WEEK 10: at Utah State / BYU
Watch: Mountain West Network / ESPN+
Live Stats:BulldogsLive.com
Twitter (X):@FresnoStateSB
SCHEDULE
Friday, April 11 – 3 p.m. PT
Saturday, April 12 – 11 a.m. PT
Sunday, April 13 – 11 a.m. PT
Monday, April 14 – 11 a.m. PT
FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno State softball team will take a trip to Utah, taking on Utah State in a three-game series before driving south to BYU for a single game.
BULLDOG BONES
Fresno State is 24-15 (8-5 MW), and 5-5 on the road.
Fresno State will attempt to snap a three-game skid.
Fresno State is tied for third in the Mountain West standings.
Two Bulldogs are batting above .300 in Kennedy Bunker (.389) and Natalie Elias (.383).
Serayah Neiss leads the bullpen with a 2.06 ERA and a 9-4 record in the circle.
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.
LAST TIME
Fresno State fell 3-2 to Sacramento State on Tuesday afternoon at Shea Stadium.
The Bulldogs outhit the Hornets 8-2 in the contest. Lauren Almeida and Kealani Nitta led the team at the plate with two hits apiece.
The game stayed scoreless through three as Key-annah Campbell-Pu'a retired the first nine batters. Fresno State struck first in the fourth after a Sacramento State error, with Emma Martines driving in the run. The Bulldogs made it 2-0 in the fifth on an RBI single by Almeida.
Campbell-Pu'a allowed just one hit in 5.0 innings before Serayah Neiss took over. Sacramento State tied it in the sixth with a two-run homer, then took a 3-2 lead on a sac fly after a walk, steal, and wild pitch. Fresno State went down in order in the seventh.
CLUTCH IN CONFERENCE PLAY
Four Bulldogs have been on fire at the plate during conference play.
Leading off, Natalie Elias is hitting an impressive .405 with 15 hits. Kennedy Bunker isn't far behind, batting .389 with 14 hits and seven RBIs. Taryn Irigoyen has contributed a solid .333 average, tallying 12 hits and five RBIs. Rounding out the group, Marissa Montelongo is also swinging it well, posting a .323 average with 10 hits.
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.