WEEK 4: FRESNO STATE INVITATIONAL
Feb. 28 – March 2, 2025 • Fresno, Calif. • Margie Wright Diamond
Tickets: Here
Watch: Mountain West Network
Listen: KRDU 1140 & Varsity App
Live Stats: BulldogsLive.com
Tournament Central:Here
Twitter (X): @FresnoStateSB
SCHEDULE
Friday: vs. Cal, 3 p.m.
vs CSU Bakersfield, 5:30 p.m.
Saturday: vs. Cal, 3 p.m.
vs. Southern Utah, 5:30 p.m.
Sunday: vs. CSU Bakersfield, 12 p.m.
FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno State softball team will host the Fresno State Invitational Feb. 28 – March 2 at Margie Wright Diamond. The Bulldogs will face Cal, CSU Bakersfield and Southern Utah over the weekend.
BULLDOG BONES
Fresno State is 4-0 at home this season.
Fresno State went 2-2 at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, posting wins over Seattle and Bethune-Cookman while falling to Minnesota and Washington.
Kennedy Bunker owned a .400 (4-for-10) batting average over the weekend with four RBIs. She hit her first home run of the season against Washington.
Pitchers Hannah Duncan and Hannah Ortega both recorded their first wins in the circle this season at the Mary Nutter.
Three Bulldogs are batting above .300 in Bunker (.343), Natalie Elias (.327) and Madison Rey (.302).
Pitcher Serayah Neiss leads the 'Dogs with a 2.38 ERA and a 3-3 record this season.
Fresno State was picked to finish second in the Mountain West Preseason Poll.
This marked the highest preseason ranking for Fresno State since 2021, when the Bulldogs were selected as the conference favorite.
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.
OPPONENTS OFF THE BAT
Cal is 10-4 this season and riding a four-game winning streak.
The Bulldogs and the Golden Bears have a long history, they've played 121 games dating back to 1978.
Cal has won the last four games between the teams.
The last time Fresno State beat Cal was in 2021.
CSUB is 9-9 this season, and currently on a three-game skid.
Fresno State has won the last seven games between the teams.
Southern Utah is 3-11 this season, currently on a four-game skid.
The two programs have not played since 2014.
LAST WEEKEND
Fresno State 2-2 at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, posting wins over Seattle and Bethune-Cookman while falling to Minnesota and Washington.
Kennedy Bunker owned a .400 (4-for-10) batting average over the weekend with four RBIs. She hit her first home run of the season against Washington.
Pitchers Hannah Duncan and Hannah Ortega both recorded their first wins in the circle this season at the Mary Nutter.
1ST IN OUR HEARTS, 2ND IN THE PRESEASON POLL
Fresno State was picked to finish second in the Mountain West Preseason Poll, voted on by the league's nine head coaches.
This marked the highest preseason ranking for Fresno State since 2021, when the Bulldogs were selected as the conference favorite.
NEISS EARNS PRESEASON ALL-MW HONORS
Junior left-handed pitcher Serayah Neiss was named a Preseason All-Mountain West selection, the Bulldogs' sole representative on the list.
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.
VETERANS ON DECK
In addition to Serayah Neiss, the team returns 18 players, including seven starters. The returning core is led by catcher Kennedy Bunker and outfielder Natalie Elias.
Bunker started 51 games behind the plate last season, finishing with a .367 batting average. She recorded 55 hits, seven doubles, and four home runs, while posting a .493 slugging percentage and a .429 on-base percentage.
Elias also appeared in 51 games, starting 49. She hit .354 with a .368 on-base percentage, leading the team with 63 hits.
FRESH BATS
Fresno State bolstered its roster with 12 newcomers, including three Division I transfers.
Infielder Marissa Montelongo returns home to the Valley from Saint Mary's for her final season. During the 2024 season, she started all 54 games and finished with a .303 batting average. The All-WCC Second Team selection recorded 46 hits and 19 RBIs, along with a .414 slugging percentage and a .352 on-base percentage. She also added 33 stolen bases.
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 t 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.
With the unexpected absence of Martinez (injury) in the lineup to start the season, freshman Kiara Sipe has taken over at shortstop for the Bulldogs.
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.
Through nine games this season, Fresno State has had six different outfield combinations in its starting lineup.
STAYING GOLDEN
Fresno State won't have to travel far this season with 81 percent (42 games) of their schedule being played in the Golden State.
The Bulldogs won't leave California until their series against UNLV, scheduled for March 21-23.
Fresno State's roster stays in theme, with 22 players hailing from California.
RACKING UP WINS
Since being named head coach, Stacy May-Johnson has steadily improved her team's performance each year.
In 2022, her first season, the Bulldogs finished with a 19-36 record (10-14 MW). The team showed growth in 2023, posting a 23-31 record (10-12). The momentum continued in 2024, with a significant leap to a 33-19 record (13-9 MW).