Jan. 18, 2007
LAS VEGAS - The 2007 edition of UNLV baseball will square off against former teammates and past Rebels at the Annual Alumni Game this Saturday at Earl E. Wilson Stadium, and the Alumni Team will feature a couple players with MLB experience.
The first pitch is slated for 1:30 p.m. (PT), and there will also be a home run derby among the alumni and it will be between players from each decade, beginning at 11:30 a.m. The current Rebels have beaten the Alumni Team the last four games, including a 7-1 victory last year.
Leading the Alumni Team will be current Chicago White Sox catcher Toby Hall, who played for the Rebels in 1997 and has gone on to play in the major leagues for the past seven seasons. He is a career .265 hitter in the big leagues and recently signed a two-year contract with the White Sox.
Also back for the game is slugger Ryan Ludwick, who earned freshman All-American honors in 1997 and was an All-WAC selection in 1999. Ludwick is among UNLV's all-time leaders in several offensive categories, including fourth in home runs with 43, and 11th in career batting average with a .363 clip. Drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the second round of the 1999 draft, Ludwick made his major league debut with the Cleveland Indians in 2002 and has also played for the Texas Rangers. Ludwick will be a non-roster invitee to spring training this season by the World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals.
Other former Rebels who are currently in the minor leagues that are slated to play in Saturday's game include Eric Nielsen (Toronto Blue Jays), Patrick Dobson (San Francisco Giants), Brent Johnson (Seattle Mariners) and Derek Rodriguez (Chicago White Sox).
The squad will be coached by UNLV legend Fred Dallimore along with former head coach Rod Soesbe. Dallimore is the all-time wins leader in Rebel history with a career record of 794-558 (.587) and he had his No. 13 retired in 1997.
The current Rebels will be led by All-MWC honoree Keith Smith, who paced the team last year with 14 home runs, 71 RBI, and 18 doubles while hitting a robust .359. A total of 21 players are coming back from last year's squad, including 17 letterwinners. Those veterans will mix with 14 newcomers, many of whom will compete for playing time right away. Gouldsmith also returns his entire coaching staff from the past two years in Scott Malone, Nate Yeskie and Matt Fonteno.
UNLV opens its regular season on the road with a three-game series at Cal State Northridge beginning Jan. 26, at 1:00 p.m. The Rebels' home opener is against Pepperdine on Feb. 2 at 6:30 p.m.
