WEEK 9: vs. Nevada/ at Sacramento State
Tickets: Link
Watch: Mountain West Network
Listen: KRDU 1140 & Varsity App & The iHeartRadio App
Live Stats:BulldogsLive.com
Twitter (X):@FresnoStateSB
SCHEDULE
Saturday, April 5 - 2 p.m.
Sunday, April 6 - Noon
Tuesday, April 8 - 3 p.m.
FRESNO, Calif. -- The Fresno State softball team will host a two-game series against Nevada on April 5-6 at Margie Wright Diamond before heading on the road for a midweek matchup against Sacramento State.
BULLDOG BONES
Fresno State is 24-11 (8-3 MW) this season, and 16-4 at home.
Fresno State has a Mountain West-best eight wins.
After winning the series over SJSU over the weelend, Fresno State split the doubleheader against SDSU on Wednesday.
Fresno State has won MW series against Boise State, UNLV and SJSU.
Fresno State leads the MW in ERA with the bullpen averaging a 2.36.
LHP Serayah Neiss leads the team in the circle with a 1.95 ERA and 9-3 record.
Fresno State has two out of the top three pitchers statistically in Neiss and Key-annah Campbell Pu'a.
Kennedy Bunker leads the team at the plate with a .393 batting average and 42 hits.
Bunker ranks within the Top 10 in the MW in batting average and hits.
Fresno State was picked to finish second in the Mountain West Preseason Poll.
Neiss was named a Preseason All-Mountain West selection.
Neiss posted a 2.58 ERA over 152 innings last season, recording 105 strikeouts.
She also set a program record with five saves in a single season.
Fresno State returns 18 players, including seven starters.
Fresno State bolstered its roster with 12 newcomers, including three Division I transfers.
OPPONENT OFF THE BAT
Nevada is 7-5 on the road this season.
Nevada has won MW series over Boise State and SDSU, while sweeping the doubleheader against UNLV.
Nevada is coming off a 8-3 loss to Cal.
Nevada has won seven out of its last eight games.
Aailiyah Jenkins is the reigning MW Player of the Week.
Jenkins is No. 2 in the MW with a .434 batting average.
Jenkins has 49 hits and 38 RBIs this season.
RHP Hailey McLean is the reigning MW Pitcher of the Week.
McLean has a conference-best 1.58 ERA and 12-4 record.
The Bulldogs have won four out of the last six meeting between the teams.
Sacramento State is 7-10 this season.
Sacramento State has won three straight wins.
Bulldogs have won six straight against the Hornets.
LAST WEEK
Fresno State took the series win over SJSU, falling in the first game before completing comeback wins in games two and three.
The Bulldogs split their doubleheader against SDSU on Wednesday, losing the first game 2-1 before winning the second game 7-3.
BIG BAT BUNKER
Junior Kennedy Bunker leads the team with 42 hits and a .393 batting average, paired with 28 RBIs.
Bunker has 14 games with multiple hits and seven games with multiple RBIs.
KEEPING FAITH
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Faith Jordan, who pitched only 19.0 innings in 2024, has become a key part of the bullpen, having logged 63.2 innings this season.
She owns a 2.64 ERA and a 5-3 record.
INFIELD SHIFT
There was very little change in the infield personnel last season, with first base, second base, and shortstop remaining unchanged throughout the year.
However, following the departure of Sophia Medellin, who started all 52 games at first base, and Bella Rocco, who appeared in 35 games with 27 starts at third base, along with the addition of transfer Marissa Montelongo, there will be new faces around the diamond this season.
Emma Martinez, who started every game at second base in 2024, has moved to shortstop in the offseason, while Montelongo will take over at second base. Lauren Almeida, who started at shortstop in 2024, shifted to third base.
First base saw an open competition during the offseason, and Madison Rey, who did not appear in the infield last season, made her first career start on opening day.
After the first four games of the season, Almeida and Rey swapped positions. Almeida has been at first and Rey has been at third since.
OUTFIELD SHUFFLE
Fresno State is on the search for the right combination of outfielders this season.
While the outfield saw frequent rotation throughout 2024, left field had been solidified for the past four seasons, with Keahilele Mattson starting all 203 games of her career in that position.
The only remaining true outfield starter was Natalie Elias, who started 49 games in the outfield last season.
In addition, four returners brought experience to the outfield: Taryn Irigoyen, Alyssa Rebolledo, Kealani Nitta, and Alyssa Orr.
Fresno State has had eleven different outfield combinations in its starting lineup this season.