February 3, 1999
LAS VEGAS - The 1999 edition of the Rebel softball team enters its regular season Saturday as they host Southern Utah at Rebel Diamond. The doubleheader will begin at noon. It marks the 17th meeting between the two teams and the first since 1992. The Rebels hold an 11-5 advantage in the series.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE:
Feb. 6 vs. Southern Utah (DH) 12:00pm
Feb. 12-14 at Fiesta Bowl Tourn. (Tempe, AZ)
1998 RECAP: 1998 started out promising for the Rebels but ended with a disappointing 21-30 overall record and a 13-19, sixth place Western Athletic Conference finish. It was a year that saw a depleted pitching corps and a string of injuries hamper a team that at times showed power on offense and a steady and consistent defense.
UNLV bolted to a quick 5-1 record, which was the school's best start since 1995's team began 11-1 on its way to a third-place showing at the College World Series. A second place finish at the ASU Coca-Cola Classic got the Rebels rolling as they won three straight against Texas, Alabama and Massachusetts before eventually losing in the championship against host Arizona State.
Conference play opened with Tulsa visiting Rebel Diamond on February 27. Once again it looked like the Rebels were back on a winning track as they took three of four from the Golden Hurricane. The weekend was highlighted by Nicole Miller's two home runs en route to an 8-2 win in the first game of the series. The Rebels played a tough conference schedule, including four games against the eventually National Champion Fresno State, Colorado State, Utah and Hawai'i. The young Rebel team showed potential among the elite competition but were never able to establish a significant win streak.
While the team had a rough season there were several individuals that had stellar 1998 campaigns, including Third Team All-American accolades for Julie Crandall in her final season in the Scarlet and Gray. Fellow senior Brandi Isgar had her best year to date with 15 wins and a career-best 136 strike outs. While Crandall and Isgar played their last years as Rebels, several newcomers solidified starting roles and established themselves as the future of UNLV softball. Among the newcomers that stepped into starting positions was Raven Coberg. Coberg was second only to Crandall in home runs as she had eight clear the fence in key conference games and finished the season batting .310. Freshman Racheal Goodpaster and Linda Garza were mainstays in the Rebels' lineup and consistently provided the team with an offensive spark. While Goodpaster started all 51 games at short stop, Garza split time between the outfield and second base. All of these talented athletes provided glimpses of what is to come for UNLV in the next three years.
1999 PROBABLE STARTERS (with 1998 stats):
Avg. HR RBI SB NotesC/OF- #4 Cassi Dysert Newcommer (no stats)or #14 Steph Italiano .246 0 10 0-0 Was the Rebels' back up catcher in '98 1B- #23 Kelly DeArman .154 1 9 0-0 Will return to her natural position at 1Bor #12 Audrey Munoz .140 0 1 0-0 Started 21 of her 30 games at 1B2B/OF- #2 Linda Garza .228 1 9 2-4 Had her first HR against Oklahoma in '98or #32 Devon Ramos .190 0 7 0-0 Had a .924 fld. % at 2B last year SS - #26 R. Goodpaster .293 1 16 3-3 Started every game at short as a freshman3B- #16 Raven Coberg .310 8 38 0-0 Hit .363 in conference games in '98OF- #10 Amy Alves .263 0 3 8-10 Led the team with stolen bases last seasonOF #3 Nicole Miller .284 4 7 0-2 Returned from injury and hit four HR OF- #7 Keao Chang .275 1 10 4-7 Fifth on the team with a .340 slug. %
Pitching Staff: ERA W-L IP SO Notes#28 Geney Orris Newcommer (no stats) #9 Danielle Ferriera 4.13 3-9 78.0 42 Second on the team w/ 368 batters faced #1 Charelle Ainslie Newcommer (no stats)#11 Nicole Truax Newcommer (no stats)
Head Coach Shan McDonald: Entering her 13th season as the Head Coach of Rebel Softball is Shan McDonald. McDonald has led the Rebels to seven NCAA Tournament appearances in the last nine years, including three World Series appearances (the last coming in 1995). She has compiled a career record of 397-294-2 in her 12 years at UNLV. In December of 1997, 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 Take on Elite Around the Country: UNLV will receive a lot of exposure around the country with this year's schedule. The Rebels play teams from nearly every region of the United States when they compete in three tournaments (ASU Coca Cola Classic, UNLV Softball Classic and the Kia Klassic). The Rebels play 16 teams that are picked in the preseason Top 25 or are receiving votes in the poll. Four of those opponents are in conference, including National Champion Fresno State on April 2-3 at Bulldog Diamond. For the first year the WAC will host a conference tournament the weekend before the NCAA Regionals. The tournament will run from May 7-8 in Fresno, Calif.
