WHEN/WHERE: The UNLV baseball team, 22-10 and 5-4 in the WAC South Division, will host Portland State in a nonconference game on Wednesday at Earl E. Wilson Stadium at Roger Barnson Field (3,000). UNLV then will travel to TCU this weekend.

THIS WEEK:
Wednesday, March 25 - *Portland State at UNLV, 3:05 p.m., Earl E. Wilson Stadium
Friday, March 27 - UNLV at TCU, 2:35 p.m. (CST), TCU Diamond (1,500)+
Saturday, March 28 - UNLV at TCU, 1:05 p.m. (CST), TCU Diamond+
Sunday, March 29 - UNLV at TCU, 1:05 p.m. (CST), TCU Diamond+

NEXT WEEK:
Friday, April 3 - *New Mexico at UNLV, 7:05 p.m., Earl E. Wilson Stadium+
Saturday, April 4 - *New Mexico at UNLV, 1:05 p.m., Earl E. Wilson Stadium+
Sunday, April 5 - New Mexico at UNLV, 1:05 p.m., Earl E. Wilson Stadium+

*KLAV AM-1230 Radio +WAC game

RADIO: UNLV baseball will broadcast 25 games during the 1998 season on KLAV AM-1230. Scott Robbs will call the action all season long. The following is the broadcast schedule: Feb. 10 vs. Pepperdine; Feb. 13-14 vs. UNR and Southern Illinois; Feb. 20-21 at Cal State Fullerton; Feb. 27-28 vs. Fresno State; March 13-14 at Grand Canyon; March 17 vs. Arizona; March 20-21 vs. Rice; March 25 vs. Portland State; April 3-4 vs. New Mexico; April 10 -11 vs. Air Force; April 17-18 at San Jose State; May 1-2 vs. TCU; May 5 vs. Arizona State.

THE TEAMS: UNLV is 22-10 overall and 5-4 in the WAC South Division. UNLV defeated No. 4 Arizona on Tuesday, March 17 (6-3) and Wednesday, March 18 (8-6) at Wilson Stadium. UNLV lost two out of three games against Rice last weekend at Wilson Stadium (6-12, 3-5, 12-1). Portland State is 7-12 overall. The Vikings host Concordia on Monday, March 23. TCU is 19-10 overall and 6-2 in the WAC South Division. The Horned Frogs won two out of three games last weekend at BYU (BYU 11-10, TCU 22-5, 11-7). TCU travels to Texas-Arlington on Tuesday.

THE SERIES: UNLV leads the series against Portland State 5-1. UNLV defeated PSU 7-4 and 15-0 last season at Wilson Stadium. UNLV leads the series against TCU 5-3. UNLV and TCU split six games last season. UNLV two of three games at Las Vegas (19-5, 7-13, 14-13). TCU won two of three games at Fort Worth (TCU 22-7, 10-8, UNLV 5-3)

WAC SOUTH DIVISION: Rice leads the South Division with a 14-1 record. TCU is second with a 6-2 record (4.5 games back); UNLV 5-4 (6) and New Mexico 5-5 (6.5).

UNLV HEAD COACH ROD SOESBE: He is in his 14th season at UNLV and his second as head coach. His career record is 46-41 (.529). Rod was named as the fourth head coach in UNLV baseball history on Sept. 10, 1996. He spent 12 seasons as the top assistant coach to Fred Dallimore. Soesbe came to UNLV in 1985 and served as the team's hitting instructor, working with the infielders and third base coach. He spent six years at Yavapai College (Prescott, Ariz.) from 1978-83 and was head coach at Lee College in Baytown, Texas, in 1984. He was twice named the Arizona Junior College "Coach of the Year" in 1978 and 1979. He was also named regional "Coach of the Year" for those two seasons.

COACHES: Dave Dangler is in his fourth season at Portland State and his record is 50-128. Lance Brown is in his 12th season at TCU and his record is 352-319.

