2015 UNLV Softball Weekly Notes - Week Fourteen

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV Rebels close out the 2015 regular season with a three-game, Mountain West series against the Fresno State Bulldogs at Eller Media Stadium in Las Vegas. UNLV and Fresno State will play Thursday through Saturday with the first two contests scheduled to begin at 6:00 pm, while the finale has the first pitch set for 12:00 pm.

SENIOR SEND OFF: The UNLV Rebels will host their annual "Senior Day" this Saturday. UNLV will recognize all three members - Samantha Juarez, Lexie McKinnon and Emilie Valadez - of the senior class prior to the series finale against the Fresno State Bulldogs at 12:00 pm. Both Juarez and Valadez have played four years for the Scarlet & Gray, while McKinnon transferred to UNLV for her final two years.

SPOILER ALERT: The UNLV Rebels sit fifth in the Mountain West standings with three games to play. UNLV will close out its 24-game MW schedule at Eller Media Stadium this weekend against the first-place Fresno State Bulldogs. The Rebels will finish in either fourth or fifth place with the possibility of topping out at 14 wins.

Fresno State (17-4) enters this week's series with two games in-hand on the San Diego State Aztecs (18-6), who completed its conference schedule last weekend, and the San Jose State Spartans (15-6). The Bulldogs can secure its first MW regular-season title with a pair of victories, but a combination of losses and wins by SJSU can muddle the race for the 2015 crown. If a tie-breaker is needed, the Spartans hold 2-1 series wins over both FS and SDSU.

FOLLOW THE STREAM: The UNLV Rebels will have all three of their games against the Fresno State Bulldogs streamed live in conjunction with the Mountain West Network. Links to all three affairs as well as live stats can be found at UNLVRebels.com.

AS SEASONS CHANGE: The UNLV Rebels have seen a number of their own climb up the single-season and career charts as one game after another goes final. Fahren Glackin and Merina Ili have found their way into the record books, while Garie Blando and Emily Haslinger have upped their standings in various categories.

One year after being named the Mountain West's Player of the Year, Blando has amassed the third-most runs (53) and home runs (15) in a single season. To go along with those two figures, she has also accumulated 129 total bases (fourth best), 15 doubles (sixth) and 754 slugging percentage (sixth). In 2014, her .412 batting average placed her sixth overall, while her 47 runs and 73 hits both rank seventh.

In the career book, she is fourth in on-base percentage (.442), fifth in batting average (.372), sixth in slugging (.580). She is three home runs and three hit-by-pitches shy of cracking the top 10 in each mark, as she owns 19 homers and 10 HBPs.

Haslinger has moved up the career records in slugging percentage (fifth: .593) and home runs (ninth: 26) this season. In 2014, she smashed 15 home runs, which is tied for third with Blando's output this season.

Glackin has paired her 33 walks (tie/fifth) into a high on-base percentage (.531), which currently ranks as the best in program history for a single year. Her classmate, Merina Ili, is tied for second in HBPs with 10.

LOOKING BACK A WEEK: The UNLV Rebels went 2-1 on the road in Fort Collins, Colo., against the Colorado State Rams last week. UNLV was kept off the scoreboard in game one's 3-0 loss, but rebounded with a pair of resounding wins by scores of 12-3 (five innings) and 7-3.

The Rebels hit .353 as a team backed by five of their own amassing .429 or better averages with a minimum of three hits. Jade Yadao-Valdez led the quintet in batting (.667) and runs (five) to go along with four hits. Both Jamie DePippo and Merina Ili hit .500 at the plate with the former going 3-for-6 to the latter's 2-for-4. Samantha Juarez, who topped all in hits (five) and RBI (eight), hit .455 (5-for-11). Alyssa Cordova (.444/4-for-9) and Janine Petmecky (.429/3-for-7) rounded out the fivesome.

In the Scarlet & Gray's 12-3, run-rule victory last Saturday, Juarez went 4-for-4 at the dish with eight RBI and two runs scored. The centerfielder smashed a two-run home run and a grand slam and added a pair of RBI singles, as well. The eight RBI surpassed the previous program-best of seven set by teammate Emily Haslinger (April 18, 2014 vs. New Mexico) and UNLV Hall of Famer Cyndi Parus (April 13, 1993 vs. Pacific).

In the circle, Morgan Ettinger and Petmecky threw a total of three complete games. Ettinger picked up wins in Saturday's and Sunday's affairs and combined to throw 12.0 innings. She tallied a 1.75 ERA as three of the six runs she allowed were of the unearned variety. Petmecky, who had a 3.50 ERA, was on the hook for the lone loss to CSU (game one), as she surrendered three runs.