Fresno State’s Melloh Earns Easton All-American Honors ? Freshman pitching sensation Morgan Melloh continued to rack up awards after the softball season as she was named a first-team Easton All-American. Melloh is one of 14 student-athletes from across the country to be named to the first-team and the only representative from the WAC.
A total of 17 Bulldogs have earned the Easton honor since the award began in 2000. Both Robin Mackin and Nichole Willis were named to the team last year. Melloh was named a second team All-American by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) just last week. She was also named the WAC Freshman and Pitcher of the Year along with the co-MVP of the NCAA Tournament Fresno Regional. Melloh had a 42-9 record in the circle and led the Bulldogs to a 54-13 record, its best since the 1999 season.
The left-hander from Fishers, Ind., broke four school single-season records including appearances (59), wins (42), innings pitched (360.1) and strikeouts (454). She also ranks in the top 10 in a single season in complete games (44), games started (46), strikeouts per 7 innings (8.82), shutouts (20) and saves (3).
Nevada’s Micka and Fresno State’s Melloh Earn All-America Honors ? A pair of freshmen earned second team All-America honors by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, Fresno State pitcher, Morgan Melloh, and Nevada catcher, Noelle Micka. Melloh led the Bulldogs in the circle with a 42-9 record, guiding the team to its best record (54-13) since the 1999 season. Micka led the Wolf Pack to their first-ever WAC regular season title and a 44-18 record.
Melloh is the first Bulldog freshman to earn All-American honors since shortstop Christina Clark earned second team honors in 2004. Melloh is also the first freshman pitcher to earn the honor since Jamie Southern was named to the first team in 2002. She becomes in the 22nd second team All-America selection in Bulldog history and the 54th All-American under head coach Margie Wright.
She was named the WAC Freshman and Pitcher of the Year, to the first team All-West Region, Co-MVP of the NCAA All-Tournament Team Fresno Regional, WAC Pitcher of the Week five times and Toyota/gobulldogs.com student-athlete of the week three times
Melloh broke four school single-season records including appearances (59), wins (42), innings pitched (360.1) and strikeouts (454). She also ranks in the top 10 in complete games (44), games started (46), strikeouts per 7 innings (8.82), shutouts (20) and saves (3).
She ranked among the top in the NCAA each week in wins (second), ERA (top 20), strikeouts per 7 innings (top 20) and saves (top 30). Micka had a stellar campaign for the Wolf Pack, leading them back to the NCAA Tournament. She was the first Nevada player to earn first-team all-Region honors. The freshman catcher had one of the finest single-seasons in school history with a .399 batting average, which was tied for first in the WAC. She ended the season first in the WAC with 18 doubles. She had 83 hits, 43 runs scored and 41 RBI this season, leading team in seven of those statistical categories. She had set single-season school records in hits and total bases. Her batting average was also a school record. Micka was one of nine Wolf Pack players to earn all-WAC honors.
LOOKING BACK ? For the first time since 1995, the Western Athletic Conference sent four softball teams to the NCAA Tournament. WAC Tournament champion, Louisiana Tech was joined by Fresno State, Nevada and Hawai`i in postseason this year. In 1995, Fresno State, Cal State Northridge, Sacramento State and Utah were the quartet advancing to the postseason. 1995 was also the last time that Louisiana Tech made a postseason appearance. All four teams had a strong showing in the NCAA Tournament all surviving to the final day of the regionals.
Fresno State needed two victories against Cal to advance to the NCAA Super Regionals and after earning a 3-2 win in game one and overcoming a 5-0 deficit in game two to tie the game at 6-6, the Bulldogs’ season ended with a 7-6 loss in nine innings in the Fresno Regional of the NCAA Tournament. Louisiana Tech’s Cinderella run came to an end when fourth-ranked Texas A&M exploded for five runs in the bottom of the fifth to break open a scoreless game and defeat Louisiana Tech 6-0 at Aggie Softball Complex.
Second-ranked Arizona State and eventual College World Series champion overpowered Hawai?i, 8-0, in five innings at Farrington Stadium on the Arizona State campus. The loss eliminated the ?Bows from the NCAA tournament’s Tempe Regional and thus ended UH’s season. Hawai`i’s Kate Robinson (18-10) took the loss in her final collegiate game. The Nevada softball team’s quest for an NCAA Regional championship fell short on as the Wolf Pack fell 4-3 in the title game to UCLA at Easton Stadium. The loss ended Nevada’s season at 44-18.
