LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV softball team couldn't have asked for a better way to wrap up their non-conference tournament slate as the Rebels took down host Stanford in back-to-back games in the Bay Area last weekend. Saturday's 1-0 shutout victory was UNLV's first ever win over the Cardinal, while the consecutive wins marked the first time since 1995 the Rebels had beaten a Pac-12 team twice in the same season.
Overall, the Scarlet and Gray went 5-1 on the weekend to improve to 19-5 on the year, marking the third-best start through 24 games in program history.
With the pre-conference schedule in the rearview mirror, the Rebels are looking ahead to their next challenge - their Mountain West opening series against defending league champion Boise State. The Broncos have also had a hot start to the season and will come to Las Vegas with an 18-2 record and riding a 17-game winning streak. Boise State entered the USA Today/NFCA Top-25 this week for the first time in program history, debuting at No. 24. It should be an intense and tight series as both teams enter the weekend with similar number both offensively and in the circle, with UNLV edging out the Broncos in most statistics, but only slightly. Last year, the Rebels went into Boise and took two of three, but all three contests were decided by just one run. Adding some extra fire to the matchup is Boise State's first-year head coach Maggie Livreri, who was a standout player for the Rebels in 2005 and 2006. The series opens at Eller Media Stadium at 6 p.m. Friday with game two set for Saturday at 4 p.m. and Sunday's series finale at noon.
After the showdown with the Broncos, UNLV will head back out on the road for two weekends, first for a three-game series at Utah State, March 22-24, followed by three games at San Diego State, March 29-31. The Rebels return home April 5-7 for a three-game tilt with Fresno State, who they swept in Fresno last spring.
QUICK HITTERS
• The 19-5 start is the third-best through 24 games in program history. The 1995 squad owns the best record at 21-3 and the 1991 team's 20-4 record is second best
• Entering the last tournament at Stanford, the Rebels were 0-6 against the Cardinal all-time and beat them back-to-back - a 1-0 shutout and a 4-1 win.
• Freshman
Jenny Bressler went 3-0 on the weekend, not allowing a run in 16.2 innings pitched with 16 strikeouts. That included a complete-game shutout win over Stanford, ending a 12-game winning streak by the Cardinal. For her performance, the righty picked up her first career Mountain West Pitcher of the Week honor
• UNLV has winning streaks of six games and two different four-game win streak this season, while its longest losing streak is only two. They will enter the weekend on a three-game win streak
• The offense has been explosive over the first month, hitting a MW-best .332 with 138 runs in 24 games, while UNLV has outscored its opponent 138-44 this season and have only been shut out three times
• UNLV has scored six or more runs in 14 of 24 games and are 14-0 in those games. The Rebels have been held to four hits or fewer just six times this year
• UNLV has also been patient at the plate, drawing 74 walks in 24 games (best in the MW), and have been lights out with runners in scoring position as they hit .346 in those situations compared to .214 for their opponents
•
Mia Trejo has a team-high 16 walks, nine more than the next closest Rebel. She drew a walk to lead off the seventh inning for UNLV in a scoreless game against Stanford on Saturday and that proved to be the game-winner after
Samantha Diaz brought her home with an RBI single three batters later
• The defense has also been outstanding, committing just 10 errors in 24 games with a .985 fielding percentage, which currently ranks fourth in the country. For the season, the Rebels have committed more than one error in a game only twice. In Stanford, the Rebels turned five double plays, including four alone by shortstop
Samantha Diaz
• The pitching has found its stride as the trio of Bressler,
Charlie Masterson and
Breana Burke have combined for a 1.88 ERA, which ranks second in the MW. Bressler, the 2018 Michigan Gatorade Player of the Year, has had a stellar start to her career going 11-2 with a 1.83 ERA and a team-high 66 strikeouts. Burke leads the team with a 1.68 ERA and Masterson is at 2.23
