Oct. 24, 2007
LAS VEGAS -
Click Here For The 2008 UNLV Baseball Schedule in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Eight consecutive home games to open the season and five match-ups with teams that participated in last season's NCAA Tournament, including a road series with perennial power Cal State Fullerton, highlight the 2008 UNLV baseball schedule, which was released by the athletics department Wednesday.
The Rebels open their season on Feb. 22 at home against Central Michigan, the first of a trio of opponents that will make early visits to Earl E. Wilson Stadium as head coach Buddy Gouldsmith begins his fifth year at the helm. This year's season starts almost a month later than last year, as the NCAA passed a new rule regarding the start time for baseball. Washington State and the University of Maine will also make trips to Las Vegas in the first two weeks of the season.
"Our schedule for the 2008 season takes on a different complexion as new NCAA rules regarding a uniform start date, four weeks later than our start a year ago, impacts our ability to play some warm weather schools early," Gouldsmith said. "Nevertheless, we have managed to secure quality opponents, like the MAC regular-season champion Chippewas from Central Michigan as well as Washington State from the Pac-10."
Following that home stand the Rebels will travel to play the University of Arizona, the first of five teams on UNLV's docket that played in the 2007 NCAA Tournament. The Rebels will also tangle once again with the Titans of Fullerton, who advanced to the 2007 College World Series, in a three-game series at Fullerton on March 20-22. UNLV will play two-time defending Mountain West Conference champion TCU twice this season, with a three-game series in Las Vegas on March 28-30 followed by a trio of games in Fort Worth on April 11-13. The Rebels will also play single games at regional participants UCLA (April 22) and at UC Riverside (May 13).
Other non-conference home games for the Rebels include a three-game series against the University of San Francisco (March 7-9), two-game sets at home against Texas Tech (April 15-16) and Cal State Northridge (May 6-7) and single games against Southern Utah (March 11) and in-state rival Nevada, Reno (March 25). UNLV will also travel to UNR (April 1), Stephen F. Austin (April 8-9) and Cal State Northridge (April 29-30) for non-conference games.
"The increased number of midweek games, 17 in 11 weeks, will test our pitching depth as we play the likes of UCLA, Texas Tech, and UC Riverside," Gouldsmith said. "Our bye dates our filled with perennial powerhouse Cal State Fullerton and their fellow Big West competitor Cal Poly."
UNLV opens MWC play at New Mexico in a three-game series that begins March 14 in Albuquerque, N.M., and the Rebels' first league home series is against the Horned Frogs in late March. The Rebels will also host the Lobos in a three-game series at Wilson Stadium on May 9-11, and those two teams are the only league foes that UNLV will play twice this year. The Rebels will host BYU (April 3-5) and San Diego State (April 18-20) while traveling to Utah (April 25-27) and Air Force (May 15-17), which closes out the regular season.
The MWC Tournament will be hosted by TCU this season and it will be played in Lupton Stadium in Fort Worth on May 20-24 where once again the league's automatic bid for the NCAA Tournament will be up for grabs.
"We play almost a third of our games against teams that competed in a 2007 regional a year ago and we are excited about the challenges that are ahead of us for the 2008 Season," Gouldsmith said.
