Fresno State Athletics
Tuesday, April 23
Fresno, CA
6:05 PM
Fresno State
vs
Pacific
Photo by: Kiel Maddox
Diamond 'Dogs welcome Pacific for Pride of the Valley Night
4/22/2019 4:30:00 PM | Baseball
Riding a five-game winning streak, the Diamond 'Dogs open a five-game homestand on Tuesday hosting Pacific for Pride of the Valley Night.
FRESNO, Calif. - Riding a five-game winning streak, the Diamond 'Dogs open a five-game homestand on Tuesday hosting Pacific for Pride of the Valley Night.
Game 37:Â Pacific (21-18, 8-10 WCC) at Fresno State (24-12, 11-6 MW)
First Pitch:Â April 23 - Tue: 6:05 p.m.
Stadium:Â Pete Beiden Field at Bob Bennett Stadium
Surface:Â Grass
Dimensions:Â 330 (LF), 400 (CF), 330 (RF)
All-Time Series:Â Fresno State leads 98-47
Last Meeting:Â Fresno State defeated Pacific, 17-2 (March 19, 2019 in Stockton, Calif.)
Video:Â Mountain West NetworkÂ
Radio:Â N/A
Live Stats:Â Sidearm
Twitter:Â @FresnoStateBSB
Pitching Probables: Fresno State vs. Pacific
Tuesday: So. RHP Jamison Hill (0-1, 5.06 ERA) vs. Fr. RHP Elijah Birdsong (0-1, 4.08 ERA)
Promotions
Tuesday: Pride of the Valley Night
• Fresno State is currently on a season-long five-game winning streak after sweeping San Jose State on the road over the weekend.
• The 'Dogs defeated the Spartans by scores of 8-6, 7-5 and 6-1 to move into sole possession of first place in the MW and have now won nine of their last 10 games.
• The Bulldogs will meet Pacific for the second time this season on Tuesday after defeating the Tigers, 17-2 on March 19 in Stockton scoring a season-high number of runs and had its largest margin of victory.
• Fresno State leads the all-time series over Pacific, 98-47.
• The 'Dogs won the last contest between the two teams in Fresno in 2017, 10-4.
• Senior center fielder Zach Ashford leads the 'Dogs hitting .368 from the dish, third-best in the MW, and tops the team in hits (53), runs (42), walks (26), on-base percentage (.474), stolen bases (7) and multi-hit games (18).
• Sophomore right-hander Jamison Hill will make his fourth start of the season on Tuesday and comes into the game with a 5.06 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 21.1 innings.
Fresno State vs. Pacific - The Series
• Fresno State and Pacific have met 145 times on the baseball diamond.
• The Bulldogs lead the all-time series over the Tigers, 98-47.
• The two teams met previously this season on March 19 with the 'Dogs scoring a season-high 17 runs in a 15-run rout of the Tigers.
• The last meeting between the two teams in Fresno came on Feb. 28, 2017, a 10-4 win for the Bulldogs.
• Head coach Mike Batesole is 3-6 against Pacific while at Fresno State with wins in 2013 (A), 2017 (H) and 2019 (A).
SERIES HISTORY
All-Time: Fresno State, 98-47
Last Meeting: March 19, 2019 (Stockton, Calif.) - W, 17-2
Current Streak: W1
Last Fresno State Win: March 19, 2019 (17-2) - Stockton, Calif.
Last Pacific Win: April 19, 2017 (12-11) - Stockton, Calif.
