Feb. 11, 2010
LAS VEGAS -
Week One Release in PDF Format 
LEADING OFF: The UNLV Rebels open up the 2010 softball season in the aptly named Sportco Kick-Off Classic. This will be the sixth consecutive year that the Rebels will begin a season in Las Vegas.
Dating back to 2005, the Rebels own a 19-5-1 overall record (78%) in the first weekend of action with four consecutive victories openers.
UNLV will welcome Cal State Bakersfield, Illinois, Kent State, Long Beach State, Loyola Marymount and UC Davis to the friendly confines of Eller Media Stadium. The Rebels will not play Long Beach State or Kent State, but will play a pair against UC Davis and singles against the fhree other participants.
SPORTCO SCHEDULE
Friday, Feb. 1209:00 am: UC Davis vs. Kent State11:15 am: UC Davis vs. LMU01:30 pm: Kent State vs. LMU03:45 pm: UNLV vs. Illinois06:00 pm: UNLV vs. Bakersfield08:15 pm: Illinois vs. Bakersfield
Saturday, Feb. 1309:00 am: Long Beach State vs. LMU11:15 am: Loyola Marymount vs. Illinois01:30 pm: Long Beach State vs. Illinois03:45 pm: UNLV vs. UC Davis06:00 pm: Bakersfield vs. Kent State08:15 pm: Bakersfield vs. UC Davis
Sunday, Feb. 1408:00 am: Illinois vs. Kent State10:00 am: Long Beach State vs. Kent State12:00 pm: UNLV vs. UC Davis02:00 pm: Long Beach State vs. Bakersfield04:00 pm: UNLV vs. LMU
*Team listed first is in the third-base dugout.*Underline team is designated as the home team.
Tournament and GameTracker information can be found at...www.UNLVRebels.com.
ON DECK: The UNLV Rebels will stay in home for a second consecutive weekend with its sixth annual Louisville Slugger Desert Classic (Feb. 18-21). The Rebels will welcome 14 other teams to Las Vegas for the four-day event held at two different venues, UNLV's Eller Media Stadium and Stephanie Lynn Craig Park in nearby Henderson..
UNLV will play all four days with a total of five games. The Rebels host Boise State on the tournament's opening night (Thursday, Feb. 18) at 7:15 pm. They will play a pair on Friday (Feb. 19) against San Diego (3:45 pm) and Hawai'i (6:00 pm). The team then has single games scheduled the final two days with a Saturday tilt vs. nationally-ranked Northwestern and the tournament finale against Indiana on Sunday.
REBELS PICKED THIRD: The UNLV Rebels were picked to finish third in this year's Mountain West Conference Preseason Poll, as voted on by the league's six head coaches. This is the third consecutive year that the Rebels have been slotted in the third spot.
UNLV picked up 17 points in the poll to trail fellow 2009 NCAA Tournament participants BYU and San Diego State. BYU picked up four first-place votes en route to 24 points, while SDSU came in second with two first-place votes and 22 points. Utah, Colorado State and New Mexico closed out the final three squads with 10, nine and eight points, respectively.
The Rebels return a senior-laden squad to the field this season, as the team will be comprised of 10 seniors, three juniors, seven sophomores and five freshmen. More importantly, nine positional starters and three starting pitchers come back from the NCAA Tournament run a year ago.
Individually, the team welcomes back four players that have been named to at least two MWC All-Conference Teams, in Kendall Fearn, Ashli Holland, Jaci Hull and Marissa Nichols.
