Linda Garza - Softball Coach

Linda Garza

Title:
Head Coach
Email:
Lindagarza@csufresno.edu

Fresno native Linda Garza completed her fourth season as head coach of the Fresno State softball program in 2020. Garza became the fourth head coach in Fresno State's storied history in July of 2016.

In 2020, the Bulldogs finished the short season ranked No. 23 with an overall record of 21-4. Fresno State was a perfect 15-0 at home. The Bulldogs had a marquee 4-3 win over No. 3 Texas on Feb. 29. Fresno State owned a team ERA of 2.67 with six shutouts, limiting opposing batters to a .239 batting average.

Three Bulldogs were named to the All-Mountain West team in Schuylar Broussard, Hailey Dolcini and McKenzie Wilson.

"The season was cut short however the individual performances of Broussard, Dolcini and Wilson was consistent all 25 games," head coach Linda Garza said. "Broussard had a break out year, her tenacity at the plate lead us all season. Dolcini was a rock in the circle. She dominated, and I'm proud of her mental game. She rose to every level and found ways to beat hitters. Wilson is flat out fun to watch. Her ability is limitless. She roams the outfield with grace, has a knack for getting on base and watching her steal bases is fascinating. We had so many great moments this season. These three players really impacted our success all year."

Broussard earned the first All-MW award of her career after having a hot bat this season with a team-high six home runs and a slugging percentage of .737 during the 2020 campaign. The senior ranked within the Top 10 in the nation in RBIs (33), RBIs per game (1.32) and triples (4). The Moreno Valley, Calif. native started all 25 games at shortstop and recorded a .944 fielding percentage.

Dolcini was dominant in the circle for Fresno State. The junior 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 this season - and had one of the best games of her career against UIC (Feb. 21) when she threw a no-hitter with 15 strikeouts. This is the second All-MW honor of Dolcini's career.

Wilson led the Bulldogs at the plate this season. The sophomore finished No. 11 in the nation in hits (37) and ranked within the Top 30 in batting average (0.474) - leading the MW in both categories. As the team's leadoff hitter, she also topped the conference in on-base percentage (0.539). Wilson proved to be one of the best base-runners in the nation. The sophomore ranked No. 2 in the country in stolen bases per game (1.08) and No. 11 in runs per game (1.25), also setting the standard for the conference in both categories. Wilson finished the season with 27 stolen bases in 25 games and was on track to crush the Fresno State single-season stolen base record - a mark she set a year ago in 2019 with 39 stolen bases. Wilson was a solid outfielder for the Bulldogs. She started 24 games in center and made some electrifying layout catches for a perfect 1.00 fielding percentage. This is the third All-MW of Wilson's career.

In 2019 Garza guided the Bulldogs to their most wins since the 2016 season and a postseason berth in the National Invitational Softball Championship (NISC). With 37 wins the 'Dogs recorded their 38th consecutive 30-win season while going 23-5 at home, the most home wins by a Fresno State team since the 2012 season. Fresno State finished the year 37-20 overall and 14-10 in the MW after sweeping NCAA Tournament qualifier Boise State in the last conference series of the season and winning five of their last six MW series.

The Bulldogs were a perfect 31-0 during the season when scoring first and won all but three games all season in games in which they held a lead. Garza's team thrived in all aspects of the game, leading the Mountain West in on-base percentage (.399) and stolen bases (56) offensively, leading in opposing batting average (.235) and shutouts (13) in the circle, and ranking second in fielding percentage (.971). The 2019 Bulldogs broke single-season program records for most saves (7) and fewest errors (43), one better than the previous low of 44 set in 2006.

Individually, McKenzie Wilson became the first Bulldog to be named MW Freshman of the Year and earned All-MW First Team honors after breaking the MW single-season record with 39 steals while hitting .393. Wilson was named to the Schutt Sports/NFCA Freshman of the Year Top-25 list while leading all NCAA Div. I freshmen and ranking seventh overall in the nation in steals, leading the conference in both hits and steals and ranking second with 48 runs scored. She ended the season on a 17-game hitting streak while reaching base in each of the last 25 games of the year.

