Cates Moore, who has been the Bulldogs’ coach since their inaugural 2004-05 season, is stepping down to spend more time with her family. Her resignation will become effective on Aug. 1.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my coaching career and will miss being affiliated with Fresno State. It was an honor to originate the women’s golf program over nine years ago and I have been blessed with many incredible student-athletes that brought pride and success to our program,” said Cates Moore.

“We were also very fortunate to be surrounded with a wonderful support staff and a community that was so generous with their support and time. While I will sincerely miss coaching, I look forward to more time at home to be with my husband and raise our young daughter.”

In her time with the Bulldogs, Cates Moore led Fresno State to the 2008 WAC Championship and a NCAA West Regional appearance, 17 All-American Scholars along with two WAC individual champions.

Cates Moore was the 2005 and 2008 WAC Coach of the Year.

Fresno State will start an immediate national search to find a new women’s golf coach.

Fresno State Director of Athletics Thomas Boeh greets President-Designate Joseph Castro at the Smittcamp Alumni House on Thursday, when the Castro and his wife, Mary, made their first official visit to the campus. Castro is forming a team to help with his transition as Fresno State’s new president. Ricardo Cano / The Collegian

Fresno State President-Designate Joseph Castro announced Friday he will create a transition team to help move into his role as president and the first six months he is in office.

Castro has asked California State University Trustees Peter Mehas and Hugo Morales, both of Fresno, to co-chair his team.

Mehas chaired the search committee that appointed Castro as successor to President John Welty.

Castro, currently a vice chancellor at UC San Francisco, said he expects to have the team assembled by mid-June.

“I will ask a small group of talented, experienced and diverse representatives from across Fresno State – students, faculty, staff and alumni – as well as business, government and community leaders from Central California and throughout California to help me make a smooth transition,” Castro said in a university release.

“I value input from all constituents as I begin this momentous journey,” he said.

Welty, who will retire this summer after serving for 22 years as the university’s president, will remain on the job until July 31 to help with the transition process, as well.

The CSU Board of Trustees appointed Castro as Fresno State’s new president on May 22.

Castro, a Hanford native, will return to the Valley after a 23-year academic and administration career in the University of California system – where he has held various leadership positions.

Castro and his wife, Mary, made their first official visit to the campus on Thursday.

The Bulldogs, who have long since stuck with their traditional colors of red at home, will be donning new special uniforms or helmets for select homes games this season, the school announced on Thursday.

Fresno State will debut its all-black uniforms and helmets at home against Nevada on Nov. 2.

The Bulldogs will also wear their all-white away uniforms – and new white helmet – during their Aug. 29 season opener against Rutgers at Bulldog Stadium.

Fresno State will wear a throwback helmet featuring the old script Bulldogs logo in white lettering against UNLV on Oct. 19 – the Bulldogs’ homecoming game. The last time Fresno State wore the throwback helmet was in 1996.

Against Cal Poly on Sept. 7, the Bulldogs will wear accented green wristbands, socks and arm bands – meant to represent the Valley’s agricultural history – to go along with their traditional home uniforms.

Fans attending the games against Rutgers (all-white) and Nevada (all-black) are encouraged to wear the team’s respective uniform colors for the game. Fans are also encouraged to wear red during Fresno State’s Sept. 20 game against Boise State.

The alternate uniform and helmets are uncharted territory for Fresno State, which has traditionally stuck to one set of home and away uniforms and one helmet.

While the Bulldogs did not play with alternate uniforms during the 2012 season, they did wear a different combination of uniforms – white jerseys and red pants – in the Hawaii Bowl against SMU.

Fresno State debuted its current set of home and away uniforms during the 2011 season.

The special uniforms and helmets will be unveiled later this summer.

Fresno State great Jack Mulkey served as an honorary captain during Fresno State’s 48-14 home win against Air Force on Nov. 24. Photo courtesy of Fresno State Athletics.

Jack Mulkey, Fresno State’s first two-time All-American in football and its first-ever player to be lected in the NFL Draft, died Tuesday in Edmund, Okla. after a battle with cancer.  He was 95.

Mr. Mulkey, played wide receiver and defensive back for the Bulldogs for three years (1938-40) and was a first-team All-American selection in 139 and 1940.

Mr. Mulkey made Fresno State history as being the first Fresno State football player to be selected in the NFL Draft. He was drafted in the 15th round of the 1941 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears.

