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Mar 01
0

Bulldogs living on cloud pine, take series over Stanford

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After being walked off on Friday afternoon in Palo Alto, the Diamond Dogs (6-4) rallied together a pair of wins Saturday and Sunday against Stanford to win its first series against the Cardinal in 27 years. 

Key players (stats for all 3 games) 

Parker Heintz: SV, 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, BB, K (44 P)

Sky Collins: 6-for-12, 4 R, 2 2B, 5 RBI, 4 BB/HBP, 2 SB

Owen Faust: 4-for-11, 8 R, 3 RBI, 4 BB/HBP, 2 SB

Mikey Boyd: 6-for-13, 4 R, 5 RBI, 3 BB/HBP

Game 1 (Friday, 2/27): Stanford 6, Fresno State 5

Fresno State led off the game with base hits courtesy of infielders Brady Hewitt and Jett Ruby. With one out, Griffen Sotomayor plated Hewitt across with a single to right field to get the scoring started. 

Stanford tied the game in the bottom of the inning, with a two-out RBI single from Jimmy Nati. The Cardinal second baseman extended his team’s lead in the bottom of the third with a two-run homer to left.

Fresno State loaded the bases to begin the fifth, setting up Sky Collins who singled through the right side, scoring Jett Ruby. Mikey Boyd followed with a two-run single to give the Bulldogs a 4-3 lead. Stanford tied the game in the bottom of the frame with a solo home run from JJ Moran. Drew Townson was pulled with two outs in the fifth, having allowed four runs (two earned) on 75 pitches. 

Both teams added a run before the ninth inning when Stanford outfielder Brock Sell tripled into the right center gap, scoring Teddy Tokheim to win the game 6-5.

Game 2 (Saturday, 2/28): Fresno State 15, Stanford 4

Trailing 1-0, Owen Faust worked a two-out walk in the third before scoring on a double to right from Griffen Sotomayor. Stanford retook a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the inning with a solo shot from Charlie Bates. 

The Bulldog offense erupted in the fourth for four runs, including a two-run double from catcher Austin Young. Zach Plasschaert added an RBI double in the fifth. Stanford punished a pair of mistake pitches from Tyler Patrick with solo shots from Rintaro Sasaki and Teddy Tokheim. Patrick limited the damage though, allowing just the four runs through five innings, striking out two. 

The Bulldogs added two runs in the sixth and another in the 8th off the Stanford bullpen. The Fresno State lead jumped to 15-4 with a six-run inning including a two-run single from Sky Collins and a three-run blast from Marcus Nolen. 

The Cardinal bats had no answer for freshman left-hander Parker Heintz who retired 12 of the 13 batters he faced, allowing just a walk. The 2025 TRAC Player of the Year is up to seven shutout frames in his college career. 

Game 3 (Sunday, 3/1): Fresno State 11, Stanford 8

The Bulldog bats were hot early on Sunday. Brady Hewitt led off the game with a double to right center. Two batters later, Owen Faust brought him in with a line drive single over the head of Stanford shortstop Charlie Bates. Griffen Sotomayor (HBP) and Sky Collins (walk) reached to load the bases for Mikey Boyd. The freshman lefty went the opposite way, finding shallow left field to score both Faust and Sotomayor. Fresno State went 1-9 in the order but left the bases loaded. 

With two on and one out in the bottom of the frame, Jimmy Nati singled in a run. A wild pitch from Victor Arreola allowed a second run to score. The Cardinal loaded the bases but Arreola got out of the jam, inducing a 4-6-3 double play. 

Hewitt led off the second the same way he led off the first, with an opposite field double. The freshman shortstop advanced to third and then scored on a pair of ground outs. Marcus Nolen singled in Collins in the third to extend the ‘Dogs lead to 5-2. 

Fresno State picked up where they left off in the fourth inning. Three straight singles from Faust, Sotomayor and Collins made it a 6-2 game. The ‘Dogs would score six runs on five hits and two walks in total in the inning, including a two-run triple from Hewitt. 

After throwing scoreless innings in the second and third, Arreola (3.2 IP, 5 R, 5 K) was hit for a three-run bomb from Cardinal catcher Luke Lavin, cutting the deficit to 11-5.

Teddy Tokheim hit a two-run homer in the seventh to make it 11-7. Stanford added another run in the 8th but it wasn’t enough to come back. With the win, Fresno State takes its first series against Stanford since 1999. 

Injury report

3B/LF Cam Schneider – day-to-day

RHP Jake Riding (arm) – no timetable 

1B Cayden Munster (hand) – no timetable

SS Lee Trevino (ACL) – out for season

What’s next 

Fresno State will host Sacramento State (3-8) on Tuesday night at Pete Beiden Field, with first pitch at 6:05 p.m. The two teams split a pair of matchups in 2025 with both games coming down to one run. 

Sacramento State righty Konnor Entz, son of Fresno State football’s Head Coach Matt Entz, struck out five of the seven batters he faced on Saturday. He should be available in relief for the Hornets on Tuesday. 

The Hornets offense has struggled this season. Excluding a 21-2 victory over St. Joseph, Sacramento State are hitting .182 while scoring just 3.2 runs per game this season. 

Fans can get into Tuesday’s game for free by donating a book, in collaboration with the Fresno State Athletics Book Drive. 

Recap written by Al Scott, cover photo courtesy of Ryan Sepulveda.

Feb 28
0

Dogs fall flat in fourth on Senior Day

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The Fresno State women’s basketball team (14-16, 8-10 in MW) fell to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (19-10, 14-5 in MW) in a 68-54 loss on Feb. 28 at the Save Mart Center.