Joining Wilson on the All-MW teams were pitchers Hailey Dolcini and Danielle Lung, designated player Hayleigh Galvan, and third baseman Schuylar Broussard, who all earned Second Team honors, while Galvan and senior first baseman Rachel Minogue, who ranked as the toughest player to strike out in NCAA Div. I, were both NFCA All-Region Second Team selections. Dolcini was named MW Pitcher of the Week five times, the most by a MW pitcher since 2015, and Lung earned the honor twice as the duo combined to earn half of the total MW Pitcher of the Week honors all season. Galvan was also named MW Player of the Week twice and Broussard earned the honor once.

Garza's team once again led all 20 NCAA Div. I schools, including National Champion UCLA, in average attendance with 1,069 fans per game over 28 home dates while no other MW team drew more than 484 fans per game. The team's total attendance ranked 12th in the nation as the 'Dogs averaged more than 1,000 fans per game for the 26th consecutive season.

In her second season leading the program, Garza guided the Bulldogs to their 37th consecutive 30-win season and a winning record for the 41st straight year since the program's inception. The team finished with a 31-23 overall record and a 14-10 mark in the Mountain West despite losing four starting position players and the reigning MW Pitcher of the Year from the 2017 squad. The Bulldogs finished in third place in the Mountain West, extending the program's run of 26 consecutive top-three conference finishes.

In 2018 Garza led the 'Dogs to a 10-game winning streak, the longest since a program-record 23 straight wins in 2016, and had the team earn votes in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches' Poll in three different weeks. Bulldog hitters shattered program and Mountain West records with 71 hit-by-pitches in 2018, the second highest total in NCAA Div. I, and drew a program-record 213 walks as the team ranked fifth in all of NCAA Div. I with a .410 season on-base percentage.

The Bulldogs beat four Power-5 schools in 2018, earning a win over NCAA Tournament qualifier Notre Dame while also beating Stanford twice and topping Purdue. Fresno State also had wins over NCAA Tournament teams Boise State and Monmouth and won each of its first five MW series of the year with two series sweeps.

Garza guided true freshman Danielle East to a historic first year leading the Bulldog pitching staff as she led the Mountain West with 97 strikeouts in league games while breaking the Mountain West record for strikeouts by a freshman in conference play. East threw a five-inning no-hitter at New Mexico in which all 15 outs were strikeouts, tossing the 74^th no-hitter in program history but the first in which every out was a strikeout. The 15 consecutive strikeouts were also a single-game program record.

A total of five Bulldogs earned All-Mountain West honors in 2018 with four first team selections. The 'Dogs had one All-MW First Team selection from each class, as senior Katie Castellon, junior Rachel Minogue, sophomore Hayleigh Galvan, and freshman Danielle East earned the honor. Sophomore pitcher Samantha Mejia received a Second Team selection.

Galvan also earned NFCA All-Region honors as she was named to the Pacific region third team. The first-year Bulldog led the team in batting average (.372), slugging percentage (.657), and on-base percentage (.511) and was tied for the team lead with 90 total bases. She ranked 22^nd in NCAA Div. I in on-base percentage and had an 18-game hitting streak, the fifth longest in program history.

Garza's team drew 1,071 fans per game, leading all California schools and ranking 15th overall in NCAA Div. I in home attendance as the program averaged over 1,000 fans per game for the 26th consecutive season. On March 24 Fresno State welcomed back the 1998 National Championship team for a 20th anniversary celebration with former coach Margie Wright and several members from the first national championship team in Fresno State school history.

In her first season in 2017, Garza took over a team that had won back-to-back Mountain West Championships, but lost eight seniors to graduation, including the reigning MW Pitcher of the Year and MW Defensive Player of the Year.

She wrapped up her first season at the helm of the program with a 35-23 record, continuing Fresno State's streak of 36 straight 30-win seasons, and the Bulldogs' 33rd NCAA Tournament appearance. Fresno State tied for third place in the MW with a 14-9 conference record and received an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament Seattle Regional. In the regional, the 'Dogs fell to No. 20 Michigan 3-1, shut out Montana 7-0, then fell to Michigan again, 4-0.

