April 23, 1998
LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- After a short homestand which saw the Rebels split games with San Diego State, 1-0 and 9-1, UNLV is on the road again to face San Jose State and Fresno State this weekend. The Rebels play ten of their final 12 games on the road with the only home doubleheader a non-conference matchup with Western Illinois next Monday, April 27.
RECAP: The Rebels broke a nine-game losing streak with a 1-0 victory over San Diego State Tuesday in game one of a doubleheader at Rebel Diamond. UNLV then fell 1-9 in the nightcap to put the Rebels overall record at 16-23 and 10-12 in conference. The winning run in game one came in the bottom of the sixth inning off a wild pitch by Aztec pitcher Tara Akins. The throw scored Racheal Goodpaster, who had doubled to start the inning. Brandi Isgar took the win to off a three-hit, six-strikeout performance. She was also credited with the loss in game two as her season record fell to 10-16. In game two, UNLV started out with a base hit and two walks to load the bases in inning one but could not capitalize. It proved to be the only Rebel hit until Raven Coberg's home run in the seventh inning to escape a shut out. All nine of San Diego State's runs were earned as three Rebel pitchers scattered 16 hits, all singles save one triple by third baseman Keri Rooney.
COMING UP: UNLV hits the road for two conference doubleheaders against San Jose State and Fresno State this weekend. San Jose State is currently 18-27 overall and 5-15 in conference. UNLV won both meetings with the Spartans earlier this season at Rebel Diamond, winning by the scores of 5-4 and 6-5. The overall series record between these two teams stand at 30-13, UNLV. On Saturday, the Rebels will face the number four team in the nation when they take on Fresno State. UNLV dropped two to the Bulldogs two weeks ago when the two faced at Rebel Diamond. UNLV lost game one 3-9 then lost a 13-15 offensive show in the nightcap. The Bulldogs hold the 33-8 advantage in the series, however the Rebels split games in Fresno last season, winning game one 1-6. Fresno State is currently on a 22-game winning streak and will face New Mexico Friday before the Rebels come to town.
POSSIBLE STARTERS: Avg. HR RBI SB NotesC/OF- #16 Julie Crandall.339 7 22 3-5 Named WAC Player of the Week for 4/61B- #23 Kelly DeArman .149 1 8 0-0 Had her first career HR against CSUor #12 Audrey Munoz .107 0 0 0-0 Has started 15 of her 22 games at 1B2B/OF- #2 Linda Garza .220 1 7 2-4 First career HR was against #6 Oklahomaor #32 Devon Ramos .194 0 4 0-0 Has a .944 fld. % at 2B3B- #16 Raven Coberg .291 5 19 0-0 Hitting a team-high .373 in conferenceOF- #8 Debbie Hatch .145 0 3 0-0 Has a .266 OB %, including 9 walksOF- #3 Nicole Miller .236 3 4 0-1 Could return from a broken hand vs. SJSUOF- #7 Keao Chang .283 1 10 4-6 Fourth on the team with a .370 slug. %
Pitching Staff: ERA W-L IP SO Notes#20 Brandi Isgar 2.25 10-16 171.1 103 Had third shutout this season vs. SDSU#23 Kelly DeArman 3.14 3-1 49.0 12 Has 17 appearances on the season#9 Danielle Ferriera 3.52 3-6 57.2 37 Second on the team w/ 264 batters faced
Head Coach Shan McDonald: Entering her 12th season as the Head Coach of Rebel Softball is Shan McDonald. McDonald has led the Rebels to seven NCAA Tournament appearances in the last eight years, including three World Series appearances (the last coming in 1995). She has compiled a career record of 392-287-2 in her years at UNLV. Last December McDonald was honored for her play with the Canadian National team as her 1983 gold medal Pan-American team was inducted into the Canadian Softball Hall of Fame.
Rebels in '98: UNLV returns seven players from last year's team that went 26-28 and 17-15 in Western Athletic Conference play. The Rebels have added nine new players to their roster, including seven freshman additions, one sophomore transfer and one junior college transfer. Two players, Jessica Jones and Tina Parry, will redshirt this season and join the Rebels next year. The Rebels have power at the plate and speed on the bases and on defense. The key to their success this season could prove to be the play on the mound. Brandi Isgar is the Rebels' top returner to the mound. After compiling a record of 10-13 and a team-best 2.22 ERA, she will be looked at to take on a large amount of the pitching duties. Sophomore transfer Danielle Ferriera comes to UNLV from Cal State Fullerton also will be important for the Rebels success this season. Kelly DeArman will likely see extensive duties on the mound. She pitched in only one game in 1997 but has already seen action in three games this year. She recorded the first save of her career against #12 Massachusetts at the ASU Coca Cola Classic.
All-America Candidate Julie Crandall: Julie Crandall is in her final season with the Rebels and has the potential to make it her best year yet. A three-time all-conference honoree and an All-American in 1995, Crandall is off to a strong start in '98. In the Rebels' four games at the ASU Coca Cola Classic Crandall hit .300 on 3-for-10 at the plate. She recorded a .700 slugging percentage and had her first home run of the season, a three-run shot to give the Rebels an early 3-0 lead over #12 Massachusetts. She was walked three consecutive times after her home run. She was walked five times in the course of the three-day tournament. She recorded her second home run of the season against Oregon. She was 2-for-4 with two RBI in the game. The performance moved her into sole possession of third place on UNLV's career RBI list. She is also third in career home runs with 14, her last coming against #6 Oklahoma at the Kia Klassic. Crandall hit .455 over the four games against Utah and Colorado State. She compiled three RBI off two doubles. Against San Jose State and Fresno State she hit .571 with four home runs. Two home runs came in one game against SJSU, to help propel UNLV to the 6-5 victory. She had two home runs against Fresno State, one in each game. In game one, her home run ended Amanda Scott's scoreless inning streak at 26.1. For her efforts she was awarded WAC Player of the Week accolades for the week ending April 6.
Rebels Across the Country: UNLV will get a lot of exposure around the country with this year's schedule. It plays teams from nearly every region of the United States when it plays in three tournaments (ASU Coca Cola Classic, UNLV Softball Classic and the Kia Klassic). The Rebels are scheduled to play games against some of the elite programs in the country, including non-conference games against Texas, Massachusetts, Washington, California, Arizona State, Cal State Fullerton. This is in addition to the matchups they have within one of the best softball conferences in the country in the WAC. The Rebels will face three teams that were in last year's NCAA Tournament: Fresno State, Colorado State and Utah.