The Lady Rebels are one of the top defensive teams in the Mountain West—ranking highly in different defensive categories—and as a result, held the Bulldogs’ offense to 31.5% shooting on the night. But, with dwindling roster availability, Head Coach Ryan McCarthy also credited it to fatigue.

“Part of it too is fatigue on our part, UNLV is a great team. I don’t think it was what we didn’t do, that’s what a great team does to a team like us,” McCarthy said. 

To name a few statistics, the Lady Rebels rank fifth in opponent field-goal percentage (39%), third in blocks (3.38 bpg), and second in opponent turnovers (12.69 tpg).

Additionally, before tip-off, the Bulldogs honored six seniors: Morelia Chavez, Indiya Clark, Djessira Diawara, Jaisa Gamble, Hedda Köehne, and Emilia Long—players that McCarthy highly values when it comes to creating team culture. 

“In the days of transfers and those types of things, and to have six seniors say, ‘if I could do this again in the same place, I would’, that speaks volumes to the underclassmen and players becoming future Bulldogs,” McCarthy said.

Key players

Emilia Long (FS): 14 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals

Jaisa Gamble (FS): 9 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, 5 turnovers

Aali Alexander (UNLV): 21 points, 2 rebounds, 3 steals

Roland Meadow (UNLV): 17 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists

What happened

The Bulldogs opened the first quarter with a sloppy start, turning the ball over eight times, which the Lady Rebels converted into seven points. Additionally, the Lady Rebels made a living in the paint, scoring 12 points under the rim.

But, the steady play of the Bulldogs’ senior duo of  Emilia Long and Jiasa Gamble was enough to keep the ‘Dogs in the game—given the 18-10 Lady Rebel cushion to end the quarter. 

The Lady Rebels picked up where they left off, in the first quarter, pounding the paint to grow their lead. However, the Bulldogs answer with paint points of their own spearheaded by forward Djessira Diawara and her aggressiveness under the rim to ignite a 7-2 run to cut into the 26-19 LadyRebel lead. 

Despite that, the Lady Rebels responded with a run of their own—and combined with their stout defense—the Lady Rebels entered halftime 36-22.

The Bulldogs opened the third quarter with a 7-4 run, sparked by the freshman guard Ava Marr. Marr was responsible for four of the seven points to trim the Lady Rebel lead to 40-31—forcing the Lady Rebels to call a timeout midway through the quarter. 

Following the timeout, the Lady Rebels made adjustments to keep the Bulldogs’ hot shooting at bay to close the quarter up 48-36.

In the final quarter, the Lady Rebels were sharp on the defensive end, staying in a 2-3 zone defense for much of the quarter—giving the Bulldogs a fit. To add salt to the wound, the Lady Rebels were on a heater on offense, going 8-13 (61.5%) from the field and 4-8 (50%) from beyond-the-arc en route to the 68-54 Lady Rebel victory.

What’s next

The Bulldogs wrap up the season at The Pit to face New Mexico University (20-9, 12-6 in MW) on March 3 at 6 p.m. 

With the Mountain West Basketball Tournament on the horizon, the Bulldogs will most likely finish the season as the seventh seed and face Grand Canyon University (11-17, 10-8 in MW). This season, the Lopes swept the season series against the Bulldogs in double digit wins, going 2-0.

Recap written by Vincent Ordonio, cover photo courtesy of Evan Hernandez.

Feb 28
0

Dogs sweep weekend, Carranco adds to the record books

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A statement weekend in Stockton for Fresno State softball (8-7) as the Bulldogs swept the Libby Matson tournament, taking two games apiece from Pacific College and UC San Diego. 

Lauryn Carranco made a pretty cool memory, throwing a no-hitter on Friday afternoon against the Tritons. The Bulldogs also had five different players homer for the first time in 2026 this weekend. 

Key Players

Lauryn Carranco: 2 W, 14 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 6 BB, 16 K

Alyssa Ramirez: 3-run HR / W, 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R (1 ER), 2 K

Emma Martinez: 6-for-15, 3 R, HR, 4 RBI, BB

What happened

Game 1: Fresno State 4, UC San Diego 0

Senior Lauryn Carranco was nearly untouchable Friday, retiring nine of the first 10 batters she faced, including five strikeouts. Her offense backed her up in the fourth inning. With two on and two out, Alyssa Ramirez belted one off the scoreboard over the left-center wall to give Fresno State a 3-0 lead. Jayda Crosby came off the bench to hit a solo shot over the right field wall to provide some insurance, her first career home run. 

Carranco continued her excellence into the later inning, without allowing a hit all game. The Clovis Cougar alum struck out 12, including the final three batters to secure the first no hitter of her collegiate career and the shutout for the Bulldogs. 

Game 2: Fresno State 5, Pacific 4 (10 innings)

Jamie Hicks homered to lead off the fourth inning on Friday, tying the game at one run apiece. Pacific retook the lead 2-1 in the bottom of the frame with a pair of singles with a sacrifice in between. Emma Martinez tied the game in the fifth with a single to center, scoring Arianna Aguayo. Pacific doubled twice in the fifth and once more in the sixth, scoring a run in each inning to take a 4-2 lead. 

With the game on the line in the seventh inning, Alyssa Rebolledo reached with one out on an infield single. Martinez followed with a blast over the left field wall to tie the game. After neither team scored in the eighth or ninth innings, Martinez scored in the 10th thanks to a wild pitch from Pacific. 

Alyssa Ramirez pitched six innings in relief, including four consecutive scoreless frames to end the game for the Bulldogs to get the win. Ramirez and Loza struck out seven on the night while allowing four runs (two earned) on nine hits and no free passes. 

