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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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).
The Bulldogs did not quite have the fairy tale start to the season they were looking for, allowing nine walks and committing five errors. Despite some strong Bulldog debut performances, it was not enough as Fresno State fell 8-3 to the University of Utah on Friday night at Pete Beiden Field.
Key players
Marcus Nolen: 1-for-3, R, RBI
Moose Cuellar: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, BB, 3 K
Cam Schneider: 2-for-5, RBI
What happened
Drew Townson made his first start as a Bulldog, after making 20 appearances out of the bullpen last season. The Bakersfield native was not greeted nicely in the first inning. After allowing a leadoff walk, Utes left fielder Jake Long pulled a ball off the athletic weight room building beyond the visitors’ bullpen for a quick 2-0 lead.
Towson loaded the bases in the second allowing a single and a pair of walks, before getting former San Diego State Aztec Nevan Noonan to ground out to third base. Freshman Marcus Nolen reached in the bottom half of the inning on a grounder through the left side, deflected by third baseman Zakye Hawkins. Two batters later, fellow freshman Brady Hewitt laced a ball into the right-center gap for his first collegiate hit, a triple scoring Nolen to get the Bulldogs on the board.
Poor defense would come back to bite the Bulldogs in the third inning. After back-to-back errors to lead off the frame, designated hitter Cal Miller doubled down the right field line, scoring a run. After a walk to Derek Smith, right fielder Bradley Navarro reached on an infield single, scoring another run. Two batters later, Towson plunked Jet Gilliam to bring in another run for Utah. It ended Townson’s day (2.1 IP, 5 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 2 K) after just 69 pitches.
UCLA transfer Moose Cuellar relieved him and would immediately induce a 4-6-3 double play, ending the Utes rally. Cuellar (Tulare Western) HS would pitch three scoreless frames for the Bulldogs on Friday night, including striking out three in the fourth inning.
Bulldog centerfielder Sky Collins tripled to leadoff the bottom of the sixth, before scoring on a sac fly to left from Nolen to make it 6-2. Nolen went 1-fo-3 with a sac fly on Friday, but made hard contact in all four of his plate appearances.
Freshmen Weston Thornbury (1.2 IP, 0 R, K) and Brandon Thomas (1 IP, R, K) also made their collegiate debuts on Friday.
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.
What’s next
Fresno State hosts Utah tomorrow at 3:05 p.m. with Tyler Patrick on the mound. The Clovis West alum had a 4.26 ERA in 38 innings pitched last season as a true freshman.
The Utes will turn to Payton Riske who gave up five runs across 10 innings (two starts) last season. The series will continue with games on Sunday and Monday, both at 2:05 p.m.
Recap written by Al Scott, photos courtesy of Nate Velasco (FSM).
College baseball is back and that means the return of the Diamond Dogs to Pete Beiden Field, in quest of a third straight Mountain West Championship.
Fresno State begins the 2026 season under the lights on Friday, hosting the University of Utah for a 4-game series at Pete Beiden Field at Bob Bennett Stadium. First baseman Griffen Sotomayor is fired up to play again.
“We’re just ready to compete. It’s been a long fall, a long spring, early spring, so we’re ready to do it, ready to go compete, play against somebody else,” Sotomayor said.
Offensive outlook
The Bulldogs offense led by third baseman Murf Gray (drafted by Pirates), catcher Justin Stransky (drafted by Cubs), right fielder Bobby Blandford (signed by Athletics) and second baseman Eddie Saldivar (graduated) finished top three in the Mountain West in 2025 in batting average (.301), runs scored (417), extra base hits (211), runs driven in (387) and stolen bases (53).
Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, all four of those guys are gone now. But Head Coach Ryan Overland sees it as an opportunity for his squad to grow and for some of the returners to step up.
One guy he mentioned in particular was the primary leadoff hitter last season, Sotomayor. The senior from Turlock was the Bulldogs lone representative on the All-MW preseason team after hitting .326 with 7 HR, 41 RBI and a .912 OPS last season.
