# 2008 Fresno State Bulldogs baseball team

The 2008 Fresno State Bulldogs baseball team represented California State University, Fresno in the NCAA Division I baseball season of 2008. They played their home games at Beiden Field in Fresno, California. The team was coached by Mike Batesole who was in his fifth season at Fresno State. Under Batesole, Fresno State has won three Western Athletic Conference championships in a row, and he has a 172-134 record with the Bulldogs.
In a Cinderella run through the postseason, the Fresno State Bulldogs defeated the Georgia Bulldogs in the 2008 College World Series finals to win its first NCAA Division I Championship in baseball. This led to their 3rd national championship in the NCAA organization, adding to their championships in Softball (1998) and Men's Track & Field (1964-Division II).

## Schedule and results

Before the season occurred, Fresno State entered the season ranked in the Collegiate Baseball newspaper's Fabulous 40 for the third consecutive season, at #21. Fresno State was also ranked #21 by the preseason magazine Baseball America. Fresno State also was preseason pick of the WAC coaches as the favorite to win the 2008 season; additionally, seven players were selected to the Preseason All-WAC Team, including the preseason Player of the Year Steve Susdorf and Pitcher of the Year Clayton Allison
2008 Fresno State Bulldogs baseball game log :
Regular season :
February :
| Date | Opponent | Location | Result |
| February 22, 2008 | UC Davis | Fresno, CA | L 4-2 |
| February 23, 2008 | UC Davis | Fresno, CA | L 3-1 |
| February 23, 2008 | UC Davis | Fresno, CA | W 7-0 |
| February 24, 2008 | UC Davis | Fresno, CA | W 6-3 |
| February 28, 2008 | vs California | San Diego, CA | L 14-4 |
| February 29, 2008 | at San Diego | San Diego, CA | L 5-2 |
March :
| Date | Opponent | Location | Result |
| March 1, 2008 | vs Cal Poly | San Diego, CA | L 2-1 |
| March 2, 2008 | at San Diego State | San Diego, CA | W 9-2 |
| March 4, 2008 | at Santa Clara | Santa Clara, CA | L 6-5 $^{10}$ |
| March 8, 2008 | Indiana | Fresno, CA | W 6-2 |
| March 9, 2008 | Indiana | Fresno, CA | W 9-4 |
| March 10, 2008 | New Mexico State | Fresno, CA | L 13-8 |
| March 11, 2008 | Portland | Fresno, CA | L 3-2 |
| March 12, 2008 | Indiana | Fresno, CA | L 11-1 |
| March 13, 2008 | Gonzaga | Fresno, CA | W 10-1 |
| March 14, 2008 | Utah | Fresno, CA | W 10-0 |
| March 15, 2008 | Portland | Fresno, CA | W 12-3 |
| March 18, 2008 | San Francisco | San Francisco, CA | L 13-8 |
| March 20, 2008 | at Hawaii | Honolulu, HI | L 4-0 |
| March 21, 2008 | at Hawaii | Honolulu, HI | L 2-0 |
| March 22, 2008 | at Hawaii | Honolulu, HI | W 5-0 |
| March 22, 2008 | at Hawaii | Honolulu, HI | W 4-2 $^{10}$ |
| March 25, 2008 | Cal Poly | Fresno, CA | W 10-9 |
| March 26, 2008 | Cal Poly | Fresno, CA | W 13-11 |
| March 28, 2008 | Nevada | Fresno, CA | W 12-4 |
| March 29, 2008 | Nevada | Fresno, CA | W 11-1 $^7$ |
| March 29, 2008 | Nevada | Fresno, CA | L 4-1 |
| March 30, 2008 | Nevada | Fresno, CA | W 13-3 $^7$ |
April :
| Date | Opponent | Location | Result |
| April 1, 2008 | Long Beach State | Fresno, CA | W 7-6 |
| April 2, 2008 | at California | Berkeley, CA | L 5-4 |
| April 9, 2008 | at Cal Poly | San Luis Obispo, CA | L 8-5 |