IN THE POLLS ? It was an historic season for the Fresno State softball team and they were recognized for their achievements in the final polls of 2008, ending the year at No. 15 in both the NFCA And USA Softball polls. The Bulldogs started the season receiving votes in both polls but quickly moved into the top 25, jumping in at No. 23 in the NFCA poll in week five. Fresno State reached as high as No. 10 in that poll in week 12 and remained there for three weeks. The No. 10 ranking was the highest by the NFCA for the Bulldogs since the 2002 season. A No. 9 ranking by USA Softball was the highest-ever for the Bulldogs in the five year history of that poll. Fresno State started at No. 21 the week of Feb. 25 and reached No. 9 on April 29.
The 2008 Nevada softball team finished the season ranked in both national Top 25 polls. The Wolf Pack was ranked No. 21 in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll and was No. 20 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25. Nevada went 44-18 and won the Western Athletic Conference regular season title. The Wolf Pack received an at-large bid to the NCAA Regionals and advanced to the championship game of the Los Angeles Regional against UCLA. Both Hawai?i and Louisiana Tech received votes in both polls.
HISTORY IN WAC POSTSEASON HONORS ? Fresno State’s Morgan Melloh became just the third freshman in school history to be named the WAC Freshman and Pitcher of the Year in the same season. Melloh joins Robin Mackin (2006) and Jamie Southern (2002) as the other Bulldog pitchers to earn both awards in the same season. She becomes the eighth Bulldog in school history to win WAC Freshman of the Year honors. Nevada placed a program-record nine players on the 2008 all-WAC softball team. Senior outfielder Vanessa Briones was named the WAC’s Player of the Year and Michelle Gardner was named the Coach of the Year. This was the first that the Wolf Pack earned Player or Coach of the Year honors.
NEVADA EARNS FIRST WAC REGULAR SEASON TITLE ?The Nevada softball team claimed its first Western Athletic Conference regular season championship. The Wolf Pack beat San Jose State 3-2 in game one of a doubleheader to clinch the WAC championship. The Pack swept the Spartans in the doubleheader with a 5-4 win in eight innings to complete the series sweep. With the title, Nevada earned the No. 1 seed in the WAC Tournament.
GARDNER LEAVES NEVADA ? Michelle Gardner, the coach who was hired to build the Nevada softball program when the program was reinstated in 2003, has left the school for a similar position at Indiana University. Gardner coached six years at Nevada and was coming off the most successful season in school history. Nevada won its first regular season WAC title and received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Gardner received WAC Coach of the Year honors. She leaves Nevada with a career record of 187-176. Nevada returns the bulk of the team that went 44-18 and reached the championship game of the NCAA’s Los Angeles Regional. 13 of the Pack’s 18 players, including six starters and pitcher Katie Holverson, return for Nevada next season.
MCCONNELL SETS SCHOOL AND WAC RECORDS ? San Jose State junior Brittany McConnell established a new single-season home run record when she hit her 12th of the year at New Mexico State. She broke the previous record of 11, which was set by Kara Kanney in 2000. McConnell’s 45 RBI also sets a new standard for RBI in a season. The previous record was held by Victoria Ruelas who knocked in 42 in 1997. McConnell set a single-game RBI record for the WAC and San Jose State with her eight RBI at New Mexico State on April 26. She broke her own school record of six RBI which she first established in 2007 and equaled earlier this season at Utah State. In the WAC, the previous record was seven RBI which was held by three athletes.
GALINDO NAMED TO U.S. OLYMPIC SOFTBALL TEAM ? San Jose State assistant coach Vicky Galindo, a members of the U.S. National Softball Team, was named to the squad that will travel to Beijing, China this summer. The United States softball team has won the past three gold medals.
MELLOH BREAKS WAC RECORD ? Fresno State’s Morgan Melloh broke the Fresno State single-season and WAC record with her 37th win in game three over NMSU. She went 4-0 last week, earning the series sweep over NMSU and winning game one vs. St. Mary’s. She had 48 strikeouts and only five walks, including 13 strikeouts in game one vs. St. Mary’s and in game one vs. NMSU. She also tallied 11 strikeouts in game three vs. NMSU. Melloh has 18 10- strikeout games on the season. Melloh also moves up in the single- season lists to fourth in appearances (50), a tie for seventh in complete games (37) and games started (38) and sixth in innings pitched (298.2). She had just a 0.43 ERA this week allowing only two earned runs.
SIMPLY THE BEST ? In the final set of NCAA statistics, several WAC teams and players stand out. Freshman sensation Morgan Melloh of Fresno State was second in the nation in wins (42) only behind Florida’s Stacey Nelson (47). Following in the footsteps of outstanding Bulldog pitchers like Jamie Southern and Amanda Scott, Melloh is also among the nation’s best in ERA. Melloh was 28th in ERA (1.28). Louisiana Tech’s Amberly Waits was tops in the nation in triples with 10, while Fresno State’s Haley Perkins was ninth with seven. Nevada’s Katie Holverson was seventh in the nation with six saves. Hawai?i’s Kate Robinson was fourth in home runs (21).