Griffin Sotomayor (Jackie Carrillo)
“It’s a really awesome honor, super privileged. I think it kind of just goes to show you what the staff does for us. It’s kind of more of a team honor. I think you know a lot of preparations go into it, all the coaches, coaches getting here early, the guys getting early, working together,” Sotomayor said.
The Bulldogs will be without shortstop Lee Trevino, who will miss the 2026 season with an injury. They will return though on offense infielders Jett Ruby, Cayden Munster and Owen Faust and outfielders Cam Schneider and Sky Collins.
Sky Collins (Fresno State Athletics)
Sotomayor noted that while power might not be the team’s calling card, they have a distinct advantage other teams don’t necessarily have.
“This team is gonna have to be really scrappy. We’re going to have to play the game the right way and play hard. Last year I think we kind of were a bit more powerful, a bit bigger, a bit stronger, a bit older. But this year, I think we’re gonna be fast. I think we’re gonna be ready to play the game and pretty much play a clean brand of baseball,” Sotomayor said.
Among newcomers, transfers Bo Rico (Fresno City JC) and Zach Plasschaert (Arizona / Pima JC) have a chance to make an instant impact.
The pitching staff
Much of the success from the 2025 Bulldogs came from having two of the best pitchers on the west coast in Jack Anker and Aidan Cremarosa (MW POTY), who have since been drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates and Tampa Bay Rays respectively.
In addition to Anker and Cremarosa, Bryce Armstrong and Cooper Bergman graduated. They also lost relievers Caleb Anderson (Long Beach State) and JT Guerrero (Grand Canyon) and Hayden Crews (Northwest Nazarene) in the transfer portal, among others.
Returners pitched just 117.2 out 525 innings from a year ago. That’s not a lot but Tyler Patrick (4.26 ERA in 38 IP), Drew Townson (4-0, 5.05 ERA, 35.2 IP) and left-hander B.J. Rodriguez (3.93 ERA, 21 K, 18.1 IP) all figure to pitch plenty of frames for pitching coach Troy Buckley’s staff in 2026.
Townson and Patrick in particular are excited to make their mark in this upcoming season, citing preparation during an episode of The Pawd, as a big reason for the team’s success in recent years.
“Pressure is a privilege, and you’re in those moments because you deserve to be in those moments. And we work from sun up to sun down to perfect what we do to be in those kind of moments,” Townson said.
He went on to say that the support of the Red Wave makes it a lot easier to perform with such a great fanbase backing them up. Patrick concurred with him and added that it’s a uniquely special to pitch in the same stadium he came to as a kid.
“Growing up coming to these games, watching the games like it’s just such an awesome feeling to finally have the opportunity to be that person you grew up watching and just be a role model for the younger generations,” Patrick said.
Tyler Patrick (Jackie Carrillo)
Joining them are two wild cards in Jake Riding and Victor Arreola that have a chance to anchor the rotation.
Riding is back after missing all of last season with an arm injury. The graduate senior was key for the Bulldogs pitching staff in 2024, going 5-6 with a 5.06 ERA in 19 appearances (9 starts). Arreola went 3-1 with a 5.40 ERA and team-leading .239 opponent batting average over 36.2 IP as a sophomore in 2023. He followed it up with a team-best 3.07 ERA in 41 innings out of the bullpen in 2024. The San Diego native made just two starts last season before going down with a back injury.
The pitching staff is rounded out by the return of Jared Galang and Wyatt Thornbury (missed 2025 with injury), transfers Moose Cuellar (UCLA), Douglas Crystal (Cypress JC) and Will Page-Allen (Feather River JC) and freshmen Parker Heintz, Brandon Thomas, Weston Thornbury, Jordan Haver, Erik Rico and Gavin Ekizian.
Jared Galang (Jackie Carrillo)
Overland adds to his staff
Overland has had a positive start to his Head Coaching career, earning a 94-85 record in three seasons, including conference tournament titles in both of his seasons since having the interim tag removed.
