WEEK PREVIEW
WEDNESDAY: No. 8/9 Stanford at Fresno State (April 26, 2023 – 6 p.m. PT)
LOCATION: Fresno, Calif. (Margie Wright Diamond)
GAME 1: Fresno State at Colorado State (April 28, 2023 – 3 p.m. PT)
GAME 2: Fresno State at Colorado State (April 29, 2023 – 12 p.m. PT)
GAME 3: Fresno State at Colorado State (April 28, 2023 – 11 a.m. PT)
LOCATION: Fort Collins, Colo.
TV/WEB: Mountain West Network [All Games]
RADIO: Bulldog Sports Network – 1130 AM (Matt Norville) [All Games]
FIRST PITCH
The Fresno State softball team hosts the No. 8/9-ranked Stanford Cardinal on Wednesday night at 6 p.m. PT and then travels to play at Colorado State in a three-game series at Ram Field
Fresno State (20-24, 9-7 Mountain West) enters the week having won nine of its last 14 games.
Fresno State is currently in third place in the MW standings.
Last weekend, Fresno State swept the Nevada Wolf Pack in a three-game home series at Margie Wright Diamond.
21 of Fresno State's first 44 games this season were decided by two or fewer runs, including 16 by a single run (8-8 in one-run games).
Fresno State is also 19-9 this season when scoring three or more in a game.
AT THE PLATE
Fresno State's Keahilele Mattson leads the team with a .360 batting average, eight home runs and 28 RBIs as a starter in all 44 games.
Fresno State's Juliana Wilson sports a .320 batting average and has homered seven times this season.
Fresno State's Emma Martinez owns a .304 batting average with 25 runs scored this season.
Fresno State's Alesia Denby is batting .305, and also has a team-best eight home runs, 10 stolen bases (in 11 attempts), 31 runs scored, 26 RBIs, 10 doubles and four triples entering the week.
Fresno State freshman catcher Kennedy Bunker has caught all 44 games for the 'Dogs and has 18 RBIs with seven doubles and 10 runs scored in her debut season in a Bulldog uniform.
Four Bulldogs – Mattson, Denby, Bunker and Bella Rocco – enter the week having played and started in all 44 of Fresno State's games this season.
IN THE CIRCLE
In 2023, Fresno State has mostly pitched by committee, but got three impressive complete games from its staff in the Bulldogs' home sweep of New Mexico (March 31-April 2).
Taylor Gilmore leads the squad with a 3.23 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 38 appearances (12 starts) and 110.2 innings of work.
Shelbi Denman is 7-3 on the season with a 4.03 ERA in 26 appearances (11 starts).
Freshman pitcher Serayah Neiss has recorded 72 strikeouts over the course of 81.2 innings of work in 28 appearances (17 starts) during her first collegiate season.
Hannah Ortega owns a 4.06 ERA in 29.1 innings over 17 appearances (two starts).
BULLDOGS PICKED TO FINISH FIFTH IN THE MOUNTAIN WEST
The Fresno State softball team was picked to tie for fifth in the 2023 Mountain West softball regular season, as voted by the League's nine head coaches. Boise State was tabbed as the preseason favorite to win the 2023 MW softball regular season title. Boise State tallied 61 points and five of the nine first-place votes. San Diego State was a tight second place with 60 points and the remaining four first-place votes. UNLV was voted third with 48 points, Colorado State in fourth with 36 points, Fresno State, Nevada, and San José State all tied for fifth with 25 points each, New Mexico in eighth with 23 points and to round out the MW preseason poll was Utah State in ninth with 21 points.
The top six teams in conference play will qualify for the 2023 MW Softball Championship, which will be held May 11-13, 2023 at SDSU Softball Stadium in San Diego. The hybrid single and double-elimination event awards first-round byes to the top two seeds with the other four seeds playing single-elimination contests to advance to the double-elimination format.