Jan. 31, 2008

LAS VEGAS - The 2008 edition of UNLV baseball opens practice at 10:00 a.m. on Friday morning at Earl E. Wilson Stadium as the Rebels embark on their fifth season under head coach Buddy Gouldsmith.

A lot of new faces dot the roster for the Rebels, as 21 newcomers will join 17 holdovers from last year, including seniors Willie Bowman, Anthony Hernandez, Adam Moser and Braden Walker. Two new assistants will be taking the field as well in Mike Kirby and David Martinez.

"We are really excited to get going," Gouldsmith said. "We have 21 days to get ready to play and 18 of those days are practice days. There is a lot of energy surrounding the start of practice and there is a lot of competition on the club for spots."

UNLV will hold a Scarlet-Gray game on Feb. 9, beginning at 10:00 a.m. and lasting until about noon, with Matt Hutchison and Michael Goodman slated to be the starters. The UNLV Alumni will then begin preparations for an intrasquad showdown of their own, beginning at 12:15 p.m. with batting practice that will include a home run derby. Following both teams taking infield, the alumni will be introduced at 1:25 and then the game will begin at 1:35.

This season's Rebels open their regular 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.