EARL E. WILSON BASEBALL STADIUM: UNLV baseball is in its fifth season playing in the 3,000-seat Earl E. Wilson Baseball Stadium at Roger Barnson Field (26th season playing on the existing field). A gift of $1.2 million from the estate of the late Earl and Hazel Wilson was used for the construction of the Stadium. The stadium features 2,500 theater-type seats and 500 bleacher-back seats; paved parking for 400 cars; a 60-foot enclosed press box; restrooms for fans, concession areas; backstop; public address system; batter's eye in centerfield; and stadium entrance complete with handicap access (tunnel and ramp). Wilson Stadium was dedicated on Saturday, Jan. 29, 1994 prior to the UNLV Alumni Game. Jay Brown and Mel Wolzinger, co-trustees of the Earl and Hazel Wilson estate, were on hand to bring in a new era to Rebel baseball. A crowd of 2,500, the largest home crowd in UNLV baseball history, saw the UNLV Alumni defeat the varsity 15-14.

REBEL NOTES: UNLV entered the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll at No. 22 on Feb. 23...The Rebels were ranked No. 22 for three weeks (Feb. 23, March 2, 9)...UNLV dropped out of the poll on March 16...UNLV was ranked during the 1996 season (except for the first two weeks of the season). The 1996 Rebels were 43-17 and captured the 1996 Big West Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Regionals...UNLV established season highs in runs (22) and hits (23) against Grand Canyon on March 14...UNLV has scored 10 or more runs in 12 games...UNLV is batting .334 as a team (382-for-1144) and is fielding .957 with 53 errors in 32 games...Three players have started in all 32 games (Ludwick, Eberwein, Sarabia)...The team ERA is 4.79...The WAC schedule features 30 league games with six teams qualifying for the WAC Tournament on May 13-16, at San Diego, Calif.

UNLV BASEBALL PLAYER-BY-PLAYER NOTES:

CHRIS ADOLPH: The junior outfielder from Fresno, Calif., has appeared in 29 games and is batting .300 (36-for-120) with 10 doubles and 19 RBI. He was 4-for-7 in two games against Southern Utah (Feb. 3-4). He was 3-for-5 with 3 RBI against Utah on Feb. 8. He was 3-for-5 against UNR on Feb. 16. Batted .444 (8-for-18) over a four-game stretch (Feb. 14-16 vs. Southern Illinois and UNR). He had a career-high 14-game hitting streak (Jan. 30 - Feb. 20). He was 3-for-5 with his first career grand slam and 5 RBI against Grand Canyon on March 14. His grand slam highlighted a nine run third inning. He was 2-for-4 against No. 4 Arizona on March 18. He has compiled 10 multiple hit games. He has hit safely in 23 of 29 games.

BILLY BARKER: The junior left-hander from Yakima, Wash., has appeared in seven games and has a 2-3 record with a 5.27 ERA. Pitched in 42.2 innings, allowed 49 hits and has struck out 31. He pitched 6.2 innings in his second start against UNR on Feb. 13. Allowed 5 hits and 3 runs in a no decision. Pitched 6.1 innings against Cal State Fullerton on Feb. 20. Allowed 3 earned runs in a no decision. He defeated Cal State Northridge 11-2 in the Coors Desert Classic on March 5 for his first victory as a Rebel. Pitched 7 innings and allowed 2 runs. He posted his second victory against Grand Canyon on March 14. He pitched 7 innings, allowed 3 earned runs and struck out a career-high 10.

BRAD BEASLEY: The freshman catcher from Las Cruces, N.M. has appeared in five games and is batting .455 (10-for-22) with 9 runs scored. He was 4-for-6 with 4 runs scored in his first collegiate start against Utah on Feb. 8. He was 4-for-4 with 3 runs scored against Southern Illinois on Feb. 15. He was 1-for-3 against Fresno State on Feb. 28.