Game 3: Fresno State 5, UC San Diego 4

Like Friday’s game against Pacific, the Bulldogs fell behind early 1-0. Mallory Vancleave doubled to lead off the third inning. Catcher Rylee Bocchini got on thanks to a throwing error from Tritons backstop Lily Hermosillo, advancing Vancleave to third. Bocchini then proceeded to steal second. An errant throw from Hermosillo allowed Vancleave to score. 

Vancleave homered to left in the top of the fifth to give Fresno State a 2-1 lead. UCSD took it right back in the bottom frame though. After loading the bases against Bulldog freshman Alyssa Loza, Triton shortstop Marley Espiau tripled into the right center scoring three. 

The Bulldogs fought back though. Jamie Hicks tied the game in the sixth, hitting a two-run homer over the left field wall. Olivia Hill led off the top of the seventh with a double over the head of Espiau. She was pinch run for by Kealani Nitta, who would later score the go ahead run on a single from Bocchini. 

Loza fought back after a tough fifth inning to pitch seven strong for the Bulldogs and pick up her second win of the season. 

Game 4: Fresno State 3, Pacific 0

Lauryn Carranco was excellent again on Saturday, throwing seven shutout innings (122 pitches) against the Tigers, striking out four while allowing just three hits. 

Natalie Elias drove in Ava Tingey in the third inning, the only score until the seventh when the Bulldogs added a pair of insurance runs, including RBI knocks from Mallory Vancleave and Emma Martinez. 

What’s next 

The Bulldogs road trip continues next week with a Tuesday matchup at Cal State Bakersfield (2-17). First pitch is set for 12:30 p.m. in the afternoon. Fans can watch the game on ESPN+. 

From there, the Bulldogs will play in the Silicon Valley Classic next weekend with a doubleheader (3:00/5:30 p.m.) at St. Mary’s on Saturday, March 7. They will then play two at Santa Clara the next day, beginning at 10:00 a.m. 

Fresno State returns to Margie Wright Diamond on Friday, March 13th for a three game series as they welcome Utah State to town to begin Mountain West Conference play. 

Recap written by Al Scott, cover photo courtesy of Fresno State Athletics.

Feb 27
0

One final ride: Senior Day preview

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The first year under Head Coach Ryan McCarthy for Fresno State women’s basketball (14-15, 9-10) is nearing its end, with just two games left before heading to Las Vegas for the program’s final Mountain West Conference tournament (March 7-10) before joining the Pac-12 this July. 

The Bulldogs will wrap up the regular season at New Mexico on Tuesday, March 3. But before that comes, they have one final home game this Saturday at 2 p.m. as part of a doubleheader with the men’s team (scheduled to play at 4:30 p.m.). 

Fresno State will welcome the University of Las Vegas, Nevada (18-10, 13-5) for its final game at the Save Mart Center for the 2025-26 season. The Bulldogs will look for revenge after falling 85-59 to the Rebels on New Years Eve. Fresno State opened the first quarter with a 14-12 lead before falling behind quickly in the second quarter. 

Prior to the game on Saturday, Fresno State will honor its six graduating seniors, all transfers: Emilia Long, Jaisa Gamble, Indiya Clarke, Hedda Köehne, Djessira Diawara and Morelia Chavez.

Photo by Vincent Ordonio (FSM)

Emilia Long

Millie comes to Fresno State after beginning her college career helping lead Peninsula College to back-to-back conference titles and being named defensive player of the year. Long then made a pit stop at Cal Poly Humboldt where she was named Newcomer of the Year in both basketball and soccer. Fun Fact: The Washington native was a four-sport star (basketball, soccer, tennis, track) in High School at Port Angeles. 

Long then transferred to the University of Alaska Anchorage where she ran McCarthy’s offense averaging 12.2 points per game, 5.2 assists per game and 3.6 rebounds per game. She was also named conference DPOY after leading the nation with 4.1 steals per game. Her success has carried over to the Division I level as a captain for Fresno State. The guard leads the Bulldogs this season with 13.4 PPG, 3.7 APG and 2.4 SPG while starting in all 29 games. 

“[Emilia] kind of embodies what we want our program to be about. Three girls on this team out of high school had division one offers, and she was not one of those players. She just plays with that ultimate chip on her shoulder,” McCarthy said. 

Jaisa Gamble

The Bay Area native played at UC San Diego and Laney College before joining McCarthy in Alaska the last two years where she started in 55 of 61 games. A pickpocket wizard, Gamble has averaged at least 1.8 SPG each of the last four seasons. 

Gamble has played in all 29 games for the Bulldogs this season, averaging 8.3 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 2 APG and 2.1 SPG as a captain of the defense. Fun Fact: Gamble did a study abroad program during her senior year of High School.

Gamble has scored in double figures 10 times this season for the Bulldogs, including a 13 point, 7 rebound, 4 steal performance in a win at Utah State earlier this month. She scored a season high 18 against Fresno Pacific to open the season back in November. 

Indiya Clarke

The Alaska native spent her first three seasons playing at Wofford College in South Carolina before coming to Fresno. Clarke has played in 21 games this season (11 GS), averaging 4.9 PPG and 4.2 RPG. She also has a career high 17 steals. 

The senior guard had 11 points, 9 rebounds and a pair of steals in a win over San Jose State on January 7th. Fun Facts: Clarke grew up doing gymnastics before playing basketball. She also loves photography and hiking. 

“She’s been very consistent for us, and she’s just a big, strong woman,” McCarthy said. “That’s not somebody you want to get run over by, so she just gives us that edge that I felt we needed.”

Hedda Köehne

Köehne averaged 10.1 PPG, 6.8 RPG and 2.2 BPG in 50 games playing at Otero Junior College. The German native transferred to the University of Alaska Anchorage for the 2024-25 season where she averaged 5.7 PPG and 1.3 BPG. 