“That’s obviously what the standard of this program is, to get into the NCAA Tournament and ultimately, not only getting regionals, but win games in advance, and ultimately get a team back to Omaha,” Overland said.
Head Coach Ryan Overland (Jackie Carrillo)
He returns pitching coach Troy Buckley, and assistants Ritchie Price and Jack Karraker, all entering their 4th seasons coaching at Fresno State.
Overland made two new additions to his staff, both former Diamond Dog center fielders. Nikoh Mitchell was named the team’s Director of Operations, replacing Jordan Brink, who is now the Head Coach at Clovis West.
Mitchell played for the Bulldogs from 2018-23, both in the outfield and on the mound. He went 11-10 with a 4.53 ERA and 163 strikeouts over 163 innings pitched. He transitioned into a two-way player in 2022 where he saw time primarily as a pinch-runner and defensive replacement. As a full-time starter in 2023, Mitchell hit .277 with 37 runs scored and 15 extra-base hits.
Fresno native and 14-year MLB vet Tom Goodwin has returned home as well as the new Director of Player Development.
“Adding Goodwin to our staff is an enormous step forward for our program and athletes,” Overland said. “Goody’s experience and energy coming back home as a Bulldog is extremely exciting for the 2026 season and beyond.”
Goodwin played three years for the Bulldogs (1987-89), including a school-record 56 wins and a College World Series appearance in 1988. He wrapped up his career as the program’s record holder in stolen bases with 164 and remains in the top 10 in school history in batting average (.350), at-bats (821), runs (207), hits (287) and triples (13).
He helped win Gold for Team USA in the Olympics in 1988 and won a World Series in 2018 as a coach for the Boston Red Sox. He’s spent the last two seasons as first base coach for the Atlanta Braves.
The non-conference season slate
Following a 4-game series with the Utah Utes that ends on Monday afternoon, Fresno State will host Pepperdine the following weekend for another 4-game series (2/20-23) before heading north to play at Stanford (2/28-3/2). The Bulldogs will return home for a Tuesday night matchup against Sacramento State on March 3 before playing at Arizona on March 6-8.
Other non-conference matchups include at Cal Poly (3/10), vs Cal State Northridge (3/17), at Utah Tech (3/19-20), vs Long Beach State (3/23), vs Cal Poly (3/31), at Sacramento State (4/7), vs Cal State University Bakersfield (4/14), vs UC Davis (4/20), at LBSU (4/21), at CSUN (4/29), at CSUB (5/5) and at home vs Cal Poly again (5/12).
Defending the west
Fresno State will begin its quest of a Mountain West three-peat in its final season in the conference at home vs Nevada (3/13-15).
The Wolf Pack returns seven starters including 2025 Mountain West Freshman of the Year Sean Yamaguchi and fellow 2025 All-Mountain West selections junior pitcher Alessandro Castro, senior infielder Jayce Dobie, senior catcher Jake Harvey and senior designated hitter Billy Ham from a squad that won the MW regular-season title and earned the No. 1 seed in the MW championship before falling in the conference tournament.
The Wolf Pack were picked first by the Mountain West preseason polls, just ahead of the Bulldogs who were picked second.
“It’s nice to be recognized but it’s really just background noise,” Sotomayor said. “If we go play the Bulldog brand of baseball, then you know, 2x Mountain West champs, 3x it could be. That’s kind of just up to us whether or not we play our brand of baseball.”
Head Coach Ryan Overland getting a Gatorade bath (Fresno State Athletics)
The Bulldogs will get one weekend off of MW play before playing at New Mexico (3/27-29), a hitter’s paradise. Fresno State will host former Bulldog JT Guerrero and Grand Canyon the following weekend (4/2-4) before playing at Air Force (4/10-12).
Fresno State will finish April hosting a pair of California conference rivals in San Jose State (4/17-18) and San Diego State (4/24-26).