Where Fresno State Rank Offensively in the Mountain West/nation in 2019 (as of 4/22/19)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
• .290 Batting Average: No. 3 - 45th nationally
• .428 Slugging Pct: No. T-1
• .379 On base Pct: No. 2
• 27 sacrifice bunts: No. 2 - 35th nationally
• 235 Runs: No. 4
• 360 Hits: No. 4
• 205 RBI: No. 4
• 69 Doubles: No. 6
• 5 Triples: No. T-6
• 31 Home Runs: No. 2
Where Fresno State Rank Pitching in the Mountain West/nation in 2019 (as of 4/22/19) 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 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
• 3.71 ERA: No. 1 - 36th nationally
• .249 Opposing bat average: No. 2
• 14 saves: No. 1
• 333 strikeouts: No. 2
• 130 Earned runs allowed: No. 1
• 300 Hits allowed: No. 1
• 144 walks allowed: No. 3
• 44 doubles allowed: No. 1
• 2 triples allowed: No. 1
• 18 home runs allowed: No. 2
Where Fresno State Rank Fielding in the Mountain West/nation in 2019 (as of 4/22/19) 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 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
• .967 Fielding Percentage: No. 4
• 343 Assists: No. 6
• 18 double plays: No. 7
Where Fresno State Players Rank in the Mountain West/NCAA in 2019 (as of 4/22/19) Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Batting average: Zach Ashford - 3rd (.368); McCarthy Tatum - Â 8th (.336)
Slugging percentage: Tatum - 3rd (.596)
On-base percentage: Zach Ashford - 3rd (.474)Â
Runs: Ashford - 3rd (42); Carter Bins - 4th (37)
RBI: Tatum - 1st (47)/RBI per game: 1.31 - 1st - 22nd/17th in nation
Home runs: Tatum - T-3rd (8); Zach Presno - T-7th (6)
Walks: Ashford - 2nd (26)
Sacrifice bunts: Nolan Dempsey - 2nd (7) - 39th nationally
ERA: Ryan Jensen - 9th (3.48)
Opposing batting average: Jensen - 9th (.247)
Innings pitched: Ryan Jensen - 8th (54.1)
Strikeouts: Jensen - 3rd (61)
Wins: Jensen & Moore - 1st (6) - 36th nationally
Saves: Jaime Arias - T-1st (9) - 12th nationally
Fielding percentage: Ashford - T-1st (1.000)
A look at the Pacific Tigers                           Â
Pacific enters Tuesday's contest against the Bulldogs with a 21-18 overall record and a 9-12 record on the road this season. Â The Tigers, who were picked to finish last in the West Coast Conference preseason poll, are coming off winning one of three games at home against WCC opponent San Francisco over the weekend winning the series opener, 13-6 before losing the last two games, 6-3 and 9-4.
 Â
Pacific is hitting .256 as a team while scoring 5.5 runs per game and 8.6 hits per game. The Tigers rank third in the nation with 41 sacrifice bunts.
Junior catcher James Free II leads the team with a .336 average topping the club in hits (51), doubles (11), home runs (6), RBI (29), total bases (80) and slugging percentage (.526).
On the mound, the Tigers have a staff ERA of 4.08, fifth in the WCC, while allowing 5.2 runs per game and 7.9 strikeouts per game. Freshman right-hander Elijah Birdsong will make his third start of the season on Tuesday for the Tigers and enters the game with a 0-1 mark and a 4.08 ERA.Â
The Benicia, Calif., native has 14 strikeouts in 17.2 innings holding opponents to a .275 average and has only allowed four walks and eight earned runs.
Nolan Dempsey and Nikoh Mitchell named Mountain West Player and Pitcher of the Week honors
Senior second baseman Nolan Dempsey and sophomore pitcher Nikoh Mitchell were named the Mountain West Player and Pitcher of the Week.Â
Helping the 'Dogs to a perfect 4-0 mark and a sweep over San Jose State on the road, Dempsey had a standout week from the plate hitting .389 going 7-for-18. The San Carlos, Calif., native registered a 1.000 slugging percentage on the week with two doubles, three home runs, three runs scored, eight RBI and 18 total bases.
On the pitching side, Mitchell posted a season-long outing against the Spartans on Saturday working into the seventh inning tossing 6.1 innings while holding San Jose State to three hits, all singles.The Hayward, Calif., native struck out seven while walking two and only allowed one earned run helping the 'Dogs complete the series sweep of the Spartans.
Five straight win have the Bulldogs moving up the RPI rankings
The Diamond 'Dogs are on a season-long five-game winning streak and sitting atop the Mountain West with a league-best No. 47 RPI ranking as of Monday.
The 'Dogs remaining opponents' RPI rankings for the remainder of the regular season are Pacific (132), New Mexico (186), Cal Poly (141), Nevada (135), CSU Bakersfield (225), San Diego State (74) and UNLV (111).
