WEEK 3: MARY NUTTER COLLEGIATE CLASSIC
Feb. 21-23, 2025 • Cathedral City, Calif. • Big League Dreams
Tickets: Here
Watch: FloCollege
Live Stats: BulldogsLive.com
Tournament Central:Here
Twitter (X): @FresnoStateSB
SCHEDULE
Friday: vs Minnesota, 10 a.m.
vs. Seattle, 12:30 p.m.
Saturday: vs. Bethune-Cookman, 9:30 a.m.
Sunday: vs. Washington, 9:30 a.m.
FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno State softball team returns to the prestigious Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic this weekend, slated to face Minnesota, Seattle, Bethune-Cookman and Washington.
BULLDOG BONES
Fresno State went 4-0 at the Fresno State Kickoff Classic, posting wins over LMU, UC Santa Barbara, and Utah.
Three Bulldogs are batting above .300 in Kennedy Bunker (.320), Lauren Almeida (.318) and Natalie Elias (.303).
Almeida ranks second in the Mountain West in RBIs with 12 this season.
Alyssa Rebolledo is second in the Mountain West in walks with eight this season.
Serayah Neiss leads the 'Dogs in the circle with a 1.38 ERA and three wins.
Neiss was named a Preseason All-Mountain West selection.
Neiss posted a 2.58 ERA over 152 innings last season, recording 105 strikeouts.
She also set a program record with five saves in a single season.
Fresno State was picked to finish second in the Mountain West Preseason Poll.
This marked the highest preseason ranking for Fresno State since 2021, when the Bulldogs were selected as the conference favorite.
Fresno State returns 18 players, including seven starters.
Fresno State bolstered its roster with 12 newcomers, including three Division I transfers.
OPPONENTS OFF THE BAT
Minnesota is 2-7 this season, losing five of its last six games.
The Gophers have won the last two meetings between the teams.
The last time Fresno State defeated Minnesota was in 2022 at the NCAA Regional hosted by UCLA, 3-0.
Seattle Is 5-5 this season, winning three of its last four games.
The Redhawks defeated the Bulldogs 4-1 during opening weekend.
Seattle has won four straight contests against Fresno State.
Washington is 5-5 this season, with a ranked win over No. 11 Arizona.
The Huskies have won the last seven games against the Bulldogs.
The last time the Bulldogs defeated the Huskies was in 2005.
This weekend's game against Bethune-Cookman will be the first time these two teams meet in program history.
Senior Hannah Ortega played her freshman season at Bethune-Cookman before transferring to Fresno State.
LAST WEEKEND
Fresno State went 4-0 at the Fresno State Kickoff Classic, posting wins over LMU, UC Santa Barbara, and Utah.
The Bulldogs got their offense going, outscoring their opponents 25-13 over the weekend.
Junior Kennedy Bunker led the offense with a .417 batting average, totaling five hits, including two doubles, four RBIs, and two walks.
Senior Lauren Almeida also had a standout weekend at the plate, finishing with a .400 average, four hits—including a double, triple, and home run—along with three walks and nine RBIs.
In the circle, Serayah Neiss went 3-0 with a 0.00 ERA for the 'Dogs.
INFIELD SHIFT
There was very little change in the infield personnel last season, with first base, second base, and shortstop remaining unchanged throughout the year.
However, following the departure of Sophia Medellin, who started all 52 games at first base, and Bella Rocco, who appeared in 35 games with 27 starts at third base, along with the addition of transfer Marissa Montelongo, there will be new faces around the diamond this season.
Emma Martinez, who started every game at second base in 2024, has moved to shortstop in the offseason, while Montelongo will take over at second base. Lauren Almeida, who started at shortstop in 2024, shifted to third base.
With the unexpected absence of Martinez (injury) in the lineup to start the season, freshman Kiara Sipe has taken over at shortstop for the Bulldogs.
First base saw an open competition during the offseason, and Madison Rey, who did not appear in the infield last season, made her first career start on opening day.
After the first four games of the season, Almeida and Rey swapped positions. Almeida has been at first and Rey has been at third since.
OUTFIELD SHUFFLE
Fresno State is on the search for the right combination of outfielders this season.
While the outfield saw frequent rotation throughout 2024, left field had been solidified for the past four seasons, with Keahilele Mattson starting all 203 games of her career in that position.
The only remaining true outfield starter was Natalie Elias, who started 49 games in the outfield last season.
In addition, four returners brought experience to the outfield: Taryn Irigoyen, Alyssa Rebolledo, Kealani Nitta, and Alyssa Orr.
Through nine games this season, Fresno State has had six different outfield combinations in its starting lineup.
1ST IN OUR HEARTS, 2ND IN THE PRESEASON POLL
Fresno State was picked to finish second in the Mountain West Preseason Poll, voted on by the league's nine head coaches.
This marked the highest preseason ranking for Fresno State since 2021, when the Bulldogs were selected as the conference favorite.
NEISS EARNS PRESEASON ALL-MW HONORS
Junior left-handed pitcher Serayah Neiss was named a Preseason All-Mountain West selection, the Bulldogs' sole representative on the list. Neiss posted a 2.58 ERA over 152 innings last season, recording 105 strikeouts. She also set a program record with five saves in a single season.
VETERANS ON DECK
In addition to Serayah Neiss, the team returns 18 players, including seven starters. The returning core is led by catcher Kennedy Bunker and outfielder Natalie Elias.
Bunker started 51 games behind the plate last season, finishing with a .367 batting average. She recorded 55 hits, seven doubles, and four home runs, while posting a .493 slugging percentage and a .429 on-base percentage.
Elias also appeared in 51 games, starting 49. She hit .354 with a .368 on-base percentage, leading the team with 63 hits.
FRESH BATS
Fresno State bolstered its roster with 12 newcomers, including three Division I transfers.
Infielder Marissa Montelongo returns home to the Valley from Saint Mary's for her final season. During the 2024 season, she started all 54 games and finished with a .303 batting average. The All-WCC Second Team selection recorded 46 hits and 19 RBIs, along with a .414 slugging percentage and a .352 on-base percentage. She also added 33 stolen bases.