LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV Rebels close out the 2019 regular season at home with a visit from the Fresno State Bulldogs to Earl E. Wilson Stadium this week. The three-game, Mountain West series begins Thursday evening at 6:05 pm and continues Friday (6:05 pm) and Saturday (6:05 pm).
 
The Bulldogs and Rebels head into the series sitting in first and third place, respectively, in the MW standings. FS owns a 17-8-1 mark in league play and is 32-14-1 overall on the year. UNLV is 14-13 against conference foes and 27-24 overall.
 
The Scarlet & Gray is coming off a series win over the New Mexico Lobos in Albuquerque, N.M., last weekend. Due to inclement weather, game one was postponed last Friday and rolled over to Saturday for a doubleheader at Santa Ana Star Field. The Rebels won a tightly contested, low-scoring affair, 4-2, in game one before erupting for season highs in runs (18) and hits (25) in game two's 18-8 victory. Unfortunately, the Lobos pushed out to a three-run lead in Sunday's finale and held on for a one-run lead, 3-2.
 
The Bulldogs went 2-1 last week at home against the San Diego State Aztecs, winning games one and three by 10-2 and 8-3 scores, respectively, while the middle affair went to SDSU by four, 10-6. Delving deeper, FS has gone 6-1 since it tied New Mexico, 6-6 – due to a travel curfew, on April 28, and has amassed a 13-2-1 record in its last 16 games.
 
Historically speaking, UNLV and FS have squared off 95 times dating back to 1977. The Bulldogs own a 15-game edge in the head-to-head series, holding a 55-40 lead; however, the Rebels have been victorious in seven of the past 10 meetings. Earlier this year in Fresno, UNLV won game one, 4-3 in 10 innings, and two, 7-3, but lost the finale, 6-4.
 
FOLLOW ALONG: Fans can follow this weekend's Mountain West series between UNLV and FS through live stats, live video and Twitter (@UNLVbaseball). Links to the video streams as well as statistics will be made available at UNLVRebels.com. Additionally, Friday's contest will air live on Fox Sports 98.9 FM/1340 AM around the Las Vegas Valley and online at LVSportsNetwork.com.
 
SENIOR SEND-OFF: The UNLV baseball program will recognize its seven outgoing seniors prior to Saturday's game at Earl E. Wilson Stadium. The seven-member class includes four-year Rebels Paul Richy, Max Smith and Vince Taormina as well as transfers Jackson Cofer, Dillon Johnson, Donavon McCrystal and Seth Mullis.
 
ON DECK: UNLV is vying for one of four spots at next week's Mountain West Championship in Reno. The four-day tournament is slated to run May 23-26 at Peccole Park.
 
DOWN THE STRETCH THEY COME: Six of the conference's seven teams are still alive for the Mountain West Championships next week in Reno. Fresno State and San Diego State are still battling for the regular-season title; however, the Bulldogs sit in the driver's seat needing one win or one Aztecs loss for the crown.
 
SDSU, which hosts New Mexico, is 15-11 and sits 2.5 games back of FS, while UNLV is in third, 14-13, and hosts FS this week.
 
UNR sits in fourth at 14-16, but must wait out the results of the weekend since it has already completed its portion of conference play. Both San Jose State (12-15) and Air Force (10-13) are both mathematically eligible for the MW tourney; however, the Spartans and Falcons face each other this weekend and one must achieve a weekend sweep for a chance to advance to next week's competition in Reno.
 
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING – TEAM: UNLV is ranked in the top 125 of 14 different NCAA categories.
 
- UNLV ranks second overall in double plays (55) and "turns two" 1.08 times per game, which puts them fifth overall in the nation.
- UNLV ranks 19th in hits (533) and 32nd in doubles (102).
- UNLV ranks 39th in batting average (.293), 97th in on-base percentage (.373) and 111th in slugging percentage (.410).
- UNLV ranks 104th in runs (305).
- UNLV ranks 101st in base on balls (219).
- UNLV ranks 54th in sacrifice flies (25).
- UNLV ranks 55th in fielding percentage (.975).
- UNLV ranks 125th in scoring (6.0).
 
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING – INDIVIDUAL: UNLV has multiple players ranked in the top 150 of numerous NCAA statistical categories – top-150 statistics listed below.
 
- Bryson Stott is ranked in the top 100 of 10 categories, most notably: 10th in walks (50), 17th in runs (61), 19th in doubles (19), 23rd in on-base percentage (.498), 29th in total bases (126), 35th in hits (73), 55th in slugging percentage (.636), 61st in batting average (.369) and 138th in home runs (10).
- Max Smith is ranked 120th in doubles (15) and 137th in RBI (45).
- Edarian Williams is ranked 76th in hits (69).
- Jackson Cofer is 24th in saves (10).
- Ryan Hare is 52nd in victories (seven), 36th in WHIP (0.99) and 62nd in hits allowed per 9.0 IP (6.51).
- Cameron Jabara is 98th in complete games (one).
- Chase Maddux is 23rd in games started (13) and 97th in walks allowed per 9.0 IP (2.01).
- Donavon McCrystal is 45th in pitching appearances (26).
- Conner Woods is 106th in pitching appearances (24).
 