'Dogs looking to keep continued midweek success          Â
Playing its seventh straight midweek contest, the Bulldogs are 5-1 so far this season with wins over San Francisco, Pacific CSU Bakersfield twice and Cal Poly to go with a loss at then-No. 2 Stanford on April 2.
After Tuesday's contest against Pacific, the 'Dogs will host Cal Poly on April 30 and wrap midweek action with one final game against CSUB on May 7.
Bulldog pitching staff continues to dominant
The 'Dogs lead the MW in ERA (3.71), earned runs allowed (130), hits allowed (300), doubles allowed (44), triples allowed (2), home runs allowed (18) and saves (14).
In addition, the 'Dogs have given up three runs or less in 16 of its 36 games and are 14-2 in those contests.
'Dogs off to third-best start after 36 games under Coach Batesole
The Bulldogs are 24-12 overall and its 24 wins over the first 36 games of the season are only surpassed by 2011 (28) and 2006 (26) for most wins to this point in the season. Each of those seasons saw Fresno State win the WAC regular season and conference tournament titles along with NCAA Tournament berths.
Bins named to Buster Posey Award Watch List
Junior catcher Carter Bins was named to the Buster Posey Award Watch List on April 2 which is given to the nation's top division one collegiate catcher by the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission.
Ashford named a Senior CLASS Award Candidate
Senior outfielder Zach Ashford has been named a candidate for the 2019 Senior CLASS Award, the organization announced on March 22. Thirty NCAA baseball student-athletes who excel both on and off the field were selected as candidates for the 2019 Senior CLASS Award in collegiate baseball.Â
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. The 10 finalists for the award were named on April 10, but Ashford unfortunately did not make the cut.
Batesole reaches 800 career win milestone                              Â
Head coach Mike Batesole reached career win number 800 on Feb. 16 in the Bulldogs' 6-3 season-opening win over Utah Valley at Pete Beiden Field at Bob Bennett Stadium. Now in his 17th season at the helm of the Bulldogs this season, Batesole has won 567 games at Fresno State and 256 at CSUN from 1996-2002 for a total of 823 career wins.
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.
Up Next
The Bulldogs continue their homestand this weekend hosting New Mexico (18-21, 7-11 MW) for the two teams lone series of the season. It will be Legends Weekend as the 'Dogs will honor former Bulldog baseball alumni all 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
Game 37:Â Pacific (21-18, 8-10 WCC) at Fresno State (24-12, 11-6 MW)
First Pitch:Â April 23 - Tue: 6:05 p.m.
Stadium:Â Pete Beiden Field at Bob Bennett Stadium
Surface:Â Grass
Dimensions:Â 330 (LF), 400 (CF), 330 (RF)
All-Time Series:Â Fresno State leads 98-47
Last Meeting:Â Fresno State defeated Pacific, 17-2 (March 19, 2019 in Stockton, Calif.)
Video:Â Mountain West NetworkÂ
Radio:Â N/A
Live Stats:Â Sidearm
Twitter:Â @FresnoStateBSB
Pitching Probables: Fresno State vs. Pacific
Tuesday: So. RHP Jamison Hill (0-1, 5.06 ERA) vs. Fr. RHP Elijah Birdsong (0-1, 4.08 ERA)
Promotions
Tuesday: Pride of the Valley Night
- Wear GREEN to the game and get in FREE!
- First Pitch by Dr. Sandra Witte, Dean of the Jordan College of Agriculture Sciences and Technology
• Fresno State is currently on a season-long five-game winning streak after sweeping San Jose State on the road over the weekend.
• The 'Dogs defeated the Spartans by scores of 8-6, 7-5 and 6-1 to move into sole possession of first place in the MW and have now won nine of their last 10 games.
• The Bulldogs will meet Pacific for the second time this season on Tuesday after defeating the Tigers, 17-2 on March 19 in Stockton scoring a season-high number of runs and had its largest margin of victory.
• Fresno State leads the all-time series over Pacific, 98-47.
• The 'Dogs won the last contest between the two teams in Fresno in 2017, 10-4.
• Senior center fielder Zach Ashford leads the 'Dogs hitting .368 from the dish, third-best in the MW, and tops the team in hits (53), runs (42), walks (26), on-base percentage (.474), stolen bases (7) and multi-hit games (18).