SEAN CAMPBELL: The junior catcher from Fresno, Calif., has appeared in 29 games and is batting .333 (39-for-117) with 6 home runs (second on the team) and 23 RBI. He batted .500 (4-for-8) in two games against UC Santa Barbara (Jan. 30, Feb. 1). Batted .583 (7-for-12) in the Utah series (Feb. 6-8). He was 3-for-3 against the Utes on Feb. 6. He was 3-for-4 with 3 runs scored against UNR on Feb. 15. He was 1-for-4 with 3 RBI against Fresno State on Feb. 28. His two-out three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning, led UNLV to a come from behind 5-4 win. He was 2-for-3 against Ohio State on March 8. He batted .563 (9-for-16) in the Grand Canyon series (March 13-15). He was 4-for-7 with 3 RBI and 3-for-5 against the Antelopes (March 14-15). He was 2-for-4 with 1 RBI against No. 4 Arizona on March 18. He missed two games in the Rice series with a viral infection (March 21-22). He has compiled 12 multiple hit games. Hit safely in 22 of 29 games.

TONY DeMARCO: The sophomore first baseman from Las Vegas has appeared in 24 games and is batting .416 (37-for-89) with 24 RBI. He was 3-for-3 with 4 RBI against UC Santa Barbara on Feb. 1. He was 5-for-6 against Pepperdine on Feb. 10. His two-run triple in the bottom of the 12th won the game for UNLV (8-7 over the Waves). He was 3-for-5 against UNR on Feb. 13. He batted .500 (4-for-8) in the Cal State Fullerton series (Feb. 20-21). He was 0-for-2 against Fresno State on Feb. 27 and left the game in the eighth inning when he was spiked in the right heel. He missed the final two games of the series. He missed the entire UNLV/Coors Desert Classic with a sore back. He returned to the lineup against Grand Canyon on March 13. He was 2-for-4 against the Antelopes on March 15. He batted .667 (4-for-6) in the Arizona series (March 17-18); 2-for-3 in two games against the Wildcats. Batted .400 (4-for-10) with 5 RBI in the Rice series (March 20-22). Batting .500 (8-for-16) over his last five games. He has compiled 11 multiple hit games. He has hit safely in 21 of 24 games and eight straight.

KEVIN EBERWEIN: The junior third baseman from Las Vegas was a preseason third-team All-American by Baseball America. He has appeared in 32 games and is batting .353 (47-for-133) with 15 doubles (second on team) and 26 RBI. He was 3-for-5 with 2 doubles in the season opener against UC Santa Barbara on Jan. 30. He batted .625 (5-for-8) in two games against Southern Utah (Feb. 3-4). He was 3-for-5 against UNR on Feb. 13. He was 4-for-4 with 2 doubles and 4 RBI against Southern Illinois on Feb. 14. He was 2-for-5 with 2 doubles against Fresno State on Feb. 27. He was 3-for-5 with 2 RBI against Oral Roberts on March 5. He batted .545 (6-for-11) in the Grand Canyon series on March 13-15. He was 3-for-4 against the Antelopes on March 15. He has compiled 13 multiple hit games (55 in his career). He has hit safely in 27 of 32 games and eight straight. He has appeared in 143 career games and is batting .349 (186-for-532), which ranks him 11th in UNLV all-time batting.

BRYAN GIDGE: The junior right-hander from Yakima, Wash., has appeared in 6 games and has a 2-1 record with a 4.95 ERA in 20 innings. Has allowed 17 hits and struck out 15. He defeated UC Santa Barbara in the season opener on Jan. 30. He pitched 6.2 innings, allowed 4 hits, no earned runs and struck out 4. He recorded his second victory against Southern Utah on Feb. 4. He pitched 6 innings and allowed 1 run and struck out 6. He missed two and half weeks with a tender right elbow. Returned against Fresno State on March 1. He pitched 3.1 innings and allowed 5 runs in a no decision. He started the championship game of the Coors Desert Classic against Ohio State on March 8. He faced five batters and left the game.