Mr. Mulkey made a return to Fresno last season as one of four military veterans serving as an honorary captain during Fresno State’s home game against Air Force on Nov. 24. The Bulldogs won 48-14.

Mr. Mulkey, who had been retired since 1985, is survived by his wife Charlotte, his sister, Marge Nelson (who resides in Los Banos), his two children, Jack Jr. and Kay Montalvo, two step-children Mark Witzel and Lisa Witzel, six grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren.

The Fresno State baseball team routed Nevada 10-1 in Friday’s early game to stay alive in the Mountain West Conference Tournament.

The Bulldogs used a monster sixth and eighth innings, where they scored nine combined runs, to seal the deal against the Wolf Pack, and eliminating them from the tournament.

Tyler Linehan pitched a full game against the Wolf Pack, giving up five hits and striking out eight.

Fresno State outhit the Wolf Pack 10-5, with Brody Russell (four RBIs) and Jordan Luplow (three RBIs) leading the way.

Nevada served the Bulldogs’ their first loss of the tournament in both teams’ opening game.

The Bulldogs play San Diego State today at 3 p.m. in their third elimination game of the tournament. Fresno State is 18-4 in elimination games since 2008.

Fresno State must win four-straight in order to win the Mountain West title and secure a bid to an NCAA Regional.

Fresno State faces Air Force Thursday at 11 a.m. at Beiden Field in an elimination game. The Bulldogs must win six-straight in order to capture the conference title. Khlarissa Agee / Collegian File photo

The climb to the top of the Mountain West Conference just got steeper for the Fresno State Bulldogs.

Fresno State entered this season’s Mountain West Tournament on its usual May hot streak after winning four games of the regular season at Beiden Field – where it plays tournament host to the five other schools in the conference.

Part of that momentum-builder heading into the conference tournament included a series sweep over Nevada, the No. 5-seed.

The tables turned on Wednesday night, the opening day of the double-elimination tournament.

Fresno State grinded out 12 innings with the Wolf Pack, but fell short 4-3 – and must now win six-straight in order to capture the conference crown and its automatic qualifying bid to an NCAA Regional.

Jamison Rowe hit a solo home run to left in the top of the 12th to give Nevada the win.

Wolf Pack ace Braden Shipley took the mound Wednesday night, striking out eight and giving up seven hits in eight innings of work.

“We came out and wanted to take his fastball away, we did and made him go to his breaking ball and throw a lot of pitches,” Fresno State coach Mike Batesole said. “That’s about as good as you are going to do with him. We had a couple chances more to get him. We had a guy at third twice with less than two outs and didn’t get either home. Those were really the biggest at-bats of the game.”

The Bulldogs and the Wolf Pack exchanged three-run first innings – and neither team was able to get an offensive spark going, which forced the game into extra innings.

Nevada, which outhit Fresno State 13-8, sealed the deal in the 12th inning.

No. 4 Fresno State (21-32) will play Air Force Thursday morning at 11 a.m., with the loser of the game facing elimination from the tournament.

Fresno State won five of six against the Falcons this season.

Castro, a Hanford native who wrote for his school paper and played in the tennis team at Hanford High School (whose mascot is the bullpup), was appointed by the California State University Board of Trustees to succeed incumbent John Welty, 68, as Fresno State’s eighth president in its 102-year history.

Castro is also making history: the 46-year-old, UC San Fransisco’s vice chancellor of student academic affairs who was the first of his family to graduate from college, is the school’s first Latino president.

“I am deeply, honored, humbled and blessed by the confidence shown in me as I become the eighth president of Fresno State,” Castro said.

Castro will assume his new position on Aug. 1.

Castro received his bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in public policy from UC Berkeley and earned his doctorate in higher education policy and leadership at Stanford.

He served on as vice provost at UCSF from 2008-10 and associate vice chancellor for student academic affairs from 2006-08 and has held leadership positions within the UC system at the Berkeley, Davis, Merced (where he was part of the leading effort to establishing the institution) and Santa Barbara campuses in his 23-year career.

“I add my congratulations to Dr. Castro,” said Welty, who has served as president of Fresno State since 1991.

“I have known him for many years and he will provide great leadership for Fresno State in the coming years. I look forward to working with him over the next few weeks to effect a smooth transition.”

Valley’s multiple selling points piqued Castro’s inclusion in presidential search

One of the pluses Castro weighed before entering his name in Fresno State’s search for its next president was the proximity to his hometown of Hanford, where his mother still resides.

