The No. 14 Fresno State softball team will play its first true road games of the season on Valentine̢۪s Day with a double-header against the University of the Pacific in Stockton.

The Bulldogs (3-1) kicked off the season last weekend with wins over Wisconsin, Liberty and Cal State Northridge at the Cathedral City Kick-off. Their only loss came at the hands of Fordham. A scheduled game against No. 13 Houston was cancelled due to rain.

Pacific (1-2) has a win this season over Indiana and losses against Purdue and San Diego State. It was predicted to finish fifth in the Big West Conference this year after going 25-34 last season.

The Tigers are led by pitcher Heidi Helberg, who is 1-0 on the season with a 1.91 ERA, and Nicole Matson, who has a .417 batting average, one home run, six RBI̢۪s and five hits.

With almost a week of rest, both teams should be fresh heading into the match-up. Fresno State last played on Sunday. Pacific had a double-header against Sacramento State scheduled for yesterday, but the series was postponed due to inclement weather.

Young team makes coach ‘proud’

Bulldog̢۪s head coach Margie Wright seemed pleased with the team̢۪s performance so far this season.

“I’m really proud of how we finished at the Cathedral City Kick-off,â€Â Wright said. “We were able to press really hard, and still come up with a hit when we needed it.â€Â

While Wright was impressed, she said the team has a lot of room for improvement on offense, saying, “We have so many young kids … we’re going to have to score more runs.â€Â

There are only two seniors on the softball team, Haley Perkins and Mallory Perkins.

The team averaged just six hits and three runs per game with a .231 batting average in Cathedral City.

On top of the impressive record and national ranking, Fresno State received an individual honor this week as sophomore pitcher Morgan Melloh was named Western Athletic Conference pitcher of the week.

Melloh pitched two shutouts, allowing four hits and three walks while striking out 24 in the Bulldogs̢۪ victories against Wisconsin and Cal State Northridge. It was her sixth time receiving the honor in her short career. Melloh was selected as an All-American last year as a freshman.

The Bulldogs and Tigers met in a double-header to open last season, with Fresno State picking up 5-1 and 3-2 victories. Fresno State leads the all-time series 75-21-1.

After this series, the Bulldogs̢۪ next game will be Feb. 19 against the University of Florida to begin the Cathedral City Classic.

The first home game of the year will be Feb. 26 at 6 p.m., against Utah Valley University.

Catch it on the radio…

It̢۪s not on TV, but you can still listen live.

̢ۢ Both games will be broadcast locally on KFPT-AM 790