The Bulldogs began the season ranked No. 24 in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches' Poll and moved up to No. 21 on Feb. 14.

Five players on the Bulldogs' 2017 squad were named NFCA All-Pacific Region, four were selected to All-MW teams (two first-team and two second-team) and sophomore pitcher Kamalani Dung earned the honor of MW Pitcher of the Year. Fresno State also had seven MW All-Academic selections.

In 2017, the Bulldogs broke the program's single-season record for grand slams (5) and the single-game record for RBIs (23), which they accomplished against Stanford on Feb. 12. Also in their game against Stanford, they tied the single-game program records for runs (24), home runs (6) and total bases (40).

As a team, the Bulldog pitching staff led the MW with a 2.95 ERA (88th in NCAA) and ranked fourth in scoring (5.16 runs/game), which ranked 46th in the NCAA. The 'Dogs also ranked fourth in the conference with a .435 slugging percentage (59th in NCAA) and seventh in batting average (.282).

Throughout the season, the Bulldogs were 17-8 at home, 8-7 in away games and 10-8 on neutral fields. Scoring was a priority for the 'Dogs as they went 24-2 when scoring five runs or more and 6-18 when scoring three or fewer. Fresno State was 17-2 when scoring in the first inning and was 22-6 when scoring first. The Bulldogs played in six extra-inning games, going 4-2 in them, and their best winning streak was six games, achieved in back-to-back series sweeps of UNLV and New Mexico.

Prior to coming to Fresno State, she spent four seasons at the helm of the UC Riverside program, in which the team won 39 and 32 games in 2015 and 2016, respectively. Garza also led Wright State to a 31-win season, Horizon League title and an automatic NCAA tournament berth in 2010.

Prior to her time at UC Riverside, Garza was an associate head coach at Cal Poly (2010-12), head coach at Wright State (2009-10), and an assistant coach at Purdue (2005-09), Tulsa (2004-05) and Arkansas (2002-04).

In the summer of 2012, Garza took over an 11-year-old UC Riverside program that had yet to have a winning season and averaged only 17.4 wins per season over that span. The Highlanders went 13-33 in 2011 and by 2015 she led them to a 39-17 record and the 14th-best ERA (2.13) in the nation. The team averaged 28.8 wins under the leadership of Garza and she coached over 10 All-Big West student-athletes, three NFCA all-region performers, and back-to-back 20-game winning pitchers in 2015 and 2016.

During her time at UCR, nearly every major offensive, defensive and pitching records were set. Its back-to-back 30-win seasons (2015-16) were a first for the program since joining the Big West in 2002 and its 2015 RPI ranking (70) was its highest ever. Garza’s student-athletes also shined in the classroom - posting the program’s highest team grade point average (GPA) in program history in 2014 at 3.33.

Prior to UCR, Garza was the associate head coach/recruiting coordinator for Cal Poly (2010-12), while coaching the outfield and assisting with hitting and the infield. She also assisted with all day-to-day operations of the program.

As the head coach at Wright State in 2010, the Raiders established single-season records for hits (538), walks (148) and stolen bases (150). This came after serving as an assistant at Purdue and aiding the Boilermakers to 30-plus victories during each of her four seasons.

Garza received her start at UNLV as a student assistant following her playing career from 1998-2001, posting a .262 career batting average as a four-year starter and earning a spot on the All-Mountain West team. She finished her career with 155 straight starts and was among the program’s top 10 players for doubles, walks, hits and sacrifices.

A four-time All-MW academic honoree, she received her bachelor’s degree in school health education with a minor in athletic coaching and physical education in 2002. Garza earned her master’s degree in kinesiology in 2009 from Texas Woman’s University.

Garza’s ties to the San Joaquin Valley have remained strong over the years as she has ran many camps for club teams such as the Fresno Force (her former team), Central California Krush and Central Cal Dirt Dogs.

She attended Hoover High School while growing up in Fresno.