LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - UNLV baseball acting head coach Stan Stolte announced that senior Kenny Oakley and juniors Cody Howard and Justin Jones have been voted by the team to serve as captains for the 2016 season.

"Our team did a great job selecting these three to lead the 2015-16 Rebels," said Stolte. "They realize it's a 24-7 job and they have proven to be capable of handling the responsibility that goes with it."

All three selections hail from the Las Vegas Valley, Oakley and Howard are graduates of Coronado High School and Jones attended Bishop Gorman.

Oakley, a local from Coronado High School, enters his fourth season at UNLV with a career ERA of 3.13 with 12 wins and three saves in 48 appearances, 32 of which have come via starts. The right-handed hurler that was tabbed to the 2015 All-Mountain West Second Team, has thrown a total of 218.1 innings and struck out 187 against 73 walks.

"It's awesome being named captain when your coaches select, but it's even cooler when you get selected by your teammates," noted Oakley. "It shows their trust in me, and that is something I take seriously."

Howard returned to the lineup last year after having to miss the 2014 season (medical redshirt). In his career, the outfielder has started 19 of 50 games he's played in and scattered 18 hits in 84 at-bats for a .250 average. During his freshman campaign, he saw action in 40 games and had 74 at-bats with 16 hits â€" two of which went for extra bases, scored 15 runs and knocked in six RBI.

"I'm excited about our team this year; we have a lot of good chemistry," noted Howard. "As a captain, I just want to help lead everyone in the right direction as they help push myself forward to get better everyday in return."

Jones has played a multitude of positions during his first three years with the Rebels. He owns a .269 batting average with 122 hits, 23 of which have gone for extra bases (15 doubles, five triples and three home runs). In 121 games (115 starts), he's plated 75 runners and crossed home plate 64 times, as well.

"It's a privilege for me to be named captain," Jones said. "Obviously, it's a crucial role as far as keeping everybody on the same page and so forth as we progress and, most importantly, make sure things are done right while having fun at the same time."

After competing head-to-head in weekly scrimmages, the Rebels will square off against a former Mountain West foe, the Utah Utes, Saturday morning (11:00 am) at Earl E. Wilson Stadium. The game is open to the public and free of charge.

"The fall is going fantastically," exclaimed Oakley. "The energy throughout the team is electric day in and day out. Every body gets along great and we just gel really well. We're looking forward to putting all our hard work to the test this weekend against Utah and continuing to get ready for the Spring season."

Jones reiterated Oakley's sentiments about fall practice saying that it's been outstanding and that the players are busting it day in and day out. He believes the team chemistry is incredible and that is what's made the fall a good one for all of them.

The Rebels open the 2016 campaign on the road against the Texas Longhorns in Austin for a three-game series scheduled for Feb. 19-21. They'll return to Las Vegas for a seven-game stretch that begins with four against the West Virginia Mountaineers (Feb. 26-29) and three more versus the San Jose State Spartans (March 4-6).