March 9, 1998

WHEN/WHERE: The 22nd-ranked UNLV baseball team, 17-7 and 2-1 in the WAC South Division, will travel to Phoenix, Ariz., to face Grand Canyon in a WAC three-game series.

THIS WEEK:
Friday, March 13 - *UNLV at Grand Canyon, 2 p.m. (PST), Brazell Stadium (2,500)+
Saturday, March 14 - *UNLV at Grand Canyon, Noon (PST), Brazell Stadium+
Sunday, March 15, UNLV at Grand Canyon, Noon (PST), Brazell Stadium +

NEXT WEEK:
Tuesday, March 17 - *Arizona at UNLV, 7:05 p.m., Earl E. Wilson Stadium (3,000)
Wednesday, March 18 - Arizona at UNLV, 3:05 p.m., Earl E. Wilson Stadium+
Friday, March 20 - *Rice at UNLV, 3:05 p.m., Earl E. Wilson Stadium+
Saturday, March 21 - *Rice 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 17-7 on the season. UNLV was 3-2 in the Coors Desert Classic. The Rebels defeated Oral Roberts 10-4, Cal State Northridge 11-2, lost to Lewis-Clark State 10-4, defeated Ohio State 9-8 and lost to Ohio State, 18-1 in the championship game. Grand Canyon is 15-7 overall and 3-0 in the WAC North Division.

THE SERIES: UNLV leads the series against Grand Canyon 15-7. UNLV defeated Grand Canyon 4-3 and 13-7 in the last meeting in the 1985 season.

UNLV HEAD COACH ROD SOESBE: He is in his 14th season at UNLV and his second as head coach. His career record is 41-38 (.519). 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.

GRAND CANYON: Gil Stafford is in his 18th season at Grand Canyon and his record is 674-471-1.

EARL E. WILSON BASEBALL STADIUM: UNLV baseball will begin 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 remained at No. 22 (March 3)...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...Three WAC schools are ranked in the ESPN poll (Rice, Hawai'i, UNLV)...UNLV is batting .334 as a team (283-for-847) with 98 extra bse hits (62 doubles, 10 triples and 26 home runs) and fielding .954 with 44 errors in 24 games...The team ERA is 4.96...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 21 games and is batting .338 (27-for-84) with 8 doubles and 13 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 has compiled 8 multiple hit games. He has hit safely in 17 of 21 games.

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 23 games and is batting .303 (27-for-89) with 5 home runs (second on the team) and 19 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 has compiled 8 multiple hit games. Hit safely in 17 of 23 games.

TONY DeMARCO: The sophomore first baseman from Las Vegas has appeared in 16 games and is the team's leading hitter at .417 (25-for-60) with 14 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 has compiled 7 multiple hit games. He has hit safely in 13 of 16 games.

KEVIN EBERWEIN: The junior third baseman from Las Vegas was a preseason third-team All-American by Baseball America. He has appeared in 23 games and is batting .350 (36-for-103) with 13 doubles (team lead) and 23 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 has compiled 11 multiple hit games (53 in his career). He has hit safely in 19 of 24 games. He was 3-for-5 with 2 RBI against Oral Roberts on March 5. He has appeared in 135 career games and is batting .349 (175-for-502).

BRYAN GIDGE: The junior right-hander from Yakima, Wash., has appeared in 5 games and has a 2-1 record with a 4.74 ERA in 19 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.

CHRIS GILLETTE: The junior second baseman from Missoula, Montana, has appeared in 22 games and is batting .373 (31-for-83) with 9 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. Batting .407 (24-for-59) over his last 15 games. He has compiled 11 multiple hit games.

RYAN HAMILL: The freshman catcher/designated hitter from Woodland Hills, Calif., has appeared in 14 games and is batting .314 with 4 home runs and 9 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.

HENRY JONES: The junior outfielder from Los Angeles, Calif., has appeared in 16 games and is batting .255 (13-for-51). 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.

RYAN LUDWICK: The sophomore outfielder from Las Vegas was a second-team preseason All-American by Baseball America. He has appeared in 24 games and is batting .367 (33-for-90) with 13 doubles (tied for team lead) and is the team-leader with 6 home runs and team-leader with 29 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 has compiled 11 multiple hit games. He has hit safely in 19 of 24 games and 7 straight.

ANDY McCULLOCH: The sophomore right-hander from Las Vegas has appeared in 8 games and has a 3-0 record with a 1.38 ERA. He has pitched in 13 innings and has struck out 11. 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.

JESSE PRYOR: The sophomore outfielder from Tucson, Ariz., has appeared in 20 games and is batting .324 (23-for-71) 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). He has hit safely in 16 out of 20 games. He has compiled 6 multiple hit games.

ELIOTT SARABIA: The junior shortstop from Rialto, Calif., has appeared in 24 games and is batting .293 (24-for-82) with 12 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 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.

JIMMY SMITH: The junior right-hander from Olympia, Wash., has appeared in 8 games and leads the staff with 4 saves. He has a 4.76 ERA in 11.1 innings pitched and has struck out 13. 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. He pitched one scoreless inning and struck out 1. He retired the final two batters against Fresno State on March 1 to record his fourth save.

NATE SMITH: The junior outfielder from Las Vegas has appeared in 14 games and is batting .341 (14-for-41) with 9 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 Fullerton on Feb. 21. Batting .800 (4-for-5) as a pinch-hitter in two seasons at UNLV. He has compiled 4 multiple hit games.

JERIMIAH TIPTON: The senior right-hander from Las Vegas has appeared in 7 games and has a 2-0 record with a 6.83 ERA in 27.2 innings pitched. He has allowed 29 hits and has struck out 14. 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.

MIKE ZIPSER: The junior right-hander from Las Vegas has appeared in 7 games and is 5-1 with a 3.51 ERA. He has pitched in 51.1 innings and has walked only 7 batters and has struck out a team-leading 45. 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.