Another was the student body population he could relate to as a Valley kid who was the first in his family to pursue a higher education

And yet another was the knowledge he had of the Valley and the challenges it presented.

“I love the diversity of the campus,” Castro said. “I see Fresno State as a place for great success for students of all backgrounds. I want to enhance the growth of the staff. I want to support the faculty.”

Castro said he realized his passion of becoming an educator around his junior year of high school, “but I didn’t know what that was all going to mean. I would not have predicted university president at the time or even consider that as a career. That certainly had come much later,” he said.

Castro said grabbing the input of faculty, staff and student members will be among one of the first actions he plans to carry out once he assumes presidency to further immerse himself with the community – and also voiced interest in continuing to teach, if time permitted.

Castro was a faculty member in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at UC San Francisco, while also holding the position as one of the school’s vice chancellors.

“I think the real strength of Fresno State is its people,” he said. “I am looking forward to meeting and getting to know all the students and faculty and staff and listening and learning and getting the lay of the land. I want to guide Fresno State in ways that build from such a strong foundation that has been created over the last 22 years, and even before that.”

Castro said he’s contacted several faculty and staff members via phone call after he received confirmation of the hire – Welty being among one of the first people he talked to.

He also talked to Peter Smits, vice president for University Advancement at Fresno State.

Smits said Castro sounded “excited” over the phone.

One of Castro’s selling points to the community, Smits said, are his ties to the Valley.

“He will connect with our students and with our faculty,” Smitts said. “He shares, I’m sure, many of the same values and principles that they do. He comes from a background in the UCs where he had lots of contact with the students. A lot – and I think that’ll be great.”

Castro will live in the presidential house – where Welty has lived during his presidency – with his wife, Mary, and their two-year-old son. The couple also has a daughter enrolled in her junior year at Humboldt State and a son who graduated from UC Berkeley.

The terms of compensation have not yet been reached – but will be established in the Board of Trustee’s next meeting on July 23.

A secretive search process

The presidential search process was not free from criticism.

A 20-person search committee, chaired by Peter Mehas, a CSU Trustee of Fresno, conducted the nationwide search for Fresno State’s next president behind closed doors.

The presidential pool consisted of more than 60 applicants – with the search and interview process kept under wraps.

The CSU system’s selection process was conducted publicly until September 2011, when the board of trustees elected to keep the selection process confidential.

The reasoning behind the closed-door process was that it would attract a higher quality of applicants due to an increased willingness in applying with discretion – without running the risk of upsetting current employers.

Mehas said the names of the other finalists would not be revealed. “It’s not fair to them. It’s not fair to their institution,” he said.

In the last presidential search – which concluded in Welty’s appointment, and the start of a 22-year tenure (the longest in Fresno State history) – the identities of the finalists were revealed to the public, who were able to interact with them and ask them questions during a campus visit.

But Mehas said Castro’s hire substantiates the decision to make the presidential search a secretive process, saying that Castro’s hire was one that represented the feedback and dominant public opinion of the Fresno State community.

“For those who sometimes think that search committees don’t listen: we listen well,” Mehas said. “We’re so delighted and pleased that we found someone that clearly meets the needs and is tailor-fit for the Central Valley.”

“We know this much: clearly we would not have gotten the pool of candidates if it’d not been for this process.”

A cohesive transition

In a dissertation Castro wrote at Stanford en route to obtaining his doctorate, he noted, “many times new presidents do not talk to their predecessors.”

He said he doesn’t plan that to be the case in his transition to Fresno State president.

He plans to interact and talk with Welty, who is staying throughout the end of July to help with the transition process, “as often as I can.”

“I told him last night that I’m going to really need some time hearing from him and I’m going to value his perspective both during the transition and afterward and welcome his continued support and engagement at Fresno State,” Castro said of Welty, who he’s known for about a decade.

“We’re going to talk about fundraising and academic program and community connections – all sorts of things. And I’m looking forward to working closely with him and the rest of the team there at Fresno State.”

