May 11, 2009
LAS VEGAS - On the heels of being awarded a bid to the NCAA Softball Tournament, the UNLV Rebels received some more good news less than a day following the postseason announcement. Jaci Hull, Marissa Nichols, Kendall Fearn and Ashli Holland were named to the 20-member All-Mountain West Conference Team Monday, as voted on by the league's six head coaches.
All four student-athletes are no stranger to this honor, as they each have been recognized at least once previously. This is Hull's third trip to the All-MWC squad, while Nichols, Holland and Fearn are making their second appearances.
Hull, a junior from Scottsdale, Ariz., earned All-MWC recognition previously in 2007 and 2008. In conference play, she ranked in the top-10 in RBI (15), home runs (three), runs (11), walks (eight) and total bases (25). She also contributed 12 hits, six of which went for extra-base hits, which contributed to her .543 slugging percentage and .382 on-base percentage. Overall, she leads the Rebels in home runs (11), RBI (50), total bases (99) and slugging (.660), while sitting tied for the top spot in doubles (11). She owns the third-best batting average with a .340 tally. She became only the second Rebel to notch at least 50-RBI in a single season and to combine at least 50-hits with 50-RBI.
Nichols, a junior from Diamond Bar, Calif., earned All-MWC honors in 2005 and is in the midst of completing her first full season after sitting out the past 2.5 years due to injuries. In league action, she ranked in the top-10 in batting (.380), slugging (.640), on-base (.475), runs (12), hits (19), doubles (four), home runs (three), total bases (32) and walks (eight). Overall, she is hitting .338 on the year with 49 hits, 20 of which have gone for extra bases (10 doubles and 10 home runs). She has knocked in 25 RBI and scored 37 runs. She leads the team in walks (26) and stolen bases (six).
Holland, a sophomore from Arvada, Colo., took home similar honors in 2008 after her freshman campaign. She was tops for the Rebels this year in batting (.413) and hits (19) in conference play, which correlated to fifth-place showings in both categories. She also ranked highly in on-base percentage (.473), RBI (13), doubles (three) and total bases (25). In all, she has hit .342 on the year with a team-best 52 hits. Fifteen of those 52 hits went for extra bases, as she collected 11 doubles, two triples and two home runs. She contributed 36 RBI and scored 26 runs.
Fearn, a junior from Carlsbad, Calif., continued where she left off in 2007 after missing last year due to injury. The 2007 and 2009 All-MWC performer carved her name in the top-10 showings in slugging percentage (.614), RBI (14), doubles (three), home runs (three), total bases (27) and hit-by-pitch (three). She owned the third-best batting average by a Rebel in league action with a .341 showing, which was helped by 15 hits. For the year, she is hitting .331 with 45 hits, 10 doubles and seven home runs. She has plated 34 RBI and scored 22 times, while taking 25 free trips to first base via walks.
The Rebels return to action on Friday, May 15, in Los Angeles, Calif., with a 1:00 pm encounter with the Fresno State Bulldogs at UCLA's Easton Stadium. Long Beach State and the #2-national seed UCLA round out the four-team regional.
