Dec. 7, 2005

LAS VEGAS - UNLV baseball, the three-time defending Mountain West Conference Champions, signed Colby Shreve and Derek Tarapacki head coach Buddy Gouldsmith announced Wednesday, concluding the fall recruiting period.

Shreve is a local prep standout who is currently a senior at Bonanza High School in Las Vegas. A right-handed pitcher, Shreve posted a 1.75 ERA with two shutouts while holding opponents to a .179 batting average last year. He was also solid at the plate, hitting .352 with two home runs and 20 RBI. Shreve earned first-team All-Southern Nevada and first-team all-conference honors last season.

Tarapacki is also a right-handed pitcher who is currently a sophomore from Yavapai Junior College in Prescott, Ariz. Last year as a freshman at Yavapai he went 3-1 with five saves and a 1.17 ERA. He gave up just three earned runs, struck out 21 and walked only five batters in 21 innings of work. Tarapacki, who was drafted in the 35th round of the 2005 MLB Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays with the 1,046th pick, went to Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, Ariz.

UNLV opens its 2006 season with a three-game series on the road against Pepperdine beginning Feb. 3 in Malibu, Calif. The Rebels' first home game is Feb. 24 against Eastern Michigan.