CHRIS GILLETTE: The junior second baseman from Missoula, Montana, has appeared in 29 games and is batting .364 (39-for-107) with 11 doubles. He was 3-for-5 with a double and home run in the season opener against UC Santa Barbara on Jan. 30. He was 3-for-4 with 3 runs scored against UNR on Feb. 13; 3-for-6 with 2 doubles against Southern Illinois on Feb. 14. He was 2-for-4 against No. 13 Cal State Fullerton on Feb. 20. He was 2-for-5 and 2-for-4 against Fresno State (Feb. 27-28). He batted .421 (8-for-19) in five games in the Coors Desert Classic on March 5-8. He was 3-for-5 with 3 RBI against Cal State Northridge on March 5. Batted .407 (24-for-59) over a 15-game stretch (Feb. 13 - March 8). He was 2-for-4 against Grand Canyon on March 15. He batted .571 (4-for-7) in the Arizona series (March 17-18). He was 3-for-4 against the fourth-ranked Wildcats on March 17. He was 1-for-3 with 3 runs scored against No. 9 Rice on March 22. He has compiled 13 multiple hit games.

RYAN HAMILL: The freshman catcher/designated hitter from Woodland Hills, Calif., has appeared in 22 games and is batting .333 (21-for-63) with 8 home runs and 21 RBI. He was 2-for-4 with his first collegiate home run and 3 RBI against Utah on Feb. 6. He hit a pinch-hit home run to tie the game against Pepperdine on Feb. 11. He was 2-for-5 with a solo home run against Southern Illinois on Feb. 15. He was 1-for-4 with a three-run home run against UNR on Feb. 16. He was 2-for-3 with 3 runs scored against Cal State Northridge in the Coors Desert Classic on March 5. He batted .364 (4-for-11) with 4 RBI in the Grand Canyon series (March 13-15). He was 2-for-4 with 2 RBI against the Antelopes on March 15. Batted .429 (3-for-7) in the Arizona series (March 17-18). He was 2-for-4 with a double, home run and 2 RBI against the fourth-ranked Wildcats on March 17. Batted .300 (3-for-10) with 2 home runs and 5 RBI in the Rice series (March 20-22). He was 2-for-4 with 4 RBI against the Owls on March 22. He is batting .406 (13-for-32) over the last 10 games he has appeared in.

HENRY JONES: The junior outfielder from Los Angeles, Calif., has appeared in 19 games and is batting .250 (13-for-52). He was 2-for-4 against Utah on Feb. 7 and 3-for-4 against the Utes on Feb. 8. He was 2-for-6 against Pepperdine on Feb. 10. He was 1-for-3 with 1 RBI against No. 13 Cal State Fullerton on Feb. 20. He was 1-for-4 with a three-run double against Cal State Northridge on March 5.

MIKE LOPEZ: The junior left-hander from Diamond Bar, Calif., has appeared in 10 games. He has a 0-1 record with a 3.18 ERA. Pitched in 17 innings, allowed 21 hits and has struck out 14. Pitched three scoreless innings in relief against Fresno State on March 1. Pitched two scoreless innings and struck out four against Cal State Northridge on March 5 in the Coors Desert Classic. Tossed four scorelss innings and struck out five in relief against No. 9 Rice on March 21.

