June 20, 2007
LAS VEGAS -
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2007 Closedown: The 2007 UNLV softball season came to a close on May 12 with an 8-3 victory over the Utah Utes in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Rebels finished their final road trip with a 2-2 mark with a doubleheader loss at BYU (May 10) and a two-game series sweep of Utah (May 11-12).
Overall, UNLV went 37-27, which was an improvement of 11 games in the win column from the 2006 season. In Mountain West Conference action the team finished 12-8 and in second place. BYU wound up taking the league's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament with its first place finish with a mark of 16-4.
Robinson's Regional Selection: On May 16, Christie Robinson was named to the 2007 Louisville Slugger/NFCA (National Fastpitch Coaches Association) All-West Region Second Team. Robinson closed out the year with a 15-5 record and an ERA of 2.26. She becomes the 48th Rebel in program history to be chosen to an all-region team.
Mountain West Conference Honors: The Mountain West Conference coaches bestowed Pitcher of the Year honors on Christie Robinson on May 14, as well as selecting her and fellow teammates, Kendall Fearn and Jaci Hull as All-Conference members. Head coach Lonni Alameda was tabbed the conference's Coach of the Year, as well.
Besides Robinson being named the MWC Pitcher of the Year, the league's six coaches selected Jodi Norton as the Player of the Year and Ashley Munoz as the Freshman of the Year.
Robinson went 5-0 in conference play, including three complete games. She finished third in MWC play in ERA (2.24), fourth in wins (5), seventh for innings pitched (50.0) and eighth for opposing batting average (.278). She was also named the MWC Pitcher of the Week three times this season.
Fearn hit .310 in 20 league starts at first base, while collecting 18 hits in 58 at-bats. She had seven extra-base hits with five home runs and two doubles. Defensively, she held a fielding percentage of .988 with only two errors in 169 chances. She was named the initial MWC Player of the Week to open the 2007 season.
Hull tallied a .328 hitting percentage in 20 MWC starts at short stop. She tied for the team-lead in MWC action with 19 hits. She connected for seven home runs (third in the conference) and four doubles in those games. She, also, was tops on the squad in RBI (14) and runs (16). She was also named the MWC Player of the Week three times this season.
BYU, Utah Recaps: The UNLV Rebels went 2-2 on its final road trip of 2007 with a trip to the Beehive State. The Rebels dropped a pair at BYU in doubleheader action, but rebounded for two wins over Utah in two days.
In the first game at BYU, the Cougars jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the first inning, but watch the Rebels counter with three runs of their own in the third. BYU took control of the game with a seven-run fourth inning and adding the game-clinching run in the sixth. The Cougars ended the game early with help from the eight-run rule and an 11-3 tally.
In game two, BYU broke open a 2-2 game with a single run in the fourth and two in the fifth for a 5-2 lead. UNLV pulled within one with a run in the sixth and seventh, but wound up dropping the contest 5-4.
UNLV got back on the winning track with a 6-5 win over Utah in their first game. After Utah scored four runs in the first against Stephanie Bregante, Christie Robinson entered in relief and shut down the Utes. The Rebels chipped away at the 4-0 lead with two in the third and then took hold of the game with a four-run sixth that was highlighted by an RBI-double by Rosa Ordaz and a three-run home run by Kendall Fearn.
In the season finale for both teams, Utah maintained a 2-1 lead heading into the fifth inning. UNLV then turned the tables and scored seven run through the remainder of the game for an 8-3 win. The rally began in the fifth with back-to-back run-scoring doubles by Alyssia De La Torre and Brittany Bolinger and three Ute errors. With UNLV holding a 5-3 advantage through six, Fearn added two insurance runs with a blast over the fence in left field.
Highly Offensive Matter: The Rebels hit at a .284 clip, which is the highest such total since the 1999 season. The team connected for 472 hits with 144 going for extra bases (86 doubles, 13 triples and 45 home runs).
Three Rebels hit above the .300 barrier this past season. Jaci Hull led the squad with a .370 batting average and was followed by Kelli Fangonilo's .312 and Brittany Bolinger's .304.
In the long-ball department, the team hit 45 home runs. The 2007 squad fell only five dingers shy of tying the program record of 50 set in 2005. This year's tally bests the 2006 squad by one. Kendall Fearn edged Hull for the the home run crown by one. Fearn crushed 13 (6th-most in a single-season), while Hull hit 12 (8th-most in a single-season).
The 13 triples surpassed the triple tally in 2006. The `06 squad only collected three three-baggers (all tallied by Brittany Bolinger), while this season's team hit double-digits. Bolinger led the team with four (10th-most in a single-season), while Hull, Rosa Ordaz and Jenn Newman had two apiece.
Hull and Brittany Meade were the main contributors for the team collecting 86 doubles. Hull had 17 (2nd-most in a single-season) to Meade's 12 (10th-most in a single-season). Fangonilo and Fearn came close to hitting double-digits, but fell short at nine each.