| April 11, 2008 | Louisiana Tech | Fresno, CA | W 14-5 |
| April 12, 2008 | Louisiana Tech | Fresno, CA | W 9-8 |
| April 12, 2008 | Louisiana Tech | Fresno, CA | W 11-1 $^7$ |
| April 13, 2008 | Louisiana Tech | Fresno, CA | W 8-0 |
| April 15, 2008 | at Cal Poly | San Luis Obispo, CA | L 10-7 |
| April 18, 2008 | at New Mexico State | Las Cruces, NM | W 13-10 |
| April 19, 2008 | at New Mexico State | Las Cruces, NM | W 9-5 |
| April 19, 2008 | at New Mexico State | Las Cruces, NM | W 13-1 $^7$ |
| April 20, 2008 | at New Mexico State | Las Cruces, NM | W 24-6 Mercy $^7$ |
| April 22, 2008 | Santa Clara | Fresno, CA | L 10-8 |
| April 23, 2008 | San Francisco | Fresno, CA | W 5-4 |
| April 25, 2008 | at Nevada | Reno, NV | W 9-3 |
| April 26, 2008 | at Nevada | Reno, NV | L 4-1 |
| April 26, 2008 | at Nevada | Reno, NV | L 7-3 |
| April 27, 2008 | at Nevada | Reno, NV | L 12-11 |
| April 30, 2008 | at San Francisco | San Francisco, CA | L 7-6 |
May :
| Date | Opponent | Location | Result |
| May 2, 2008 | New Mexico State | Fresno, CA | W 11-8 |
| May 3, 2008 | New Mexico State | Fresno, CA | L 9-2 |
| May 3, 2008 | New Mexico State | Fresno, CA | L 12-7 |
| May 4, 2008 | New Mexico State | Fresno, CA | W 6-4 |
| May 6, 2008 | at Long Beach State | Long Beach, CA | L 2-1 |
| May 9, 2008 | San Jose State | Fresno, CA | W 11-3 |
| May 10, 2008 | San Jose State | Fresno, CA | W 9-8 |
| May 10, 2008 | San Jose State | Fresno, CA | W 5-3 |
| May 11, 2008 | San Jose State | Fresno, CA | L 2-1 |
| May 16, 2008 | at Sacramento State | Sacramento, CA | L 9-8 |
| May 17, 2008 | at Sacramento State | Sacramento, CA | L 4-0 |
| May 17, 2008 | at Sacramento State | Sacramento, CA | W 6-4 |
| May 18, 2008 | at Sacramento State | Sacramento, CA | W 13-6 |
Postseason :
WAC Tournament :
| Date | Opponent | Location | Result |
| May 22, 2008 | vs Sacramento State | Ruston, LA | W 3-2 |
| May 23, 2008 | vs San Jose State | Ruston, LA | W 7-3 |
| May 24, 2008 | vs Hawaii | Ruston, LA | W 11-4 |
| May 25, 2008 | vs Nevada | Ruston, LA | W 6-4 |
NCAA Long Beach Regional :
| May 30, 2008 | at Long Beach State | Long Beach, CA | W 7-3 |
| May 31, 2008 | vs San Diego | Long Beach, CA | W 6-0 |
| June 1, 2008 | vs San Diego | Long Beach, CA | L 15-1 |
| June 2, 2008 | vs San Diego | Long Beach, CA | W 5-1 |
NCAA Tempe Super Regional :
| June 7, 2008 | at Arizona State | Tempe, AZ | L 12-4 |
| June 8, 2008 | at Arizona State | Tempe, AZ | W 8-6 |
| June 9, 2008 | at Arizona State | Tempe, AZ | W 12-9 |
College World Series :
| June 15, 2008 | vs Rice | Omaha, NE | W 17-5 |
| June 17, 2008 | vs North Carolina | Omaha, NE | W 5-3 |
| June 21, 2008 | vs North Carolina | Omaha, NE | L 4-3 |
| June 22, 2008 | vs North Carolina | Omaha, NE | W 6-1 |
| June 23, 2008 | vs Georgia | Omaha, NE | L 7-6 |
| June 24, 2008 | vs Georgia | Omaha, NE | W 19-10 |
| June 25, 2008 | vs Georgia | Omaha, NE | W 6-1 |

## Roster
### Coaches

| Name | Title | First Season at Fresno State | Alma Mater |
| Mike Batesole | Head coach | 2003 | Fullerton State University (1990) |
| Pat Waer | Assistant coach | 2006 | Washington State University (1995) |
| Matt Curtis | Assistant coach | 2002 | Fresno State University (1996) |
| Mike Mayne | Assistant coach | 2007 | University of California—Riverside (1968) |

