March 19, 2009
IN THE BATTER'S BOX
UNLV (11-7) steps back into Mountain West Conference games by hosting Air Force in a three-game set that gets underway Friday evening at 7:00 p.m. (PT) from Earl E. Wilson Stadium. It is the conference home opener for the Rebels, who started their conference slate on the road at San Diego State. Fans can listen to Friday's game between the Rebels and Falcons live on 1400 AM KSHP, with Bob Blum and Adam Candee calling the action. UNLV is coming off a 14-6 loss against in-state rival Nevada, Reno on Wednesday night in which the Rebels had a 6-5 lead heading into the eighth inning, but the Wolf Pack scored the last nine runs of the game. The Rebels had a 14-game homestand at Earl E. Wilson Stadium to open up the season, which included playing four doubleheaders, and UNLV went 11-3 in that span, including winning its last eight in a row. Fans can follow every game of the series live via gametracker and can also watch a live streaming feed by going to www.unlvrebels.com.
REBELS AT A GLANCE
UNLV is now 11-7 overall and 0-3 in the MWC following three straight losses at San Diego State last weekend at Tony Gwynn Stadium and a Wednesday loss to Nevada, Reno at home ... The three-game sweep was the first of the season for the Rebels ... UNLV won its first three games of a season for the first time since 1992, and following three consecutive losses the Rebels ran off eight straight wins ... Junior catcher Drew Beuerlein, who was named the MWC Player of the Week on March 9, is off to a fast start and is hitting .442 (23-52) with two home runs and 21 RBI to lead the Rebels at the plate ... Both home runs came on Feb. 22 against Maine, as Beuerlein went 4-for-4 with the two home runs, two doubles and four runs scored, all career highs ... Extra bases have been easy to come by for the Rebels, as they have 72 such hits, including 17 triples and 11 home runs ... A pair of freshman are leading the Rebels on the mound as Tanner Peters and Andrew Beresford have made strong debuts ... Peters is 2-1 with a 2.62 ERA in four starts and Beresford is 1-0 with a 4.12 ERA in four starts ... UNLV head coach Buddy Gouldsmith has a career record of 158-163 (.493) and is in his sixth season ... The 158 wins are tied for the second most in school history ... The Rebels opened the season by playing their first 14 games at Earl E. Wilson Stadium, which is tied for the third-longest such stretch in the nation.
FALCONS AT A GLANCE
Air Force is now 6-9 overall and 0-3 in the MWC after beating Colorado Christian 11-7 at home on Tuesday ... Last weekend the Falcons dropped three games at New Mexico to open up league play, losing 6-3, 12-5 and 17-2 ... Four of Air Force's six wins have come away from Colorado Springs ... At the plate AFA is hitting .275 as a team, paced by Addison Gentry, who is hitting .375 (21-56) with three home runs and 12 RBI ... Air Force has three other regulars hitting at least .304 ... Friday night starter Alex Truesdale is 2-2 with a 2.96 ERA in four starts, including a complete game ... Truesdale has 20 strikeouts against just three walks in 27.1 innings of work ... Air Force is coached by Mike Hutcheon, who is 60-217 in his sixth year at Air Force, and 296-357 in his 15th season overall.
