Mountain West Release

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - UNLV Softball landed two players on the Mountain West Softball All-Conference teams, announced by the league office Wednesday afternoon. Senior Brianna Gatlin and junior Janine Petmecky were both second team selections after the pair led the team at the plate during the 2017 campaign.

Gatlin, from La Quinta, Calif., joined the Rebels this past fall after transferring to UNLV from Utah Valley. In her one season here, she made an immediate impact, starting all 52 games as a versatile utility player for the Rebels, playing in the infield, outfield and as the designated player. Her .335 batting average, 52 hits, 28 RBI and four home runs all ranked second on the team while her 31 runs scored and 13 doubles led all Rebels in 2017. She started the season reaching base for the first 17 games in a row - the longest on-base streak on the team in 2017 - and recorded a seven-game hitting streak during that run. Her offensive prowess came as no surprise as she had recorded 15 home runs, 84 RBI and a career batting average of .319 in her three seasons at Utah Valley, with her batting average ranking seventh all-time in Wolverine history. Gatlin is majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies at UNLV and will graduate next year.

Petmecky, a native of Riverside, Calif., has been a mainstay in the UNLV lineup since her freshman campaign in 2015. This season, she started all 52 games for the Rebels, primarily in left field, and led the team in batting average (.344), hits (55) and RBI (29), while finishing second in doubles (8) and tied for third in home runs (3). Her batting average, hits and RBI were also all career highs. Petmecky ended the season on a team-high 12-game hitting streak and had a 16-game on-base streak earlier in the year. She also recorded the Rebels' only walk-off home run in a 6-5 come-from-behind victory over Weber State on Feb. 17 at Eller Media Stadium in the DeMarini Classic. In three years, Petmecky has made 128 starts with 121 hits, 67 RBI and 45 runs scored, so she will surely be looked upon to lead the team in 2018.

This is the first-career Mountain West honors for both Gatlin and Petmecky. The awards mark the 50th and 51st Mountain West All-Conference selections for the program since joining the league prior to the 2000 season.

The Rebels finished the 2017 season at 25-27 overall and 8-16 in Mountain West play.

Full Mountain West honorees included below:

2017 Mountain West All-Conference First Team
Name Team Pos. Cl.
Rebekah Cervantes* Boise State SS So.
Haley Hutton* Colorado State SS Sr.
Kamalani Dung Fresno State RHP So.
Morgan Howe Fresno State OF So.
Aaliyah Gibson Nevada OF Jr.
Erika Hansen Nevada OF Jr.
Sydnee Cable San Diego State 1B Sr.
Zaria Meshack San Diego State OF Jr.
Jenavee Peres* San Diego State C Jr.
Molly Sturdivant San Diego State 3B So.
Shelby Thompson San Diego State SS Fr.
Madison Aurin San José State 1B So.
Cassidy Clark San José State 2B Fr.
Katelyn Linford San José State RHP Sr.
Kellie White Utah State RHP Fr.

2017 Mountain West All-Conference Second Team
Name Team Pos. Cl.
Morgan Lamb Boise State DP So.
Hannah McCorkhill Colorado State 1B Jr.
Vanessa Hernandez Fresno State OF So.
Malia Rivers*** Fresno State DP Sr.
Kenzi Goins Nevada 1B Fr.
McKenna Isenberg Nevada RHP Sr.
Chelsea Johnson New Mexico C/DP Jr.
Katie Byrd San Diego State 2B R-So.
Georgia Blair San José State RF Fr.
Chelsea Jenner San José State LF Sr.
Colette Riggs San José State RHP Sr.
Brianna Gatlin UNLV OF Sr.
Janine Petmecky UNLV OF Jr.
Riley Plogger Utah State OF Fr.
Victoria Saucedo** Utah State 2B Sr.

Player of the Year: Jenavee Peres, Jr., C, San Diego State
Pitcher of the Year:Kamalani Dung, So., RHP, Fresno State
Defensive Player of the Year: Haley Hutton, Sr., SS, Colorado State
Freshman of the Year: Shelby Thompson, SS, San Diego State
Coach of the Year: Peter Turner, San José State

***= three-time second-team honoree
**= two-time second-team honoree
*= two-time first-team honoree

-UNLV-