Fresno State Athletics
Players Mentioned
Homegrown: Lauryn Carranco
2/5/2026 7:48:00 PM | Softball
Lauryn Carranco returns to the Valley to wear a Fresno State jersey and play in front of her hometown crowd. As the Clovis native prepares to step into the circle for one final season, she reflects on the journey that brought her back home.
Growing up just down the road from Fresno State, attending softball games at Margie Wright Diamond and cheering on the Bulldogs are some of her fondest memories.
Former Bulldog pitcher Jill Compton, a two-time Mountain West Pitcher of the Year, was a childhood hero.
"When I think about who I looked up to growing up, Jill Compton is a big one. I remember watching her at Margie Wright Diamond," Carranco said.
Carranco began playing softball at 7 years old. While she's now known for dominating in the circle, she started as a shortstop, something she now laughs about. When she was eight, playing recreation softball, her team's pitcher had aged out. When the coach asked who wanted to pitch, Carranco raised her hand and the rest is history.
She went on to be a standout pitcher at Clovis High School. Carranco was an All-State first-team selection as a senior, leading the Cougars to a 2022 Central Section Division I championship and to the NorCal Regional Division I finals. She had 25 wins, leading the state in victories. Carranco also was the Cougars' defensive MVP in her junior season, recording 240 strikeouts with a 0.89 ERA, and finished her prep career as a two-time all-league selection.
After graduation, she spent three seasons at Cal State Northridge playing for Charlotte Morgan, who in May was hired to be the Bulldogs' head coach. Carranco earned an impressive list of accolades as a Matador, earning All-Big West Conference first-team honors in 2023 and 2025 and second-team honors in 2024. She was the Freshman Pitcher of the Year in the Big West in 2023 and on the conference's all-freshman team, making an immediate impact on the program.Â
Carranco is coming off her best season in the circle, making 34 appearances with 32 starts in 2025 at CSUN. Carranco pitched 20 complete games, recorded three shutouts and racked up 113 strikeouts in 189.2 innings.
Carranco, who had always wanted to be a Bulldog, entered the transfer portal at the end of the season with the intention of returning home to play her final season.
"It's still surreal to me," she said. "I have to pinch myself when I think about the opportunity to play on the field where I grew up watching games. It's truly been a dream come true. I've felt so much support, not only from my family but from the community. When I'm on the field at Margie Wright Diamond and see those little girls in the stands, it'll be a full-circle moment for me because I was one of them."
Carranco committed to Fresno State before she knew Morgan would also be heading to the Valley from CSUN. Morgan is ecstatic to have her for another season.
"Lauryn is the complete package as a student-athlete," Morgan said. "She's the ultimate competitor and is constantly working on her craft. She's had a successful career, but she's never complacent and never satisfied, and I love that about her. She's a straight-A student and is involved in the community."
Morgan, a Southern California native, grew up dreaming of playing at Fresno State, just like Carranco.
 "I think it was meant to be for us to spend her final season together," Morgan said. "It's funny how our stories both began with wanting to be Fresno State Bulldogs and now we are here."
Carranco looks forward to making her Bulldog debut on Feb. 6 in the Fresno State Kickoff Classic against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville at 3 p.m. PT at Margie Wright Diamond.
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