LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - In just two seasons under head coach Kristie Fox, the UNLV softball program has seen success it hadn't experience in a decade. After a 33-20 record and a National Invitational Softball Championship (NISC) regional final appearance in her first season in 2018, Fox and the Rebels topped that in 2019, going 36-14 and just missing out on its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2009 as one of the committee's first four teams out.

The Scarlet and Gray began the year with a 25-7 record, its best start since 1995, and won eight of its final nine games to finish at 36-14, marking the most wins since the 2007 squad went 37-27. UNLV went 14-9 in conference play to finish third in the standings, which was just the seventh top-three finish since the Rebels joined the conference in the year 2000. The 36 wins are tied for eighth-most wins in a single season in program history.

UNLV also completed back-to-back 30-win seasons in the first two years under Fox, its first consecutive 30-win seasons since 2009 and 2010 and just the sixth and seventh 30-win seasons since 1996. After collecting the most wins by a first year coach in 2018 with 33, Fox now has 69 over two seasons to tie for most in the first two years with former Rebel head coach Lonni Alameda, who won 69 combined in 2004 and 2005.

The Rebels came up with several big performances throughout the season. In a two-week stretch, UNLV won two games against Stanford on its home field - the Rebels' first-ever wins over the Cardinal - then took two of three at home from defending Mountain West Champion and then-ranked No. 24 Boise State, who went on to receive an at-large bid to the 2019 NCAA Tournament. In total, UNLV notched six wins over the RPI top-50, while the wins over Stanford marked the first time since 1995 the Rebels had beat the same Pac-12 team twice in the same season.

As has been the case since Fox arrived, UNLV was strong in all three facets of the game - hitting, pitching and defense - in 2019.

The Rebels' batting average of .314 was its highest since 2014 and ranked top-20 in the country all year, finishing the regular season in a tie for 18th nationally, while eight players hit over .300 (led by junior Lauren Tycksen at .395) to help outscore opponents 257-131.UNLV's pitching staff - the trio of freshman Jenny Bressler and juniors Breana Burke and Charlie Masterson - recorded it's best ERA since 2005 at 2.39, which was the top mark in the Mountain West this season. In both years under Fox, the Rebels have recorded sub-3.00 ERAs, marking the first time since 1996 and 1997 they've recorded ERAs under three in consecutive years. Defensively is where they really shined again, committing a league-low 30 errors for a .979 fielding percentage, which ranked in the top 10 in all of NCAA Division I the entire year. After setting program marks for fewest errors and best fielding percentage in program history last spring, UNLV topped that, breaking both of those marks in 2019.

At the conclusion of the regular season, four Rebels were honored by the Mountain West Conference as part of its annual postseason awards. Sophomore Samantha Diaz was named the league's Co-Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first Rebel to earn the award since it was introduced in 2014, after she collected 94 putouts, 188 assists and a .959 fielding percentage - all career bests - and turned 11 of UNLV's 26 double plays on the season.

The Scarlet and Gray saw three players land on the MW All-Conference First Team as sophomore first baseman Mia Trejo picked up her second honor is as many years, while junior Justine Federe and freshman Jenny Bressler each earned their first career league awards. Trejo had another outstanding year, leading the team with eight home runs and 42 RBIs, both career highs, with the 42 runs batted in ranking 10th in a single season in program history. Federe, who has started 143 game at second base over the last three seasons, turned in a career year at the plate, setting new personal bests in batting average (.387), hits (63), runs scored (35), RBI (38), home runs (6), doubles (14), slugging percentage (.595) and stolen bases (7), which all ranked top three on the team in 2019. In her first collegiate season, Bressler was brilliant, going 23-5 with a 2.10 ERA, 15 complete games, six shutouts and 154 strikeouts. The 23 wins were the most be a freshman in program history, breaking the old mark of 21 set by Amanda Oliveto in 2011, and rank seventh all-time in a single season.

The honors didn't stop at the conference level for these three as each earned a National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Region award. Bressler was named an All-West Region First Team selection, Trejo earned her second NFCA honor as an All-West Region Second Team selection and Federe picked up her first as a third team honoree. The three selections are the most since the Rebels had four in 2014, while UNLV now has five in the last two years under Fox. Trejo is also just the 14th player in program history to earn an all-region honor more than once.

While the Rebels came up short of the their goal of a NCAA tournament appearance, the future is more than bright. After graduating just three seniors - Myranda Bueno, Abby Howard and Kiley Harrison - UNLV will have seven of eight fielding position players back, including its entire infield of Trejo, Diaz, Federe and rising sophomore Lauryn Barker, who started every game at third base as a freshman this spring, and two of three outfielders in centerfielder Lauren Tycksen and rightfielder Reina Bondi. Despite losing Harrison, the catcher position has depth with rising junior CC Caccamise and rising sophomore Julia Vollmer both seeing significant time behind the plate in 2019. The Scarlet and Gray's ace Bressler will of course be back, but so will Burke and Masterson, who had career-best ERAs this spring.

The overall depth will be strong as several of the 2019 freshman gained a wealth of experience at the plate, including Statia Cermak and Denise Armendariz, who made significant contributions in the designated player and pinch-hitter roles in their first season. Add in what is sure to be a another strong recruiting class by Fox and the Rebels are set up for even more success in 2020.