December 8, 1998

The UNLV baseball team is "Ready To Soar" in the 1999 season. The campaign will present one of the most challenging schedules in the program's history.

Additionally, UNLV will be playing its third and final season in the WAC. The WAC is featuring one 11-team division this season after playing in a three division (North, South, West) format over the past two seasons. The 30-game league schedule will feature a three-game series against each of the 10 conference foes.

UNLV announced on May 26, 1998, that it will leave the conference after the 1999 season to form a new association with seven other current WAC teams.

Joining the Rebels in the Mountain West Conference (which was named on Oct. 26, 1998) will be Air Force, Brigham Young, Colorado State, New Mexico, San Diego State, Utah and Wyoming.

The UNLV baseball program is under the guidance of third-year head coach Rod Soesbe. After a rebuilding season in 1996, the Rebels responded with an overall record of 31-24 last season. UNLV, which compiled a WAC record of 13-17 in the South Division, was in contention for the final spot in the WAC Tournament to the final day of the season. UNLV was eliminated from the sixth spot of the tournament with a loss at New Mexico in the season finale.

However, the 31 wins guaranteed a .500 or better season for the 20th time in the last 23 seasons (1976-98). The baseball program also recorded 30 or more wins in a season for the 20th time in school history. There is a lot of optimism heading into the 1999 campaign. UNLV returns 20 players, which includes 7 starters. The nucleus is in place for UNLV to contend for a spot in the WAC Tournament. UNLV looks to return to postseason play for the first time since 1996 when the Rebels compiled an overall record of 43-17 and captured the Big West Tournament championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

"The biggest thing this year with the team is the depth," Soesbe said. "We have depth in our outfield and have much better speed and it will present competition (amongst the outfielders) throughout the year (for playing time).

"We have more talent and depth as a whole in the infield. It will enable us to cover ourselves for not only the competition but injuries. The pitching staff has the potential to get the job done. There is not much difference between our number one through eight. We have key experience back on the staff and in the outfield and infield."

UNLV returns a talented group of eight seniors who will be looked upon for leadership. Out of the 33 players on the roster, 23 are upperclassmen.

Senior outfielder Chris Adolph returns for his fourth season. He has appeared in 156 games and has a career average of .318 (189-for-595) with 37 doubles and 104 RBI. He has compiled 52 career multiple-hit games. Chris appeared in 46 games last season and batted .299 (55-for-184) with 13 doubles, 3 triples, 4 home runs and 28 RBI.

Left-hander Billy Barker returns for his second season and is a potential starter in the rotation. Last season, he appeared in 16 games (11 started) and compiled a 4-4 record with a 5.38 ERA in 73.2 innings. He posted victories over Cal State Northridge, Grand Canyon, Air Force and San Jose State.

Ace Bedich returns for his second season. He adds depth to the middle infield and is a solid defensive player.

Infielder Chris Gillette returns for his second season. Last season, he appeared in 52 games and batted .345 (67-for-194) with 15 doubles, 4 home runs and 34 RBI. He compiled 21 multiple-hit games and hit safely in 38 of 52 games.

Left-hander Mike Lopez returns for his second season. He will add depth to the staff and can be used in a variety of rolls. He appeared in 16 games last season and was 0-2 in 28 innings pitched.

Eliott Sarabia returns for his second season as the starting shortstop. Last season, he was one of two players to start and play in all 55 games (along with Kevin Eberwein). He batted .277 (56-for-202) with 25 RBI. He was tied for the team lead with Gillette with 8 sacrifice bunts. A solid defensive shortstop, he fielded .932 in 279 chances. He had a season-high 14-game hitting streak (Feb. 13 - March 7).

Right-handers Bill Scheffels and Jimmy Smith round out the senior class. Scheffels returns for his fourth season and has the potential to lead the staff. He has appeared in 43 career games with a record of 5-3 in 109.1 innings. Last season, he appeared in 19 games (6 started) and had a 4-3 record in 62 innings pitched. He was second on the staff with 66 strikeouts.

Smith, who returns for his third season, is UNLV's closer out of the bullpen. He has appeared in 47 career games and has a 5-4 record with 8 saves and a 5.10 ERA in 60 innings pitched. Last season, he was chosen All-WAC Second-Team. He led the team with 27 appearances and 8 saves (tied for second in the WAC). The eight saves also ranked second all-time in a UNLV single season.

UNLV returns eight juniors that will contribute heavily to the team's success.