RYAN LUDWICK: The sophomore outfielder from Las Vegas was a second-team preseason All-American by Baseball America. He has appeared in 32 games and is batting .350 (43-for-123) with 16 doubles (team leader) and is the team-leader with 9 home runs and 36 RBI. He was 1-for-4 and hit his first collegiate grand slam against Southern Utah on Feb. 4. He compiled four straight multiple hit games against Utah and Pepperdine (Feb. 7-10) and batted .667 (10-for-15). He was named the WAC's Player of the Week (Feb. 9). He was 3-for-4 with 3 doubles against Utah on Feb. 8. He was 2-for-5 with a home run against UNR on Feb. 13. He was 2-for-4 with 1 RBI against No. 13 Cal State Fullerton on Feb. 20. He was 2-for-3 with a key double in UNLV's come from behind 5-4 victory over Fresno State on Feb. 28. He batted .450 (9-for-20) in five games in the UNLV/Coors Desert Classic (March 5-8). He was 3-for-3 with 3 RBI against Oral Roberts (March 5); 2-for-5 with 3 RBI against Ohio State (March 7). He batted .462 (6-for-13) with 3 home runs and 5 RBI in the Grand Canyon series (March 13-15). He was 2-for-5 with 2 home runs against the Antelopes on March 15. He was 2-for-4 against Rice on March 20. He has compiled 14 multiple hit games. He has hit safely in 25 of 32 games He had a 13-game hitting streak (Feb. 28 - March 20). He has appeared in 87 career games and is batting .352 (124-for-352), which ranks him 10th all-time in UNLV batting.

ANDY McCULLOCH: The sophomore right-hander from Las Vegas has appeared in 10 games and has a 4-1 record with a 2.74 ERA. He has pitched in 23 innings and has struck out 22. He is second on the staff with 2 saves. Pitched 2.1 innings and recorded the save in the season opener against UC Santa Barbara on Jan. 30. Recorded his second save with 1 scoreless inning against Utah on Feb. 6.He recorded his first victory over UNR on Feb. 13. Pitched 1.2 innings and allowed 7 runs (no earned). Recorded his second victory against No. 13 Cal State Fullerton on Feb. 20. He pitched 1.2 innings and allowed 1 run and struck out 2. He pitched two scoreless innings in relief against Fresno State on March 1 to record his third victory. He improved his record to 4-0 with his first start of the season against Grand Canyon on March 15. He pitched 6 innings and allowed 2 runs and struck out 6. He suffered his first loss of the season against No. 9 Rice on March 21. Pitched 4 innings, allowed 7 hits and 3 earned runs.

JESSE PRYOR: The sophomore outfielder from Tucson, Ariz., has appeared in 22 games and is batting .316 (24-for-76) with 22 RBI. He was 2-for-4 against UC Santa Barbara on Feb. 1. He was 2-for-5 with 3 runs scored 1 home run and 3 RBI against Utah on Feb. 8. He was 3-for-5 with 4 RBI against Southern Illinois on Feb. 15. He batted .400 (2-for-5) in the Cal State Fullerton series (Feb. 20-21). He was 1-for-3 with a three-run triple in the first inning against Fresno State on March 1. He has a career-high 11-game hitting streak (Feb. 8-27). He batted .429 (3-for-7) in two games against Ohio State in two games in the Coors Desert Classic (March 7-8). Batting 1.000 (2-for-2) as a pinch-hitter. He has hit safely in 17 out of 22 games. He has compiled 6 multiple hit games.

ELIOTT SARABIA: The junior shortstop from Rialto, Calif., has appeared in 32 games and is batting .256 (31-for-121) with 17 RBI. A solid defensive shortstop, he is fielding .959. He was 2-for-5 with 1 RBI against Utah on Feb. 8. He was 2-for-5 with 2 RBI against Southern Illinois on Feb. 14. He was 2-for-4 with 2 runs runs scored against UNR on Feb. 16. He batted .286 (2-for-7) in the Cal State Fullerton series (Feb. 20-21). He batted .444 (4-for-9) with 2 RBI in the Fresno State series (Feb. 27 - March 1). He had a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning to lead UNLV to a 6-5 victory over Fresno State on March 1. He batted .316 (6-for-19) in five games in the UNLV/Coors Desert Classic (March 5-8). He was 2-for-4 against both Lewis-Clark State and Ohio State. He batted .353 (6-for-17) with 4 RBI in the Grand Canyon series (March 13-15). He was 2-for-4; 2-for-7; 2-for-6 against the Antelopes.