The Diamond Dogs will then wrap up conference play with three series in the month of May: at Washington State (5/1-3), home vs UNLV (5/8-10) and at San Jose State (5/14-16) before returning to Mesa, Arizona (5/20-23) in quest for another Mountain West tournament title before the program moves to the PAC-12 Conference.
Season expectations
As mentioned earlier, the Bulldogs lost plenty of top-end talent through the draft and graduation and replacing it won’t be easy.
A healthy pitching staff and some power improvements from guys like Munster and Schneider in the middle of the order would go a long way towards a potential three-peat.
Cayden Munster (Jackie Carrillo)
It’s hard to predict the future and pinpoint where this team will find themselves come May, but fair expectations for this year’s team would include 30+ wins and a top three finish in the conference, both in the regular and postseason.
“A lot of new guys, a lot of new faces, but guys that are ready to step up, and guys that are ready to make a name for themselves,” Sotomayor said.
Story written by Al Scott, cover photo by Jackie Carrillo (FSM).
The Fresno State women’s basketball team (13-13) improved to 7-8 in conference play on Feb. 11 after a 75-69 win against Boise State University (19-6), snapping their nine game win streak.
The Broncos are one of the premier teams in the Mountain West (3rd place overall) and rank highly in different offensive categories, so the Bulldogs were due for a challenging night. Head Coach Ryan McCarthy thought the Bulldogs rose to the occasion.
“Not only is Boise State the top offensive team, they’re the hottest team—they won nine in a row in this league. To take them down like that, that’s a hard thing to do.” McCarthy said.
Guarding a team of that caliber brings physicality on defense, and as a result, Jaisa Gamble—who is a large focal point of the Bulldogs’ defense—battled foul trouble all game. As a result, during the non-Gamble minutes, McCarthy thought the team held up well as he saw some strong production for guard Aloni Oliver.
“I was really proud of Aloni Oliver for coming in and giving us some solid minutes—getting big rebounds and just overall hustle plays—I felt that created momentum for us a little bit,” McCarthy said. “When you get a player that maybe doesn’t play as much, go in there and have a couple big moments, I think that fires everybody up.”
Despite sitting on the sidelines for much of the game, Gamble’s impact was still felt on the court, as she remained vocal on the bench.
“Even when she’s not on the court, she’s always actively helping us out with our intensity, so that helped me a lot to stay focused,” guard Danae Powell said.
Key players
Danae Powell (FS): 22 points, 2 assists, 3 steals
Emilia Long (FS): 18 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists
The Broncos opened the game scorching hot from the field, going 5-5 from the field and 2-2 from three-point range sparked by their leading scorer guard Tatum Thompson, who had 8 of the Broncos’ 12 points in the opening minutes to earn a 12-5 lead.
However, the Bulldogs’ senior duo of guard Emilia Long and Gamble—who combined for 11 of the ‘Dogs’ 24 first quarter points—helped pave the way for the ‘Dogs to earn a 24-16 lead heading into the second quarter.
The Bulldogs carried their momentum into the second quarter, primarily on the defensive end, forcing six Bronco turnovers which the ‘Dogs converted into nine points. The Bulldogs also got scoring contributions from seven different players, who combined for 21 points (7-16 fg), with Powell leading the way with seven points as the Bulldogs entered halftime up 45-33.
The Bulldogs opened the third quarter in a rut on offense, going 1-8 in the opening minutes as the Broncos found their groove on offense led by Thompson once again to chip at the 51-47 lead. To add salt to the wound, Gamble entered foul trouble and had to sit out for the remainder of the quarter.
Even with the foul trouble, Long was proud of her leadership on the bench.
“Despite her being on the bench for a lot of the game, she was a very good vocal leader on the bench—always guiding us even when she was out—so we’re proud of her.” Long said.
The Bulldogs’ close the quarter strong as the defense was able to hold up despite the absence of Gamble, but Thompson and Broncos kept the game close with the’Dogs leading 59-55.
