March 22, 2018 UTAH STATE (10-15, 0-3) at UNLV (19-8, 2-1)
Eller Media Stadium
Las Vegas, NV
GAME 2: Saturday, March 24 | 4 p.m. | | Live Video
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - After kicking off Mountain West play on the road last weekend at New Mexico, UNLV softball will return to Las Vegas to host Utah State in its Mountain West home opener. The three-game tilt will take place from March 23-25 at Eller Media Stadium, with Friday's first pitch set for 6 p.m., Saturday's for 4 p.m. and Sundays finale at noon. All three games will be broadcast on the Mountain West Network.
The Rebels began Mountain West play taking two of three from New Mexico in Albuquerque a week ago, marking the third time in the last five years they've opened league play with a series victory. The series win was especially important after the Lobos hit a walk-off grand slam in game one Friday when the Rebels looked like they were on their way to a 2-1 victory. UNLV was able to bounce back with a 6-0 win in game two, which included a six-run seventh inning, and a 9-1 five-inning victory in the finale Sunday.
As it has been all season, it was a total team effort with different people stepping up big spots. Nine different Rebels registered hits and nine recorded RBI, with seven getting two or more hits and five batting in two or more runs.
Catcher Brooke Stover led the way at the plate, going 5-for-10 (.500) with two doubles and five RBI.The performance also included a 3-for-3, three-RBI day in Sunday's blowout run-rule victory. Stover, who has made over 100 starts in her Rebel career and is one of the senior leaders, has had her best offensive season of her career. Over the last 16 games, Stover is hitting at a .340 clip with 17 hits, 11 RBI, five runs scored and four doubles, while she will enter the series against the Aggies with a six-game hitting streak. She's also been a steady presence behind the plate, starting all 27 games this season and providing a model of consistency for the Rebel defense.
The pitching staff was its solid self against New Mexico as well. Senior Janine Petmecky had pitched a one-run gem in the series opener, but it was one pitch that ended it all as she gave up the grand slam in the bottom of the seventh to break a streak of seven consecutive victories in as many starts for the right hander. Outside of those four runs, the duo of Petmecky and sophomore Charlie Masterson gave up just two other runs in three games as Masterson earned her second shutout of the season in Saturday's victory and Petmecky rebounded with a five-inning one-run performance Sunday. Currently, UNLV's 2.57 ranks second in the Mountain West.
The Rebel defense continues be the top unit in the conference with a .981 fielding percentage and just 15 errors in 27 games. Their fielding percentage also continues to rank in the top-10 country at No. 9.
WEEKEND PROMOTIONS
• NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Night
• Kids in team jersey receive free entry and another adult ticket 1/2-off at the door
• Shania Twain concert ticket contest
SATURDAY, MARCH 24
• Shania Twain concert ticket contest
SUNDAY, MARCH 25
• Rebel Kids Club Day
- RKC members receive free entry and up to 2 adult tickets for free
- Postgame run the bases and player autographs
• Shania Twain concert ticket contest
RANKING THE REBELS
• Mountain West: Overall UNLV leads the conference in fielding percentage (.981), is second in the MW in ERA (2.57) and ranks sixth with a .288 batting average. The Rebels are fourth with 204 hits, sixth with 97 RBI and are seventh with 113 runs scored. Rebel pitchers are second in the conference in innings pitched at 185.1 and third in both opposing batting average (.257) and in strikeouts (140). Individually, Justine Federe's 21 RBI are tied for fifth, while Jade Yadao-Valdez's .375 average is tied for 10th. In the circle, Janine Petmecky's 1.36 ERA is first, while her .210 opposing batting average her 81 strikeouts are both second.
• NCAA: UNLV is ninth in the country in fielding percentage (.981). Petmecky's 1.36 ERA ranks 46th nationally.
QUICK HITTERS
• UNLV's 19-8 record is the program's best since the 1996 squad went 20-7 through the first 27 games.
• The Rebels took two of three from New Mexico to win their third MW opening series in the last five years.
• UNLV has only committed 15 errors in 27 games this season, has 13 games without an error and has just one game where they have committed more than one.
• UNLV's RPI is currently No. 90 in the country.
• If the Rebels can score first and/or gain the lead by the fourth inning, there is a good chance they will win the game. They have yet to lose when they score first and are 15-1 when they are leading after four innings.
