BULLDOG CLASSIC
March 8-11, 2024 • Fresno, Calif. • Margie Wright Diamond
Friday: vs. CSUN, 5:30 p.m. PT
Saturday: vs. San Diego, 7 p.m. PT
Sunday: vs. San Diego, 1 p.m. PT
Monday: vs. Rutgers, 3 p.m. PT
Listen: Bulldog Sports Network (BSN)
Watch: Mountain West Network
Live Stats: BulldogsLive.com
Tickets: Here
Tournament Central: Here
Twitter (X): @FresnoStateSB
FRESNO, Calif. — The Fresno State softball team will host the Bulldog Classic March 8-11 at Margie Wright Diamond. Fresno State will face CSUN (15-7), San Diego (6-15) and Rutgers (13-7) over the course of the tournament.
OFF THE BAT
Fresno State is 14-5 this season, and 7-4 at home.
Fresno State has won nine out of its last 10 games.
The Bulldogs are coming off a 3-1 weekend at the Judi Garman Classic.
Fresno State has outscored its opponents 93-57 this season.
The team owns an overall batting average of .327.
Eight Bulldogs are batting above .300.
Sophomore Kennedy Bunker leads the Bulldogs at the plate with a .436 batting average and 24 hits.
The bullpen has an average ERA of 2.71.
Senior right-handed pitcher leads the Bulldogs in the circle with a 1.67 ERA and seven wins.
DEATH. TAXES. ELIAS GETS A HIT.
Sophomore Natalie Elias has been a major addition to the Bulldogs offense this season, transferring in from Cal Baptist. Elias has become the team's go-to lead-off hitter.
Elias has recorded a hit in 14 consecutive games, the longest streak on the team. She owns a .383 batting average with 23 hits this season. The Purceville, Va. Native has had five games this season with multiple hits.
THE DEALIN' DUO
Senior Taylor Gilmore and sophomore Serayah Neiss have been a one-two punch for the Bulldogs in the circle this season.
Gilmore owns a 7-2 record, with three saves and two complete games. She owns a 1.67 ERA. The Broomfield, Colo. native has dished 55 strikeouts in 58.2 innings.
Neiss has a 6-2 record with one save. She owns a 2.17 ERA. The Newberg, Ore. native has pitched 51.2 innings for the Bulldogs this season.
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 27.
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.