• The pitching staff has been particularly stingy as of late - allowing just two runs over their last 38.0 innings with four shutouts in the last six games. They have now held their opponents to three runs or fewer for 11 consecutive games and in 19 of 24 games this year. Over that 11-game stretch, the staff has recorded an ERA of 1.00, allowing just 10 runs in 70.0 innings pitched
• The Rebels success has come in part to their ability to strike early, with 83 of their 138 runs coming in the first four innings. Scoring first and leading early has also been key as they are 15-0 when they score first and when leading after four innings
• UNLV went 20-for-20 on stolen base attempts to start the season. UNLV had a quiet weekend on the bases, going 3-for-3 in steal attempts to move to 38-42 on the season (steal and attempts both lead the MW) to far surpass their season total of 31 a year ago
• In a 7-0 win over Bucknell Friday,
Reina Bondi tallied UNLV's second inside the park home run of the year. They now have 14 through 24 games after hitting just 20 in 53 games last season
• Bondi had an outstanding performance over the weekend, going 10-for-19 (.526) with eight RBI, a double, a triple and five runs scored in six total games over the weekend to earn an NFCA Top Performance of the Week
• Two long hitting streaks came to an end at Stanford -
Justine Federe's team-high 15-game streak ended Saturday against the Cardinal and Tycksen's nine-game streak ended against UMass-Lowell Friday
• Junior
Lauren Tycksen continues to be a consistent force at the plate. Her .468 average leads the team while her 37 hits rank fourth in the NCAA
• The Rebels have seven players hitting over .300 (Bueno, Trejo, Bondi, Diaz, Federe, Cermak and Tycksen) including two over .400 (Cermak and Tycksen)
• Tycksen and fellow junior
Reina Bondi have been a lethal 1-2 punch at the top of lineup, combining to go 66-for-102 (.407) with 50 runs scored and 27 RBI. The two have also combined to go 27-for-29 on stolen bases, with Bondi's 14-for-14 a new career high
• Returners
Justine Federe,
Mia Trejo,
Myranda Bueno & Diaz have also been productive at the plate, going 89-for-258 (.344) with 34 runs scored, 10 home runs and 63 RBI
• Tycksen leads the way with 12 multi-hit games this season, while Bondi is second with nine.Tycksen and Federe are tied with the lead with five multi-RBI games a piece
• Freshman
Statia Cermak has made the most of her opportunities at the plate this season as she is 14-for-31 (.452), which includes 5-for-5 with four RBI in pinch-hit situations. She also ranks second in the MW in on-base percentage ag .550
• 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 17th in the country in batting average (.332); tied for 23rd in win-loss percentage (.792); 26th in on-base percentage (.403); 29th in ERA (1.88); 45th in runs per game (5.75); 40th in stolen bases per game (1.58), fourth in fielding percentage (.985) and 37th in double plays per game (.46). Junior
Lauren Tycksen is 28th in batting average (.468), fourth in hits (37) and 33rd in runs per game (1.08). Junior
Justine Federe is tied for ninth nationally in sacrific flies (3) In stolen bases per game, Bondi is tied for 39th (0.67). Freshman
Jenny Bressler is 11th in wins (11) and 25th in shutouts (3).
•
Mountain West: Rebels rank at the top or near the top in most major offensive, pitching and defensive statistical categories. They rank first in batting average (.332), on-base percentage (.403) and hits (204) and second in runs runs (138), RBI (124) and third slugging percentage (.463). UNLV's ERA of 1.88 ranks second, its 156.0 innings pitched ranks first and its 44 runs allowed ranks second. Defensively, UNLV's .985 fielding percentage ranks first in the conference. Tycksen ranks first in hits (37), second in batting average (.468) and runs scored (26), while
Reina Bondi ranks second in run scored (29) and first in at-bats (83). Freshman
Statia Cermak is third in batting average at .452 and second in on-base percentage at .550. Bondi is tied for first with 14 stolen bases, while
Justine Federe is third in the MW with 21 RBI. Freshman
Jenny Bressler leads in innings pitched (76.2), strikeouts (66), batters struck out looking (22) and wins (11).
LIVE STATS/UPDATES
Live stats links and video links are available at
www.UNLVRebels.com. Live updates can also be found by following @UNLVSoftball on twitter.
