4/28/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Game Notes | 2016 Quick Facts | Record Book
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - UNLV softball hosts Oklahoma State for a nonconference three-game series this weekend. The Rebels and Cowgirls square off with a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 3:00 p.m. and end the series on Sunday at 11:00 a.m.
PROMOTIONAL ITEMS OF INTEREST
Super Saturday and RKC Day: Rebels Kids Club Members get in for free and their parents get tickets half-off tickets. There will be an autograph session with the Rebels after the game, a face painter, a big kids zone and much more.
Family 4-Pack: On Sunday families can buy a pack of four tickets, four hot dogs and four sodas for just $40.
NONCONFERENCE BREAK
Due to the Mountain West having nine schools that play softball, each team receives a bye throughout conference play while the rest engage in a conference series. The Big 12 also has an odd number of schools that field softball teams (seven).
SCOUTING UNLV
The Rebels, under fourth-year head coach Lisa Dodd, stand 23-24 overall and 7-11 in Mountain West play. After 47 games, senior 2B Alyssa Cordova is the Rebels' leading hitter with a .354 batting average and .430 on-base percentage. She also leads the team with 10 doubles in addition to 21 RBI and 25 runs. Sophomore UTL/RHP Janine Petmecky (.329 batting average), one of nine Rebels with a batting average over .300, shares the team lead in RBI (25) and home runs (5). Sophomore CF/IF Jadelyn Yadao-Valdez (.327) has produced 25 runs on 36 hits and 16 RBI. The speedster Yadao-Valdez leads the team in stolen bases, swiping 11 bases in 13 attempts. Senior OF Francesca Foti (.333) has a team-high .568 slugging percentage and three triples and also has eight doubles, four home runs and 25 RBI. Senior 3B/1B Jamie DePippo leads the squad with 29 RBI, 49 hits and 32 runs. DePippo (.331) shares the team-lead in home runs (five) with Petmecky and also has four doubles and nine stolen bases. Even with just 86 at-bats, senior C Emily Haslinger (.279) has 21 RBI, five doubles, two triples, three home runs and a .488 slugging percentage.
In the circle junior 1B/RHP Kwyn Cooper (3.28 ERA) sports a 7-9 record in 91.2 innings pitched and 17 starts, the most of any Rebels. Cooper's struck out 25 batters, walked 29 and hit only two batters. Freshman 1B/RHP Alyssa Batastini (4.67) has made 11 starts and 30 appearances, the most of the pitching staff. Batastini has fanned 33 batters and walked 29. Petmecky (4.62) has started 10 games and made 25 appearances. With a 4-7 record, she has 28 strikeouts and 28 walks in 72.2 innings pitched. Junior RHP Morgan Ettinger (4.62) has a 7-2 record in nine games started and 22 appearances. She has recorded 30 strikeouts, 21 walks and four complete games.
SCOUTING OKLAHOMA STATE
The Oklahoma State Cowgirls, under the guidance of first-year head coach Kenny Gajewski, stand 23-22 overall and 4-9 in Big 12 play. Freshman INF Taylor Lynch leads the Cowgirls with a .430 batting average, 61 hits and a .620 slugging percentage. Sophomore INF Vanessa Shippy (.411 batting average) has a team-high 44 runs, 14 doubles and .531 slugging percentage in addition to 22 RBI and a.603 slugging percentage. Freshman UTL Madi Sue Montgomery (.309) leads the team leads the team with 43 RBI and has hit 10 doubles and nine home runs. Senior OF Tiffany Mikkelson (.300) is one of two Cowgirls (Shippy) to start all 45 games this season. Mikkelson shares the team-lead in home runs (nine) and has 39 runs, nine doubles and 42 RBI.
In the circle three different pitchers have combined to throw every pitch this season. Senior LHP Kacy Freeze (4.17 ERA), has thrown the most innings (139.1) and sports a 13-8 record in 21 starts and 33 appearances. Freeze has struck out 79 batters while walking 57. Junior RHP Brandi Needham (6.01) has been the other primary starter with 18 starts in 26 appearances. Needham has a 5-13 record, 53 strikeouts and 35 walks. Junior RHP Shea Coats (5.78 ERA) has a 5-1 record, six starts and 15 appearances. Coats has fanned 32 batters and walked 25.
WHAT'S NEXT FOR BLANDO?
