Friday, February 22
Riverside, CA
11:30 AM PT
University of Nevada Las Vegas
vs
Portland State University
2/21/2019 10:59:00 AM | Softball
UNLV will play four games at UC Riverside's Amy S. Harrison Classic Feb. 22-24
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com)Â -Â The UNLV softball team continued its hot start last weekend with a 4-1 mark at the inaugural Boyd Gaming Rebel Classic to improve to 9-1 on the season for just the second time in program history. The first team to start the season 9-1 through 10 games was the 1995 squad, who went on to earn a berth in the Women's College World Series that season.
The Rebels did make history on Friday after a 2-0 win over Utah Valley moved them to 6-0 on season, marking the first ever 6-0 start for the program. That streak ended later that afternoon with a close 1-0 loss to Miami-Ohio, but the Scarlet and Gray went on to win the remaining three games of the weekend by a combined score of 24-8.
Up next is the Amy S. Harrison Classic hosted by UC Riverside, February 22-24. UNLV will open the tournament Friday at 11:30 a.m. against Portland State, who they beat 9-1 in six innings in Las Vegas last year, for their lone game that day. Saturday morning the Rebels will take on Maryland for just the third meeting all-time between the two schools at 9 a.m, followed by a second matchup with the Vikings at 11:30 a.m. UNLV will finish up the weekend Sunday against host UC Riverside at 11:30 a.m. UNLV might have some revenge on the mind after the Highlanders beat the Rebels twice to end their season last May in the National Invitational Softball Championship (NISC) Regionals in Las Vegas.
The Riverside tournament is the first of three straight weekends on the road, with the exception of a Thursday, March 7 midweek contest against San Diego at 1 p.m. at Eller Media Stadium. After the three-week stretch of tournaments, UNLV will return home March 15-17 to host defending Mountain West Champion Boise State in its conference home-opening series.
QUICK HITTERS
• The 9-1 start is the best since 1995, the only other year the Rebels started 9-1 through the first 10 games. That was also the last year the Rebels made the Women's College World Series
• The Rebels enter the weekend on a three-game winning streak
• UNLV did make history Friday with a 2-0 win over Utah Valley, which brought their record to 6-0 and marked the first 6-0 start in program history. That streak ended later in the afternoon with a 1-0 loss to Miami-Ohio.Â
• The offense has been explosive over the first two weeks, hitting .336 with 68 runs in 10 games, while UNLV has outscored its opponent 68-24 this season
• UNLV has also been patient at the plate, drawing 39 walks in 10 games, and have been lights out with runners in scoring position as they hit .346 in those situations compared to .234 for their opponents
• The defense has also been outstanding, committing just three errors in 10 games with a .989 fielding percentage, which currently ranks fifth in the country
• The pitching has been a consistent force as the trio of Charlie Masterson, Breana Burke and Jenny Bressler combining for a 3.14 ERA so far this year, which included a shutout last weekend and four games in which they gave up four or fewer runs
• The Rebels success has come in part to their ability to strike early, with 31 of their 68 runs coming in the first three innings and 47 of their 68 coming in th first four. On the flip side Rebels have allowed just 11 runs over the first three innings and none in the second inning
• UNLV went 20-for-20 on stolen base attempts to start the season and are 25-for-26 through two weekends after swiping just 31 bases all of last year
• The Rebels have five players hitting over .500 (minimum 20 at-bats), led by junior Lauren Tycksen, who is hitting .515 with 17 hits, 16 runs scored, eight RBI, three doubles and two triples to go along with a .727 slugging percentage and a .543 on-base percentage
• UNLV has hit six home runs through 10 games after hitting just 20 in 53 games last season. Senior Myranda Bueno leads the way with two, including a game-sealing two-run shot in a 5-2 win against UTEP Sunday, and has already doubled her career total in 10 games this season
• Tycksen and fellow junior Reina Bondi have been a lethal 1-2 punch at the top of lineup, combining to go 28-for-68 (.412) with 30 runs scored and 10 RBI. The two have also combined to go 17-for-17 on stolen bases, with Bondi's 10-for-10 mark matching her career high
• The core returners (Mia Trejo, Myranda Bueno, Samantha Diaz and Justine Federe, not including Bondi) have also been productive at the plate, going 36-for-107 (.336 with 18 runs scored, two home runs and 29 RBI)
• Bressler, the 2018 Michigan Gatorade Player of the Year, has had a stellar start to her career going 5-0 with a 3.34 ERA, giving up 32 hits in 32.1 innings pitched with three complete-game performances
• Junior transfer Tycksen, who was an NFCA Junior College All-American at Salt Lake City Community College last spring, earned her first Mountain West Player of the Week award on Feb. 12 after hitting .625 with 10 runs scored, two triples, five RBI and five stolen bases. She was also named College Sports Madness' Mountain West Player of the Week and was recognized as a Top Performer by the NFCA.
RANKING THE REBELS
• NCAA: The Rebels rank 34th in the country in batting average (.336); 36th in runs per game (6.80); 16th in stolen bases per game (2.50) and fifth in fielding percentage (.989). Junior Lauren Tycksen is tied for second in runs per game (1.60) & Reina Bondi is tied for 16th (1.40); In stolen bases per game, Bondi ranks tied for 8th (1.00); Freshman Jenny Bressler ranks tied for seventh with five wins.
• Mountain West: Not available this week.
LIVE STATS/UPDATES
Live stats links for all four games are available at www.UNLVRebels.com. Live updates can also be found by following @UNLVSoftball on twitter.
Players Mentioned
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P/IN
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1B
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/ SoftballWednesday, May 06
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Wednesday, March 25
Tuesday, March 24
