Matt Weir/ Collegian File Photo

Pre-conference play gives ‘Dogs questions to answer.

With the bulk of a tough pre-conference schedule now behind them, the Fresno State baseball team has officially begun its quest for a third-straight Western Athletic Conference (WAC) title.

The ‘Dogs managed to escape the first 29 games against opponents from such top conferences as the Big 12 and Pac-10 with a respectable 17-12 record, but serious areas in need of improvement emerged during that stretch.

While the ‘Dogs opened the season well with series wins over Nebraska and Washington, trouble ensued with a winless series at home with Oregon, and posting only one win over Loyola Marymount in a four-game series.

Early inconsistency on the mound and trouble at the plate left fans concerned with head coach Mike Batesole’s squad and its chances heading into conference play.

Expected preseason ace Derek Benny has slumped to a 1-2 record with a 7.28 ERA, while juniors Greg Gonzalez and Gene Escat each sport unbeaten records and have made up some of the slack.

Offensively, 2010 has been an unpredictable year for Fresno State. Preseason All-Americans Danny Muno and Dusty Robinson have been overshadowed a bit by Garrett Weber’s .377 batting average and Jordan Ribera’s 14 home runs. Ribera is just one home run shy of being atop the WAC leader board. With five more bombs, Ribera will launch himself into Fresno State history, breaking into the top-10 all-time home run leaders.

Although Batesole has expressed his dissatisfaction for his offense, the ‘Dogs are averaging almost exactly as many runs as they were this time last season.
Fresno State had a strong opening weekend at Hawaii, taking the series 3-1, highlighted by Gonzalez’s Saturday no-hitter, the first by a Bulldog pitcher in 34 years.

But posing the biggest threat to the Bulldogs’ conference title hopes is New Mexico State, which boasts a 24-11-1 record, and has six of the top 10 batting averages in the WAC, including the leading slugger Mike Sodders who has 15 home runs.Uncharacteristically, the ‘Dogs have been better on the road so far this year than the comfortable confines of Beiden Field. The ‘Dogs are just 9-10 at home this year but 9-2 away from home, which is tops in the conference.

After falling to Cal State Bakersfield 12-2 on Tuesday, the ‘Dogs will look to regroup for this weekend’s WAC home-opening series with Louisiana Tech. Fresno State has had trouble with Louisiana Tech in recent meetings, having been swept last season, and have not defeated their cross-country rivals since March 23, 2007. Louisiana Tech travels to Fresno with a 17-14 record and has not played on the road since a March 28 date at Minnesota.