LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – UNLV baseball head coach
Stan Stolte announced the hiring of
Cooper Esmay as the program's director of operations. Esmay served as the team's graduate manager during the 2018 campaign after suiting up for the Scarlet & Gray for the 2016 and '17 seasons.
Esmay, who graduated with an undergraduate degree in communications from UNLV in 2017, will handle the daily off-the-field team needs, such as: practice scheduling, team travel, compliance, fundraising, student-athlete development, academics, community outreach and camps.
"We are excited to officially add Cooper to our staff," said Stolte. "He was a great team player when he played here; relentless worker and really helped us move forward."
The native of Casa Grande, Arizona, played in 81 games with 53 starts for the Rebels, and collected 60 hits for a .263 batting average. He notched a .434 slugging percentage with 25 hits going for extra bases, with 17 doubles, six home runs and two triples. Additionally, he scored 37 runs and knocked in 36 RBI.
Esmay was named the Mountain West's Player of the Week on May 21, 2016, after he hit .571 with four hits, two of which were home runs, and posted a 1.429 slugging percentage and .625 on-base percentage to go with six RBI and three runs.
Prior to his move to the Las Vegas Valley, Esmay played at Arizona State and Central Arizona College during his freshman and sophomore seasons. At ASU, he was able to play for his father, Tim, and alongside his brother, Tucker, who was a junior during the 2014 season.
2019 SEASON: UNLV baseball will play 56 games in 2019, 32 of which will take place at home at Earl E. Wilson Stadium. In all, the Rebels will play 30 contests against Mountain West competition and 26 more against foes from five different conferences, including six on the road at Stanford (Pac-12) and Houston (American Athletic) – two squads that finished 2018 ranked in the top 25 polls.
The Rebels, who went 35-24 in 2018, open the season with five straight home games, three against Seattle (Feb. 15-17) and two in a midweek set vs. UC Santa Barbara (Feb. 19-20). In fact, 21 of the Scarlet & Gray's first 30 games will be played at Wilson Stadium.