JIMMY SMITH: The junior right-hander from Olympia, Wash., has appeared in 13 games and leads the staff with 5 saves. He has a 4.32 ERA in 16.2 innings pitched and has struck out 21. He recorded both saves over UNR on Feb. 13 and Feb. 15, working a total of 2.2 scoreless innings against the Wolf Pack. He registered his third save against No. 13 Cal State Fullerton on Feb. 20. Hepitched one scoreless inning and struck out 1. He retired the final two batters against Fresno State on March 1 to record his fourth save. He earned his fifth save against No. 4 Arizona on March 18. He retired the last four batters and struck out three.

NATE SMITH: The junior outfielder from Las Vegas has appeared in 21 games and is batting .418 (28-for-67) with 17 RBI. He was 2-for-3 against UC Santa Barbara in the season opener on Jan. 30. He was 2-for-5 with 2 RBI against Southern Illinois on Feb. 14 and 3-for-5 with 2 doubles and 3 RBI against Southern Illinois on Feb. 15. He had a pinch-hit single against No. 13 Cal State Fuller ton on Feb. 21. Batting .800 (4-for-5) as a pinch-hitter in two seasons at UNLV. He batted .600 (6-for-10) with 4 RBI in the Grand Canyon series (March 13-15). He was 3-for-5 with 2 home runs and 3 RBI on March 14 and 3-for-5 on March 15. He batted .714 (5-for-7) in the Arizona series (March 17-18). He was 2-for-3 and 3-for-4 against the fourth-ranked Wildcats. He was 2-for-4 with 2 RBI against No. 9 Rice on March 22. He has compiled 9 multiple hit games. He is batting .538 (14-for-26) over the last four games.

JERIMIAH TIPTON: The senior right-hander from Las Vegas has appeared in 10 games (started 4) and has a 4-0 record with a 4.53 ERA in 49.2 innings pitched. He has allowed 47 hits and has struck out 33. He pitched 5 innings in relief against Pepperdine on Feb. 11. He allowed five hits and two earned runs. He recorded his first victory of the season against UNR on Feb. 15. He pitched 5.1 innings and allowed 4 earned runs. He allowed only one hit in the first five innings. He defeated Oral Roberts 10-4 on March 5. Pitched 5.2 innnings and allowed 4 earned runs. He pitched 5 strong innings in relief against Grand Canyon on March 13. He allowed 4 hits and 1 run. He defeated No. 4 Arizona 6-3 on March 17. He pitched 8 innings, allowed 8 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk and 4 strikeouts. He defeated No. 9 Rice 12-1 on March 22. Hurled his first career complete game. He allowed 6 hits, 1 run and tied his career-high with 10 strikeouts. In his last two starts: 2-0, 1.59 ERA, 17 IP, 14 hits, 3 runs, 14 K's.

MIKE ZIPSER: The junior right-hander from Las Vegas has appeared in 8 games and is 5-2 with a 3.81 ERA. He has pitched in 54.1 innings and has walked only 7 batters and has struck out a team-leading 46. He defeated UC Santa Barbara in his first start on Feb. 1. He pitched 5 innings and allowed 2 runs. He defeated Utah on Feb. 6 for his second victory. He pitched 8 innings, allowed 3 runs and struck out a career-high 9 batters. He recorded his third victory against UNR on Feb. 16. He notched the team's first complete game of the season. He allowed only 4 hits, 1 run and tied his career-high with 9 strikeouts. He suffered his first defeat of the season against No. 13 Cal State Fullerton on Feb. 21. He pitched 5.2 innings and allowed 6 earned runs. He recorded his fourth victory of the season against Fresno State on Feb. 28. Pitched his second complete game of the season. He allowed 7 hits, 1 earned run and struck out 7. He allowed only one hit over the final seven innings. He defeated Ohio State 9-8 on March 7 for his fifth victory. Pitched 7 innings and allowed 3 earned runs and tied his career-high with 9 strikeouts.