Kamalani Dung had more than 50 scholarship offers coming out of Kamehameha and has admitted in the past she only knew how to throw two pitches in high school.
Her transformation into a complete Division I-caliber ace pitcher for Fresno State has happened quickly and with stunning results in her sophomore season for the Bulldogs.
Dung was named Mountain West Conference pitcher of the week for the second time in eight days on Monday as she carries the Bulldogs (32-20, 12-8) into the last conference series of the season starting Thursday at Colorado State.
Dung has thrown every inning for Fresno State over its current six-game winning streak in which she has posted a 1.33 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 42 innings.
She was even better in last weekend’s three-game sweep of New Mexico in which she allowed just one earned run, three walks and 11 hits in 19 innings while striking out 19.
A 5-0 victory in the first game on Friday was Dung’s eighth shutout of the season, which leads the conference.
Her 23 wins rank 14th in the nation and she leads the conference with 184 strikeouts, which ranks 29th nationally.
She also leads the MWC with 218 1/3 innings pitched this season.
The Bulldogs opened the season with an impressive 4-1 record at the Kajikawa Classic and were ranked No. 21 in the first USA Today/NFCA Division I coaches poll.
Fresno State is currently No. 47 in the RPI rankings and seems content to ride Dung down the stretch of the season.
The Bulldogs are 26-12 in games she has appeared in and 6-8 when Dung doesn’t pitch. Overall this season, she’s 23-12 with two saves, a 2.08 ERA and 184 strikeouts in 218 1/3 innings while opponents are hitting just .212 against her.
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