On Saturday, the Fresno State softball team begins its season in the Kajikawa Classic at Tempe, Ariz.
After finishing the 2013 season at 30-24 (11-7 Mountain West), two games behind the San Diego State Aztecs for first place, the Bulldogs are gunning for the No. 1 spot in the conference this year.
“We have a lot of leadership. Our seniors are a phenomenal group of people and I think they’re ready for it,” said Fresno State coach Trisha Ford. “I think they learned from last year. We played phenomenally at home and not so great on the road.
“It’s been an emphasis for us to come out and set the tone early, whether we’re at home, a neutral site or away.”
One of those leaders is junior outfielder Brenna Moss. In 2013, Moss was named to the 2013 All-Mountain West team after finishing with a .302 average, one home run and 16 RBIs.
Senior infielder Vonnie Martin, another all-Mountain West selection, returns after hitting .320 with two home runs and 26 RBIs the previous year.
“We’re really focusing on what we’re doing here as Bulldogs,” Moss said. “We’re taking it one step at a time and one pitch at a time. We’re getting better every day, so I think we can [get first place] this year.”
In the Mountain West preseason poll, the Bulldogs were picked to finish second and earned two out of nine first-place votes. Newcomers San Jose State Spartans and Utah State Aggies earned rankings of fourth and ninth, respectively.
“There are a lot of teams that can flip-flop in our conference,” Ford said. [The Aztecs] have had a really strong last couple of seasons, so they have a target on their back.”
The Bulldogs’ first opponent in the Kajikawa Classic is Oregon. The Ducks finished the 2013 season 50-11 overall and first place in the Pac-12. After the Ducks, the ‘Dogs will face North Carolina State, Appalachian State, UC Riverside and Arizona State in the tournament.
“We have a very challenging preconference in general,” Ford said, “so for us to go out and be able to win games on the road and at neutral sites is going to help us.”
