FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno State softball team will host a midweek matchup against Sacramento State on Wednesday afternoon at 3 p.m. PT at Margie Wright Diamond.
FRESNO STATE (6-4) vs. SACRAMENTO STATE (6-3)
Feb. 21, 2024 • Fresno, Calif. • Margie Wright Diamond
Watch: Mountain West Network
Live Stats: BulldogsLive.com
Tickets: Here
Twitter (X): @FresnoStateSB
OFF THE BAT
Fresno State is 6-4 on the season after hosting back-to-back home tournaments.
The Bulldogs will finish their 11-game homestand with Wednesday's contest against the Hornets.
Fresno State has six players hitting above .300.
Sophomore Kennedy Bunker leads the Bulldogs at the plate with a .448 batting average with 13 hits including seven RBIs.
Fresno State's bullpen owns an average ERA of 4.90.
Sophomore Serayah Neiss leads the team with a 2.86 ERA.
Senior Taylor Gilmore leads the pitchers in wins with four.
Head Coach Stacy May-Johnson enters her third season at the helm of the program, with assistant coaches Whitney Arion and Shelby Miller alongside.
The Bulldogs return 15 players including Preseason All-Mountain West selections Keahilele Mattson and Taylor Gilmore.
Fresno State added 11 newcomers including four Division I transfers.
Fresno State was picked to finish fourth in the MW preseason poll.
Fresno State finished the 2023 season with an overall record of 23-31 (10-12 MW), finishing fifth in MW play.
SCOUTING THE HORNETS
Sacramento State is 6-4 this season, and 2-0 on the road.
Sacramento State is coming off a 3-2 weekend at the
The Hornets are outscoring their opponents 58-32.
Eight of the Sacramento State starters are batting over .300.
The Hornets are led by Lewa Day at the plate, batting .536 with 15 hits.
Sacramento State's bullpen owns a 3.68 average ERA.
Caroline Evans has a team-best 2.63 ERA.
GOLDEN SCHEDULE
83 percent of Fresno State's schedule will be played in the state of California. The Bulldogs will not leave the Golden State until conference play when they visit Nevada (March 15-17), Boise State (April 12-14) and New Mexico (May 2-4).
PRESEASON POLL
The 2024 MW predicted order of finish, voted on by the league's nine head coaches, had the Bulldogs picked to finish fourth after receiving 41 points. San Diego State was picked to finish first with 64 points and eight first-place votes, followed by Boise State with 57 points and one first-place vote, and Colorado State rounded out the top three with 46 points.
PRESEASON ALL-MW SELECTIONS
Fresno State earned a pair of preseason selections in left fielder Keahilele Mattson and right-handed pitcher Taylor Gilmore.
Mattson, a two-time All-Mountain West selection, has started all 151 games of her career at Fresno State. The senior owns a .343 career batting average and a .603 career slugging percentage.
The Alta Loma, Calif., native had a breakout freshman season in 2021, she was named the MW Player of the Year and MW Co-Freshman of the Year, the first player to receive both honors in the same season. She was a 2021 NFCA All-Region Second Team honoree. Mattson was a MW First Team selection in both 2021 and 2023. Last season, Mattson led the Bulldogs in hits (66), RBIs (32) and on-base percentage (.435).
Gilmore joined the Bulldogs last season after spending four seasons at Colorado State. She made an immediate impact in the circle, pitching a team-high 136.1 innings with 10 starts. The Broomfield, Colo., native finished the season with a 3.18 ERA. Gilmore dished 86 strikeouts, pitched two complete games and recorded one save.
TRANSFERS
Fresno State added 11 newcomers including four Division I transfers in Natalie Elias (Cal Baptist), D'Asha Saiki (Cal), Sophia Medellin (Cal) and Lauren Almeida (Utah Tech). The Bulldogs also add a junior college transfer in Ella Jolley (Butte College).
AT THE PLATE
Fresno State returns four of its top five hitters from last season.
Keahilele Mattson led the Bulldogs at the plate in 2023, touting a .361 batting average with 66 hits and nine home runs. Juliana Wilson finished the season with a .286 batting average, 36 hits and eight home runs.
Emma Martinez and Kennedy Bunker put up good numbers in their rookie season. Martinez had the third-most hits with 47 and Bunker followed close behind with 41.
IN THE CIRCLE
Fresno State returns its top two pitchers from 2023 in Taylor Gilmore and Serayah Neiss.
Gilmore owned a 3.18 ERA with eight wins while pitching a team-high 136.1 innings. She logged 86 strikeouts and recorded one save.
Neiss dished a team-high 93 strikeouts in her freshman season. She owned a 4.02 ERA with seven wins in 108.0 innings pitched.
MATTSON MAKING HER MARK
Keahilele Mattson has etched her name in the program's record book. Mattson currently sits at No. 3 in career all-time slugging percentage with a .603, and No. 8 in career home runs with 26.
NORTH AND SOUTH OF THE BORDER
Ruby Anderson and Alyssa Rebolledo represented the Bulldogs on the international stage.
Anderson, who made her Canadian National Team debut in 2022, spent the summer competing in the 26th annual Canada Cup as part of Team Canada.
Rebolledo spent the summer competing for Team Mexico at the Central American and Caribbean Games. Rebolledo and Team Mexico brought home the bronze medal. Her sister, Linnah Rebolledo, also plays for Team Mexico.
2023 HIGHLIGHTS
Fresno State finished the 2023 season with an overall record of 23-31.
27 of Fresno State's 54 games in 2023 were decided by two or fewer runs, including 19 by a single run.
The Bulldogs finished fifth in the Mountain West after posting a 10-12 record in conference play.
Fresno State made its first-ever appearance in a MW Tournament as it was the first time since 2006 that the conference is using a six-team postseason tournament to award the league's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
Senior shortstop Alesia Denby was named the 2023 Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year.
Denby was also named First Team All-MW for the second straight season and junior Keahilele Mattson also collected First Team All-MW honors for the second time in her career.