1999 UNLV SOFTBALL SCHEDULE/RESULTS
(0-0 overall, 0-0 WAC)
Feb. 6 SOUTHERN UTAH (DH) 12:00pmFeb. 12-14 at Fiesta Bowl Tournament Feb. 12 Utah State 3:30pm Nebraska 5:30pmFeb. 13 Mississippi State 1:00pm Arizona State 5:30pmFeb. 14 Florida State 8:00amFeb. 19-21 UNLV SOFTBALL CLASSIC Feb. 19 UTAH STATE 12:30pm CALIFORNIA 5:30pmFeb. 20 FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL 12:30pm OREGON 3:00pmFeb. 21 LOYOLA MARYMOUNT 12:30pmFeb. 25 # MESA COLLEGE - (DH) 1:00pmFeb. 26 * SAN JOSE STATE (DH) 12:00pmFeb. 28 * SAN JOSE STATE 12:00pmMar. 7 CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE (DH) 12:00pmMar. 12 * at Hawai'i 6:00pmMar. 13 * at Hawai'i (DH) 2:00pmMar. 18-21 at Kia Klassic Mar. 18 Florida 11:00am Oklahoma 5:00pmMar. 19 Washington 1:00pm Bracket Play TBAMar. 20-21 Bracket Play TBAMar. 27 * SAN DIEGO STATE (DH) 12:00pmMar. 28 * SAN DIEGO STATE 12:00pmMar. 31 at Pacific (DH) 1:00pmApril 2 * at Fresno State 7:00pmApril 3 * at Fresno State (DH) 1:00pmApril 9 * at Colorado State 2:00pmApril 10 * at Colorado State (DH) 1:00pmApril 14 LONG BEACH STATE (DH) 1:00pmApril 17 * TULSA (DH) 12:00pmApril 18 * TULSA 12:00pmApril 24 * at New Mexico (DH) 1:00pmApril 25 * at New Mexico 1:00pmMay 7 * UTAH 2:00pmMay 8 * UTAH (DH) 1:00pmMay 13-15 WAC Tournament TBAMay 21-23 NCAA Regionals TBAMay 28-31 College World Series TBA
# Denotes scrimmage* Denotes Western Athletic Conference Game(DH) Indicates DoubleheaderTimes are PST/PDTAll Home Games at Rebel Diamond on UNLV CampusUNLV Softball Classic will be Played at Sunset Park
1999 WAC Coaches Poll
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Total 1. Fresno State 8 - - - - - - - 64 2. Hawai'i 1 4 3 - - - - - 54 3. Utah - 4 4 - - - - - 52 4. Colorado State - 1 2 3 - 2 - - 40 5. UNLV - - - 4 3 1 - - 35 6. San Diego State - - - 2 4 - 2 - 30 7. San Jose State - - - - 1 4 2 1 21 8. New Mexico - - - - - 2 2 4 14 8. Tulsa - - - - 1 - 3 4 14
* coaches cannot vote for their own teams
QUICK FACTS Location: Las Vegas, Nev.