****

JOSEPH I. CASTRO

EDUCATION

Stanford University, Ph.D., Education (Higher Education Policy and Leadership), 1998

University of California, Berkeley, M.P.P., Public Policy, 1990

University of California, Berkeley, A.B., Political Science, 1988

Professional Education:

Spectrum Executive Leadership Fellow, American Council on Education, 2013

Executive Leadership Fellow, University of California, Berkeley and AAAHE, 2011

University of California Senior Leadership Institute, 2007

University of California Management Institute, 2001

SUMMARY OF ADMINISTRATIVE POSITIONS

Vice Chancellor, Student Academic Affairs, UC San Francisco, 2010-Present

Dean (Interim), Graduate Division, UC San Francisco, 2011-12

Special Assistant to the Chancellor, UC San Francisco, 2010

Vice Provost, Student Academic Affairs, UC San Francisco, 2008-10

Associate Vice Chancellor, Student Academic Affairs, UC San Francisco, 2006-08

Executive Director, Academic Preparation, UC Santa Barbara, 2001-06

Director, Academic Programs, UC Merced, 1997-2001

Director (Interim), Educational Research Center, UC Davis, 1998-2000

Assistant Dean, Goldman School of Public Policy, UC Berkeley, 1993-97

Analyst, State Governmental Relations, UC Office of the President, 1990-93

SUMMARY OF ACADEMIC POSITIONS

Professor (Adjunct), School of Medicine, UC San Francisco, 2007-Present

Associate Professor (Adjunct), School of Education, UC Santa Barbara, 2001-06

Assistant Professor (Adjunct), School of Education, UC Davis, 1998-2001

ADMINISTRATIVE EXPERIENCE

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO                                    2006-Present

Vice Chancellor

Student Academic Affairs

2010-Present           

Dean (Interim)

Graduate Division

2011-12

Special Assistant to the Chancellor

2010

Vice Provost

Student Academic Affairs

2008-10

Associate Vice Chancellor

Student Academic Affairs

2006-08

Joseph Castro, vice chancellor of student academic affairs at UC San Francisco, was named by the CSU Board of Trustees as Fresno State’s new president.

The California State University Board of Trustees has named Joseph Castro, vice chancellor of student academic affairs at UC San Francisco, as Fresno State’s next president. The announcement was made on Wednesday morning.

Castro was among the finalists to succeed President John Welty – Fresno State’s longest-tenured president who has served for 22 years. Welty will remain on the job through the end of July to help with the transition process.

Castro will start his new position by Aug. 1, according to a CSU release.

“It is incredibly humbling that the CSU trustees have appointed me as the next president of Fresno State, and I truly appreciate this honor,” Castro said in the release.

“Dr. Welty has been successful in leading Fresno State over the last 22 years. I look forward to working alongside the faculty, staff and students at the university and with alumni and friends throughout the Central Valley and beyond to build on this strong foundation and to guide Fresno State to new heights of success.”

Castro is a Hanford native and received his bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in public policy from UC Berkeley.

He earned his doctorate in higher education policy and leadership at Stanford and is the first person in his family to attend college, according to his official bio on UC San Francisco’s website.

Castro also served on as vice provost at UCSF from 2008-10 and associate vice chancellor for student academic affairs from 2006-08. He also has held leadership positions within the UC system at the Berkeley, Davis, Merced and Santa Barbara campuses in his 23-year career.

“I add my congratulations to Dr. Castro,” Welty said in a statement. “I have known him for many years and he will provide great leadership for Fresno State in the coming years. I look forward to working with him over the next few weeks to effect a smooth transition.”

The search for Fresno State’s next president was conducted behind closed doors, with the university’s search committees withholding the names of applicants throughout the process.

The CSU system’s selection process was conducted publicly until September 2011, when the board of trustees elected to keep the selection process confidential, the reasoning being that it would attract a higher quality of applicants.

The CSU Board of Trustees also announced William Covino, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Fresno State, as president of CSU Los Angeles.

Covino will succeed retiring CSULA President James M. Rosser – who has served as the school’s president since 1979.

Covino is expected to begin his new position on Sept. 1.

Zachary Quinto (left), Benedict Cumberbatch (center) and Chris Pine (right) star in “Star Trek Into Darkness.” The sequel to the 2009 film. Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Now this is how you make a summer movie! (I am looking at you “Iron Man 3.”) This movie is definitely going to irritate some people, but for everyone else, this movie is a fantastic ride.

Director J.J. Abrams starts “Star Trek Into Darkness” in high gear, dropping the audience in the middle of the action as our favorite Starfleet crew tries to pull off its assigned mission. The film’s first sequence is intense, funny and action-packed. It perfectly sets the tone for the rest of the film and gives the audience everything they have come to expect from the last film.

