 | Streak: FS W 4 | Last: FS 8-0 (2/16/18)

Promotions:

Strike Out Cancer Weekend
Join us as we honor individuals who have battled cancer
Help us spotlight some great local cancer organizations whose tireless work affects so many right here in our community

Friday

Youth Jersey Friday
All kids 12 and under get in FREE with a jersey!

Saturday

Autographs after the second Fresno State game!

Sunday

All fans wearing pink get in FREE!
Salute to Sunday
All active military and veterans receive FREE admission with ID!
Kids are invited to run the bases after the second game!

Bulldog Bones

The 'Dogs host the Fresno State Invitational having won nine straight non-conference games and 15-6 in non-conference contests this year.
Fresno State is 8-2 at home this year with a .317 team batting average and 1.83 team ERA through 10 home games.
The Bulldogs will face half of the West Coast Conference (WCC) during the tournament as three of the six WCC teams are taking part.
Fresno State is 51-2 all-time against Santa Clara, its highest winning percentage (.962) against any school in program history.
Pacific and CSU Bakersfield are both competing in a tournament at Fresno State for the second consecutive season.

Scouting the Fresno State Invitational

San Diego is 14-15 on the season after sweeping a three-game home series with UC Santa Barbara last week. The Toreros also won two of three games against CSU Bakersfield and are 12-7 at home this year but 0-3 on the road. The Toreros lead the West Coast Conference hitting .278 and with 3.79 runs per game and have a 3.88 team ERA. Sara Silveyra leads the team hitting .363 with 18 RBIs. The Bulldogs have won four straight meetings with San Diego.
Santa Clara has lost four straight games after being swept by UC Riverside last weekend to drop to 7-18 on the year. The Broncos are hitting just .241 as a team this season and have hit just four home runs in 25 games. Samantha Needham is tied with Vanessa Hernandez for 14th in Div. I with 11 doubles and Regan Diaz leads the WCC with a .482 OBP. Fresno State is 51-2 all-time vs. Santa Clara, its best winning percentage (.962) vs. any opponent in program history.
Pacific hosts Oregon on Wednesday night before coming to Fresno on Saturday. The Tigers enter the week 14-15 after losing twice to Marist at home last Friday. Pacific is hitting .232 on the season and has committed 48 errors but has a solid 3.41 team ERA. Hailey Reed leads the WCC with a 2.01 ERA and 85 strikeouts over 73.0 innings pitched but has just a 6-5 record. Pacific will play in Fresno for the second straight year after going 3-2 in the 2018 Bulldog Classic.
CSU Bakersfield went 2-1 in its first WAC series last weekend hosting California Baptist. The Roadrunners have three road wins this year and lost twice at home vs. North Dakota. CSUB has also hit only four homers this season but has nine triples and ranks second in the country turning 0.83 double plays per game. The Runners have a 4.10 team ERA and are hitting .262. CSUB was also in the Bulldog Classic last year and went 1-4, losing 8-0 in five innings vs. the 'Dogs.

Home Cooking

Fresno State is 8-2 at home this season with a 7-0 record in home non-conference games.
In 10 home game the Bulldogs have hit .317 with four home runs and 16 doubles and scored 44 runs while also going 15-for-18 in stolen base attempts.
The Fresno State pitchers have combined for a 1.83 ERA and .207 opposing batting average at home while allowing just 20 runs over 69.0 innings with 57 strikeouts. All three pitchers have ERA's below 2.45 this season at Margie Wright Diamond.

Lots of WCC to see

Fresno State plays half of the West Coast Conference (WCC) this weekend with three of the six league members coming to Fresno.
The Bulldogs have already played two of the other WCC schools as well, beating Saint Mary's in Hawaii and topping Loyola Marymount in Fullerton.
The only WCC team that the 'Dogs won't face this year is BYU, which was picked to win the league in the preseason coaches' poll.

Queen of Contact

Rachel Minogue ranks as the fourth toughest player to strike out in NCAA Div. I, having struck out just one time in 82 official at-bats this season.
Only one player in the nation, Texas sophomore Janae Jefferson, has more at-bats than Minogue and one or fewer strikeouts. Two qualified hitters have not struck out at all this year but neither has more than 60 at-bats.
Minogue's only strikeout this year came at No. 1 UCLA in Megan Faraimo's 5-inning no-hitter. She has just one K in 92 total plate appearances this year after striking out just six times all last year.
Minogue is also hitting .417 with six doubles and 11 RBIs over the last 15 games with seven multi-hit games.

