Fresno State opens MW play hosting SJSU [March 20-21]

March 20-21 | Fresno, Calif. | Margie Wright Diamond
Live Stream | Live Stats
Radio: 790 AM ESPN2 (All FS Games)
Live Updates on Twitter: @FresnoStateSB

vs. San Jose State (Doubleheader) • Sat., March 20 • 1:00 p.m. PT • 3:30 p.m. PT
Series History: Fresno State leads 92-17 | Streak: FS W1 | Last: FS 4-3 (2019)
vs. San Jose State • Sun., March 21 • 12:00 p.m. PT
Series History: Fresno State leads 92-17 | Streak: FS W1 | Last: FS 4-3 (2019)

The Fresno State softball team will open Mountain West play against San Jose State this weekend at Margie Wright Diamond. The Bulldogs and Spartans will open the series with a doubleheader on Saturday and finish with a single game on Sunday.

Due to current state guidelines, fans are not able to attend home games at the Margie Wright Diamond during the 2021 season. Fans will be able to keep up with the action by watching the MW Network or following live stats.

BULLDOG BITES:

Fresno State is 12-6 this season and 9-3 at home.
Fresno State is coming off a 3-1 weekend at the Bulldogs Classic, after posting two wins over UC Davis and splitting games with Cal.
Fresno State has won 10 out of its last 11 games.
Fresno State is 5-2 in MW openers.
Fresno State leads the MW in ERA (2.39), opposing batting average (.243), slugging percentage (.455), runs scored (95) and runs batted in (84). The Bulldogs rank No. 2 in on base percentage (.375), No. 2 in batters struck out (116), No. 3 in hits (121) and No. 3 in stolen bases (19).
Fresno State has four players batting above .300 in Vanessa Hernandez (.474), Hayleigh Galvan (.421), Kaitlin Jennings (.404) and Adrianna Noriega (.350).
The Bulldogs have their sights set on a Mountain West title and a 34th trip to the NCAA Regionals. Fresno State has played in the postseason four of the last five seasons. The 'Dogs have won 23 conference titles, 59 NCAA Regional games, and have made 12 trips to the Women's College World Series with one title win in 1998 and four runner-up finishes.
Fresno State recorded a 30-win season for the 38th consecutive year in 2019. The program has had an overall winning record in all 42 seasons of its existence.

SCOUTING THE SPARTANS:

SJSU is 4-10 this season, and 3-7 on the road.
SJSU is coming off a 1-1 weekend, splitting games with Santa Clara University.
Junior Alyssa Graham leads the MW in batting average (.421) and ranks No. 3 in on base percentage (.500).
SJSU is led in the circle by junior Jenessa Ullegue, touting a 3.32 ERA and a 4-4 record.

Dolcini, Noriega Sweep MW Weekly Accolades

The Fresno State softball team swept the Mountain West weekly accolades for the third consecutive week.
Senior right-handed pitcher Hailey Dolcini tabbed Pitcher of the Week for the third consecutive week and sophomore Adrianna Noriega earned Player of the Week honors.
Dolcini led the Bulldogs in the circle going 2-0, throwing two complete games and a shutout. The Ferndale, Calif. native finished the weekend with 22 strikeouts and a 0.00 ERA, only allowing two walks.
This is Dolcini's third MW weekly award and the 10th of her career.
Noriega led the Bulldogs at the plate, going 7-for-12 (.583) with a .667 slugging percentage. The sophomore logged three multi-hit games over the weekend and recorded a team-high four RBIs.
This is the first MW weekly award of Noriega's career.

Dealing Dolcini

Hailey Dolcini owns a 7-3 record, including four shutouts.
Dolcini leads the MW in ERA (1.34) and strikeouts (79).
Dolcini has recorded four games with 10+ strikeouts.
The senior recorded the 16th perfect game in program history in the 11-0 victory over Sacramento State on Feb. 27, 2021, the first one the Bulldogs have seen since 2015.
Dolcini has earned three MW Pitcher of the Week honors this season.

Jennings the Jet

Senior Kaitlyn Jennings has been the backbone of the Bulldogs' offense, starting all 18 games in the leadoff position.
Jennings has recorded a hit in 14 out of 18 games, including five multi-hit games.
Jennings has recorded a .404 batting average, .731 slugging percentage and a .516 on-base percentage.
Jennings has chalked 18 hits, 16 runs and 10 stolen bases.
Jennings leads the MW in batting average.

Mountain West Favorite

The nine Mountain West softball head coaches chose Fresno State as the preseason favorite to win the 2021 regular season.
The vote was unanimous as the Bulldogs tallied all eight first place votes, as head coaches are not allowed to vote for their own team, to total 64 total points.
UNLV was picked to finish second (52 points, 1 first place vote) and San Diego State locked in third place (49 points) to round out the top three positions. Boise State (41 points) and San Jose State (38) were picked to finish in the middle of the conference standings, followed by Colorado State, Nevada, Utah State and New Mexico.
This marked the first time the Bulldogs have been selected to win the conference since 2017. The last time the Bulldogs won the Mountain West title was in 2016, after going 22-1 in conference play.

2020 Review

The Bulldogs posted a 21-4 record before the abrupt ending of the 2020 season. Fresno State finished with a ranking of No. 23 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll and No. 24 in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Coaches Poll.
Fresno State was No. 12 in the nation in win-loss percentage (0.840) and the Bulldogs finished the season a perfect 15-0 at home. Fresno State's only losses came at the hands of No. 2 Washington, then-No. 7 Florida, then-No. 17 Michigan and RV/RV Stanford. The Bulldogs wrapped up the season winning 13 of their last 14 games.
The Bulldogs led the nation in triples with 23 averaging 0.92 per game and led the MW in scoring (5.92 runs per game) and slugging percentage (0.505). Fresno State excelled at base-running as the conference leader in stolen bases and finished the season ranked No. 14 - averaging 2.16 stolen bases per game.
In the circle, the Bulldogs' pitchers notched six shutouts and earned a 2.67 team ERA. Junior Hailey Dolcini was dominant in the circle for Fresno State. Dolcini owned a 10-1 record, touting the marque victory over No. 3 Texas. She recorded a 1.51 ERA, four shutouts and 77 strikeouts in 2020. Dolcini also earned two MW Pitcher of the Week honors - the only player in the conference to earn multiple weekly awards - and had one of the best games of her career against UIC (Feb. 21) when she threw a no-hitter with 15 strikeouts.

"Fresno State Athletics: The Pride of the Valley" – The Bulldog Foundation creates championship experiences for Fresno State student-athletes as they strive for excellence in the classroom, in competition, and in life. To become a BDF member, please visit bulldogfoundation.org.

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Fresno State opens MW play hosting SJSU [March 20-21]

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Players Mentioned

Hailey Dolcini

Hayleigh Galvan

Vanessa Hernandez

Kaitlyn Jennings

Adrianna Noriega

Fresno State opens MW play hosting SJSU [March 20-21]

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Next Event

Players Mentioned

Hailey Dolcini

Hayleigh Galvan

Vanessa Hernandez

Kaitlyn Jennings

Adrianna Noriega

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