First baseman/designated hitter Tony DeMarco returns for his second season. He is a pure hitter which provides offensive punch to the lineup. Last season, he appeared in 47 games and was the team's leading hitter at .422 (79-for-187), which ranked fourth in the WAC and 30th in the nation. Tony was the first Rebel to hit .400 in 17 seasons (since 1981) and became the fourth player all-time. He hit safely in 39 of 47 games and posted a 10-game hitting streak twice.

Right-hander Bryan Gidge returns as a potential starter in the rotation. He saw limited action last year due to injury. He appeared in 6 games and had a 2-1 record with a 4.95 ERA in 20 innings pitched.

Right-hander Toby Harris returns for his third season. He is a local product from Bonanza High School. He has appeared in 26 career games with a record of 4-4 in 72.1 innings pitched. Last season, he appeared in 12 games and compiled a record of 2-1 in 34.2 innings pitched.

The cornerstone of UNLV's offense will be built around outfielder Ryan Ludwick. He has appeared in 109 games and has a career average of .353 (155-for-439), which ranks him 11th all-time in UNLV batting. Ryan enjoyed an outstanding summer with the USA Baseball National Team. He appeared in 36 games (started 32) and was the team's second-leading hitter with a .386 average (49-for-127), 14 doubles (ranked second), 9 home runs (tied for the team lead) and 27 RBI. For his efforts, he was named to Baseball America's Summer All-Americans list (first team). Last season, he was named second-team preseason All-American by Baseball America and was selected All-WAC Second-Team. He appeared in 54 games and batted .352 (74-for-210) with 21 doubles (second on team) and 14 home runs (second on team) and 57 RBI (led team). The local product from Durango High School has the potential to be a high draft pick in this year's major league baseball draft.

Right-hander Andy McCulloch returns for his third season and is one of the top pitchers on the staff. He has appeared in 34 career games with a record of 8-6 in 70.2 innings pitched. Last season, he was named to the 1998 GTE Academic All-America District VIII first-team. He appeared in 19 games and compiled a 6-2 record (led staff in victories) with a 5.40 ERA. He struck out 37 in 43.1 innings. He ranked second on the staff with 2 saves.

Catcher John Meyer, a local product from Bishop Gorman High School, returns for his third season. He will add depth behind the plate.

Outfielder Jesse Pryor returns for his third season. As a sophomore, he compiled a solid season and he also possesses a strong arm in the outfield. He has appeared in 77 games and has a career average of .293 (67-for-229) with 10 home runs and 53 RBI. In 1998, he appeared in 42 games and batted .328 (45-for-137) with 7 home runs and 35 RBI. He batted .667 (4-for-6) with 3 RBI as a pinch-hitter. He compiled a career-high 11-game hitting streak.

A.C. Smith returns for his third season. He will be used on the pitching staff after playing first base last season. A two-sport athlete, he has been a member of the Rebel football team for the past two seasons (1997 & 1998).

The Rebels return four sophomores: Luke Anderson, Brad Beasley, Clay Belding and Ryan Hamill.

Anderson returns for his second season on the mound after being declared a medical redshirt last season. He appeared in 3 games last season and pitched 2.2 innings.

Beasley will add depth behind the plate. He appeared in 7 games last season and batted .417 (10-for-24) with 2 home runs and 5 RBI.

Belding, a medical redshirt in 1998, returns for his second season. He will add depth to the infield. In 1997, he appeared in 34 games and batted .307 (31-for-101).

Catcher Hamill returns for his second season after enjoying an outstanding freshman campaign. He was selected as a 1998 Freshman All-American Honorable Mention by Collegiate Baseball. It marked the fourth straight season that a UNLV player was selected to a freshman all-american team (Ryan Hankins, 1995; Kevin Eberwein, 1996; Ryan Ludwick, 1997). In 1998, he appeared in 44 games and batted .338 (49-for-145) with 16 home runs (tied for the team lead), 46 RBI and was the team-leader in slugging percentage (.752). His 16 home runs tied Ryan Ludwick (16 HR in 1997) for most HR's hit by a freshman at UNLV.

UNLV will add 13 newcomers to the squad. The recruiting class consists of seven juniors (which includes one transfer) and six freshman.

Outfielder James Close will add depth to the outfield. He attended College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls for two seasons (1997-98). As a sophomore, he batted .458 with 18 home runs, 28 doubles and 36 stolen bases. He was named first-team All-Region.

