Bulldog Softball

The Bulldog softball team is back to work this fall after a season that saw them at their best more often than their worst.

Going 40 and 16 last year, the Dogs claimed the Mountain West championship before falling in the NCAA tournament. Coach Trisha Ford says that she was very happy with last season, but is ready for more this time around.

“We now know what post season looks like, smells like, feels like you know,” Ford says. “None of our players last year had kind of been there and for this year for us to build upon that. To make sure that when we get to post season this year, we’re ready.”

This task will not prove easy for the bulldogs after graduating a few key players last spring. But with great loss, comes great opportunity, and no player knows that feeling better than star pitcher Jill Compton.

“Usually I just like go with the flow kind of and lead by example,” Compton says. “But I’ve learned that I need to be more vocal out here and tell the girls like how it’s supposed to be done. And hopefully that they can do that as the program progresses.”

This year’s team will feature a large mix of experience and youth. The team will be led by eight seniors and four juniors with 11 underclassmen following right behind.

Senior Hannah Harris says that the team’s leadership has done pretty well paving the way for their new teammates.

“The upperclassmen have taken it upon themselves to be very good leaders and so they’re just following what we do and hopefully leading them in the right foot tracks,” Harris says.

With fall ball getting underway, a few newcomers will be fighting to make this year’s starting line up. Claire Stucker graduated from Bullard High in 2014 and played last year at Mississippi State before transferring. Stucker says she is excited to be home and playing for Fresno State.

“I actually grew up going into those stands and watching all the games when Margie Wright was the coach,” Stucker says. “And last year I didn’t play here, but coming back it’s meant the world to me.”