The final quarter was tightly contested, but the Bulldogs remained in the driver’s seat due to the well-balanced scoring effort, with six different players contributing to the scoring column, and the stout defense as Gamble was able to close out the game with four personal fouls en route to the 75-69 win.
What’s next
The Bulldogs resume play on a two-game road trip. Their first stop is against Utah State University (6-16)—who are 2-12 in conference play— on Feb. 15 at 12 p.m., and their final stop is against the MW leading San Diego State University (18-4)—who are 12-1 in conference play—on Feb. 21 at 1 p.m.
The Bulldogs are back at the Save Mart Center on Feb. 25 against Grand Canyon University (9-15), who are 8-6 in conference play, at 6:30 p.m. The Bulldogs look to redeem themselves after the Lopes took home the win in their first meeting on Jan. 10 in a 71-64 loss.
Recap written by and cover photo courtesy of Vincent Ordonio.
The Charlotte Morgan era for the Fresno State softball program is off to a promising start, going 3-1 in the 2026 Fresno State Kickoff Classic, with wins over both Idaho State and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville at Margie Wright on Friday and Idaho State again on Saturday afternoon.
“Overall, I think we did some good things, and then there’s some things that we need to definitely make sure that we’re doing, preparing them better for,” Morgan said. “Obviously game four today tested us. It’s these games that are tough to lose when you give up four runs when you’re one out away.”
Lauryn Carranco and Alyssa Loza allowed just one run on 10 hits over 23 combined innings pitched over the weekend. The latter of which was on the mound for the first time as a collegiate player.
“It’s new, it’s different and she’s just been all in and I’m really proud of the way that she’s come out, in both her starts, because that’s what we’re going to need from her,” Morgan said.
Shortstop Jerzie Liana led the Bulldogs offensively, picking up 7 hits. She and teammate Alyssa Ramirez drove in 5 runs apiece, steadying the middle of the Fresno State lineup.
“She’s very consistent. She’s one player that you’ll never know if she’s having a bad day or great day, very even killed, always locked in,” Morgan said.
Clovis native Lauryn Carranco made her Bulldog debut, one she had been dreaming about since she was little. She did not disappoint. The senior transfer struck out six and managed to get out of a bases-loaded jam in the third inning as part of her five shutout innings performance.
Offensively, the Bulldogs backed Carranco by sending eight to the plate in the first inning, scoring three runs. Shortstop Jerzie Liana went 3-for-3 with a pair of runs scored in her Fresno State debut. Designated hitter Jamie Hicks (3 RBI) delivered a two-run double to mercy rule walk off the Cougars in the fifth inning.
Game 2: Fresno State 9, Idaho State 1 (5 innings)
A pair of hits to lead off the bottom of the second inning from Hicks and Jayda Crosby set up Natalie Elias who brought Jamie Hicks across home plate via a fielder’s choice. The Bengals used three base hits to bring in a run to tie the game in the 3rd inning off of Bulldog freshman Alyssa Loza. It’s all they would get off of her. Loza would go five innings, allowing just a run on five hits in her collegiate debut. She also got her first strikeout.
Fresno State retook the lead in the bottom half of the frame on an RBI single to right from Hicks. The Bulldogs extended the lead to 4-1 with two more runs in the fourth, including an RBI single from Tiara Westbrook.
Alyssa Rebolledo doubled in two runs in the fifth to make it 6-1 before the bases were loaded for Jerzie Liana, who cleared the bases with a walk-off double as Fresno State began its season with back-to-back mercy rule victories.
Game 3: Fresno State 2, Idaho State 0
After a scoreless top half, Natalie Elias and Emma Martinez led off the bottom of the first inning with a pair of infield singles, before advancing into scoring position on a wild pitch. Jerzie Liana and Alyssa Ramirez would bring both in with a pair of grounders. Fresno State found themselves up 2-0 despite not hitting out of the infield.
Two runs was all Lauryn Carranco needed, who was no match for the Bengals offense, striking out five, while allowing just two hits in seven shutout frames to improve Fresno State to 3-0.
