Valley sports briefs: Bulldogs unveil final football kickoff times

Fresno State will play six day football games and six at night, according to a finalized schedule released Thursday by the Mountain West Conference.

The final times set are Sept. 29 (Homecoming) vs. San Diego State 7 p.m.; Oct. 6 at Colorado State 4 p.m.; Oct. 20 home vs. Wyoming 7:30 p.m.; Oct. 27 at New Mexico 12:30 p.m; and Nov. 3 home vs. Hawaii 4 p.m.

The Bulldogs will play six games that start before 5 p.m., including 3:30 p.m. Sept. 8 at Oregon. Fresno State will host four night games, including the conference opener against San Diego State.

Fresno State kicks off its season at 7 p.m. Sept. 1 against Weber State.

Final, full television information will be announced at a later date. For the full football and other local college schedules, see Page B5.

All-State softball team includes Proctor, Hyland

Buchanan High senior outfielder Amani Proctor and El Diamante junior multipurpose player Sierra Hyland were among the selections for Cal-Hi’s All-State softball team.

Proctor repeated as the Tri-River Athletic Conference’s Player of Year after hitting .530. Hyland, The Bee’s 2011 Player of the Year, was the Central Section’s winningest pitcher (30-2) and hit .468.

The second team included Central senior pitcher Lindsey Clarkson. Hanford West senior Briana Pontecorvo was named to the Medium Schools team as a multipurpose player.

Central’s Byrd to play at Gridiron Kings games

Central High football player Hatari Byrd has been invited to participate in the Gridiron Kings games July 27-29 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla.

The senior defensive back is one of five players from California — and the only one from the Central Section — scheduled to compete in the 7-on-7 games, skill challenges and performance training.

Gridiron Kings gathers 64 of the nation’s best high school skill-position players, who are then divided into teams based on their region (West, Southwest, Southeast and Midwest.) ESPNU will broadcast the action July 29, starting at 4 p.m.

Ernst alive at Publinx

Ex-Clovis East High star Derek Ernst is in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Amateur Public Links in Midway, Utah.

Ernst beat Richard Hattori of Honolulu 1 up and Xander Schauffele of San Diego 5 and 4. He faces Brad Schneider of Orlando, Fla., in the quarters.

Bryson DeChambeau (Clovis East) lost 1 up to Jacob Knapp of Costa Mesa in the round of 32.

State Fair meet opens

The California State Fair horse racing meet opened in Sacramento with a scaled-back schedule of eight days.

The meet had 11 racing days in recent years, but there are too few horses available on the Northern California circuit to fill more programs.

The meet ends July 22.

Bullard Ripken team wins

The Bullard Cal Ripken 8-year-old All-Stars won the Central California Cal Ripken State Tournament in Visalia on Wednesday.

The team beat Buchanan in the championship. After trailing 7-2 through five, Bullard tied it 7-7 in the sixth before winning 8-7 in seven innings.

Bullard plays in the Pacific Southwest Regionals in Riverton, Utah, starting July 24.

The team: Sam Tookoian, Michael Fung, Evan Wallace, Travis Preston, Brady Zavorek, Jack Sampson, Chase Weiner, Tyler Zuber, Michael Bell, Ben Mouser, Josiah Ayon and Matt Roque. Coaches: Andy Zavorek, Scott Mouser, Mark Ayon and Eric Bell.

Merced College coach takes a break

Longtime Merced College baseball coach Chris Pedretti is taking a sabbatical for 2012-13. Pitching coach Nate Devine is the interim coach. Pedretti said he’ll use the time to travel to learn what other schools are doing to enhance academics among their athletes.