All the main players from the 2009 film are back and they pick up right where they left off. Everyone seems comfortable in their roles. Chris Pine (Captain James T. Kirk), Zachary Quinto (Spock), Karl Urban (Dr. “Bones” McCoy), Simon Pegg (Scotty), Zoe Saldana (Uhura) and the rest of the cast all get their moments to shine here. Once again, we focus in on the Kirk and Spock relationship that this franchise has built off of since the beginning.

It is not an easy task to balance out screen time for so many characters, but Abrams and writer/producer Damon Lindelof use their experience on the television show “Lost” to keep all the characters involved. Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci — co-writers on the first film with Lindelof — also return.

There are new additions to the cast as well. The lovely Alice Eve (“She’s Out of My League”) joins as Dr. Carol Marcus, a weapons expert who finds her way onto the Enterprise. Her role is not too large. Being that she was one of the only new characters added this time around, she could have used a little more development. What we get is not bad, but she would have benefited from a little more screen time to become a fully realized character.

The villain this time around is certainly a step up. Eric Bana’s Nero from the last film was a serviceable bad guy, but this time Abrams is not messing around. Benedict Cumberbatch (BBC’s Sherlock) plays John Harrison, a Starfleet agent gone rogue. His voice alone adds a menace that the first film just did not quite have. Cumberbatch’s performance makes the audience fear for the Enterprise crew from the first moment that he meets Captain Kirk. It quickly becomes clear that there is more to Harrison than meets the eye.

This is an easy movie to spoil, so I will not go to in depth with the plot. However, it is the Harrison character and the events surrounding him where the film could become most divisive for diehard fans of the franchise.

Abrams and the writers have guts. There is no denying that. They made the movie they wanted to make regardless of what the old school fans were going to think. They boldly go where other films in the franchise have gone before, but put their own stamp on it.

The script is not perfect. A few time jumps in the story lack explanation. They seem to be there largely to help the pacing of the film, which comes in at a little over two hours, though it honestly feels shorter. This could have been another twenty minutes longer and I would not have had a problem with it.

What is here though is excellent.

Abrams’ often-mocked style from the first film is back again, and as easy as it is to make fun of, it works. From the first scene, lens flares abound, reminding you who is in charge here. Abrams uses every inch of the vast theater screen, keeping the audience glued to the film with breath taking images. What he creates makes for a great time at the movies.

Abrams has done great work in rejuvenating this once dying franchise. It is a joy to know that he will also get to add his touch to the “Star Wars” franchise in a few years.

Essentially, what it comes down to is that 2009’s “Star Trek” was good, but “Star Trek Into Darkness” is great.

“Star Trek Into Darkness,” a Paramount Pictures release, is Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence. Running time: 132 minutes. A

Several local news outlets reported Boeh was among one of three finalists for the AD position at Rutgers, which will be moving to the Big Ten Conference in 2014-15.

The Rutgers athletics director position has been vacant since former AD Tim Pernetti resigned in early April amidst a scandal involving former men’s basketball coach Mike Rice and the mistreatment of players in the program.

“It was flattering and gratifying to be considered for the Director of Athletics position at Rutgers,” Boeh said in a university release.

“It was flattering because Rutgers is an exceptional and highly prestigious institution transitioning into the Big Ten Conference. It was gratifying to learn that those across the country have taken notice of the tremendous progress and extraordinary achievements of Fresno State student-athletes, coaches and staff over these past several years. For my name to be associated with the Rutgers search is a tribute to all involved and who have worked so hard to put Fresno State back in a positive light.”

Under Boeh, who is in his eighth year at Fresno State, the school has captured 38 conference titles – the most prominent being a share of the 2012 Mountain West Conference football championship.

Fresno State opens the 2013 football season on Aug. 29 against Rutgers at Bulldog Stadium.

“In the end, we have built a great deal of equity into our athletics program here in the San Joaquin Valley. And, along with others in our community, I look forward to the very bright future of the Fresno State Bulldogs,” Boeh said.

Pictured: Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan and Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby in a scene from “The Great Gatsby.” (AP Photo/Warner Bros. Pictures)

In the case of this film, perhaps great is too strong of a word. Maybe “The Good Gatsby” would be more appropriate.

For those who slept through high school English, “The Great Gatsby” was originally a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, first published in 1925. Set in Long Island, New York in 1922, Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) is the story’s narrator. He is a war veteran who moves to New York from the Midwest to sell bonds in a booming market.

He buys a house in the village of West Egg, which consists mainly of millionaires. Carraway’s neighbor is none other than Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio), the renowned party thrower.