During this season, Köehne has played in 28 of 29 games, averaging 3.2 PPG & 3.9 RPG in just over 17 minutes per game. She also had 16 steals and 9 blocks on the season. Her best game of the game came back in November when she scored 10 points and a game-high 14 rebounds in the Bulldogs 61-48 victory over Louisiana. Fun Facts: “Heddi” would like to return to living in Europe after college. She is also bilingual (German and English). 

Djessira Diawara

Arguably the most experienced player on this team’s roster, is currently in her sixth season after stops at Salt Lake CC (2020-22), Clarendon College (2022-23), Houston (2023-24) and San Jose State (2024-25) before coming to Fresno State. 

The Mali native has played in 26 games this season, including 10 starts, scoring 5.1 PPG, while grabbing 4.5 RPG on 47.3% shooting. The forward scored 8 points and grabbed a season high 13 rebounds at San Jose State on February 4th. Fun Facts: Diawara is left-handed but shoots with her right hand. She also speaks three languages: English, French and Bambara. 

Morelia Chavez

Chavez came to Fresno State after spending two seasons with Eastern Arizona College before transferring to Florida State for her junior season. The Michoacan, Mexico native is averaging 3.3 PPG and 1.9 RPG while playing in 24 games (10.6 MPG) this season. 
Chavez has scored in double figures in three of her last six games, including a 13-point, 7-rebound performance in a win at San Jose State on February 4th. Fun Facts: Like Köehne and Diawara, “Momo” speaks multiple languages, Spanish and English.

Story written by Al Scott, cover photo courtesy of Ryan Sepulveda.

Feb 23
0

Bulldogs slam the series shut on Pepperdine

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It was a quiet and peaceful day in Fresno, at least until the Diamond Dogs stood in the batters box this afternoon. Fresno State (4-3) scored 11 runs on 12 hits Monday to defeat Pepperdine 11-3 and take the series victory over the Waves. 

Zach Plasschaert supplied all the runs the Bulldogs needed in the first inning with a grand slam. Buchanan Bear alumni Jett Ruby, Austin Young and Parker Heintz made significant contributions as well. Head Coach Ryan Overland spoke after the game on the offensive depth in his lineup.  

“Even with missing some big pieces, still production one through nine, which you’ll need if you’re gonna score runs,” Overland said.

Key players

Parker Heintz: 3 IP, H, 0 R, 0 BB, K, 37 P (24 S)

Zach Plasschaert: 1-for-5, R, HR, 4 RBI

Austin Young: 1-for-3, 3 RBI, BB

Jett Ruby: 2-for-5, R, 2 RBI

What happened 

The Bulldogs had as good of a start as they could have asked for on Monday night. After a scoreless first inning from lefty Parker Heintz, Brady Hewitt and Jett Ruby got on with a pair of singles. Griffen Sotomayor then walked to load the bases for Zach Plasschaert, who lofted a ball right over the right-center field fence for the second grand slam in as many days for the Diamond Dogs. 

With one out in the second, Barclay Ovalle blooped a single into shallow left. Hewitt followed with a double to left before they scored on a two-run single up the middle from Ruby. 

Heintz was superb in his first career start. The freshman allowed just one hit over three scoreless frames. His battery mate, Austin Young, delivered a two-run single of his own to extend the Diamond Dogs lead to 8-0. 

“He attacked the strike zone, kept their hitters off balance, and gave us three innings to start a Monday game, which is kind of a midweek game, and both teams kind of deep into their bullpen,” Overland said.

Following a scoreless frame from right hander Jordan Haver, the Bulldogs went to Moose Cuellar in the fifth. The lefty walked two and allowed a single to load the bases before Overland made a switch with one out to Doug Crystal. Waves three-hole hitter Daniel Patterson slapped a single to center to bring in a pair of runs. 

The ‘Dogs extended their lead to 9-2 in the sixth inning on a sacrifice fly from Young, scoring Marcus Nolen who doubled. The Waves got the run back in the top of the eighth. Johnny Backus pinch hit and rocketed a ball to center, just over the head of Collins. Backus made it all the way to third before scoring on a throwing error from Fresno State pitcher Will Page-Allen. Excluding the error, Page-Allen was nearly perfect, striking out five and allowing just the one unearned run. 

Fresno State added on two insurance runs in the eighth, including an RBI triple from Mikey Boyd. BJ Rodriguez closed the 9th with a scoreless inning as the ‘Dogs won 11-3. 

Injury report

3B/LF Cam Schneider – day-to-day

INF Owen Faust (nose) — day-to-day

RHP Jake Riding (arm) – no timetable 

1B Cayden Munster (hand) – no timetable

SS Lee Trevino (ACL) – out for season

What’s next

The Bulldogs head north for a three game series at Stanford next weekend, beginning with a 2:05 matchup on Friday, February 27. The Cardinal are 4-4 on the year following a series split against Cal State Fullerton. 

Fresno State will return home for a midweek matchup against Sacramento State on Tuesday, March 3 at 6:05 p.m. before a weekend set at Arizona, March 6-8. 

“A great environment historically, really good programs on the West Coast, to play in that atmosphere and against obviously the cream of the crop to go to Stanford. So we’ll get to see some really good pitching, for sure. I think to this point, we’ve done a really good job hitting with two strikes, and that’s going to be an even bigger challenge here, especially the next two weekends,” Overland said.

Recap written by Al Scott, cover photo courtesy of Ryan Sepulveda. 

Feb 21
0

Potential upset slips out of Dogs paws in 80-78 loss

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Despite holding a 22 point lead in the first half, the Fresno State men’s basketball team (12-14, 6-9 in MW) let it slip away to the University of New Mexico (20-6, 11-4 in MW) in a 80-78 loss on Feb. 21 at the Save Mart Center.

