May 13, 2004
LAS VEGAS - The league-leading UNLV baseball team (29-19, 16-7 MWC) will close out the home portion of the 2004 season as they host the Utes of the University of Utah (20-28, 10-13 MWC) for four games this weekend. Friday's game will begin at 6:30 p.m. while Saturday will feature a doubleheader beginning at 2:00 p.m. The second game of the doubleheader will begin approximately thirty minutes after the conclusion of the first game. Sunday's game, which will feature a pre-game ceremony honoring the thirteen seniors on this year's club, will begin at 1:00 p.m.
All four games will be broadcast live on KSHP 1400 AM, and be available via Internet gametracker at www.unlvrebels.com .
The Rebels have benefited as of late from junior right fielder Eric Nielsen's power at the plate. Nielsen comes into the series with a nine-game hitting streak, and is hitting .590 with 17 RBI and 5 home runs during that span.
The Rebels will also be healthy for the first time in a while, as center fielder Brent Johnson (.374, 60 RBI), catcher Justin Tellam (.292, 22 RBI), and second baseman Ryan Ruiz (.382, 42 RBI) are all expected to play this weekend.
On the Mound, the Rebels will start their usual rotation of RHP David Seccombe (7-2), LHP Jake Vose (8-3) and Matt Luca (5-5). Junior right-hander Matt Minor (3-1) will start the second game of Saturday's doubleheader, while Luca will start on Sunday.
The Utes head to Las Vegas having won seven of their last eight games, including a five-game sweep of Air Force, and a two-game spit with Utah Valley State.
Utah is led by junior outfielder Matt Ciaramella, who is hitting .343with 53 RBI and 11 home runs this season. Ciaramella is also ranked 6th in the nation at .48 doubles per game. Senior second baseman Jared Pena is hitting .342 with 39 RBI and 5 homers.
On the mound, the Utes are expected to start LHP Jason Price (3-7) on Friday, RHP Doug Mackay (4-6) in the fist game of Saturday's double header, RHP Ben Buck (5-2) in the second game on Saturday, and RHP Shad McCord (3-0) on Sunday. Buck leads the club with a 4.19 ERA while Price has registered a team-high 85 strikeouts this season.
The Rebels will conclude their Mountain West Conference schedule on the road as they play three games at New Mexico on May 20-22. UNLV will then return home to host the Mountain West Conference tournament on May 26-29.
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