Eighth in an 8-part series of WAC team previews.Fresno State Bulldogs
2011 overall record: 35-19
2011 WAC record: 15-6 (second place)
Returning starters: 5
It can accurately be billed as an attempt at one last great run to a Western Athletic Conference championship.
The WAC's most storied softball program -- Fresno State -- heads into its final season in the conference looking for an unprecedented 11th championship in 17 years. And before they depart for the Mountain West Conference on July 1, you can bet coach Margie Wright's Bulldogs want to leave on top.
Over the past 16 years, the Bulldogs have been the model of consistency. Fresno State has finished either first or second in the WAC regular season softball standings for 16 years in a row with 10 titles. The list of accomplishments are too many to mention, but include a national record 30 straight NCAA Tournament appearances and 12 trips to the Women's College World Series.
Five times the Bulldogs have played in the NCAA championship game, and in 1998, Fresno State won it all, defeating Arizona for the national title. That remains the last time a WAC women's team
-- regardless of sport -- captured an NCAA crown. The Bulldogs are also the last team from a non-BCS affiliated conference to play for the national title in softball, and no one would rather return to Oklahoma City than Wright.Fresno State's goal this year, as it always is, is to get back to the WCWS. In order to do it, the Bulldogs will have to get over the one hurdle that's eluded them in recent seasons -- winning an NCAA regional. Fresno State has advanced to an impressive five regional championship games in the past seven seasons, only to fall short each time. Of course it may also have to do with the fact the Bulldogs are continually paired in regions with Pac-12 powers UCLA, Cal and Stanford each season.
But with one of the more unique roster mixes of talented seniors and buzz-worthy newcomers in school history, the Bulldogs could be in for a magical run. Five All-WAC players return, including a pair of senior pitchers, who combined to win 34 games last season.
Pitcher Michelle Moses, a two-time NFCA All-Region and All-WAC selection, picked up her first All-American honors a year ago. Her 16-12 pitching record and 2.47 ERA may look pedestrian at first glance, until one looks at the opponents against whom she pitched. Moses was in the circle to face Missouri, Cal, Nebraska, Stanford, Texas, Washington, Oklahoma State, Syracuse, Houston, BYU, Pacific, Long Beach State and many more, among others.
Among Moses' wins last season: A spectacular performance in a 1-0, 10-inning shutout win over then-No. 16 Nebraska in an NCAA Tournament game; a complete-game, 4-hitter over eventual WCWS participant Oklahoma State; a complete game win over then-No. 8 Missouri, another eventual WCWS participant; and a seven inning, no-hitter against then-No. 20 Hawai'i, one of three complete-game shutouts Moses tossed against the Wahine last season alone.
Moses is the WAC's returning leader this season in a variety of categories. Her nine wins in conference play, 94 strikeouts in league games, and opponents-against average (.182) rank No. 1 among all returning pitchers in the league.
And if Moses isn't doing it in the circle, she's doing it at first base. She sparkled defensively with just one error in 250 chances (.996 fielding percentage), and led the team in home runs for the third straight season. Moses enters her senior year with 41 career home runs and 133 RBI.
If Moses wasn't mowing down opponents last season, it was the reliable Mackenzie Oakes in the circle for Fresno State. Oakes' numbers matched -- and even surpassed -- Moses in some areas, giving the Bulldogs a strong one-two pitching combination.
The senior right-hander Oakes has improved each season in her career, going from eight wins as a freshman, to 11 as a sophomore, before last year's breakout, 18-win season. She finished with a 2.49 ERA and allowed just 24 extra-base hits in 163 innings pitched last year.
Oakes has been at her best in big games. Last year, she notched perhaps Fresno State's biggest win: A 3-1 victory over eventual Big Ten champion and then third-ranked Michigan. In the process, she out-dueled 4-time All-American Jordan Taylor of the Wolverines. Oakes also picked up big wins last season over the likes of San Diego State, Illinois, Virginia and UMass, among others.
She was also part of a couple of unique streaks. The Bulldogs were tough to beat when she was in the circle, going unbeaten in her first 14 starts of the year. She was especially difficult to solve at Bulldog Diamond, where she lost just once in the regular season. Oakes earned All-WAC tourney honors after picking up two wins and ending the seasons of both Louisiana Tech and Boise State in a 3-hour span. She tossed a complete-game shutout against the Lady Techsters before one-hitting Boise State in a victory that sent the Bulldogs to the WAC championship game.
Increased pitching depth is a plus this season that can not be overstated. Last year, it was Moses, Oakes and painfully few other options. Two freshman pitchers are on the squad this year and both could see ample time in the circle.
Right-handed freshman Destinee Levesque arrives after winning first team, 4A all-state honors at Nevada high school power Reed (Sparks). Levesque struck out 202 batters in 145 innings, going 16-5 with a 1.45 ERA as a senior. She's said to be the hardest throwing pitcher on the Bulldog team. Alongside her will be freshman Kiley Shae Aldridge, a late pickup from national power Arizona. Aldridge, an all-area southpaw from Lompoc, Calif., transferred from UA to Fresno State in January after playing fall ball for coach Mike Candrea's Wildcats.
