Feb. 13, 2002

PROBABLE PITCHERS

UNLV
Friday: Robbie Van RHP
Saturday: Jared Bonnell RHP
Sunday: Courtney Hall RHP

Cal State Fullerton
Friday: Wes Littleton RHP
Saturday: Darric Merrell RHP
Sunday: Jeff Housman LHP

REBELS

At 4-2, the Rebels are off to their best start since 1998, a team that opened the season with a 12-3 record and finished up 31-24.

The Rebels posted a 2-1 record vs. interstate rival Nevada last week. Closer Joe Maruffi kept his season ERA at 0.00 and earned a win over the Wolf Pack after three strikeouts in three innings pitched.

Eric Nielsen and Brent Johnson are two of only six MWC players hitting over .400 this season. Nielsen is 6-for-13 (.462) with three RBIs, while Johnson is 10-for-24 (.417) with three RBIs on the year.

Fullerton has dominated the overall series against UNLV, winning 52 of the 67 meetings between the two schools since the Titans' D-I debut in 1975. Fullerton took all three meetings in 2000, following a three-game sweep by the Rebels in 1999.

CAL STATE FULLERTON

Fullerton took two-of-three from visiting Fresno State last weekend, bringing its record to the .500 level. The Titans finished the 2001 season third in the polls, but have shuffled around to 16th in two polls this season.

Fullerton picked up one game from top ranked Stanford in the season opening series and took two of three games against Fresno State last weekend. The Titans dropped the third game of the series due in large part to a season-high six errors that led to eight unearned runs for the Bulldogs.

RADIO

With the Rebels local radio crew at KSHP not travelling this weekend, fans are invited to listen to the Fullerton broadcast over the internet at Fullerton Radio.

Fullerton will also be streaming "live stats" of all three weekend contests at .

INJURY UPDATE

Reliever Jake Gann is still rehabbing after Tommy John surgery over the summer. The team hopes to have him back for the start of conference play.

Catcher David Hafiz is nearly back from a mild shoulder injury and could be available this weekend.

HITTING STREAKS

Brent Johnson is riding a five-game hitting streak into the weekend series with the Titans. Johnson also leads the team with three multiple-hit games this season. Garett Shitanishi and Jason Reuss follow closely behind with four-game hitting streaks.

David Trujillo has a two-game hitting streak going into the weekend. Trujillo led the 2001 team with a .374 batting average and set the Mountain West Conference record with a 29-game hitting streak in the second half of the season. For his efforts, Trujillo was named All-Mountain West Conference Second Team First Baseman.

CONFERENCE NUMBERS

At 4.83, UNLV has the second best team ERA in the Mountain West Conference behind San Diego State with 2.75.

Brent Johnson is tied with SDSU's Anthony Gwynn and BYU's Cameron Goughlan for the top spot in stolen bases this season with three. UNLV is also tied with New Mexico for team stolen bases at five.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

The Rebels will play 17 games against teams that participated in the 2001 NCAA Baseball Championship, including Arizona State, Cal-Berkley, Cal-State Fullerton, Oklahoma State and BYU among others. The first 20 games for the Rebels may be the most challenging as 14 of their opponents during that stretch are ranked in the top 30 of the Collegiate Baseball Preseason Poll.

Each season also brings the tough grind of Mountain West Conference play. The Rebels will play home-and-home, three-game series against five conference foes for a total of 30 conference games.The conference tournament, to be held this year in Provo, UT, will decide the conference's automatic bid into the 2002 NCAA Baseball Championship.

BASEBALL AMERICA

Baseball America predicts UNLV will finish third in the Mountain West Conference this season, behind first place BYU and second place San Diego State.

Other preseason conference honors include Brent Johnson as the Best Defensive Third Baseman and Robbie Van with the Best Breaking Ball.

AUTOMATIC BID

Twenty-nine conferences receive an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament. 2001 marked the first season the Mountain West Conference received an automatic bid. The winner of the MWC Championships, held in Provo, Utah May 22-26, will receive the automatic bid.

CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT

The 2002 Mountain West Conference Baseball Championship will be hosted by BYU in Provo, Utah. All six Mountain West Conference teams will compete in the double-elimination tournament May 22-26. Seedings will be decided by regular season results in conference games.

All requests for media credentials for the Mountain West Conference Baseball Championship should be submitted in writing to Assistant Director of Communications Ron Christian at the MWC office or BYU Baseball Contact Ralph Zobell prior to the event.

GRAND SLAM CLUB

Head Coach Jim Schlossnagle invites UNLV baseball fans to become a part of the Grand Slam Club.

Schlossnagle formed the Grand Slam Club to increase interest in and generate financial support for the Rebel baseball program.

The Grand Slam Club will also provide long-time UNLV baseball supporters with the opportunity to receive extra benefits and get closer to the action.

Members will receive exciting and useful benefits that, depending on the level of contribution, may include exclusive Grand Slam Club merchandise, season tickets, opportunities to travel with the team and access to members-only team functions.

Interested fans and supporters can contact the baseball office directly at 702-895-3499 or access the Grand Slam Club brochure on the baseball page of www.unlvrebels.com.

"I am extremely excited about forming the Grand Slam Club," Schlossnagle said. "This organization will now provide an avenue by which our fans and supporters can have a 'hands-on' part in our program, and it will provide a direction for their financial support. All contributions to the Grand Slam Club go directly and solely to the baseball program.

"It is essential that, especially, the local business community and UNLV alumni and fans be supportive of the baseball program in order for us to achieve success at the very highest level. This club will create our "inner circle" of baseball supporters, who I hope to get to know and work with very closely."

UNLV invites all fans and supporters to become charter members of the Grand Slam Club and to be a part of an exciting new era of Rebel baseball.