LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV softball team will finally be returning home after spending four of the past five weekends on the road, hosting Fresno State at Eller Media Stadium, April 5-7. Series first pitch is set for Friday at 6 p.m., followed by a 4 p.m. contest Saturday and a 12 p.m. start to wrap up the weekend Sunday.
The Rebels will be heading into the series with momentum after completing their first sweep of the season in San Diego last weekend. It was the program's first three-game sweep over the Aztecs and was the first series win in San Diego since 2005. The sweep didn't come easy though as it took 17 innings in Sunday's finale to win 4-3 in the third-longest game in Rebel softball history.
UNLV saw stellar performances from sophomore
Mia Trejo at the plate and junior
Breana Burke in the circle. Trejo hit .400 with five RBI, four runs scored, five walks and a three-run home run en route to earning her first career MW Player of the Week honor.
Burke meanwhile turned in one of the best weekends of her career, going 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 17.2 innings pitched. That included a complete-game performance in a 7-2 win in game two and 10.2 scoreless innings of relief in Sunday's marathon game.
The 3-0 mark in San Diego moved the Scarlet and Gray to 25-7 overall and a 6-2 mark in Mountain West play. That is the third-best record through 32 games in program history and best start since 1995.
After three weekends of conference play, UNLV currently sits fourth in the Mountain West standings, but is just two and half games out of first place. The Rebels still have series remaining with all three teams above them - Colorado State (9-0), UNR (5-1) and San Jose State (5-1). With five conference series remaining, the champion and automatic NCAA berth is far from being decided.
For the first time this season, UNLV received votes in the two major top 25 polls in the same week, garnering one apiece in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll and on in the ESPN/USA Today DI Collegiate poll.
Up next after Fresno State is another big road weekend as the Rebels will head to first-place Colorado State, April 12-14, in a series that is sure to have considerable implications on the title race.
WEEKEND PROMOTIONS
- Friday - CODE RED (Be sure to wear RED); First 100 fans receive a UNLV drawstring bag
- Saturday - Autographs with players after the game; Alumni appreciation
- Sunday - Kids Run The Bases after the game
QUICK HITTERS
• The 25-7 start is the third-best through 32 games in program history. The 1995 & 1991 squads each went 26-6. 1995 was the last time UNLV made an appearance in the Women's College World Series
• UNLV has three wins over ranked teams (in USAToday/NFCA and/or USA Softball Top 25 poll) this year marking the first time since 2005 the Rebels have beaten three ranked teams in the same season; Stanford, who was receiving votes in the two major polls when UNLV played them, is now ranked, which would make five wins over ranked teams this year
• UNLV has winning streaks of six games and two different four-game win streaks this season, while its longest losing streak is only two
• The Rebels need just eight wins to match last year's total of 33 with 18 games still left to play
• Head coach
Kristie Fox needs just eight wins to reach 200 in her head coaching career
• The sweep over SDSU was the first three-game sweep over the Aztecs in program history and first series win in San Diego since 2005
• It was just the ninth series win in the 29 seasons UNLV has faced SDSU all-time and first since 2016
• Just the fourth time they've gone unbeaten in the regular season against SDSU [1986 (4-0), 1994 (2-0) and 2005 (4-0)]
• Sunday's 17-inning showdown at SDSU was the longest game in the country this year (innings-wise) and was the third-longest game in program history program behind an 18-inning 2-1 loss to #14 Long Beach State on April 13, 1991 and a 20-inning 1-0 loss at Fresno State on April 24, 1987
• The offense has been strong in 2019, hitting .325 (ranks tied for 17th in the country) with 180 runs in 32 games, while UNLV has outscored its opponent 180-69 this season and have only been shut out three times
• UNLV has scored six or more runs in 17 of 32 games and are 17-0 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 100 walks in 32 games (best in the MW), and have been lights out with runners in scoring position as they hit .334 in those situations compared to .214 for their opponents. They are also hitting .331 with two outs
• Pinch-hitting has been successful for Fox and the Rebels this year as they are hitting .347 (17-for-49) in those situations. It was especially successful Sunday in the finale at SDSU as three of four RBIs came in pinch-hit situations - freshmen
Statia Cermak and
Denise Armendariz each each pinch-hit solo home runs, while sophomore CC Caccamise brought home the game-winning run in the top of the 17th on a pinch-hit RBI fielder's choice. Cermak has been deadly in the role as she is now 7-for-10 (.700)
•
Mia Trejo has a team-high 24 walks, 10 more than the next closest Rebel. She was intentionally walked twice Sunday with runners on base
• The defense has also been outstanding, committing just 20 errors in 32 games with a .978 fielding percentage, which currently ranks fifth in the country. The Rebels had a rare off weekend with six errors in San Diego, but ror the season, they have committed more than one error in a game only three times and are 15-3 when they don't commit an error
• Outside of a few hiccups, the pitching staff has been outstanding this year. The trio of
Jenny Bressler,
Charlie Masterson and
Breana Burke have combined for a 1.94 ERA, which leads the MW and ranks 20th in the NCAA.