• Sophomore right-hander Jamison Hill will make his fourth start of the season on Tuesday and comes into the game with a 5.06 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 21.1 innings.
Fresno State vs. Pacific - The Series
• Fresno State and Pacific have met 145 times on the baseball diamond.
• The Bulldogs lead the all-time series over the Tigers, 98-47.
• The two teams met previously this season on March 19 with the 'Dogs scoring a season-high 17 runs in a 15-run rout of the Tigers.
• The last meeting between the two teams in Fresno came on Feb. 28, 2017, a 10-4 win for the Bulldogs.
• Head coach Mike Batesole is 3-6 against Pacific while at Fresno State with wins in 2013 (A), 2017 (H) and 2019 (A).
SERIES HISTORY
All-Time: Fresno State, 98-47
Last Meeting: March 19, 2019 (Stockton, Calif.) - W, 17-2
Current Streak: W1
Last Fresno State Win: March 19, 2019 (17-2) - Stockton, Calif.
Last Pacific Win: April 19, 2017 (12-11) - Stockton, Calif.
Where Fresno State Rank Offensively in the Mountain West/nation in 2019 (as of 4/22/19)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
• .290 Batting Average: No. 3 - 45th nationally
• .428 Slugging Pct: No. T-1
• .379 On base Pct: No. 2
• 27 sacrifice bunts: No. 2 - 35th nationally
• 235 Runs: No. 4
• 360 Hits: No. 4
• 205 RBI: No. 4
• 69 Doubles: No. 6
• 5 Triples: No. T-6
• 31 Home Runs: No. 2
Where Fresno State Rank Pitching in the Mountain West/nation in 2019 (as of 4/22/19) 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 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
• 3.71 ERA: No. 1 - 36th nationally
• .249 Opposing bat average: No. 2
• 14 saves: No. 1
• 333 strikeouts: No. 2
• 130 Earned runs allowed: No. 1
• 300 Hits allowed: No. 1
• 144 walks allowed: No. 3
• 44 doubles allowed: No. 1
• 2 triples allowed: No. 1
• 18 home runs allowed: No. 2
Where Fresno State Rank Fielding in the Mountain West/nation in 2019 (as of 4/22/19) 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 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
• .967 Fielding Percentage: No. 4
• 343 Assists: No. 6
• 18 double plays: No. 7
Where Fresno State Players Rank in the Mountain West/NCAA in 2019 (as of 4/22/19) Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Batting average: Zach Ashford - 3rd (.368); McCarthy Tatum - Â 8th (.336)
Slugging percentage: Tatum - 3rd (.596)
On-base percentage: Zach Ashford - 3rd (.474)Â
Runs: Ashford - 3rd (42); Carter Bins - 4th (37)
RBI: Tatum - 1st (47)/RBI per game: 1.31 - 1st - 22nd/17th in nation
Home runs: Tatum - T-3rd (8); Zach Presno - T-7th (6)
Walks: Ashford - 2nd (26)
Sacrifice bunts: Nolan Dempsey - 2nd (7) - 39th nationally
ERA: Ryan Jensen - 9th (3.48)
Opposing batting average: Jensen - 9th (.247)
Innings pitched: Ryan Jensen - 8th (54.1)
Strikeouts: Jensen - 3rd (61)
Wins: Jensen & Moore - 1st (6) - 36th nationally
Saves: Jaime Arias - T-1st (9) - 12th nationally
Fielding percentage: Ashford - T-1st (1.000)
A look at the Pacific Tigers                           Â
Pacific enters Tuesday's contest against the Bulldogs with a 21-18 overall record and a 9-12 record on the road this season. Â The Tigers, who were picked to finish last in the West Coast Conference preseason poll, are coming off winning one of three games at home against WCC opponent San Francisco over the weekend winning the series opener, 13-6 before losing the last two games, 6-3 and 9-4.
 Â
Pacific is hitting .256 as a team while scoring 5.5 runs per game and 8.6 hits per game. The Tigers rank third in the nation with 41 sacrifice bunts.
Junior catcher James Free II leads the team with a .336 average topping the club in hits (51), doubles (11), home runs (6), RBI (29), total bases (80) and slugging percentage (.526).
