April 21, 2008

LAS VEGAS - For the third time this year UNLV junior Xavier Scruggs was named the Mountain West Conference Player of the Week, the league announced today. It is also the first time in UNLV history that a position player has earned three weekly honors in the same season. During the 2000 season, pitcher David Seccombe earned three MWC Pitcher of the Week honors.

Scruggs, a native of San Diego, Calif., led UNLV to a 4-1 home record last week, including a 2-1 series win over then-first place San Diego State by drilling five home runs and hitting .471 (8-for-17) with 12 RBI and 14 runs scored.

He went 3-for-6 with three RBI and five runs scored, including two home runs in game one of UNLV's two-game sweep over non-conference opponent Texas Tech.

Following a 1-for-4 effort with a run scored in the Rebels' game one loss to San Diego State, he drilled three home runs, including a two-run shot in the bottom of the ninth that tied game two and sent it into extra innings, where UNLV pulled out a 19-18 win. In the series finale, he went 1-for-1, drawing four walks and coming around to score five times in UNLV's 20-16 win. He also collected an RBI single in his only official at-bat of the game.

SDSU right-hander Stephen Strasburg was named the MWC Pitcher of the Week, the fourth time he has earned the award this year.

UNLV begins a nine-game road trip with a game at UCLA on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. (PDT) at Jackie Robinson Stadium.