• Bressler, the 2018 Michigan Gatorade Player of the Year, has had a stellar start to her career going 15-3 with a 1.68 ERA and a team-high 88 strikeouts. Burke, a junior, is also having a career year as she is now 6-2 with a team-best ERA of 1.53, thanks to 17.2 innings without allowing an earned run in San Diego last weekend
• UNLV has allowed three runs or fewer in 15 of its last 19 games and in 24 of 32 games this year
• Scoring first and early has been key in 2019 as the Rebels are 21-1 when they score first and 19-0 when they lead after four innings
• UNLV went 20-for-20 on stolen base attempts to start the season and is currently 43-47, far surpassing their season total of 31 a year ago. Juniors
Lauren Tycksen and
Reina Bondi each have 16 this year, a new career high for Bondi
• Sophomore first baseman
Mia Trejo had another stellar weekend at the plate and extended her hitting streak to eight games - encompassing the first eight games of MW play. During that stretch, she's gone 12-for-24 (.500) with 15 RBI, seven runs scored, one double, three runs home and eight walks. The sophomore has also reached base safely in 11 straight games. She has had at least one home run in all three conference series, while all three bombs have been of the multi-run variety. Her six total HRs this year is a new career high.
• The Rebels now have 21 home runs through 32 games after having just 20 in 53 total games last year
•
Myranda Bueno will also enter the weekend with a hitting streak, hers at six games. She's gone 10-for-24 (.416) during that span
• Junior
Justine Federe owns the Rebels' longest hitting streak of the season at 15 games while
Lauren Tycksen is second with a nine gamer
• Junior
Lauren Tycksen continues to be a consistent force at the plate. Her .413 average leads the team while her 45 hits rank tied for 34th in the NCAA
• The Rebels have eight players hitting over .300 (Harrison, Bueno, Diaz, Trejo, Bondi, 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 77-for-191 (.384) with 70 runs scored and 30 RBI. The two have also combined to go 32-for-34 on stolen bases
• Returners
Justine Federe,
Mia Trejo,
Myranda Bueno &
Samantha Diaz have also been productive at the plate, going 128-for-366 (.349) with 63 runs scored, 13 home runs and 93 RBI
• Tycksen leads the way with 15 multi-hit games this season, while Bondi is second with 11. Trejo has a team-best nine multi-RBI games
• Freshman
Statia Cermak has made the most of her opportunities at the plate this season as she is 16-for-38 (.421), including 7-for-10 as a pinch-hitter
•
Mia Trejo earned her first career Mountain West Player of the Week award on April 2 after hitting .400 with five RBI, a three-run home run, four runs scored and five walks
•
Jenny Bressler earned back-to-back Mountain West Pitcher of the Week honors on March 12 & March 19, becoming the first Rebel to win the award in back-to-back weeks since Amanda Oliveto in 2013
• 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
• Top 25 DI Polls:
- The Rebels received a vote in the ESPN/USA Softball Top 25 Poll for the second straight week and returned to the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Top 25 Poll after receiving a vote in that one as well
- On. March 19, UNLV received 15 votes in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Top 25 Poll Tuesday, marking the first time since April 1, 2009 they had received votes in that poll
• RPI: UNLV debuted in the season's first RPI at No. 36 on Monday, March 18. This week, they currently sit at No. 40.
• NCAA: The Rebels rank fifth in fielding percentage (.978); 17th in the country in batting average (.325); 17th in double plays per game (0.53), tied for 21st in win-loss percentage (.781) and 20th in ERA (1.95). Junior
Lauren Tycksen is 34th in hits (45) and is tied with teammate
Reina Bondi for 23rd in runs per game (1.09 and tied for 54th in stolen bases per game (0.50). Junior
Justine Federe is tied for eighth in sacrifice flys(4). Freshman
Jenny Bressler is 13th in wins (15) and 29th in shutouts (4).
• Mountain West: Rebels rank at the top or near the top in most major offensive, pitching and defensive statistical categories. They rank first in hits (280), second in batting average (.325) and third in on-base percentage (.397), RBI (165) and runs (180). UNLV ranks first in ERA (1.94), runs allowed (69), earned runs allowed (60 and walks allowed (60). They rank third in battters struck out (160) and batters struck out looking (49) and fifth in opposing batting average (.247). Defensively, UNLV's .978 fielding percentage and 20 errors each rank first in the conference. Tycksen ranks first in hits (45), tied for first in batting average (.413), tied for second runs scored (35) and tied for third in stolen bases (16).
Reina Bondi also ranks tied second in run scored (35) and tied for second with 16 stolen bases, while
Mia Trejo is second in the MW with 33 RBI. Junior
Breana Burke leads the conference with a 1.53 ERA, while freshman
Jenny Bressler leads in innings pitched (112.1) and is second in strikeouts (88) and first in both batters struck out looking (30) and wins (15).
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.
