POCATELLO, Idaho – Idaho State softball heads west to Fresno, Calif., this week to take on the Fresno State Kickoff Classic Feb. 16-19.
The Field
Idaho State
Fresno State
UIC
Iowa State
How to Follow
Live Stats will be available for all games here: Live Stats
The Bengals game vs Fresno State on Feb. 19 will have video here: Watch
Series Histories and Quick Look
Fresno State
· This will be the fifth all-time meeting of the Bengals and Bulldogs. Fresno State currently leads the series 3-1. The Bengals lone win came 6-5 in 2013 at the Santa Clara Tournament.
· Coming off of opening weekend, the Fresno State Bulldogs are 3-2 with wins over the University of Montana and UC Riverside. The two losses came to Middle Tennessee and UC Riverside.
· Junior outfielder Keahilele Mattson was named the Mountain West Conference player of the week, with a .800 BA, six RBIs and seven runs scored. The Junior is crafty at the plate, as she drew eight walks in the opening tournament.
· The Bulldog pitchers combined for a 3.71 ERA. Shelbi Denman led the team with a 1.68 ERA, 2-0 Record.
UIC
· This is the fourth all-time meeting between Idaho State and The University of Illinois – Chicago. UIC holds a 2-1 record over the Bengals. ISU won the last meeting of the two programs 5-3 in 2015 at the Santa Clara Tournament.
· UIC went 0-3 in their opening tournament before the final two games were canceled due to inclement weather. Two losses came to Saint Francis and one to the University of North Texas.
· Offensively, the Flames were batting .179 as a team with 14 hits in three games. #6 Jojo Santiago led the team hitting .375.
· The Flames pitched two who combined for a 2.45 ERA, allowing 18 hits and 12 runs scored.
Iowa State
· This is just the second all-time meeting of the two ISU schools. In 2016 at the UC Davis Tournament, Iowa State came away with the 4-2 victory.
· The Cyclones are 2-3 on the season coming out of the Doc Halverson UNI Dome Tournament. ISU opened the season with losses to Omaha and Drake before coming back to get two wins over UNI
· The Cyclones are batting .261 as a team with 35 hits and 18 RBIs, averaging 4.75 runs per game.
· The ISU pitchers are throwing a 3.43 ERA with 32 hits and 20 runs allowed.
Bengal Bites
· The Bengals swept the Big Sky Conference Weekly awards after the opening weekend Cowgirl Classic. Freshman outfielder Alyssa Yee took home player of the week after hitting .533 with two home runs, a triple, and five RBIs. Bengal transfer pitcher Jordan Schuring took home pitcher of the week honors after throwing 12.2 innings with a 1.42 era only allowing one extra-base hit and three runs.
· During the Cowgirl Classic, Six Bengals hit over .300 for the tournament. The Bengal bats combined for 42 hits and 30 runs compared to opponents' 30 and 17.
· Bengal transfer pitcher Anna Berger had a standout game in her first career start. The Bengal pitcher threw 5.1 innings with a 0.00 ERA only allowing one hit as the Bengals run-ruled Texas Southern.
· Returning to the circle for the 2023 season, Emma McMurray finished the 2022 season ranked 8th in the Big Sky Conference with a 4.34 ERA with 80 strikeouts and only 12 home runs allowed.
· Angelica Cano returns to the Bengals after finishing the season with a .650 SLG percentage, 7th best in the Big Sky. Cano finished the 2022 season ranked No. 2 in runs scored with 48 on the season. Cano led the conference last season in RBIs and Doubles and will look to continue growing her career numbers this season.
Fresh Faces
Idaho State added 13 new Bengals to the roster this offseason. A mix of transfers and freshmen with the potential to bolster the great Bengal skill currently on the roster.
2 Ava Brown OF R/R 5-8 Fr. Merced, Calif. / Merced HS
3 Anna Berger RHP R/R 6-0 So. Snowflake, AZ / Utah Valley University
6 Mia Escujuri UT R/R 5-5 Fr. Chino Hills, Calif. / Chino Hills HS
7 Kate Hogan IF R/R 5-6 So. Tooele, UT / South Mountain CC
12 Madison Muxen OF L/R 5-6 R-SO. Seattle, WA / New Mexico State
13 Kennedy Dudley UT R/R 5-6 Fr. Sparks, NV / Spanish Springs HS
18 Megan Weiss RHP R/R 5-11 Fr. Sundre, Alberta, Canada / Sundre HS
20 Sophia Stoddard C L/R 5-7 Jr. North Salt Lake, UT / College of Southern Idaho
21 Rylee Peters RHP R/R 5-6 So. Quincy, WA / Lower Columbia College
22 Paige Simpson IF R/R 5-8 Fr. Red Deer, Alberta, Canada / St. Joseph HS
28 Olivia Robison C R/R 5-9 Fr. Loomis, Calif. / Del Oro HS
30 Alyssa Yee OF R/R 5-5 Fr. Torrance, Calif. / South HS
31 Jordan Schuring RHP R/R 6-1 Jr. Cupertino, Calif / California Baptist University
Returning Bengals
11 Bengals return to the squad. These are proven Bengals who helped the Bengals return to the post-season tournament for the first time since 2019.
4 `Emma McMurray RHP R/R 5-4 Sr. Irvine, Calif. / Northwood HS
5 Brook Richards IF R/R 5-6 So. Bellevue, Wash. / Newport HS
9 Morgan Hess OF L/R 5-8 Sr. Brentwood, Calif. / Heritage HS
10 Gracie Smith OF L/R 5-10 So. Meridian, Idaho / Rocky Mountain HS
11 Angelica Cano UT R/R 5-8 Sr. Elk Grove, Calif. / Elk Grove HS
15 Kaylee Butterworth OF L/R 5-6 Sr. West Jordan, UT / Copper Hills HS
16 Skyler Sethman IF R/R 5-6 Jr. Whittier, Calif. / La Serna HS
17 Jordan Kincaid C R/R 5-5 So. Hacienda Heights, Calif. / Los Altos HS
24 Mailee Newman RHP R/R 5-8 Gr. Torrance, Calif. / West HS
33 Jillian Martinez C R/R 5-4 Jr. West Covina, Calif. / St. Lucy's Priory HS
55 Piper Tago IF R/R 5-8 So. Laguna Hills, Calif. / Dana Hills HS
On Deck
Tuesday, Feb. 21, the Bengals head to San Luis Obispo to take on the Cal Poly Mustangs in a doubleheader.