• The Rebels have only lost once when they've out-hit their opponent at 13-1, but are 5-6 when out-hit by their opponents.
• UNLV is hitting .339 with runners in scoring position, while its opponents are hitting just .243 in those situations.
• Season Streaks: The Rebels have two separate four-game win streaks while their longest losing streak is two and that was over two weekends
• Individual Streaks: Junior Myranda Bueno, who returned to the lineup last weekend in New Mexico after suffering a facial injury in Houston, has the longest hitting streak of the season at 10. Brooke Stover enters the weekend against Utah State with a six-game hitting streak. Several Rebels have current on-base streaks, with freshman Mia Trejo leading the way having reached base in 11 straight games, while Stover's streak is at seven and senior Janine Petmecky's streak is at six.
• In New Mexico, nine different Rebels registered hits and nine recorded RBI, with seven getting two or more hits and five batting in two or more runs.
• Stover was the top performer at the plate against the Lobos, going 5-for-10 (.500) with two doubles and five RBI.The performance also included a 3-for-3, three-RBI day in Sunday's blowout run-rule victory. Over her last 16 games, Stover has 17 hits (.340 average), 11 RBI, five runs scored and four doubles. She also leads the team with six multi-RBI games this season.
• While Friday's loss broke a string of seven wins in her last seven starts, Petmecky bounced back with a one-run performance Sunday. Dating back to Feb. 17, the right hander has given up just 11 earned runs over 62.1 innings pitched with 68 strikeouts. For the year, Petmecky has a career-high 81 strikeouts and leads the Mountain West with a 11-2 record and a 1.36 ERA.
• The Rebels swept the Mountain West weekly honors on March 13 with Petmecky earning Pitcher of the Week and Yadao-Valdez earning Player of the Week. It marked the first pitcher of the week and second player of the week honor for UNLV this season as freshman Samantha Diaz already earned the honor once this season on Feb. 21. It marked just the third time since 2011 a pair of Rebels have earned the honor in the same week.
• The Rebels have two come-from-behind extra-inning walk-off wins this season (6-5 over Buffalo in the eighth inning on Feb. 16 and a 3-2 walk-off win over North Dakota State on Friday, Feb. 9) and added a third comeback win in Houston with a 6-5 win over UTSA thanks to a three-run top of the seventh
• UNLV has five shutouts on the season, with Petmecky responsible for three of them
• Sophomore pitcher Charlie Masterson, who earned the shutout win in game two in New Mexico, already has career highs in innings pitched, strikeouts and wins this season.
• The Rebel pitching staff has a combined 2.57 ERA, which is second in the Mountain West. Petmecky leads the way with a 1.36 ERA (first in the MW), an 11-2 record and 81 strikeouts (second in the MW). Opposing batters are hitting .210 off her, which is tied for the second in the conference.
SCOUTING UTAH STATE • The Aggies enter the weekend with a 10-15 record overall and an 0-3 mark after the first weekend of conference play.
• Most recently, Utah State split a pair of mid-week games with a 4-3 win against Utah State and a 7-5 loss to Idaho State. Last weekend the Aggies were swept by Boise State in Logan, where they were outscored 41-14. Prior to Wednesday's win over Utah Valley, USU had eight straight.
• The offense has been solid this season, ranking third in the league with a .295 batting average. Six players are hitting over .300. Brina Buttacavoli has the top average at .382 with 26 hits, 23 RBI, six home runs and 15 runs scored. Riley Plogger comes in just behind her at .377 with 20 hits, 17 RBI, five home runs, six doubles and 17 runs scored.
• Pitching has been a bit of an issue for USU in 2018. As a staff, the Aggies have a 3.96 ERA, which currently ranks seventh in the MW. Their top performer in the circle is Delaney Hull, who is 5-2 with a 2.54 ERA. Kellie White leads the team in strikeouts with 51, but has struggled a bit this season with a 4-7 record and a 3.96 ERA.
• Utah State is coached by Steve Johnson, who is in fifth season with the program. In his time there, he has already become the second-winningest coach in program history. Last season he led the Aggies to a 33-18 overall record and a 14-9 mark in league standings to tie for third. It was the program's most wins since 1993.