Founded: 1957
Enrollment: 20,000
Nickname: Rebels
Colors: Scarlet and Gray
President: Dr. Carol C. Harter
AD: Charles Cavagnaro
Asst AD/SWA: Lisa Kelleher
Head Coach: Shan McDonald
UNLV Record: 397-294-2 / 12
Overall Record: same
Associate HC: Carol Spanks
Asst. Coach: Christine Parris-Washington Softball Office: (702) 895-3916
Home Field: Rebel Diamond (500)
Conference: Western Athletic
Overall Record: 21-30-0
1997 WAC Record: 13-19-0 (6th )
Lettermen Returning/Lost: 12/2
Starters Returning/Lost - 9/2
Softball SID: Susan Pitz
NUMERICAL
NO PLAYER POS B/T YR-EXP HT HOMETOWN/PREVIOUS SCHOOL 1 Charelle Ainslie P/1B R/R Jr.-TR 5-10 Melbourne, Australia/Cheltenham Sec. 2 Linda Garza 2B R/R So.-1V 5-0 Fresno, Calif./Hoover HS 3 Nicole Miller CF R/R Jr.-2V 5-6 Corona, Calif./Centennial HS 4 Cassi Dysert C/SS R/R Jr.-TR 5-4 Modesto, Calif./Modesto JC 5 Erica Vollweiler CF/RF L/L Jr.-TR 5-6 Clovis, Calif./Buchanan HS 7 Keao Chang RF R/R Jr.-2V 5-6 Laie, Hawai'i/Kamehameha HS 8 Debbie Hatch C R/R So.-1V 5-6 Chico, Calif./Pleasant Valley HS 9 Danielle Ferreira P/IF L/R Jr.-1V 5-5 La Crescenta, CA/Cal St. Fullerton10 Amy Alves LF L/L Sr.-3V 5-3 Visalia, Calif/Golden West HS 11 Nicole Truax P R/R Fr.-HS 5-4 Henderson, Nev./Green Valley HS12 Audrey Munoz 1B L/L Sr.-3V 5-5 Corona, Calif./Centennial HS13 Elisa Brinkworth LF R/R Fr.-HS 5-7 Buffalo, NY/Williamsville South HS14 Stephanee Italiano C/3B R/R So.-1V 5-4 Las Vegas, Nev./Clark HS18 Raven Coberg 3B/SS R/R Sr.-1V 5-4 La Verne, Calif./Iowa State22 Shannon Fredrickson IF R/R Fr.-HS 5-7 Williamsville, NY/Williamsville North HS23 Kelly DeArman 1B R/L Jr.-2V 5-8 Thousand Oaks, Calif./Westlake HS25 Melissa Inouye IF/DP R/R So.-HS 5-5 Mililani, Hawaii/Mililani HS26 Racheal Goodpaster SS R/R So.-1V 5-6 Fair Oaks, Calif./Bella Vista HS28 Geney Orris P/DP R/R Fr.-HS 5-9 Brea, Calif./Brea Olinda HS32 Devon Ramos 2B/3B R/R Jr.-2V 5-6 Patterson, Calif./Central Catholic HS
Western Athletic Conference Softball Tournament
May 13-15 Fresno, Calif.
1999 is the first year the Western Athletic Conference will host a conference championship softball tournament. The top six teams, determined by regular season conference record, will be invited to compete in the three-day double-elimination tournament from May 13-15 at the Bulldog Diamond in Fresno, Calif. Also this season, the format of the conference schedule changes, as the teams will play three-game series with a single game and a doubleheader over a two-day span. This replaces the home-and-home doubleheader format that had been in effect in year's past. While the regular-season conference record determines who will be invited to Fresno for the WAC Championship, it is the winner of the conference tournament who will receive the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament that this year begins May 21. This new concept to determine the Western Athletic Conference Champion is sure to provide excitement when the top six teams meet to play for a chance to advance to an NCAA regional.
Says Coach McDonald, "I'm really happy with the change to a three-game series this season. Now there is an opportunity to determine a series winner and teams are not beating up on each other as much. Our goal is to play well in the conference season and have a chance to compete in the tournament. In the tournament you will see a number of strong teams and with the double-elimination format the best team will surface."
NFCA/USA TODAY 1999 SOFTBALL POLL (May 6,1998)
School Record Pts. 1. Fresno State (20) 52-11 617 2. Arizona (1) 67-4 588 3. UCLA (4) 18-27 546 4. Washington 52-15 529 5. Michigan 56-7 498 6. South Florida 57-14 464 7. Texas 49-16 440 8. Nebraska 48-12 428 9. Louisiana State 58-14 37010. Massachusetts 45-14 362 11. Oklahoma (tie) 49-15 332 DePaul (tie) 47-8 33213. Long Beach State 39-20 31814. Stanford 41-18 30515. Oklahoma State 42-19 26516. Iowa 38-19 23617. Hawaii 46-15 20018. Arizona State 38-27 18019. Alabama 49-18 16320. Florida 47-22 14321. Florida State 50-20 13722. Minnesota 48-21 10723. Hofstra 39-17 7824. Illinois-Chicago 56-21 6725. Oregon 40-31 60
Others Receiving Votes: California (43), South Carolina (38), Pacific (32), Missouri (31), Utah (29), Boston College (27),Southwest Missouri State (21), California State-Northridge (20), Central Michigan (19), Southern Illinois (18), Northwestern (16), USL (14), Texas Tech (12), Colorado State (9), Michigan State (8), Northern Illinois (8), Oregon State (7), Kansas (4), Northeast Louisiana (2), Mississippi State (1), Harvard (1).
