April 7, 2008
UNLV Baseball Media Notes 
IN THE BATTER'S BOX: UNLV (13-15, 5-4 MWC) begins a week-stay in Texas, traveling first to Nacogdoches for a two-game series with Stephen F. Austin (13-16, 3-8 Southland) that begins Tuesday at 1:00 p.m. (PT) at Jaycees Field, with the series finale on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. It is the first meeting between the Rebels and the Lumberjacks. Once this series is over UNLV will remain in the Lone Star State and play Mountain West Conference rival TCU in a three-game series that gets underway on Friday evening in Fort Worth. The Rebels are coming off a series defeat against BYU this past weekend at Earl E. Wilson Stadium, as the Cougars came in and took two-of-three from UNLV at Earl E. Wilson Stadium. UNLV and BYU went to extra innings in the opener, won by the Cougars 10-9 in 10 innings on a three-run home run. The Rebels rebounded to win 10-9 on Friday but then dropped the rubber game of the series, 21-12, on Saturday afternoon.
THE UNLV REBELS: UNLV is being led at the plate by Xavier Scruggs, who is hitting .446 (50-112) with eight home runs, 34 RBI and 29 runs scored ... Scruggs slugged three home runs against Maine on March 1, as he went 5-for-5 with 7 RBI ... He was recently named the Co-MWC Player of the Week, the third time this season that he has won the award (3/3 & 4/7) ... Steve Rinaudo is hitting .360 (27-75) and the Rebels have seven regulars hitting .313 or better ... On the mound, reliever Adam Moser is 4-2 with a 2.13 ERA and three saves in 16 appearances out of the bullpen ... Corey Hales is 4-1 with a 3.17 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 10 appearances, eight of them starts ... The Rebels opened their season with eight-straight games at home, part of a string of 12 in 14 games that was played at Earl E. Wilson Stadium to begin the year ... This is the fifth year for head coach Buddy Gouldsmith, who currently has a career record of 138-134 (.507), which is the third-most victories in Rebel history.
THE STEPHEN F. AUSTIN LUMBERJACKS: Stephen F. Austin head into the series having won their last two games, 10-9 and 10-8, at Central Arkansas over the weekend ... The two wins snapped a five-game losing streak, the longest skid of the season for the Lumberjacks ... SFA is being led at the plate by Kevin Crabtree, who is hitting .343 (37-108) with four home runs and 26 RBI ... Overall the Lumberjacks are hitting .290 as a team and have slugged 24 home runs ... Tuesday starter Erik Gregerson is 0-1 with a 6.03 ERA in 13 apperances, two of them starts ... Kevin Thomas, the probable starter on Wednesday, is 2-3 with a 7.00 ERA ... SFA is coached Donnie Watson, who is in his third year on the bench and has an overall record of 59-85.
SERIES HISTORY: This is the first meeting between UNLV and Stephen F. Austin.