On the mound, the Tigers have a staff ERA of 4.08, fifth in the WCC, while allowing 5.2 runs per game and 7.9 strikeouts per game. Freshman right-hander Elijah Birdsong will make his third start of the season on Tuesday for the Tigers and enters the game with a 0-1 mark and a 4.08 ERA.Â
The Benicia, Calif., native has 14 strikeouts in 17.2 innings holding opponents to a .275 average and has only allowed four walks and eight earned runs.
Nolan Dempsey and Nikoh Mitchell named Mountain West Player and Pitcher of the Week honors
Senior second baseman Nolan Dempsey and sophomore pitcher Nikoh Mitchell were named the Mountain West Player and Pitcher of the Week.Â
Helping the 'Dogs to a perfect 4-0 mark and a sweep over San Jose State on the road, Dempsey had a standout week from the plate hitting .389 going 7-for-18. The San Carlos, Calif., native registered a 1.000 slugging percentage on the week with two doubles, three home runs, three runs scored, eight RBI and 18 total bases.
On the pitching side, Mitchell posted a season-long outing against the Spartans on Saturday working into the seventh inning tossing 6.1 innings while holding San Jose State to three hits, all singles.The Hayward, Calif., native struck out seven while walking two and only allowed one earned run helping the 'Dogs complete the series sweep of the Spartans.
Five straight win have the Bulldogs moving up the RPI rankings
The Diamond 'Dogs are on a season-long five-game winning streak and sitting atop the Mountain West with a league-best No. 47 RPI ranking as of Monday.
The 'Dogs remaining opponents' RPI rankings for the remainder of the regular season are Pacific (132), New Mexico (186), Cal Poly (141), Nevada (135), CSU Bakersfield (225), San Diego State (74) and UNLV (111).
'Dogs looking to keep continued midweek success          Â
Playing its seventh straight midweek contest, the Bulldogs are 5-1 so far this season with wins over San Francisco, Pacific CSU Bakersfield twice and Cal Poly to go with a loss at then-No. 2 Stanford on April 2.
After Tuesday's contest against Pacific, the 'Dogs will host Cal Poly on April 30 and wrap midweek action with one final game against CSUB on May 7.
Bulldog pitching staff continues to dominant
The 'Dogs lead the MW in ERA (3.71), earned runs allowed (130), hits allowed (300), doubles allowed (44), triples allowed (2), home runs allowed (18) and saves (14).
In addition, the 'Dogs have given up three runs or less in 16 of its 36 games and are 14-2 in those contests.
'Dogs off to third-best start after 36 games under Coach Batesole
The Bulldogs are 24-12 overall and its 24 wins over the first 36 games of the season are only surpassed by 2011 (28) and 2006 (26) for most wins to this point in the season. Each of those seasons saw Fresno State win the WAC regular season and conference tournament titles along with NCAA Tournament berths.
Bins named to Buster Posey Award Watch List
Junior catcher Carter Bins was named to the Buster Posey Award Watch List on April 2 which is given to the nation's top division one collegiate catcher by the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission.
Ashford named a Senior CLASS Award Candidate
Senior outfielder Zach Ashford has been named a candidate for the 2019 Senior CLASS Award, the organization announced on March 22. Thirty NCAA baseball student-athletes who excel both on and off the field were selected as candidates for the 2019 Senior CLASS Award in collegiate baseball.Â
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. The 10 finalists for the award were named on April 10, but Ashford unfortunately did not make the cut.
Batesole reaches 800 career win milestone                              Â
Head coach Mike Batesole reached career win number 800 on Feb. 16 in the Bulldogs' 6-3 season-opening win over Utah Valley at Pete Beiden Field at Bob Bennett Stadium. Now in his 17th season at the helm of the Bulldogs this season, Batesole has won 567 games at Fresno State and 256 at CSUN from 1996-2002 for a total of 823 career wins.
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.
Up Next
The Bulldogs continue their homestand this weekend hosting New Mexico (18-21, 7-11 MW) for the two teams lone series of the season. It will be Legends Weekend as the 'Dogs will honor former Bulldog baseball alumni all 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
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