'Dogs visit Aztecs to finish MW play [May 14-15]

Friday, May 14

San Diego, Calif.

2:00 P.M. PT

Fresno State

San Diego State

Photo by: FRESNO STATE BRAND STRATEGY AND MARKETING - PHOTO BY CARY EDMONDSON

'Dogs visit Aztecs to finish MW play [May 14-15]

5/13/2021 6:05:00 PM | Softball

By: Taylor Martinez / Strategic Communications Assistant

May 14-15 | San Diego, Calif.
Live Scoring | MW Network
Live Updates on Twitter: @FresnoStateSB

at San Diego State (Doubleheader) • Fri., May 14 • 3:30 p.m. PT • 6:00 p.m. PT
Series History: Fresno State leads 66-17 | Streak: SDSU W1 | Last: SDSU 4-2 (2019)
at San Diego State • Sat., May 15 • 12:00 p.m. PT
Series History: Fresno State leads 66-17 | Streak: SDSU W1 | Last: SDSU 4-2 (2019)

Fresno State will wrap up regular season play on the road against San Diego State. The series will open with a doubleheader on Friday before finishing with a single game on Saturday afternoon.

BULLDOG BITES:

Fresno State is 34-9 (18-3 MW) and 7-3 on the road.
Fresno State is receiving votes in both the USA Today/NFCA and ESPN.com/USA Softball polls.
Fresno State is coming off a 3-0 weekend, sweeping Boise State to secure 2021 Mountain West Championship.
Fresno State won its first MW Championship since 2016.
Fresno State punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017.
Keahilele Mattson became the first player in MW history to be named the MW Player of the Year and Co-Freshman of the Year.
Hailey Dolcini was named the Pitcher of the Year.
Adrianna Noriega was named an All-MW First Team selection and Kaitlyn Jennings was named to the All-MW Second Team roster.
Fresno State leads the MW in 19 statistical categories.
Fresno State owns a 1.98 ERA.
Fresno State owns a team batting average of .297.
Fresno State has outscored its opponents 254-89, averaging 5.90 runs per game.
Fresno State has five players batting above .300 in Vanessa Hernandez (.373), Keahilele Mattson (.357), Kaitlyn Jennings (.352), Adrianna Noriega (.351) and Hayleigh Galvan (.305).

SCOUTING THE AZTECS

SDSU is 27-14 (12-9 MW) and 13-6 at home.
SDSU is currently in fourth place in the MW standings.
SDSU is coming off a series win over Colorado State. The Aztecs took two games before falling to the Rams in the series finale.
SDSU has won five consecutive series wins.
SDSU has won 13 out of its last 16 games.
SDSU owns a .276 batting average.
SDSU has three players hitting over .300.
SDSU owns a 3.08 ERA.
Shelby Thompson was named the 2021 MW Defensive Player of the Year.
The Aztecs earned two All-MW First Time selections and two All-MW Second Team selections.

MATTSON NAMED MW PLAYER OF THE YEAR AND CO-FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Mattson became the backbone of the Bulldogs' offense in just her first season donning the Fresno State jersey. The freshman came alive in conference play leading the Bulldogs in batting average (.426), hits (26), doubles (5), triples (2), home runs (7), RBIs (22), slugging percentage (.918) and on base percentage (.750).

Overall, the Alta Loma, Calif. native started all 42 games in left field, recorded a hit in 32 games including 13 multi-hit games. She enters the final weekend of the regular season with 41 hits, 31 runs and 36 RBIs in her debut campaign. She leads the MW in slugging percentage, RBIs, home runs and total bases. The freshman earned MW Player of the Week once this season.

DOLCINI NAMED 2021 MW PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Dolcini was dominant in the circle for the Bulldogs throughout the season. The Ferndale, Calif. native currently sports an overall record of 20-3 and has been named to the USA Softball Collegiate Player Top 25 Finalist List. She led the conference in ERA (1.03), opposing batting average (.169), innings pitched (156.0), batters struck out (234), batters struck out looking (70) and wins (20).

Dolcini was in a league of her own, earning seven MW Pitcher of the Week awards this season. In conference play, she has owned a perfect 12-0 record and a 0.91 ERA enter this weekend's series at SDSU.

Dolcini was crowned the shutout Queen this season -- leading the nation with 13 shutouts, including two perfect games to record the 16th and 17th perfect games in program history. The senior also chalked 12 games with 10 or more strikeouts and tied the program record for most strikeouts in a 7 Inning game with 18 in Fresno State's 6-0 victory over New Mexico on April 2. This is the third time Dolcini has been selected as an All-MW honoree in her career.

2021 MW CHAMPIONS
The Fresno State softball team completed the series sweep over Boise State to win the 2021 Mountain West Championship title on Sunday afternoon at Margie Wright Diamond. The Bulldogs defeated the Broncos 3-1 to punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017 and the 34th time in program history.

Hailey Dolcini pitched a complete game with seven strikeouts. The senior right-handed pitcher improved to 20-3 on the season. Junior Vanessa Hernandez led the Bulldogs at the plate, going 2-for-3 with three RBIs.

"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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