May 18, 2009
UNLV-San Diego State Game Notes 
IN THE BATTER'S BOX
UNLV (26-30, 9-15 Mountain West) is the fifth seed and will play fourth-seeded San Diego State (37-19, 15-9 MWC) in the first round of the 2009 Conoco Mountain West Conference Championship on Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. (PT) , at Lupton Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas. The game will be shown live on the Mtn., and also be carried on KSHP 1400 AM, and this marks the first time that the Rebels will be on television this season. In the first game of the day, No. 3 BYU will play No. 6 Utah at 1:00 p.m., and both games are repeats from last year's opening round of the MWC Tournament, where the Rebels and Utes earned victories in 2008. UNLV wrapped up its 2009 regular season at home, dropping three games to No. 14 TCU at Earl E. Wilson Stadium by scores of 10-4, 14-10 and 10-3. The Horned Frogs earned the top seed for the tournament, which is being played in their home park, while New Mexico is the second seed. The winner of the Conoco MWC Baseball Championship will earn an automatic bid to the 2009 NCAA Tournament.
REBELS AT A GLANCE
UNLV is now 26-30 overall and 9-15 in the MWC after losing three games against No. 14 TCU in the final three games at Earl E. Wilson Stadium for the Rebels ... Eight of the nine starters in the Rebel lineup is hitting over .300, and the team is hitting a crisp .335 ... Senior outfielder J.J. Sferra saw his 28-game hitting streak come to and end on April 22, as he went 0-for-5 against the Red Raiders ... The streak was the third longest in school history and overall Sferra has a .371 (85-229) batting average ... Ryan Thornton and Jesse Wight each have hit 10 home runs to share the team lead ... Freshman pitcher Tanner Peters is leading the Rebels on the mound, posting a strong rookie season with a 5-7 record to go with a 4.90 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 13 starts ... The freshman threw the school's fifth one-hit complete game on April 17 in a 2-0 win over Northern Colorado ... UNLV head coach Buddy Gouldsmith has a career record of 173-186 (.482) and is in his sixth season ... The 173 wins are the second most in school history ... The Rebels opened the 2009 season by playing their first 14 games at Earl E. Wilson Stadium, which is tied for the third-longest such stretch in the nation.
AZTECS AT A GLANCE
San Diego State brings a 37-19 overall mark and a 15-9 league record into Tuesday's matchup, and the Aztecs closed the year by winning two-of-three at Utah ... The Aztecs have been ranked in several polls this season and have won nine of their last 11 games ... At the plate the Aztecs are hitting .291 as a team and are being paced by Erik Castro, who is hitting .387 (72-186) with 11 home runs and 51 RBI ... Corey Vaughn has also been productive at the plate, hitting .335 with 10 home runs and 48 RBI ... SDSU features the best starter in the country in Stephen Strasburg, who is 12-0 with a 1.34 ERA in 13 starts, striking out 174 and walking 18 in 94.1 innings of work ... SDSU is coached by MLB Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, who is 210-209 in his seventh year with the Aztecs.
