Feb. 13, 2002
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STORYLINE: The Rebel Softball team (3-4) returns home this week to play host to some of the nation's top softball talent at the UNLV Softball Classic. The three-day, 16-team affair will begin on Friday, Feb. 15 and last through Sunday, Feb. 17, at Las Vegas' Desert Breeze Softball Complex located at the corner of Spring Mountain Rd. and Durango Rd. ... Of the 15 teams visiting Las Vegas this weekend, six are ranked in the USA Today/NFCA rankings and three are among the top five. No. 2 UCLA brings in a perfect 9-0 record after winning the ASU Fiesta Bowl Tournament last week, while No. 4 LSU, No. 12 Nebraska and No. 18 Oregon State all boast only a single loss.
ABOUT UNLV: UNLV (3-4) returns five starters in the field, three on the mound and 11 letterwinners from last year's 26-30 squad ... After winning both games of its season-opening doubleheader against Saint Mary's last week, the Rebels dropped four of five games at the ASU Fiesta Bowl Tournament. UNLV's lone victory was a 6-4 defeat of No. 24 Massachusetts and the 2001 Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year Jennifer Hadley ... The Rebels will be without the services of outfielder Bianca Gonzales for at least twomonths and possibly the entire season. with a partial tear of the ACL. Lisa Moses will return to the lineup this week after missing all seven games with a separated left shoulder, and Wendy Godwin should play despite a torn tendon in the pinky finger of her right hand ... Head coach Shan McDonald is in her 16th season at the helm of the Rebel program, carrying a 463-420-2 (.524) mark.
ABOUT ALABAMA: Alabama (5-3) brings a five-game winning streak into Las Vegas. After losing its first three games of the year to No. 1 Arizona, the Tide defeated Maryland once and Evansville and Samford twice, winning the Bama Bash! ... The Crimson Tide are ranked 13th in the latest NFCA poll ... Freshman outfielder Ashley Courtney was named the SEC Player of the Week ... Head Coach Patrick Murphy has a 160-54 overall record in his fourth season at Alabama ... The Rebels won the only meeting between the two schools, 8-4, at the 1998 Arizona State Tournament.
ABOUT KANSAS: Kansas (3-2) also participated in the ASU Fiesta Bowl Tournament last weekend, rebounding to win its last three after dropping games to Massachusetts and California ... Sophomore pitcher Kara Pierce guided the Jayhawks to wins over Southwest Texas State and Arizona State ... KU grad Tracy Bunge is in her sixth year at her alma mater with a 162-148 record and her ninth season as a head coach with a career mark of 254-215 ... UNLV's 2-0 win over the Jayhawks at last year's UNLV Classic was the first meeting between the two schools.
ABOUT TEXAS TECH: Texas Tech (3-7) will mark the fourth Big XII opponent for UNLV in 10 games ... The Red Raiders lost all five games they played at the ASU Fiesta Bowl Tournament and were outscored 43-7 ... Included in that span was a 7-0 loss to UMass, their only common opponent with UNLV ... Head coach Bobby Reeves is in his second year in Lubbock and owns a 40-31 record with the Raiders and an overall mark of 74-62 in his third year as a head coach ... Saturday's game marks the first meeting in softball between the two schools.
ABOUT CENTRAL MICHIGAN: Central Michigan (0-0) opens its 2002 season in Las Vegas ... Saturday's game will mark the third straight season in which UNLV and CMU have battled at the Rebels' annual tourney ... The Chippewas bring back six starters and 12 letterwinners from last year's 37-20 squad that won the Mid American Conference West ... Margo Jonker begins her 23rd year as the Chips' head coach, claiming a record of 767-413-5 ... CMU took a 2-1 lead in the all-time series with a 6-4 win at last year's UNLV Classic.
ABOUT CAL POLY: Cal Poly (3-2) opened its year last weekend, hosting the Mustang Roundup ... The Mustangs defeated Southwest Missouri State, UC Santa Barbara and Colorado State while dropping a one-run game to Santa Clara and a two-run decision to Southern Utah ... In her 14th season at Cal Poly, head coach Lisa Boyer has a 370-284 record ... With wins of 2-0 and 5-2 in San Luis Obispo, the Mustangs opened up a 3-1 lead in the series.