QUICK HITS:
- UNLV is 14-13 versus conference competition and 13-11 against nonconference foes.
- UNLV is 19-9 in home games and 8-15 in road games this season.
- UNLV sits 14-15 in day games, and sits 13-9 in night games.
- UNLV sits 12-10 in games decided by two or fewer runs: 10-8 in one-run games and 2-2 in two-run games.
- UNLV is 4-1 in extra innings and 1-2 in shutouts.
- UNLV is 18-5 when scoring six or more runs in a game, but 7-18 when limited to five or fewer runs.
- More impressively, UNLV is 12-1 when scoring eight or more runs in a game.
- UNLV is 19-5 when it limits an opponent to five or fewer runs, but 9-18 when it allows six or more runs.
- UNLV is 15-9 when it scores first and 10-7 when it scores in the first inning.
- UNLV is 12-15 when an opponent scores first and 7-12 when an opponent scores in the first inning.
- UNLV owns impressive figures when leading after six (21-2), seven (19-2) and eight (20-3) innings.
- UNLV is 19-3 when it outhits and opponent, 5-14 when it is outhit and 3-6 when hits are tied in a game.
- Bryson Stott: In his last 22 games, which included a 14-game hit streak that began against New Mexico (March 31), he has produced a .449 batting average (40-for-89) with 16 extra-base hits (11 doubles and five homers) that has helped amass a .742 slugging percentage. With the combination of hits and 17 walks, Stott has a .538 on-base percentage. He's also scored 32 runs and knocked in 21.
- Edarian Williams: In his last 25 games – beginning with UC Riverside (March 26), he has produced a .362 batting average (38-for-105) with six extra-base hits (all doubles) that has produced a .419 slugging percentage. Williams also has a .414 on-base percentage with help from nine walks. He has also knocked in 17 RBI and scored nine times.
- Ryan Hare, a three-time Mountain West Pitcher of the Week, is 7-3 on the year with a 3.39 ERA and 49 strikeouts in 14 appearances and a total 66.1 innings of work. Delving deeper, Hare is 5-2 since he became the Saturday starter in the weekend rotation on March 16. In a total of nine starts, he owns a 3.21 ERA with 33 strikeouts in 53.1 innings and is holding opponents to a .184 batting average.
 
STOTT ON TWO WATCH LISTS: UNLV baseball's Bryson Stott has been named a semifinalist for Golden Spikes Award as well as the Brooks Wallace Award, both of which were announced Wednesday.
 
The Golden Spikes Award semifinalist list is comprised of 25 of the nation's top amateur players from the high school and college ranks.
 
Fan voting will be open for the semifinals begins Wednesday and runs through May 29 at GoldenSpikesAward.com. The 42nd Golden Spikes Award will be presented in partnership with the Rod Dedeaux Foundation on June 14.
 
The Brooks Wallace Award has dwindled down its watch list from 69 players to 14 semifinalists that are vying to be named the nation's top collegiate shortstop. The award will be presented by the College Baseball Foundation this summer.
 
COFER CLOSING IN: UNLV senior Jackson Cofer recorded his 10th save of the season on April 27 in the 5-4 victory over San Diego State and became only the third Rebel to notch double-digit saves in a single season in program history. With the one inning of successful relief work, Cofer joined the select group of Bryan Menendez (2018: 12) and Ben Wright (2016: 11).
 
The Coronado High School graduate and Utah Valley transfer needs five more saves to move into a tie with Brayden Torres (2013-15) for fifth place in the career chart.
 
STOPPER OF THE YEAR AWARD WATCH LIST: UNLV's Jackson Cofer was one of 45 student-athletes named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association's Stopper of the Year Award watch list, an award that is given annually to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball.
 
RANKED OPPONENTS: To date, UNLV has already played three teams that are currently ranked in various top-25 polls, while a fourth is coming up with this week's visit from the Fresno State Bulldogs, who comes in at No. 25 in Baseball America weekly survey.
 
Earlier this year, the Rebels played the Pac-12's Stanford Cardinal and Arizona State Sun Devils a total of five times to the tune of a 2-3 mark; the former was No. 5, while the latter was No. 9 (April 9) and No. 10 (April 23) on gameday. To date, Stanford sits at No. 3 in five NCAA baseball publications and ASU is ranked as high as No. 19 by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.
 
The Scarlet & Gray split a two-game, midweek series against UCSB (Feb. 19-20) in Las Vegas. The Gauchos were not ranked when they played at Earl E. Wilson Stadium prior to the Stanford series; however, the Golden State squad is No. 6 in the CBN poll and within the top 14 of four others.
 
Houston was receiving votes in the CBN, NCBWA (40th) and USA Today preseason polls, but never cracked the top 25. The Cougars received votes, once more, in the NCBWA poll in week 11.
 
PURCHASE TICKETS: Single-game ticket prices the final home series are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors, faculty and staff seniors, and $4 for groups of 15 or more. Fans that purchase tickets online up to three hours prior to first pitch can get them for an advanced single-game price of $5.
 
All high school, middle school and elementary students are now free under UNLV's new admission policy. To receive free admission, high school students must present valid Nevada area school I.D. at the box office on gameday to receive one (1) complimentary ticket. All other students will receive a complimentary ticket at the box office (no I.D. required). Kids not yet elementary school age will continue to receive free admission for all UNLV Olympic sports.