Infielder Brian Hertel is a potential starter at first base. He attended College of the Sequoias in Visalia, Calif., for two seasons (1997-98). Last season, he batted .390 with 9 home runs (led Central Valley Conference), 38 RBI, .730 slugging percentage, 23 extra base hits and a .465 on base percentage.

Infielder Nate Kaup is a potential starter at the hot corner. He is a transfer from Oklahoma State where he played two seasons (1997 & 1998). He appeared in 34 games (started 17) last season and batted .187 (14-for-74). He batted .345 as a freshman for the Cowboys. He is a 1996 graduate of Camarillo High School in Calif.

Infielder Cody Okuda and outfielder Denny Seybert will add depth to their respective positions. Okuda is a local product from Chaparral High School. He played at Yavapai College in Prescott, Ariz., the past two seasons. Seybert is a local product from Basic High School. He played last season at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, Calif.

Infielder Matt Stoner is a potential starter at second base. He is a local product from Chaparral High School. He attended Central Arizona College in Coolidge, Ariz., for two seasons (1996-97) and was a redshirt at UNLV last season. Scott Suraci will add depth to the outfield. He played last season at Glendale Community College is Ariz.

UNLV's freshman class has six players, four of which are pitchers: Jason Bitsko, Chad Harris, Joe Maruffi and Ryan Olson. Outfielder Jordan McLean and infielder Garett Shitanishi round out the class.

Bitsko is a right-hander and a local product from Basic High School. He is a possible redshirt candidate.

Harris is a left-hander from Cardozo High School in Bayside, N.Y. As a senior, he compiled a record of 8-1 with a 0.75 ERA in 52 innings pitched and struck out 100. He was named New York Newsday second-team all-city/first-team All-Queens and New York Daily News first-team All-Queens.

Maruffi is a right-hander from St. Pius High School in Albuquerque, N.M. He compiled a career record of 23-4 on the mound. As a senior, he compiled an 8-0 record with a 2.00 earned run average.

Olson is a left-hander from Yosemite High School in Oakhurst, Calif. As a senior, he compiled a record of 9-1 with a 0.76 earned run average. He was named first-team all-league.

McLean will add depth to the outfield. He is a graduate of Enumclaw High School in Wash. As a senior, he appeared in 20 games and batted .443 (35-for-79) with 10 doubles, 1 home run and 29 RBI. He set a team record for hits, doubles and RBI's and led the league in hits.

Shitanishi will add depth at second base. He is a graduate of Reedley High School in Calif. As a senior, he batted .485 and was 35-for-36 in stolen bases. He was named the league and team's most valuable player and was named to the All-CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) section team.

The UNLV baseball program boasts one of the best facilities in college baseball. The 3,000-seat Earl E. Wilson Stadium at Roger Barnson Field is a beautiful attraction to draw the best teams in college baseball to Las Vegas.

UNLV's schedule includes a seven-game road trip over nine days from March 25 - April 3. UNLV will travel to Houston to face Rice in a WAC three-game series (March 26-28) then fly direct to Honolulu, Hawaii, for a four-game road swing against Hawai'i Pacific in a nonconference game on March 30 and a WAC three-game series against Hawai'i (Apri 1-3).

"The schedule is the toughest since I've been here (15 years)," Soesbe said. "The road schedule is very demanding and especially for some of the places we have to play (ie, Fresno State, Hawai'i, Rice.). It will present a great challenge for us."

UNLV will also travel to Arizona (Feb. 9-10); Pepperdine (Feb. 13-14); Aggie Continental Airlines Classic in College Station on March 19-22, which will feature host Texas A&M, Cal State Northridge and Michigan; nonconference two-game series at Nevada, Reno (April 27-28) and WAC three-game series' at Utah (April 16-18); New Mexico (May 7-9) at Fresno State (May 14-16).

UNLV will play another solid home schedule. The Rebels open the season against UC Santa Barbara on Friday, Feb. 5. UNLV will host perennial Big West power Cal State Fullerton (Feb. 19-21) and the 19th annual UNLV/Coors Desert Classic (Feb. 25-28), which will feature Clemson, Creighton, UNR, and Washington. UNLV will play WAC home three-game series' against Air Force (March 5-7), BYU (March 11-13), San Jose State (April 9-11), TCU (April 23-25) and San Diego State (April 30 - May 2).

The schedule will consist of 60 games. UNLV will play 31 home games and 29 road games. The top six teams will qualify for the WAC Tournament on May 19-22.