Matt Weir / Collegian File Photo
The Bulldogs receive numerous pre-season accolades
Softball team ranked in two pre-season polls
The Fresno State softball team has already garnered national recognition and accolades before even stepping onto the softball diamond.
The team is ranked in both the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) and the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 rankings.
The team believes being ranked is an honor but they know it still takes hard work to accomplish it’s goal.
“Throughout the year, we really need to take care of business and work our way up to the Top 10,” said junior shortstop and team captain Haley Gilleland.
The ‘Dogs are ranked No. 25 in the NFCA pre-season poll receiving a total of 75 points.
“It’s awesome. It’s really exciting,” senior outfielder and team captain Brooke Phipps said about being ranked.
In the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate pre-season poll, the ‘Dogs were ranked 24th while receiving 70 points.
Being ranked in the Top 10 is an achievement the players hope to reach, but winning a regional title and advancing the team’s way into the College World Series is their ultimate goal.
Junior pitcher Morgan Melloh said her hopes for the season are to win.
“Try to go undefeated and get past the WAC Tournament and move onto regionals, super regionals and win that and make it into the top eight for the College World Series,” said Melloh.
‘Dogs favored to repeat as WAC champions
With 11 returning letterwinners and seven returning starters, expectations are high for the Fresno State softball team.
The team was selected by Western Athletic Conference (WAC) softball coaches to repeat as WAC champions after winning both the regular season and tournament titles in 2009.
The softball team received six first place votes and tallied up a total of 48 points.
“It’s nice being ranked No. 1 and knowing that all those teams have that much respect for us,” Phipps said.
But Phipps and her teammates believe that being favored before stepping onto the field doesn’t mean much.
“We have a lot to prove still; it doesn’t mean anything right now,” Phipps said. “We still have to go out there and beat everybody.”
Haley Gilleland and junior pitcher Morgan Melloh were both selected by the coaches to the 2010 pre-season All-WAC team.
Melloh was also named as the pre-season WAC pitcher of the year.
Pitcher Named to Top 50 Watch List
Junior pitcher Morgan Melloh was one of 50 collegiate softball players selected by the Amateur Softball Association (ASA). She’s up for the USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year Award.
Melloh won 30 games as a sophomore while appearing in 53 games in 2009. She pitched 139.1 innings and struck out 450 hitters. Opponent’s batting average against Melloh was .176.
Melloh was a first-team All-WAC selection in 2009 and captured MVP honors in the WAC Tournament.
As a freshman in 2008, Melloh earned WAC Pitcher of the Year as well as being named the top freshmen in the WAC.
Melloh won a school-record 42 games in 2008.
This is the second consecutive year that Melloh has been on the ASA Top 50 Watch List.