Directed by the heavily criticized Baz Luhrmann of “Romeo + Juliet” and “Moulin Rouge” fame, he shows us that you can indeed repeat the past. Luhrmann’s take on “Gatsby” rings as somewhat of a greatest hits compilation.

Just like “Romeo + Juliet,” he uses dialogue verbatim from the novel. Having just reread the novel, I can attest that much of the screenplay is comprised of Fitzgerald’s original dialogue, for better or worse.

Similar to his attempt at a musical with 1998’s “Moulin Rouge,” Luhrmann’s soundtrack is full of anachronistic songs. In perhaps his most perplexing decision, the rap music in the trailer is not just there for promotional purposes, it is actually in the movie.

The era of the 1920s could easily provide a memorable score, but Luhrmann instead chooses to rely on the recognition factor. Not everyone would think to add music from rapper Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter to a story set in the ‘20s, but Luhrmann does. Or perhaps it was not his choice at all, seeing as Jay-Z is an executive producer on the film.

Luhrmann has a style, and he sticks with it here, this time in needless 3D. His version of “Gatsby” is heavily stylized. It walks right up to the edge of being overly so, but stops right before taking that jump.

What does not work in the film certainly has nothing to do with DiCaprio, who remind everyone why he is a movie star. In his role as the title character, he delivers an emotional performance that helps this film rise above its director.

Honestly, he saves this picture. While Luhrmann seemingly tries to get in the way, DiCaprio delivers a performance that keeps the film in check. He was the perfect choice for such an important and tragic character.

Much of the casting is spot on. Carey Mulligan plays Daisy Buchanan, Carraway’s second cousin and the object of Gatsby’s affection. She is equal parts alluring and frustrating, expertly maneuvering the conflicted nature of character.

The only suspect casting is Maguire as Carraway. Due to the by-the-book nature Luhrmann chose to stick to, Carraway narrates the whole film, a task Maguire is not entirely fit for. Maguire can be good, but in this role, he comes off a bit on the whiney side. That is a problem when you considering how large of a role he plays in the film.

Despite all the questionable cinematic choices from the writer/director, the acting makes this is a solid adaptation of one of the great American novels. But it is indeed clear that the film could have been better in a different director’s hands.

“The Great Gatsby,” a Warner Bros. release, is rated PG-13 for some violent images, sexual content, smoking, partying and brief language. Running time: 142 minutes. B

Critical games from Kevin Viers (pictured) and Aaron Judge propelled the Bulldogs to a 8-6 win over Hawaii at home on Tuesday night. Khlarissa Agee / The Collegian

It seems that the Bulldogs have figured something out, at least at home anyway. Fresno State jumped to an early lead against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors and never let go. 

With the 8-6 win, the Bulldogs have won nine of their last 12 home games. In a fortunate turn for coach Mike Batesole and the Bulldogs, the team will have no reason to play a game away from Beiden Field until the NCAA regionals at the earliest, due to their hosting of the Mountain West Conference Tournament.

“It’s tough to win on the road. We played very well,” Batesole said. “At home, things seem to go your way just a little bit more, enough to push you over the hump.”

This game was all Bulldogs (17-29, 10-14 MW)  at the start.

Junior Tyler Linehan got the starting nod for the Bulldogs. The veteran southpaw has had an off year this season with a 1-7 record and an 8.39 ERA heading into the game.

He found a groove on Tuesday night though and shut out the Rainbow Warriors for the first three innings.

Batesole credited Linehan’s control for the strong outing. He said Linehan was locating all three of his pitches — fastball, cutter and curveball — with consistency.

“That’s probably the best control I’ve seen him have in three years,” Batesole said. “I mean, he was spotting the ball pretty well.”

Linehan had one of the best pitching performances of the season for the Bulldogs on March 15 against San Diego State. He threw a complete game shutout, still the team’s only nine-inning shutout of the season.

Batesole said he hopes the game can be a jumping-off point for Linehan, leading to him going deeper into games.

The team will need him heading into the final games of the regular season and the conference tournament that follows.

“Maybe he’s in a position now where maybe he can go five (innings) next time and then maybe seven,” Batesole said.

William Munro continued Linehan’s scoreless streak for two more innings before he gave up a run to Hawaii in the sixth.

At the plate, the Bulldogs did not see much they did not like from the Hawaii pitching staff. It was a big night for much of the lineup, particularly sophomore third baseman Kevin Viers.

