March 24, 2010
UNLV at BYU Game Notes
LEADING OFF
For the first time this season UNLV (14-8, 0-0 Mountain West) will play a three-game series on the road, traveling to play BYU (8-11, 1-2 Mountain West) in what is the conference opener for the Rebels. The series gets underway Thursday, with first pitch at Larry H. Miller Field set for 5:30 (PT), followed by Friday's game at 5:30 p.m., while the final game of the series will be Saturday at 12:00 p.m. Fans can follow all three games of the series via Gametracker at www.UNLVRebels.com. UNLV is looking to carry the momentum of Sunday's dramatic, 2-1, come-back victory over visiting Long Beach State, as the Rebels got a sterling performance on the mound from Matt Hutchison and scored twice in the bottom of the ninth to earn the win. Before that win the Rebels had lost three in a row, including the first two games of the series with the Dirtbags, and UNLV lost a weekend series for the first time in 2010.
REBELS AT A GLANCE
UNLV improved its record to 14-8 by winning the final of a three-game set at home against Long Beach State this past weekend ... It marked the first time this season that UNLV had dropped a weekend series to an opponent ... Runs have not been hard to come by for the Rebels, as they have scored a total of 202 through 22 games, including 18 on Feb. 21 against Sacramento State and 22 against Temple on Feb. 26 ... UNLV has played in three extra-inning games this season, starting with its season opener that went 11 innings, the first opener to go extras since the 2004 season opener, when UNLV lost at Cal State Fullerton, 9-8, in 11 innings on Feb. 6, 2004 .. UNLV is hitting .332 as a team, with 19 home runs, 51 doubles and 173 RBI ... Drew Beuerlein leads the UNLV regulars with a .394 (37-94) average, and the junior is currently on a 16-game hitting streak ... Beuerlein has hit three home runs and has driven in a team-leading 25 runs ... Freshman third baseman R.J. Arnold is pacing the team with five home runs ... Jarred Frierson and Kyle Kretchmer have each hit three home runs for the Rebels as well ... UNLV closer Matt Hutchison is 3-0 with a 1.40 ERA and also has four saves in 11 appearances, striking out 24 and walking three in 19.1 innings of work ... Hutchison, who is slated to start Saturday's game at BYU, actually started Sunday's game against LBSU and allowed just one run on six hits in eight innings of work, striking out six and walking no one ... UNLV is in its seventh season under head coach Buddy Gouldsmith, who has a career record of 187-196 (.488), and his 187 victories are the second most in school history.
COUGARS AT A GLANCE
BYU will be playing at home for just the second time this season when it hosts UNLV ... The Cougars opened league play last weekend at TCU, losing the opener of the series Thursday before splitting a doubleheader on Friday ... BYU is hitting .306 as a team with 15 home runs and 109 RBI ... Bryce Ayoso is hitting .356 (21-59) with three home runs and seven doubles ... On the mound Thursday-night starter Chris Capper is 1-0 with a 2.16 ERA, but the game against the Rebels will be his first start of the season after making nine appearances out of the bullpen ... BYU is in its 11th season with Vance Law as its head coach, and he has compiled a career record of 325-274-2.
