Feb. 11, 2011

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV baseball team was picked to finish fifth in the 2011 preseason Mountain West Conference poll rated by coaches and media members, the conference office announced today.

Five-time defending champion TCU was the unanimous choice to win its sixth straight conference championship, receiving all 16 first-place votes and 112 points overall. BYU was second with 84 points while San Diego State was third with 75, New Mexico fourth with 71 followed by UNLV in fifth with 45 points, Utah in sixth with 43 and Air Force in seventh with 18.

"We're just looking forward to getting started next Friday," said first-year head coach Tim Chambers. "Obviously TCU is the favorite and deserving of their ranking, but as a whole, the Mountain West will be very competitive this season."

Outfielder Brandon Bayardi was the lone Rebel and one of only three sophomores to be named to the MWC preseason all-conference squad. Bayardi batted .350 and started all 58 games as a freshman. The 6-2, 225-pound Phoenix native tallied 85 hits, 22 doubles, nine home runs, 57 RBI and had a .584 slugging percentage in his first season. He was also recently named one of the top three best pure hitters and one of the top three biggest power threats in the MWC by a coaches poll conducted by CollegeBaseballInsider.com.

UNLV will open its season a week from today, hosting Maine on Friday, Feb. 18 at Wilson Stadium. First pitch is slated for 6:05 p.m.

2011 MWC Preseason Poll
1. TCU (16) 112
2. BYU 84
3. San Diego State 75
4. New Mexico 71
5. UNLV 45
6. Utah 43
7. Air Force 18

2011 MWC Preseason All-Conference Team
C Alex Wolfe, JR BYU
1B C.J. Cron, JR Utah
2B Jerome Pena, SR TCU
3B Jantzen Witte, SO TCU
SS Taylor Featherston, JR TCU
OF Brandon Bayardi, SO UNLV
OF Brandon Meredith, JR SDSU
OF Jason Coats, JR TCU
P Steven Maxwell, SR TCU
P Matt Purke, SO TCU
UT/DH Ryan Bernal, SR BYU