He got the first hit of the night for the Bulldogs with a double in the first inning. He went on to provide two more of those. His second double of the night, a ground rule double in the fourth inning, resulted in two runs for Fresno State making it a 4-0 game.

Following his third double in three at-bats — he walked in the third inning — Fresno State’s offensive powerhouse, center fielder Aaron Judge, hit his ninth homerun of the season to give the team a 7-1 lead.

Not every Bulldog pitcher could find the groove Linehan set at the start of the game though. Garrett Mundell got the call in the seventh and proceeded to give up four runs to let Hawaii back into the game at 7-5.

However, Tim Borst would stop the bleeding for Fresno State. He earned the final out of the eighth inning on one pitch and kept Hawaii from adding any more runs in the ninth. The outing earned him his team-leading third save of the season.

Fresno State saddle bronc rider Uhuru Adem will represent Fresno State in the June 10-17 College National Finals Rodeo in Wyoming. Photo courtesy of Fresno State club sports.

Fresno State Saddle Bronc champion Uhuru Adem has lofty goals – he wants to be ranked among the top five riders in the nation.

There was a moment during the season when the very opportunity seemed to be stripped away.

Adem’s gear – his custom saddle, his rigging bag – was stolen along with a friend’s truck five days before the Fresno State Intercollegiate Rodeo.

Adem was without $3,000 worth of equipment. He had a competition to prepare for. The Rodeo West Coast Region Championships were a month away. His performance there would determine if he’d get a crack at the top five – at placing in the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyo.

It was a sudden blow.

It didn’t stop Adem, who was crowned Champion Saddle Bronc rider for the Western region of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association a month after losing the valuable possessions he needed to compete.

“It really put a damper on stuff for a while, but I just had some goals and I knew I could achieve,” Adem said. “It slowed me down a little bit, but I didn’t think about it much. I just tried to keep going on with it.”

And Adem made it clear: he just wanted his gear back.

“He did a very classy job,” said Art Parham, Fresno State Animal Science Department chair and team coach.

“When it became known that he was without a saddle, he didn’t go out and seek financial help or other help. … He just kind of tried to stay above it and not let the adversity drive him,”

The Clovis Police Department was not able to find his saddle, but they did find his boots.

Adem said he “went back and forth from three different saddles these past couple of months,” including one he used from when he was younger.

He finally found a suitable saddle to ride heading into a rodeo competition in Coalinga. His friend lent it to him, and it will be the saddle he will use to compete in the natonal finals.

Adem has also battled through knee injury he sustained during the Tuesday practice heading into the Western regional finals.

“I’m going to have to use a lot of tape (for the national finals), and it might hurt a bit,” Adem said.

Adem will take a jab at placing in the top five in the nation when he competes in the June 10-17 national finals as Fresno State’s sole representative.

“Uhuru is pretty driven,” Parham said.

“There’s not a bronc-riding clinic on every street corner. You have to kind of seek them out and be willing to get on them and get better. And he’s done that.”

There have been obstacles that Adem has had to overcome –  like the saddle.

There are obstacles Adem still has to fight with – like his knee.

He’s not preoccupied about any of it.

“It is a big deal, but all of those guys up there are trying to win, so I can’t think about my knee or my saddle,” Adem said.

“I’m just in it to go out there and try to win, as well.”

For senior Breeauna Thompson, it’s maintaining the basic mechanics – keeping arms and thighs up – during that critical leg of the race when it’s most difficult to execute the fundamentals.

For sprinter Cam Parker, it’s been improving on his starts in the 100-meter dash.

For long distance runner Michael Jamieson, it’s cranking the pedal when the opposition isn’t.

The Fresno State track and field team heads to Las Vegas this weekend for its first-ever Mountain West Conference Outdoor Championships, and each participant – runner, thrower or jumper – is fine-tuning certain intricacies in their respective events in preparation for the culminating meet of the outdoor regular season.

Individuals are performing with NCAA Outdoor Championships implications on the line.

Fresno State hopes to make some noise this weekend as the Mountain West’s newcomer.

“This is what we’ve worked for. It’s a team sport,” said Parker, who will be competing in the 100- and 200-meter dashes and possibly both relays.

“Individual records and accomplishments come as the season goes on, but right now all our focus is on winning a team title,” Parker said.

“And if times are good enough to get into regionals, that’s just the icing on the cake — a little something extra.”

For seniors like Jamieson, the conference championships serve as potentially the final opportunity to hit that final mark.