The Bulldogs' top three hitters (and four of the top five) from a year ago all return, including All-WAC players Brooke Ortiz and Andrea Ortega, and Courtney Moore, who earned All-WAC tournament honors.
Ortiz had a special freshman season, starting every game and hitting .315 for the year (.333 in WAC play). Despite hitting in the No. 9 slot for much of the season, the speedy Ortiz led the team with 52 hits and ranked second with 11 stolen bases.
Ortega was one of the Bulldogs' most difficult outs in 2011 and appears primed for a monster senior season. The outfielder has 154 career starts under her belt and led the team with a .379 batting average in WAC play. She ranked in the top 10 among numerous offensive stats in conference play last year, including batting average, hits, runs and doubles.
Moore, a senior who's started 98 games over the past two seasons at designated player, returns after earning WAC all-tournament honors. She hit .333 in Fresno State's run to the championship game, including hitting the eventual game-winning home run that ended Hawai'i's season. Also back are improving junior speedster Diane Runge (.292 BA a year ago), senior outfielder Rebecca Hall (.202 average in 42 starts), senior catcher Kaitlin Griffin who often shined defensively in 14 starts, and power hitting sophomore Vonnie Martin, who should see more time this season.
Key losses at shortstop (Haley Gilleland) and third base (Nicole Angene) mean the Bulldogs will have a new look on that side of the infield for the first time in four years. Gilleland had a strong senior season on the basepaths with a career-high 27 steals and a .290 batting average. The Bulldogs' leadoff hitter for the past four seasons, she will likely be the most difficult to replace, despite an unexpected hitting dip (.268 in conference play) as a senior.
Angene, despite hitting just .215 overall last year, stepped it up in conference play, where she hit .321 to earn All-WAC honors. Five of her seven home runs last season came in conference games. Angene's strong defensive presence at third base will likely be missed more than her bat, however.
Former All-WAC catcher Caitlin Stiglich is another player that will be missed after an impressive 4-year career. Stiglich started 233 games as a Bulldog and was not only strong defensively but a force at the plate throughout her career after leading the team in hits, RBI and doubles in her first two seasons.
Wright's impressive class of versatile newcomers is perhaps the strongest in school history, making Fresno State deeper than it's been in years.
Freshman center fielder Brenna Moss arrives with credentials that are unmatched. The state of California's all-time high school leader in hits and runs, Moss capped a spectacular prep career at Bakersfield North HS by being named first team all-state (regardless of school size). A career .518 hitter, Moss put up mind-boggling stats as a senior. She hit .644 and was a perfect 50-for-50 in stolen bases.
Wright has already made comparisons between Moss and former Bulldog Laura Berg, giving Fresno State fans high hopes for the future. It's not every day a freshman is spoken about in the same breath as a 4-time All-American and U.S. Olympian. Moss could immediately move into the lineup as the team's leadoff hitter this season.
Among the other additions to the team are several players who could see a lot of playing time. Freshman Maria Sio (Laguna Hills HS, Calif.), an All-CIF Southern Section pick, hit .346 and .430 the past two years, and could be Gilleland's heir apparent at shortstop. Second-team California all-state honoree Michelle Solomon (Redlands) could start as a freshman after hitting .417 in an impressive prep career.
Houston Cougars transfer Stesha Brazil, a sophomore infielder and catcher, is a valuable pick-up for Wright and the Bulldogs. She made 56 starts (33 hits, 13 RBI) last season as a freshman for the Conference USA champion Cougars, who advanced to a Super Regional. She, along with freshman Kelly Megee (Riverside King HS) will likely vie for time at first base when Moses is pitching.
Freshman infielders Caitlin Neal (Pleasanton Foothill HS) and Taylor Green (Chino Hills Ayala HS) could also see playing time on a team that features 10 newcomers on its 21-member roster. Also new: Former Cal Poly player Mackenzie Mendonca, who played in 16 games for the Mustangs in 2010.
It's a deep and talented roster that gives Wright a variety of options. In some ways, this year looks a lot like the 2008 season: Reliable if not elite pitching, several returning stars on offense, and a host of newcomers that arrive with some of the most potential in school history. That year resulted in a Top 10 season and a No. 1 NCAA regional seed. This year's squad, on paper at least, has the makings of something similar if it all comes together.
Fresno State wants to go out with a bang in the WAC. This schedule gives the Bulldogs that opportunity. After last year's paltry 18-game home schedule, there are 35 contests at Bulldog Diamond this season, the most in years. For a team that traditionally plays very well at home, it could be a huge factor.
Wright again has stacked the schedule with a slew of marquee, tough opponents on what is the WAC's most difficult slate. Arizona State, Arizona, UCLA, Cal, Oregon, Iowa, DePaul, ULL, Virginia, Penn State, Long Beach State, Pacific, Purdue, Ohio State, UConn, and many more are on a schedule that will give the Bulldogs plenty of RPI chances, along with the confidence it will need if it wants to win the WAC one final time.
No one's counting Wright's squad out.
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