May 10, 2009

LAS VEGAS - The UNLV Rebels (31-19) learned Sunday evening that they earned an at-large bid into the 2009 NCAA Tournament via ESPNU's softball selection show. The Rebels will travel west to Los Angeles for their Friday afternoon (1:00 pm) contest with the Fresno State Bulldogs at UCLA's Easton Stadium.

This will be UNLV's ninth overall trip to the postseason and first since 2005, which coincidentally occurred in Los Angeles. The Long Beach State 49ers and the #2-national seed UCLA Bruins round out the quartet of teams, as they will square off at 3:30 pm Friday. The winner of the four-team, three-day regional (May 15-17) will advance to a best-of-three Super Regional the following weekend.

This will be UNLV's second visit to a four-team regional, as 2005 was the first year that the NCAA went to the 16-site format. The Rebels reeled off a seven-year stretch from 1990 through 1996 of participating in the tournament and as previously mentioned was later joined by the 2005 squad. Overall, UNLV holds a 17-18 record through eight excursions to the postseason. The Rebels have participated in three Women's College World Series with trips in 1990, '91 and '95.

The trio of foes that UNLV will encounter in Los Angeles is not foreign to the program. The Rebels previously played UCLA and Long Beach State earlier this season. The Bruins defeated UNLV by a 9-7 margin in a wild game played on Feb. 13 in the Louisville Slugger Desert Classic in Las Vegas. The Rebels defeated the 49ers, 4-2, in San Jose, Calif., at the National Invitational Softball Tournament. UNLV last played the Bulldogs in 2008 and lost 2-0 in Cathedral City, Calif.

Los Angeles Regional Schedule (Friday, May 15 - Sunday, May 17)

Friday, May 15Game 1:  1:00 pm - Fresno State (36-18) vs. UNLV (31-19)Game 2:  3:30 pm - UCLA (41-9) vs. Long Beach State (34-19)

Saturday, May 16Game 3:  1:00 pm - Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2Game 4:  3:30 pm - Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2Game 5:  6:00 pm - Loser Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4

Sunday, May 17Game 6:  12:00 pm - Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5Game 7:  2:30 pm - Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6 (if necessary)