Non-Conference Streaking

Fresno State has won nine straight non-conference games and is 15-6 in non-conference games this year (15-3 vs. non top-10 teams).
Despite MW play starting last week, the Bulldogs still have nine more non-conference games to play, all at home, starting with six this week.
The 'Dogs went 6-1 against Big West teams this year with wins over five different conference members.

Nua to the Lineup

Senior Jade Nua made her first start as a Bulldog against North Dakota on March 8 and hasn't left the starting lineup since. She has started each of the last 12 games with a hit in 11 and has reached base in 14 consecutive games overall.
Over the last 14 games Nua is hitting .406 with two home runs, nine RBIs, and seven runs scored with a .548 on-base percentage.
Nua, a junior college transfer who had just three at bats in her first season with the 'Dogs last year, is also tied for the MW lead with seven hit-by-pitches this year.

Super Support

The Red Wave has averaged 1,045 fans per game over the first 10 Bulldog home games. That average is 13th most in NCAA Div. I, the highest among all 20 Div. I schools in California (including No. 1 UCLA), and the second highest among non-Power-5 schools.
The Red Wave averaged 1,071 fans per game last season, the most in California and the 15th highest attendance average in the nation. The 'Dogs total attendance of 27,853 fans was 16th most in Div. I.
Fresno State has averaged more than 1,000 fans per game for 26 consecutive seasons. No other MW team averaged more than 520 fans last year, less than half of the 'Dogs average.

Superstar-ter

In 10 starts this season sophomore transfer Hailey Dolcini is 7-2 with a 1.37 ERA and .216 opposing batting average with 53 strikeouts in 56.1 innings pitched.
Fresno State has won eight of Dolcini's first 10 starts as a Bulldog and the sophomore has allowed two earned runs or fewer in nine of her 10 starts with three shutouts.
Dolcini started her Fresno State career with a bang as she was named MW Pitcher of the Week for her first week as a Bulldog.

Score First, Win Game

Fresno State is 13-0 this season when scoring first.
The 'Dogs are 6-0 when leading after the first inning, 11-0 when leading after the second inning, and 13-0 when leading after the fifth inning.
The Bulldogs have just two losses this season in games in which they held a lead.

Flying Freshman

Freshman McKenzie Wilson leads the 'Dogs and is tied for second in the MW with 15 stolen bases while being caught stealing just four times this year.
Wilson has had at least one stolen base in seven of the last 12 games with two steals in three different games and just two caught stealings during the stretch.
The 'Dogs are 11-7 with Wilson hitting leadoff this season as she is also hitting .346 and leading the team with 21 runs scored.

Hitting Their Stride

As a team the 'Dogs are hitting .322 and averaging 4.7 runs per game over the last 15 contests.
The 'Dogs hit .284 and scored 4.3 runs per game at Colorado State with the CSU pitchers posting a 4.55 ERA in the series after entering the weekend with a 1.70 ERA and .194 opposing batting average while allowing just two runs per game on the year.

Top Slugger

Bulldog senior center fielder Vanessa Hernandez is tied for the MW lead with 11 doubles and is tied for second in the conference with six home runs.
Hernandez is tied for 14th in NCAA Div. I in doubles and leads the team with 26 RBIs and a .696 slugging percentage.
She has driven in multiple runs in nine games this year with eight multi-hit games.

Happy at Home

Fresno State has won exactly 17 home games in each of the last three seasons and has had a winning home record in all 41 years of the program's existence.
Fresno State is 917-241-1 all-time at home playing in its 42nd season, winning over 79% of its home games in the program's storied history.

On a Rohl

Miranda Rohleder has reached base in 14 of the last 15 games with hits in 11 of the last 15 contests, including four multi-hit games.
The junior second baseman is hitting .381 with a .500 on-base percentage during the streak, drawing 10 walks and also going 3-for-4 in stolen base attempts.
Rohleder leads the team and ranks fourth in the MW with 18 walks this season.

Scoring Early and Late

Fresno State has scored runs in the first inning six times this year and is undefeated in those games.
However, the Bulldogs have done the bulk of their scoring in the fifth and sixth innings with 56 of their 126 total runs in just those two innings.
The 'Dogs have outscored the opposition 38-15 in the sixth inning and later this year.

"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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Bulldogs break from MW play to host Fresno State Invitational

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Hailey Dolcini

Vanessa Hernandez

Rachel Minogue

Jade Nua

Miranda Rohleder

McKenzie Wilson

Fresno State Athletics

Bulldogs break from MW play to host Fresno State Invitational

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Hailey Dolcini

Vanessa Hernandez

Rachel Minogue

Jade Nua

Miranda Rohleder

McKenzie Wilson

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