Game 4: SIUE 5, Fresno State 4
The Cougars managed to put a couple runners on in the third inning against Alyssa Loza, and a runner on third base in the fourth inning but had nothing to show for it against the freshman. With one out in the bottom of the fourth, Emma Martinez tripled into the right-center gap. Tiara Westbrook followed by doubling to almost the exact same spot, scoring Martinez to get Fresno State on the board.
The Bulldogs scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth but the Cougars responded by scoring five runs off the Fresno State bullpen in the top of the seventh, including 4 runs with two-outs. The Bulldogs went down 1-2-3 in the bottom half of the inning, dropping the final game of the day.
What’s next
Fresno State will host #25 Washington next weekend at Margie Wright Stadium for a three-game set, with two games on Friday, Feb. 13, beginning at 4 p.m. The series will wrap up on Saturday with a 1 p.m. first pitch.
This series will present a ‘special opportunity’ Morgan said, given that it’s a three-game series just like conference play.
“The one thing that I think we’re still trying to figure out is, like, what is this identity of the team? We can’t be too high and too low, and that’s something that I would like for us to be a little bit better on, because that’s controllable,” Morgan said.
Tournament recap written by Al Scott. Cover photo courtesy of Jazmin Alvarado (FSM).
The Fresno State women’s basketball team (12-13) improved to 6-8 in conference play following a dominant performance in a 71-51 win over the University of Nevada, Reno (12-21) on Feb. 7 at the Save Mart Center.
Despite getting doubled teamed upon tip-off, guard Emilia Long wasn’t phased, with Head Coach Ryan McCarthy noting that it was something he anticipated.
“[Long] is one of the best guards in the league, a lot of what we do goes through her, and I think that teams are going to start to game plan to take her out—which was something that we figured would happen this game.” McCarthy said.
McCarthy added that this was something they prepare for in practice where other players bring the ball up court.
“It was smart on their part to do it and it’s something we definitely spend some time on in practice,” McCarthy said. “[Gamble] brought the ball up the floor quite a bit, [Long] is going to be at the top of people’s list but that didn’t work.”
To open the first quarter, the Wolfpack was aggressive on defense, which opened the game up for others to contribute to the scoring column—like forward Jaisa Gamble, and guards Danae Powell and Ava Marr, who combined for 12 points. In addition to the scoring, the Bulldogs showed out on defense, forcing five Wolfpack turnovers which resulted in eight points to add to the 20-7 lead after one quarter.
In the second quarter, the Wolfpack found their footing on offense, led by guard Skylar Durley who scored 6 of the Wolfpacks’ 14 second quarter points. But, the Wolfpack couldn’t contain forward Morelia Chavez—who went 3-4 from the field and 2-3 from deep for a total of eight points. As a result, the Bulldogs went into halftime with a 34-21 advantage.
The third quarter saw both teams trading baskets, as the Bulldogs continued to find open lanes to the rim for 20 paint points and the Wolfpack went on to find the open player for four third quarter assists. But, the Bulldogs’ first quarter scoring output proved to be important as the ‘Dogs maintained the 55-41 lead heading into the final quarter.
To close out the game, the Bulldogs opened the floodgates on offense and tamed the Wolfpack on defense. The Bulldogs held the Wolfpack to 10 points as they went 4-13 (30.8%) from the field in the fourth quarter and in contrast, the ‘Dogs scored 18 points in the quarter and went 6-10 (60%) from the field en route to the 71-51 win.
What’s next
The Bulldogs remain home as they take on a tough matchup against Boise State University (19-5) on Feb. 11 at 6:30 p.m.
The Broncos are one of the premier teams in the Mountain West (MW), ranking third overall, as they are 10-3 in conference play. The Broncos are also one of the elite offensive teams, averaging 72.1 ppg and are 40% from beyond-the-arc—which is both good for first place in the MW respectively.
Recap written by and cover photo courtesy of Vincent Ordonio (FSM).