WEEK IN REVIEW: The Rebels began the week strong, collecting the first two victories at the new Eller Media Stadium with wins of 6-2 and 7-3 over Saint Mary's. Pauline Glenn provided the offensive highlight by crushing a grand slam in the final at-bat of the nightcap to seal UNLV's 7-3 win. Geney Orris allowed just one hit and no runs in six innings of work to pick up the first win ... UNLV then posted a 1-4 mark at the ASU Fiesta Bowl Tournament, losing three games to ranked teams. Orris picked up the only victory for UNLV in Phoenix, defeating No. 24 UMass and 2001 A-10 Pitcher of the Year Jennifer Hadley ... Along with her two wins, Orris belted two homers on the week and tallied a slugging percentage of .773 ... Amber Campbell hit her first home run as a collegian against UMass, a two-run shot in her hometown ... Also turning in noteworthy performances were freshman pitcher Jackie Kerrigan, who suffered a hard-luck loss to No. 12 Nebraska despite holding the Huskers to just one run and three hits, and Bridget Byrne, who drove in a run from the left side of the plate for the first time in her career.
UP NEXT: The Rebels will enjoy some time at home next week with six games scheduled at Eller Media Stadium. They will host Southern Utah on Wednesday, Feb. 20 at 1:00 p.m. before bringing Pacific and DePaul in for a mini-tournament over the weekend. Both Pacific and DePaul are tied for 19th in the NFCA Top 25 poll. Play in the mini-tournament will begin at 12:30 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.
ELLER MEDIA STADIUM FIRSTS: It didn't take the Rebels long to warm their new facility as the team set XX "firsts" in the season-opening doubleheader against Saint Mary's. Here's a look at the various firsts UNLV achieved at the stadium's christening:
First game: Saint Mary's at UNLV, Feb. 5, 2002 First win: 6-2, vs. Saint Mary's (Game 1) First hit: Bridget Byrne, B1 vs. Saint Mary's (Game 1) First run: Geney Orris, B4 vs. Saint Mary's (Game 1) First RBI: Melissa Bruechert, B4 vs. Saint Mary's (Game 1) First double: Morgan Bostwick, B4 vs. Saint Mary's (Game 1) First triple: Melissa Inouye, B6 vs. Saint Mary's (Game 1) First home run: Geney Orris, B4 vs. Saint Mary's (Game 2) First grand slam: Pauline Glenn, B7 vs. Saint Mary's (Game 2) First pinch hit: Wendy Godwin, B7 vs. Saint Mary's (Game 2) First stolen base: Bridget Byrne, B1 vs. Saint Mary's (Game 1) First sacrifice: Lauren Capoccia (SMC), B1 vs. Saint Mary's (Game 2) First sacrifice fly: Morgan Bostwick, B5 vs. Saint Mary's (Game 1) First walk: Pauline Glenn, B1 vs. Saint Mary's (Game 1) First strikeout: Kami Gray (SMC) by Geney Orris, T1 vs. Saint Mary's (Game 1) First error: Arica Painter, T1 vs. Saint Mary's (Game 1) First double play: Inouye to Bostwick to Campbell, T1 vs. Saint Mary's (Game 1)
RANKED OPPONENTS: Already UNLV has faced three opponents ranked among the top 25 in the NFCA Preseason coaches' poll and a fourth in the top 30, but managed only a 1-3 record against the competition. Here's a look at the Rebels vs. opponents ranked this season:
Opponent Date Rank Then Rank Now Wisconsin Feb. 8 29 29 Nebrska Feb. 8 12 12 Massachusetts Feb. 9 24 24 California Feb. 9 5 5
SHE'S GOING THE DISTANCE ... : While head coach Shan McDonald might tell you that offense is the team's strength, it was pitching that came through for the Rebels at last week's ASU Fiesta Bowl Tournament. In five games in Arizona, UNLV got a complete-game pitching effort from all four hurlers on the staff. Kacey Ellis threw a seven-inning three-hitter against Wisconsin to start the tourney. Jackie Kerrigan went the distance in her collegiate debut, allowing No. 12 Nebraska just one run and three hits. Geney Orris tossed a 6-4 win over No. 24 Massachusetts to claim her second victory on the year, and Nicole Truax followed suit with a full-game outing against No. 5 California.
ACE OF BASE: Senior Geney Orris has already established herself as an all-conference candidate as both a pitcher and hitter. The ace of the Rebels' staff earned the league's first Pitcher of the Week award after winning both of her firt two starts. At the plate, the slugger from Brea, Calif., leads the team in nine offensive categories.
Batting Avg. .318 Runs 5 Hits 7 Doubles 2 Triples 1 Home Runs 2 RBI 4 Total Bases 17 Slugging Pct. .773
BASIC TRAINING: By just doing the basics, former walk-on Bridget Byrne has worked herself into one of the key roles on the team. Byrne took over leadoff hitting duties against Massachusetts. She leads the squad with two sacrifice bunts and is tied for the team lead with two stolen bases. Byrne collected her first-ever RBI as a lefty hitter in the game against Texas A&M.