### Players

| No. | Players | Position | Year | Ht/wt | Bats/throws | Hometown (last school) |
| 3 | Erik Wetzel | INF | JR | 6-1/180 | R/R | Chino, CA (Don Lugo HS) |
| 4 | Danny Grubb | C | JR | 5-11/185 | R/R | Orange, CA (Orange Lutheran HS) |
| 5 | Trent Soares | OF | FR | 6-0/180 | L/R | Fresno, CA (San Joaquin Memorial High School) |
| 7 | Nick Hom | INF | FR | 6-0/180 | R/R | Benicia, CA (De La Salle HS) |
| 9 | Alan Ahmady | INF | SO | 5-11/195 | R/R | Fresno, CA (Clovis West HS) |
| 10 | Jason Breckley | RHP | SR | 6-1/220 | R/R | Moorpark, CA (Moorpark HS) |
| 11 | Todd Sandell | INF | SR | 6-2/190 | R/R | Somis, CA (Camarillo HS) |
| 14 | Tanner Scheppers | RHP | JR | 6-4/220 | R/R | Laguna Niguel, CA (Dana Hills HS) |
| 15 | Steve Detwiler | OF | SO | 6-1/220 | R/R | Forest Knolls, CA (San Rafael HS) |
| 16 | Danny Muno | INF | FR | 5-11/170 | S/R | Thousand Oaks, CA (Loyola HS) |
| 19 | Jordan Ribera | INF | FR | 6-0/220 | L/R | Fresno, CA (Clovis West HS) |
| 21 | Justin Wilson | LHP | JR | 6-3/210 | L/L | Clovis, CA (Buchanan HS) |
| 24 | Ryan Overland | C | SR | 6-2/200 | L/R | Atascadero, CA (Atascadero HS) |
| 25 | Brandon Burke | RHP | SR | 6-3/200 | R/R | San Diego, CA (Rancho Bernardo HS) |
| 27 | Steve Susdorf | OF | SR | 6-1/195 | L/L | Newhall, CA (Hart HS) |
| 29 | Gavin Hedstrom | OF | JR | 6-1/190 | R/R | Irvine, CA (Woodbridge HS) |
| 30 | Blake Amador | OF | SR | 6-0/190 | L/L | Turlock, CA (Modesto JC/UNLV) |
| 32 | Tommy Mendonca | INF | SO | 6-1/200 | L/R | Turlock, CA (Turlock HS) |
| 33 | Justin Miller | RHP | JR | 6-5/195 | R/R | Bakersfield, CA (Bakersfield College) |
| 34 | Jake Johnson | C | FR | 6-2/205 | R/R | La Mirada, CA (La Mirada HS) |
| 37 | Sean Bonesteele | RHP | SO | 6-5/220 | R/R | Santa Ana, CA (Foothill HS) |
| 38 | Jake Floethe | RHP | FR | 6-3/195 | R/R | Lafayette, CA (Acalanes HS) |
| 40 | Clayton Allison | RHP | SR | 6-5/230 | R/R | Visalia, CA (College of the Sequoias) |
| 42 | Gene Escat | RHP | FR | 6-5/190 | R/R | Hanford, CA (Hanford HS) |
| 43 | Kris Tomlinson | LHP | JR | 6-0/180 | L/L | Visalia, CA (Golden West HS) |
| 47 | Holden Sprague | RHP | JR | 6-2/210 | R/R | Fresno, CA (Bullard HS) |
| 50 | Jake Hower | RHP | SR | 6-4/190 | R/R | Roseville, CA (American River CC) |

## Awards and honors

| Player | Award/Honor |
| Clayton Allison | WAC Pitcher of the Week (April 16 - April 27) |
| Alan Ahmady | WAC Player of the Week and NCWBA National Player of the Week (March 24 - March 30), First-Team All-WAC, WAC All-Tournament Team. |
| Steve Susdorf | WAC Player of the Week (April 16 - April 27),First-Team All-WAC WAC Player of the Year 2008, ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American |
| Justin Wilson | WAC Pitcher of the Week (May 7 - May 13) |
| Mike Batesole | NCBWA National Coach of the Year Award |

## 2008 Major League Baseball draft

The following members of the 2008 Fresno State baseball team were drafted in the 2008 MLB draft.
| Player | Position | Overall | MLB team |
| Justin Wilson | LHP | 144 | Pittsburgh Pirates |
| Erik Wetzel | 2B | 407 | Colorado Rockies |
| Justin Miller | RHP | 483 | Texas Rangers |
| Steven Susdorf | OF | 586 | Philadelphia Phillies |
| Clayton Allison | RHP | 817 | Los Angeles Dodgers |