Early in the season, Fresno State coach Trisha Ford’s goal is to enhance her team’s mental toughness.
After going 4-20 at home during the 2013 campaign, the Bulldogs are focusing on their weaknesses in the preconference slate. They will play twice as many games on the road as they do at home (20 to 10), and their opponents are reputable.
Nine of Fresno State’s 19 opponents away from Bulldog Diamond — it faces No. 2-ranked Tennessee twice — made it to the NCAA Tournament last year.
And Ford said the tough schedule was created on purpose.
“Last year we struggled on the road,” she said. “For us to be able to play three weekends in a row, five games each weekend, it’s helping us set up for when we play conference.”
Or, as she puts it, “be comfortable being uncomfortable.”
This weekend, the Bulldogs are in their second consecutive weekend playing a tournament on the road. After going undefeated at home, Fresno State was less than .500 at the Mary Nutter Classic.
But the team did progress through the tournament, Ford said. Although things didn’t go the Bulldogs’ way against Arizona, they did show defensive improvement against Texas and matched their season high in runs against Virginia (11).
“We had some things that we need to come back home and improve on,” Ford said. “We gave some teams a good run, and I think we’re going to build upon that.”
And one of those good runs came against Tennessee. In the final game of the Mary Nutter Classic, the Bulldogs stuck close to the Lady Volunteers and finally lost due to an error in the bottom of the seventh inning.
And the Bulldogs and Lady Volunteers will square off again in the upcoming San Diego Classic this Saturday.
“We were an out away from being able to clinch that win [over Tennessee],” Ford said. “I think the more we play these types of programs, the more we will get comfortable with it. That’s only going to make us better in the end.”
A flexible-pitching strategy
After Fresno State pitcher Jill Compton earned a decision in each of the first four games (2-2), Ford switched to a different method in the Tennessee matchup.
Giving Compton a day off, she used three pitchers: Taylor Langdon, Hannah Harris and Kiley Shae Aldridge. Both Langdon and Harris hurled 44 pitches, and Aldridge threw 38.
“That was our game plan,” Ford said. “Tennessee swings the bat really well, and the biggest thing a pitcher can do is mess with a hitter’s timing. We went with Langdon first, because she does a great job of hitting her spots and keeping the ball down.”
Bringing in Harris, Ford said, was due to the difference in pitching styles. While Langdon was all about placing the ball accurately low in the strike zone, Harris is more focused on velocity. By throwing harder pitches, the Bulldogs were able to fool the Lady Volunteers.
Aldridge, a lefty, added a bigger distinction among the Bulldog pitching staff. Although charged with the loss, she didn’t allow an earned run in her one-inning appearance.
Production at the plate
Five Fresno State hitters batted .300 or more during the Mary Nutter Classic. Senior Brooke Ortiz led the team with .389, followed by sophomore second baseman Whitney Smith (.375), freshman left fielder Kierra Willis (.333) and senior third baseman Vonnie Martin (.308).
Willis, who shares time in left field with senior Kapri Angotti, also showed good plate discipline by earning six walks over the five-game stretch.
“I think [Willis] is still developing,” Ford said. “Defensively, we’re trying to get her as many innings as we can to help her develop. What she brings to the plate is speed, so she has that great balance of power and speed.”
Adding to the production was senior Stesha Brazil, who slugged two home runs during the tournament. She is currently eighth all-time in home runs as a Bulldog.
“Stesha’s on fire,” Ford said. “She’s seen the ball really well. She has come up in some very clutch situations. This is her second year with us. She’s a senior and is very comfortable in her skin.
“That’s what you look for as a hitter. When you’re in those hitter counts, and you see the pitch that you’re looking for, you stay relaxed and execute through that.”
Scouting the opponents
This weekend, the Bulldogs will face five more foes in the San Diego State Classic. With the exception of Tennessee, the Bulldogs will face each opponent for the first time in 2014.
Fresno State will face the University of Ilinois-Chicago (UIC) for the first time in program history on Friday. The Flames are 2-11 this season after finishing 2013 with a record of 23-25 (16-5 in the Horizon League). Sixth-year coach Michelle Venturella, the reigning Horizon League Coach of the Year, leads them.
“UIC may not necessarily have the best record,” Ford said, “but the scouting reports we’ve received have all said that it will fight to the last out.”
Later that afternoon, the Bulldogs will play Brigham Young University, a team they hold a 9-3 advantage against. The Cougars, who played a different pool of teams in last week’s Mary Nutter Classic, had an identical record during the tournament as Fresno State (2-3). The last time the two teams squared off was last March 1, which Fresno State won 5-4.
“BYU is a young team,” Ford said. “They are a little bit more longball hitters this year. They’re going through a little bit of ups and downs, and that’s what happens when you’re a young team.”