Head coach Vance Walberg felt that mistakes that snowballed into the final minutes of the game was what led to the loss.

“We had some goofy plays along the end, we had some bad turnovers that go to live ball bucket—those are the things we got to clean up,” Walberg said in a post-game press conference.

Walberg also provided an update on guard D.J. Stickman, who left last game against the University of Wyoming with what was confirmed to be an ACL injury and will have surgery next week.

That leaves the Bulldogs without guards Stickman and David Douglas Jr. (knee fracture) for the rest of the season.

With roster availability dwindling, Walberg noted the lack of depth on the roster.

“We got to play picture perfect, and we don’t have enough talent right now to make some of the mistakes we made,” Walberg said in a post-game press conference. “I feel bad for them, because they put their heart out—they’re such good kids and they work their tail off.”

Despite the loss, the Bulldogs saw good production from forward Deshawn Gory, guard Jake Heidbreder, and center Wilson Jacque—who recorded another double-double and even extended his shooting to the mid-range area throughout the game. 

Key players

Deshawn Gory (FS): 21 points, 8 rebounds, 1 steal

Jake Heidbreder (FS): 22 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists 3 steals

Wilson Jacques (FS): 16 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist

Deyton Albury (UNM): 21 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals

Jake Hall (UNM): 20 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 steal

What happened

The Bulldogs opened the game hot on offense, starting the game on a 9-0 run, kickstarted by the activity on the defensive boards which spurred high paced offense. However, Lobos guard Jake Hall—who is 44.3% from beyond-the-arc— would put a stop to the run following a three-pointer. 

Despite that, the Bulldogs continued to crash the boards and move the ball to jump out to a 26-10 lead midway through the first half, with six players contributing to the scoring column—forward Deshawn Gory and guard Jake Heidbreder lead the offense with eight points a piece.

For the remainder of the first half, the Bulldogs cooled down on both ends of the floor, as the Lobos chipped at the large deficit. Led by Hall and his efficient offense, the Lobos were to get within 10 points of the Bulldogs, but the ‘Dogs’ offense was able to keep them afloat for the 44-32 point cushion heading into halftime.

After one half, Jake Heidbreder led all scorers with 13 points on an efficient 4-5 from the field, 3-4 from three-point range, and 2-2 from the free-throw line— Hall was a close second, with 12 points as both players are already on track to surpass their season averages (17.5 ppg and 15.8 ppg respectively).

The Bulldogs opened the second half flat footed on defense, allowing the guard trio of Deyton Albury, Luke Haupt, and Antionio Chol to combine for 11 points on 4-7 (57.14%) shooting from the field to trim the ‘Dogs’ lead to 54-50—with the lone second half scorer being Gory, who claimed seven points.

Following that, the same Lobo scoring trio continued to put points on the board—even holding a brief lead over the Bulldogs—however, center Wilson Jacques would get the ‘Dogs over the scoring hump as he pitched in eight points to Gory’s 11 to put the ‘Dogs up 66-65 with seven minutes left to play. 

To close out the game, both teams traded the lead, however the late game heroics of Hapt would help the Lobos pull away and eventually take the 80-78 win as the second half performance from Gory and Jacques wasn’t enough to keep the Bulldogs in the game.

What’s next

The Bulldogs take a short road trip to Colorado State University (16-10) to take on the Rams, who are 7-8 in conference play and two spots above the ‘Dogs in the Mountain West (MW) standings, on Feb. 28 at 4:30 p.m. This matchup marks the second meeting between the two teams this season, with the ‘Dogs coming out on top in a 79-69 win on Jan. 13.

Following the Broncos, the Bulldogs host two home games. The first contest is against Boise State University (15-11, 7-8 in MW) on March 3 at 6 p.m. The final home game of the season is against San Jose State University (7-19, 2-13 in MW) on March 7 at 5 p.m. 

This final stretch of the season is important for the Bulldogs as they look to stack up wins for better tournament seeding with the Mountain West Basketball Tournament, which is steadily approaching.

Recap written by and cover photo courtesy of Vincent Ordonio (FSM).

Feb 21
0

Diamond Dogs ride 6-7th inning waves to victory

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The young talent on full display Saturday afternoon, the Diamond Dogs (2-3) used a pair of four run innings to defeat Pepperdine 10-6. 

Key players

Tyler Patrick: 5.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R (2 ER), BB, 6 K, 85 P (57 S)

Griffen Sotomayor: 1-for-4, 2 R, HR, 3 RBI, BB

Sky Collins: 2-for-4, 2 BB, SB

Michael Boyd: 1-for-2, R, 2 RBI, SB

What happened 

Freshman shortstop Brady Hewitt led off the bottom of the first with a single just over the head of Waves second baseman Kai Laxa. Two batters later Owen Faust reached first via an eight pitch walk but both runners were left stranded. 

Julian Nunez led off the second with a double down the left field line. He advanced to third on a single two batters later before scoring on a fielding error by Hewitt. Laxa followed with a liner to shallow center bringing in another Waves run to make it 2-0. Pepperdine loaded the bases before Tyler Patrick struck out Zach Woodson to end the rally. 

The ‘Dogs got a pair of runners on to leadoff the third courtesy of Hewitt (single) and Jett Ruby (walk). Collin Valentine quickly got out of it though, getting Faust to fly out to left and Griffen Sotomayor to ground into a 6-4-3 double play. 

Patrick worked around a hit-by-pitch and a single to leadoff the fifth thanks to a crafty double play turned by Hewitt to end the frame. Pepperdine put some pressure on Patrick again in the sixth. With two one and two out, Daniel Patterson laced a double into the left-center gap, scoring Max Aude to make it 3-0. Patrick was relieved by junior transfer Will Page-Allen who got Finley Buckner to lineout to Bulldog third baseman Mikey Pickett. 

