March 5, 2008

LAS VEGAS - UNLV junior first baseman Xavier Scruggs was named the CollegeBaseballInsider.com West Region player of the week after a strong five-game stretch for the Rebels last week.

Scruggs, a native of San Diego, Calif., hit .667 (14-for-21) with three home runs, two doubles, one triple, 10 RBI and nine runs scored in five games last week, leading the Rebels to a 3-2 record over that span. He started the week going 5-for-9 with three RBI and two runs scored in a two-game series against Washington State. In game one, Scruggs went 2-for-5 with a double, two RBI and one run scored, and followed that with a 3-for-4 performance in game two.

In the first game of a three-game series vs. Maine, Scruggs went 1-for-3 with two runs scored in a 9-7 UNLV win. In game two vs. the Black Bears, he had his biggest game of the series, going 5-for-5 with three homers, seven RBI and five runs scored in a 21-5 Rebel victory. In the series finale, Scruggs went 3-for-4 with a double in UNLV's 3-2 win.

The three home runs marked the 15th time in UNLV history that a single player hit at least three home runs in one game, with the most recent being Keith Smith, who slugged three against Air Force on May 19, 2007.

Earlier this week Scruggs was named the Mountain West Conference Player of the Week.

The Rebels return to Las Vegas to start a four-game homestand, beginning with a three-game series against San Francisco that gets underway Friday night at 6:30 p.m. (PT) at Earl E. Wilson Stadium.