Diamond ‘Dog brings high hopes to Fresno State baseball fans

There are high expectations surrounding Fresno State baseball player Murf Gray after last season.

Gray was named Freshman of the Year in the Mountain West last year, during which he earned Freshman of the Week honors five times in a row.

Other than just his performance on the field, Fresno State baseball head coach Ryan Overland highlights Gray’s work ethic.

“Honestly just the way he works and the way he’s humble. The way he goes about things every day and eager to be better and wants to be a good teammate wants to learn from what’s around him. That’s what really the great players do,” Overland said.

Tommy Hopfe, one of Gray’s senior teammates, refers to him as an example to follow despite being one of the youngest on the roster.

“He’s a good dude. Take’s care of his stuff, keeps to himself and just a great person to be around,” Hopfe said.

Gray registered a .297 batting average and hit eight home runs during the 2023 season. As of March 6, he has batted in 10 runs, including one homer.

Having a stellar season this year, however, could prove to be a bigger challenge because now everyone knows who he is.

“Obviously there’s going to be a bigger book on him. There’s a lot more at-bats. Everybody’s got video now and everything’s documented,” Overland said.