Jake Guardiancic relieved Valentine (5 IP, 0 R, 3 BB, K) in the sixth inning. After getting Faust to foul out, Guardiancic loaded the bases with walks to Sotomayor and Sky Collins and hitting Marcus Nolen. Guardiancic got Austin Young to pop up before Pepperdine Head Coach Tyler LaTorre called on reliever Matt Queen. 

Overland countered by pinch-hitting with Mikey Boyd who lofted a single over the shortstop, scoring a pair. Boyd then stole second and scored on a two-run single from Mikey Pickett (stole second) for a four-run sixth to take the lead. 

Page-Allen walked Woodson to begin the seventh before going to Moose Cuellar. After giving up an infield single to Trey Dunn, struck Nunez out swinging and got James Dell’Amico to pop up. Cuellar got Danny Cook to strike out to leave two Waves stranded. 

Ruby and Faust led off the bottom of the frame with walks before Sotomayor mashed one the opposite way, clearing the right-center wall for his first home run of 2026. The Bulldogs added one more in the inning thanks to a Pepperdine error to make it 8-3. 

After a leadoff walk, Laxa doubled in a run to begin the eighth inning, ending Cuellar’s day. Woodson then belted a two-run homer off of Doug Crystal over the right field wall. Crystal struck Dunn out to end the eighth. Fresno State added two more runs in the bottom of the frame to extend the lead to 10-6.

Injury report

3B/LF Cam Schneider – day-to-day

RHP Jake Riding (arm) – no timetable 

1B Cayden Munster (hand) – no timetable

SS Lee Trevino (ACL) – out for season

What’s next

Game 3 of the series resumes Sunday afternoon at 2:05 p.m. with redshirt senior Victor Arreola on the bump. Arreola was nearly untouchable in his first start, allowing just one run on three walks (zero hits) over four innings. 

Pepperdine will counter with right-hander Dylan Stewart. The 6’5” senior allowed two runs on one hit and five walks/HBP over three innings against USC his last time out. Stewart is 3-8 (43 GP) with a 5.94 ERA for his career. 

Recap written by Al Scott, cover photo courtesy of Nate Velasco. 

Feb 20
0

Waves 9th inning rally spoils Townson gem

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The Diamond Dogs held Pepperdine scoreless all the way until the 9th inning before a late rally from the Waves, defeating Fresno State 2-1. 

Key players

Drew Townson: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K (73 P)

Barclay Ovalle: 1-for-3, R

What happened 

The Bulldogs opened the bottom of the first with a pair of base runners via a hit-by-pitch to Owen Faust and a Jett Ruby walk, but both were left stranded. 

Two innings later, Barclay Ovalle singled into shallow center. Faust followed with a five-pitch walk. After a sacrifice from Ruby, Griffen Sotomayor grounded out to first base. It was deep enough to allow Ovalle to score though, getting the Dogs on the board. 

For the Waves, they could get nothing going against Fresno State starter Drew Townson. Their second hit off of Townson came in the top of the fifth, a leadoff single from James DellAmico. Two batters later, Kai Laxa reached on a throwing error from Faust. Neither run would score though. 

Townson stranded a pair of runners again in the sixth before his night ended, striking out five over six shutout innings. He was relieved by lefty BJ Rodriguez who walked and hit a batter before retiring the next three batters. Marcus Nolen led off the bottom half with a single but the Bulldogs were unable to add on the insurance run. 

Wyatt Thornbury relieved Rodriguez in the eighth, throwing a 1-2-3 inning against the middle of the Pepperdine order. Thornbury came back out in the ninth but back-to-back hits to DellAmico and Max Aude put runners in scoring position with no outs. 

The Waves tied the game on a sac fly from Joe Cardinale. Zach Woodson followed with a single to right to take the lead 2-1. Pepperdine loaded the bases with a walk and a single before Thornbury stopped the bleeding. 

Freshman Mikey Boyd pinch hit to lead off the bottom of the inning, reaching on a hit-by-pitch. Mikey Pickett pinch ran for him and immediately stole second. Waves closer Lucien Wechsberg would strike out both Sky Collins and Nolen though before inducing a fly out from Austin Young. 

What’s next

Game 2 of the series resumes tomorrow afternoon at 3:05 p.m. with sophomore Tyler Patrick (4.2 IP, 4 ER, 2 K) scheduled on the mound. The Clovis West alum looks to rebound after allowing four runs during the second inning of his first start. Patrick leads all Bulldog returners with 38 innings pitched in 2025 (4.26 ERA, 27 K). 

The Waves will turn to lefty Collin Valentine (4.2 IP, 3 ER, 4 K). Valentine is 3-7 with a 6.34 ERA for his collegiate career across 88 IP. 

Recap written by Al Scott, cover photo courtesy of Nate Velasco. 

Feb 19
0

Turning the Tide: Diamond Dogs Welcome Pepperdine to Fresno

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The Diamond Dogs return to Pete Beiden Field for the second straight weekend to host the Pepperdine Waves (Feb. 20-23) after going 1-2 against Utah. 

Head Coach Ryan Overland said on Wednesday afternoon that the series result was frustrating but he opted for an optimistic outlook.

“It was disappointing to obviously lose the series, and especially the way that we did those first two games, in different ways,” Overland said. “We were really a pitch away from winning the series and to beat a big 12 team to start the year would have been a really good step to start. But sometimes you’ve got to learn those lessons from a loss.”

Weekend takeaways 

1. The youth will have a big impact. Of the 25 Bulldogs that saw playing time against Utah, 14 of them were underclassmen (10 freshman, 4 sophomores).