Jamieson, who ran the fastest 800-meter time last year in the Western Athletic Conference at 1:51.73 – and set a personal record in the event this season – aims to lower his time to 1:50.

But, more importantly, he said, he wants to place first.

“I really want to go for that title, so I don’t want to so much count on a time and just be competitive when it counts,” Jamieson said.

“I know I’m fast enough to be up front and I if make it to the finals I’m just going to do everything I can do to help out the team.”

Long jumper Je’Nia Sears and thrower Meagan McKee are among the Bulldogs eyeing a deep run in the NCAA Championships.

Winsor has also said other Bulldogs in the men’s and women’s sprint and long distance events are “on the outside looking in,” with their times and marks measurements short of the typical NCAA standard.

Thompson, a senior who has qualified for the opening round of nationals each year, expects a first-place finish in the 400 this weekend – and hopes it catalyzes a deep run into June.

“I’m looking to win the 400,” said Thompson. “If I go out there and execute and do what I’ve been doing there’s no doubt in my mind that I’m going to win…. If I finish well, then I’m going to have a great race.”

The preparation for the conference championships has been ongoing throughout the year for some Bulldogs.

Thompson ran the 100-meter – an event she typically does not compete in – during the indoor season to gain speed for her outdoor events.

Jamieson ran cross-country – five- to six-mile runs – to gain stamina and endurance for the 800-meter. It’s critical for pushing through the start of second and final lap, the “crucial” third turn, he said.

“That’s the point of the race when you need to go your hardest and that’s when most people back off and try and catch a breather because it’s a whole other lap until you’re done,” Jamieson said.

Last season, the Bulldogs advanced 11 to the NCAA Preliminary Round Championships and captured three individual titles in the WAC Outdoor Championships.

Winsor hopes to see improvement this year in the Mountain West.

“We’ve had a good year,” Winsor said. “People are going to have run well, throw well and jump well for us to climb the ladder on the winning side.”

The Bulldogs have fared well in tournaments in the past, but this is their first time playing in the Mountain West tournament.

Here is a look at the teams the Bulldogs will be hosting in the tournament (in order of current standing):

New Mexico

Record: 30-17, 20-4

Key Player: D.J. Peterson is tearing the cover off the ball for the Lobos with a .410 batting average, 13 home runs, 22 doubles and 58 RBIs.

Update: The Lobos ran away with the Mountain West Conference regular season championship. It was their second straight regular season title. They also won last year’s tournament. Ranked No. 17 in the nation, the Lobos head to Fresno State this weekend and close out the regular season at San Diego State next weekend.
UNLV

Record: 31-17, 13-11

Key Player: Pitcher Buddy Borden has a 6-1 record in 12 starts this season. He has a 2.23 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 80 2/3 innings.

Update: The Rebels have won four of their last five games, including taking two of three from Fresno State this past weekend. They are 4-2 against Fresno State this season. The Rebels finish the regular season against Nevada and Air Force.

San Diego State

Record: 23-24, 13-11 MW

Key Player: Ryan Doran is the team’s ace with a 6-2 record and a 2.92 ERA in 77 innings of work.

Update: There is not much punch in the Aztecs offense, which is led by manager Tony Gwynn, who was one of baseball’s greatest hitters. The Aztecs have a .263 average as a team and nobody has more than three home runs. They have a 4-2 record against Fresno State and close out the season against Air Force and New Mexico.

Nevada

Record: 24-23, 11-13 MW

Key Player: Austin Byler is hitting .353 with eight home runs, 10 doubles, three triples and 40 RBIs.

Update: The Wolf Pack took two of three games from the Bulldogs back in March. They play at Fresno State on the final weekend of the regular season. The two teams could be playing for the No. 4 spot in the Mountain West.

Fresno State

Record: 17-29, 10-14 MW

Key Player: Aaron Judge, the preseason All-American, is living up to the hype. He is hitting .357 with eight home runs, 12 doubles and 28 RBIs.

Update: The Bulldogs are 8-5 in their final 13 games. They close out the season with six conference games at home and then host the conference tournament. It won’t be easy with New Mexico and Nevada coming to town.

Air Force

Record: 13-33, 5-19 MW

Key Player: Garrett Custons is hitting .376 with 21 doubles and 25 RBIs. His 21 doubles are a school record.

Update: It has been a long season or the Falcons. They went 1-5 against Fresno State this season, including losing five straight in Fresno over a three-day period. They close out the regular season against San Diego State and UNLV.