Matt Weir/Collegian File Photo
Twenty-three games into the 2011 season, Fresno State baseball is doing something it hasn’t done in more than half a century.
The Bulldogs are No. 9 in the Baseball America poll and are tied with Vanderbilt for the second fewest losses, trailing only Virginia which has just two defeats.
“We’re off to a good start, but WAC comes up next,” third baseman Danny Muno said.
Fresno State sits atop the Western Athletic Conference standings with the Bulldogs opening up conference play on Friday against San Jose State. The Spartans are currently in the third slot in the WAC standings, and could pose a big obstacle for the Bulldogs, who are coming off their first loss in nearly a month.
The Bulldogs have had to battle the elements as well as their opponents this season with rain having led to the cancellation of four games. Despite the weather, the Bulldogs have put together an impressive record and the good weather in the last series is having a positive effect on attendance.
“[Attendance] has been pretty consistent so far, but this weekend it just shot up,” first baseman Jordan Ribera said following a three-game series against San Francisco over the weekend.
The team’s confidence is up, but it is always looking for ways to get better on the diamond.
“We know what we’re capable of doing,” Ribera said. “There’s always room for improvement.”
The Bulldogs got to the position they are in with solid pitching and timely hitting. The Bulldogs’ starting pitchers do not have a losing record among them. Senior Greg Gonzalez leads the team with six wins and hasn’t taken a loss with a 1.36 earned run average. The bullpen has also put up phenomenal numbers with closer Charlie Robertson picking up nine saves and not allowing an earned run all season. Set-up men Taylor Garrison and Cody Kendall have also had an impressive season appearing in 10 games each, posting ERAs of 0.00 and 0.79 respectively.
As a team the Bulldogs have only given up 72 runs combined.
Sophomore Austin Wynns leads the Bulldogs in batting average among players with at least 10 at-bats with .387. What makes Wynns feat even more remarkable is that he went into the season backing up catcher Trent Garrison, who went down with an injury in the first game of the season.
The Bulldogs currently have two other players batting above .300 with more than 10 at-bats: Dusty Robinson and Muno. Robinson also leads the team with six home runs.
The No. 9 ranking that the Bulldogs currently hold is the highest since the team held No. 1 following the 2008 National Championship. Even with the increased media exposure and high rankings that the team has been receiving, it remains determined to not let it be a distraction.
“That’s just what other people think of us,” Muno said.
The Bulldogs will have a four-game series with each of the six other teams in the conference. They will hit the road for the San Jose State, Sacramento State and Louisiana Tech series, and will host Nevada, Hawaii and New Mexico State at Beiden Field.
The Bulldogs have four more non-conference games: a one game meeting at Cal Poly on April 19, and a home-and-home series with Cal State Bakersfield to end the regular season before the WAC Tournament in late May in Mesa, Ariz.