“There’s no doubt this freshman class is one of the more talented we’ve had, and there’s a reason why those guys are getting opportunities and getting on the field. And I think there’s some guys with some pretty bright futures here the next couple of years,” Overland said.

Moose Cuellar pitching on Friday, February 13th, against Utah (Nate Velasco / FSM).

Sophomore starter Tyler Patrick and redshirt freshman long-reliever Moose Cuellar figure to pitch a lot of innings for the Bulldogs this season. Offensively, shortstop Brady Hewitt (4-for-11, 2 XBH) and outfielder Marcus Nolen (3 H, 4 RBI) are already contributing as true freshmen. The latter of which admitted he was still shaking off some nerves before stepping up the plate for the first time on Friday.

“Getting in the box was a lot. My head was kind of spinning, just seeing that pitcher getting into wind up, getting ready to pitch. It was a lot going through my head. And when he threw it, it was kind of just, now, I’m really here. I kind of just got to lock in and be ready to go. Yeah, those jitters, kind of after the first pitches, jitters were out. And then it was kind of just I knew what to do,” Nolen said. 

Marcus Nolen hitting against Utah on Friday, February 13th (Nate Velasco / FSM).

2. The return of Sky Collins. The Fresno State senior is back roaming center field after a brutal injury during the seventh inning of the 2025 Mountain West Championship game. His recovery and efforts to get back to full strength have not been lost on teammates, including Cam Schneider who witnessed Sky going down only about 50 feet away. 

“That dude has put in more work in that training room than anybody. He wants this just as bad, if not more, than anybody on this team, and he’s worked his butt off for it,” Schneider said.

Collins didn’t seem to lose a step in his return to the diamond. In addition to his usual elite defense, Collins had a pair of hits against Utah, including a triple to lead off the bottom of the sixth on Friday. He also singled in a run on Sunday as part of a nine-run first inning.  

Sky Collins fist-bumping first base coach Jack Karraker after singling on Sunday, February 15th against Utah (Evan Hernandez / FSM).

3. Gotta clean up the defense. The Bulldogs allowed nine errors and seven stolen bases (8 attempts) in just three games against Utah. 

Back-to-back errors to lead off the third inning during Friday’s loss led to a three-run inning for the Utes and an early exit for Bulldog starter Drew Townson. Utah would score again in the 6th thanks to a Fresno State throwing error. 

The lone Fresno State error on Saturday came in the sixth inning, after already getting two outs. That runner would end up scoring in what would end up being the difference in the game. 

This isn’t to say fans should necessarily be worried. With a team as young as the Bulldogs are, there will be growing pains at times. It’s a lot easier to clean up the fundamentals than to create talent (which the ‘Dogs have plenty of). It was also the first series of the season and there’s plenty of room for improvement throughout the year.

“Sometimes you gotta feel it and go through it. If those lumps at the beginning of the year, taking two losses to learn some lessons help us in a couple of weeks in league and towards the end of the stretch down the year, then we’ll live with it,” Overland said.

Schneider, who played third base on Saturday and Sunday after starting in left on Friday, is confident in the team’s ability to manage all the moving parts going forward. 

“We have a lot of guys in moving positions and, you know, just trying to find out where we’re all going to feed and feed into this puzzle. So once we figure that out, it’s gonna be a hard team to beat,” Schneider said. 

Cam Schneider playing third base on Saturday, February 14 (Evan Hernandez / FSM).

Turning the tide

Fresno State will look to shake off its sluggish start against a Waves squad that went just 12-42 a year ago. Pepperdine began their season on the losing end of a sweep at USC before having their home opener against UC Santa Barbara postponed due to rain. 

“Anybody playing Division I baseball, you’ve gotta be prepared and be ready to play from the get go,” Overland said. “For us we have to make sure we handle the stuff that we need to do on the field, and obviously having good opponents like that in the next two weeks, going on the road at Arizona and Stanford, we’re going to get some good feedback from these programs.”

Projected starters

  • Friday, Feb. 20 at 6:05 p.m. — RHP Drew Townson (2.1 IP, 2 ER, 2 K) vs RHP Tommy Scavone (5 IP, 2 ER, 6 K).
  • Saturday, Feb. 21 at 3:05 p.m. — RHP Tyler Patrick (4.2 IP, 4 ER, 2 K) vs LHP Collin Valentine (4.2 IP, 3 ER, 4 K).
  • Sunday, Feb. 22 at 2:05 p.m. — RHP Victor Arreola (4 IP, 1 ER, 0 K) vs RHP Dylan Stewart (3 IP, 2 ER, 3 K).
  • Monday, Feb. 23 at 4:05 p.m. — TBA vs TBA

The Bulldogs weekend rotation took a hit with a setback to Jake Riding, who is still recovering from an arm injury that sidelined him for the entirety of the 2025 season. Townson, Patrick and Arreola still should form one of the better rotations in the conference, assuming they can stay healthy. 

Austin Young and Drew Townson (Nate Velasco / FSM).

Lefties BJ Rodriguez and Moose Cuellar both looked solid against Utah pitching three scoreless frames apiece, as did Carlsbad brothers Weston and Wyatt Thornbury (combined for 3 IP, 0 R, 2 K). 

The staff beyond those three is full of talent, but also inexperienced. Monday’s starter remains unknown for now and could simply be based on whichever arms are left after the weekend. Freshman Gavin Ekizian pitched three innings on Sundays and is a candidate to fulfill a starter’s workload according to Overland. 

For the Waves, their staff is led by tall right-hander Tommy Scavone who struck out six Trojans over five innings to keep Pepperdine in the game against USC this past Friday. The graduate has a 4.87 ERA over 24 career appearances (22 GS). 

