Matt Weir / Collegian File Photo

With the season winding down, the Bulldogs look to finish strong in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), which is still up for grabs.

Fresno State is currently in 6th place in the WAC with a 6- 10 conference record and 22-25 record overall. The Bulldogs enter their final regular season home series versus the Hawaii Rainbows, the fifth place team in the conference with a 9-10 record in the WAC and 17-11 overall record.

The Bulldogs and Rainbows will meet for a three-day, four-game series that began yesterday and ends with a double-header Saturday.

The Saturday nightcap will also be senior night for Bulldog seniors Danny Grubb, Gavin Hedstrom and Holden Spraque.

“The three seniors have been outstanding,â€Â said head coach Mike Batesole. “They’ve been great role models for these kids.â€Â

The Bulldogs can overtake the Rainbows in the standings this weekend with a sweep of all four games. If that occurs, it will be an impressive accomplishment for coach Batesole, who is just three wins away from his 500th victory.

Junior Tom Mendonca who has the record for all-time home runs for any Fresno State player will look to have a big series against a team who has a combined 5.59 ERA. The Rainbows would have much better numbers, but they were swept by Louisiana Tech last weekend after being outscored 29 to 17.

The Bulldogs have been strong at home, where they have lost only nine games en-route to a 19-9 overall home record. The Rainbows, who are 6-7 on the road, will play their last road game against the Bulldogs, before they finish the season against Utah Valley at home.

The Bulldogs finish the season on the road against Sacramento State and look to finish on a good note.

“We’re all healthy and we’re going to finish strong,â€Â Grubb said.

Fresno State still has an opportunity to go far in the postseason, which includes a shot at a WAC championship.

“We’re going to fight these last ones out, the WAC championship is right in front of us,â€Â Batesole said.

Both Fresno State and Hawaii are within striking distance of leading the WAC going into the conference tournament, which starts May 20.

The Rainbows are two games out of first place in a conference that has the first and last place teams separated by only 3.5 games.

The Bulldogs head into the series 3.5 games behind the Nevada Wolf Pack, becoming the top-seeded team going into the WAC Tournament, which is quite impressive since the Bulldogs would be the last seeded team if the season were to end today.

Fresno State split four games with the Wolf Pack last weekend.

The Bulldogs are ahead of Sacramento State for the final spot in the WAC tournament, so the remaining games are crucial for the team if they are going to repeat as conference champions.

Fresno State is seeking its fourth straight regular season and conference tournament championship.