IN THE POLLS Fresno State is the only WAC team ranked in the preseason USA Today/NFCA top 25 poll. The Bulldogs are ranked 16th with 239 votes. Hawai`i received 37 votes to rank 26th.
HAWAI`I PICKED TO WIN WAC SOFTBALL TITLE The Western Athletic Conference softball coaches selected Hawai`i to win the 2002 WAC regular season crown. This is the first time in seven years that a team other than Fresno State was voted to take the top spot in the WAC. The coaches also voted on 2001 preseason award winners today. Hawai`i shortstop Kate Judd was voted preseason Player of the Year, while Fresno States Jamie Southern earned preseason Pitcher of the Year honors.
Hawai`i earned 34 points, edging Fresno State by one point. Both the Wahine and the Bulldogs advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season. Hawai`i advanced for the fifth time, while the Bulldogs are the only team to have advanced to all 20 NCAA Tournaments.
Loyola Marymount was picked third with 25 points after a 37-22 season. The WACs other affiliate member Portland State earned the fourth spot with 19 points. With 14 points, Tulsa took fifth, while San Jose State and newcomer Louisiana Tech tied for sixth with 11 points.
The preseason all-WAC team included five Fresno State players: junior catcher Pam West, senior third baseman Lindsay Fossatti, senior outfielder Tiffany Whipple, red-shirt freshman pitcher Jamie Southern and senior utility player Vanessa Czarnecki.
Hawai`i placed four players on the preseason all-WAC team, including 2001 WAC Player of the Year Kate Judd. The sophomore shortstop earned preseason Player of the Year honors after driving in 31 runs and scoring 32 runs last season. Judd was joined by sophomore first baseman Stacey Porter and senior outfielder Stacie Hirano. Natalie Gonzales tied with Portland State Megumi Hackett for second base honors. Loyola Marymount outfielder Christy Cercedes rounded out the team.
The 2002 WAC softball season begins on Friday, February 1, with Loyola Marymount and San Jose State each playing in road tournaments.
WELCOME TO THE WAC Louisiana Tech begins its first season of WAC action and its 23rd season of softball.
Lady Techsters head coach Bill Galloway enters his second decade as the La. Tech head coach. Galloway was inducted in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame in November of 2001. Galloway surpassed the coveted 900 win mark last season and now has 912 career wins with 704 coming at Louisiana Tech.
OPENING DAY The 2002 WAC softball season begins with San Jose State playing in the Early Bird Classic in Los Angeles. The Spartans will face three teams ranked in the top 25 to begin the season: No. 2 UCLA, No. 9 Washington and No. 23 San Diego State. The Bruins fell to Arizona in the Womens College World Series last season. Loyola Marymount travels to Santa Barbara for the UCSB Tournament.
WAC EXPANSION In 2001-02, Louisiana Tech joined the conference. In softball, there will be seven teams, including affiliate members Loyola Marymount and Portland State. The schedule will consist of 24 games played as doubleheaders home and home other than Hawai`i. All four games with Hawai`i will be played at one site, alternating home and away each year.
REWIND: THE 2001 SEASON
CHAMPIONSHIP NOTES Fresno State made its 20th-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs are the only program in the nation to have qualified for each of the 20 NCAA Division I womens softball championships. Hawai`i made its fifth appearance in the NCAA Tournament, including its third in the past four seasons.
FRESNO STATE WINS WAC TITLE For the fourth-straight season and the fifth time in the past six years, Fresno State clinched the WAC regular-season title. Since joining the WAC in 1993, Fresno State has compiled a 161-41 (.797) record in conference play.
IMPROVEMENTS Hawaii finished the 2001 campaign with a 46-16 overall record. In 2000, the Wahine finished with a 25-24 record. San Jose State had a 26-39 record, also surpassing 2000s win total (19-37). The Spartans 26 victories were their most since the 1998 season. Portland State, which finished with 25 victories won three more contests compared to 2000.
FRESNO STATES WITT LEAPS INTO NCAA RECORD BOOKS Fresno States Becky Witt, a senior centerfielder, concluded her stellar career ranked in three Top 10 NCAA all-time marks: career runs (No. 8, 224), career hits (No. 9, 331) and career at bats (No. 10, 866). With eight games rained out this season, Witt just missed ranking in the NCAA's Top 25 in career games played. She played in 261 games as a Bulldog, and the No. 25 spot was 263.