Collin Valentine (7.02 ERA in 41 IP in 25’) and Dylan Stewart (6.31 ERA in 55.2 IP in 25’) both struggled a year ago, and are looking to rebound after a tough opening weekend. 

Waves to watch

Outfielder Trey Dunn hit .292 with 24 home runs (15 HR in 25’) and drove in 96 runs over 142 games at Westmont over the last four years for current Waves Head Coach Tyler LaTorre. Dunn went 1-for-6 against USC. 

Another Westmont transfer, Daniel Patterson was a DII NCAA All-American as a junior in 2024 when he led the PacWest with 58 runs scored, 20 doubles, 18 home runs and a 1.169 OPS. Patterson took a slight step back in 2025 but still managed to hit .304 with 13 home runs and 46 runs batted in. The third baseman was 1-for-12 against the Trojans with a walk this past weekend. 

Injury report 

Redshirt senior shortstop Lee Treviño had surgery on Thursday to repair a torn ACL suffered in practice a couple weeks ago. The Visalia native hit for a team-leading .364 batting average across 46 games (39 GS) in 2025 and figured to hit near the top of the order this season. 

“Just an unfortunate event of playing and turning and a guy that’s been a huge part of our championships the last two years,” Overland said. 

As mentioned earlier, graduate senior pitcher Jake Riding is still recovering from an arm injury suffered before the 2025 season. There’s no timetable for his return but Overland is hoping it’s in the short term. 

How to watch 
All four games will be available to watch for free on the Mountain West Network, via the app or the MW website.

Story written by Al Scott, cover photo courtesy of Nate Velasco.

Feb 15
0

Diamond Dogs ride hot start to first win of 2026

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On a day with near perfect weather, the Diamond Dogs played near perfect baseball to get its first win of the 2026 campaign to defeat the University of Utah 14-8 on Sunday afternoon. 

Freshman Brady Hewitt delivered the first longball of the year for Fresno State, one of 11 Bulldog hits on the day. Marcus Nolen also drove in a pair of runs as part of a nine run first inning. Head Coach Ryan Overland spoke after the game on the impact of the two freshmen.

“There’s a reason why they’re in there from day one,” Overland said. “As an 18 year old freshman, there’s some physicality gap there, and those guys are mature and ready for it. There’s going to be some ups and downs with them, but they’re exciting players.”

Despite his youth, Nolen has quickly adapted to the culture on the team.

“These guys are an amazing group of people, each day you come in here knowing they’re the brothers they got your back, and we can just continue to ride out together. We have great confidence in each other,” Nolen said. 

Key players

Victor Arreola: 4 IP, 0 H, 1 R (0 ER), 3 BB, 49 pitches

Griffen Sotomayor: 1-of-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, HBP

Owen Faust: 2-of-3, 4 R, BB, 2 HBP

Jett Ruby: 2-of-5, 2 R, 3 RBI

What happened

A leadoff walk and two infield errors in the first gave Utah a quick 1-0 lead, one that would not last very long. Owen Faust and Jett Ruby led off the bottom half of the frame with a pair of singles. Griffen Sotomayor (catching for the first time as a Bulldog) reached first via hit-by-pitch. Cayden Munster then tied the game, drawing a walk. 

A fielder’s choice from Cam Schneider and a Sky Collins RBI single through the right side gave the Diamond Dogs a 3-1 lead. After a walk to Zach Plasschaert, freshman outfielder Marcus Nolen ripped a ball right in between the shortstop and third baseman to bring in two more. The Central East alum spoke after the game on what the biggest change has been since getting to the collegiate level. 

“Just being able to experience seeing pitches each and every day, just kind of growing and sticking with your approach. You can continue to understand what you need to do and what you need to where you need to be, and just continue to work at it,” Nolen said. 

After a pitching change, a throwing error and some crafty base running, the Bulldogs tacked on four more runs in the inning to lead Utah 9-1 after a very long first inning. Ruby and Sotomayor added RBI singles in the 3rd inning as well to extend the ‘Dogs lead to 11-1. 

Fresno State starter Victor Arreola threw four hitless innings, allowing just one unearned run on three walks, a positive sign for the senior in his return. 

“It was huge to get him back out there after not having him last year, and what he’s been through with some injuries. That’s a lot of work over a 12 month span to get back out there and tow the rubber,” Overland said.

Coach Overland added that they were initially planning on only throwing him two or three innings, but opted to extend his leash given how well he was doing. 

Freshman Gavin Ekizian came in and delivered a 1-2-3 inning in his debut. Fellow freshman Brady Hewitt gave the ‘Dogs their first home run of the season leading off the bottom of the fifth inning. A sac fly later in the inning from Schneider made it 13-1. 

Ekezian threw a scoreless sixth inning as well before running into trouble in the seventh. With one on and two outs, the Utes doubled down the left-field line in back-to-back at bats courtesy of Luke Jacobs and Zakye Hawkins to cut the deficit to 13-3. The ‘Dogs got one of the two runs back on a pinch hit, RBI single from Mikey Pickett. 

Utah jumped on Ekezian for five runs in the top of the eighth before being pulled for Douglas Crystal who pitched the eighth and ninth innings. Fresno State would go on to win 14-8. 

Injury report

Shortstop Lee Trevino is out for the year after tearing his ACL in practice. The redshirt senior is likely to be eligible for a medical redshirt that would allow him to return to the Bulldogs in 2027. Jake Riding (missed 2025 season) is out with no timetable at this time. 

What’s next

Fresno State is tentatively scheduled to host Utah tomorrow for game 4 of the series at 2:05 p.m. though rain might get in the way of that.

Recap written by Al Scott, cover photo courtesy of Evan Hernandez (FSM).