Nov. 8, 2013
2014 Schedule
Home Tournament Schedules: Sportco Kick-Off Classic || Easton Desert Classic || Eller Media Stadium Classic
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The 2014 UNLV softball schedule was released on Friday by the athletics department, and it features a 56-game slate, 30 of which will be played at the friendly confines of Eller Media Stadium. The season begins with six tournaments and 28 non-conference contests from Feb. 7 to March 15. Following tournament play, the Rebels will play 21 Mountain West games - seven three-game series - and two games apiece against Arizona and Oregon State from the Pac-12 Conference.
This year's schedule is loaded with 11 teams - Arizona, Arkansas, Baylor, Minnesota, Oregon, Oregon State, San Diego State, San Jose State, Texas, UCLA and Washington - that advanced to the 2013 NCAA Tournament and played a total of 47 games in the postseason. Washington and Texas owned identical marks of 7-2 through the regionals, Super Regionals and Women's College World Series. Oregon was 4-2 and advanced to the Super Regionals, but was eliminated in the three-game series.
UNLV will play at least one squad from 13 different conference for a total of 32 games. The Rebels will play five Pac-12 teams a total of eight times: Arizona three times; Oregon State twice and once apiece against Oregon, UCLA and Washington. The Big West will have five of its own play UNLV six times with UC Davis scheduled twice against UNLV, while Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Northridge, Cal Poly and Long Beach State will play the Scarlet & Gray once.
The Rebels will play three teams from the Big 12 (Baylor, Texas and Texas Tech), Big East (DePaul twice, Georgetown and Seton Hall) and WAC (CSU Bakersfield, New Mexico State and Utah Valley). They'll play once against the SEC (Arkansas), Big 10 (Minnesota), Big Sky (Weber State), Big South (Charleston Southern), America East (Binghamton), MAAC (Canisius), Missouri Valley (Loyola-Chicago) and West Coast Conference (San Diego).
UNLV will open up the year at home with two straight home tournaments beginning with five games in the Sportco Kick-Off Classic on Feb. 7-9. The Easton Desert Classic, one of the premier college softball tournaments in the country, will welcome 17 programs to Las Vegas for the four-day affair on Feb. 13-16 that will be contested at both Eller Media Stadium and in nearby Henderson at Stephanie Lynn Craig Park.
After the conclusion of those two tourneys, the Rebels will head to California for three of their next four weekends. They hit the road for the first time at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic on Feb. 20-23. They return home for their Eller Media Stadium Classic from Feb. 28-March 2. Back-to-back trips to Southern California will close out tournament play at the UCLA/Cal State Northridge Invitational (March 7-9) and Titan Classic (March 14-15).
The Rebels will then return home for five games the week of March 16-22 with a visit from Arizona - a doubleheader on March 18 - and a three-game conference set against in-state rival Nevada, Reno that will have implications in the Governor's Series presented by NV Energy and sponsored by Barrick Gold.
The team will play consecutive conference series on the road beginning with a stop at San Jose State (March 28-30) and then Boise State (April 4-6). UNLV will host Colorado State (April 11-13) before heading back out to play at New Mexico (April 17-19).
Once the team returns from The Land of Enchantment, the Rebels will play eight of their final 11 at home. They'll play a midweek set against San Diego State (April 22-23) before their last road trip, a stop in Fresno State (April 25-27). The season will conclude with home dates against Oregon State (May 3-4) and Utah State (May 8-10).