With her final season this year, Blando has the possibility of getting onto the top 10 of almost every career offensive category. Currently she is fifth in on-base percentage (.435), sixth for slugging percentage (.553), sixth in hit by pitchers (17), seventh in runs (140), eighth in batting average (.357), tied for ninth in stolen bases (33), 10th in home runs (23) and 10th in total bases (299). With another season similar to 2014 or 2015, she can also join the top ten hits (currently at 193), doubles (33), total bases (299), walks (60) and RBI (92).
WHERE THE REBELS RANK IN THE MW
• UNLV ranks first or share the lead in the Mountain West in three offensive categories: Sacrifice bunts (47), stolen bases (58) and steal attempts (70). The Rebels also rank first in two pitching categories: innings pitched (285) and intentional walks allowed (1).
• Janine Petmecky is tied for sixth in plate appearances (163), tied for fourth in at-bats (143), tied for eighth in appearances (25) and ninth in putouts (198).
• Alyssa Cordova leads the conference in assists (116).
• Jamie DePippo is second in plate appearances (167), first in at-bats (148) and tied for eighth in steal attempts (11).
• Kwyn Cooper is first in least hit by pitches for pitching (two) and 10th nationally, fourth in ERA (3.28), ninth in opposing batting average (.286), tied for eighth in appearances (25), ninth in innings pitched (91.2), fourth in games started (17) and tied for fourth in least doubles allowed (11).
• Alyssa Batastini ranks second in appearances (30) and first in games in relief (19).
• Jadelyn Yadao-Valdez ranks seventh in stolen bases (11) and fifth in steal attempts (13) while junior OF Courtney Beavers is eighth in steals (10) and tied for ninth in steal attempts (11).
• Sophomore C Brooke Stover has been the primary catcher for the Rebels, starting in all but five games. Stover is first in runners picked off (four) in the conference and tied for fifth in caught stealing by (six).
• Despite missing the first eight games, Garie Blando is tied for seventh in hit by pitches (seven) and fourth in assists (108).
• Francesca Foti is tied for fifth in triples (three).
• The Rebels have used sac bunts all season long to advance baserunners, placing first in the conference. Four different Rebels place in the top ten for sac bunts so far this season: DePippo has 11 to tie for second place, Cooper and freshman OF Myranda Bueno ranks tied for fifth (7), and Foti is eighth with six.
• UNLV has been one of the best at turning double plays in the nation, ranking 25th in the NCAA (.47 per game). In the MW, Cordova (13) is tied for fourth in fielding double plays.
THE REBELS GO WHERE THE OFFENSE GOES
The offense has primarily dictated the end result for UNLV. The Rebels are 17-2 when scoring at least six runs but are winless in 13 games when scoring less three runs. When UNLV out-hits opponents they are 15-2 but 4-20 when they are out-hit. UNLV has maintained a lead after four innings in 18 of 21 games, but have only come back for wins trailing after four innings in five of 25 games.
OTHER UNLV NOTES AND TRENDS
• Three Rebels- Alyssa Cordova, Jadelyn Yadao-Valdez and Janine Petmecky- have started all but one game this season.
• Emily Haslinger has been one of the better power hitters in UNLV history during her four years donning the Scarlet and Grey. She ranks ninth in program history in home runs with 30 and fifth in slugging percentage with .572.
• UNLV defeated Santa Clara 20-1 on March 11 in the Rebel Classic and tied two school records in the blowout win. The Rebels tied the record for runs scored in a game with 20. The previous time the Rebels scored 20 runs was on May, 2 1981 against Redlands. Bueno tied the school record for most doubles in a game with three, joining Jaci Hull (Mar. 24, 2007 versus Sacramento State) as the only Rebels to do so.
• UNLV faced five non-conference opponents for the first time in program history: Lamar, South Dakota, Robert Morris, Valparaiso, and Grand Canyon.
• The Rebels opened MW play at home against San Diego State, capturing the last two wins of the series.
• All six Division I schools in Utah have played multiple games in Las Vegas. Utah State swept this past weekend and also played five games in the DeMarini Desert Classic (Feb. 19-21) and five more in the Rebel Classic (Feb. 11-13). Utah Valley played five games in the Sportco Kick Off Clasic (Feb. 12-14) and lost to UNLV 11-1 in five innings on Feb. 14. Weber State, BYU and Utah all played in the DeMarini Desert Classic. Southern Utah played UNLV twice in the DeMarini Desert Classic and UNLV Classic (March 3-6).
ON DECK
UNLV returns to MW action with a home, weekend series against Colorado State. The Rebels and Rams will kick off the series next Friday at 6:00 p.m. and play the next day at 1:00 p.m. The first pitch for the series finale on Sunday is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.
