LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV Rebels conclude their season-long, six-game road trip with three Mountain West contests against the New Mexico Lobos in Albuquerque, N.M. The Rebels played once in California against the UC Riverside Highlanders and twice in Texas in a weather-shortened, two-game set at the Houston Cougars before this weekend's conference showdown at Santa Ana Star Field in the Duke City.
 
Friday's affair between the Rebels (25-23 overall, 12-12 MW) and Lobos (20-25-1, 8-13-1) is slated to begin at 6:00 pm MT (5:00 pm PT). Prior to the game, both teams will participate in a moment of silence around the pitching mound to honor the memory of UNM's Jackson Weller, who tragically passed away last Friday night.
 
Games two and three are afternoon tilts that begin at 2:00 pm MT (1:00 pm PT) Saturday and 12:00 pm MT (11:00 am PT) Sunday.
 
Historically speaking, UNLV and UNM have squared off a total of 183 times with the first meeting taking place in Las Vegas in 1978. The Rebels own a nine-game lead in the head-to-head series, notching 91 wins to 82 losses. The Cherry & Silver took two of three from the Scarlet & Gray in the previous meeting played over March 29-31 in Las Vegas
 
FOLLOW ALONG: Fans can follow this weekend's Mountain West series between UNLV and UNM through live stats, live video and Twitter (@UNLVbaseball). Links to the video streams as well as statistics will be made available at UNLVRebels.com.
 
ON DECK: UNLV returns to Las Vegas and Earl E. Wilson Stadium next weekend for its final three games of the regular season on May 16-18 – a Thursday-Friday-Saturday series – against the Fresno State Bulldogs.
 
DOWN THE STRETCH THEY COME: Last week's contests in Southeast Texas against Houston signaled the conclusion of UNLV's nonconference portion of its 2019 schedule. The remainder of the Scarlet & Gray's regular season consists of six games that will be played over the next nine days in Mountain West play against the UNM Lobos and Fresno State Bulldogs.
 
Entering the weekend, UNLV sits tied for third place in the MW alongside the San Jose State Spartans with identical 12-12 marks. The Rebels have two conference series left with three at seventh-place the Lobos and three at home vs. the first-place Bulldogs, while the Spartans will host sixth-place UNR, which closes out MW competition this weekend, and then travel to play fifth-place Air Force three times.
 
FS (15-7-1) and the second-place San Diego State Aztecs (14-9) square off against each other in Fresno this weekend. SDSU will close out the season at home against UNM.
 
The conference's top-four teams qualify for the MW Championships in Reno at the end of the month (23rd-26th) at UNR's Peccole Park.
 
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING – TEAM: UNLV is ranked in the top 100 of nine different NCAA categories.
 
- UNLV ranks third overall in double plays (50) and "turns two" 1.04 times per game, which puts them sixth overall in the nation.
- UNLV ranks 25th in hits (498) and 37th in doubles (96), and sits outside the top 100 in home runs (153rd: 30) and triples (162nd: nine).
- UNLV ranks 40th in batting average (.291), 104th in slugging percentage (.410) and 120th in on-base percentage (.369).
- UNLV ranks 121st in runs (281).
- UNLV ranks 136th in base on balls (199).
- UNLV ranks 59th in fielding percentage (.975).
 
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 (47), 32nd in on-base percentage (.494) and total bases (119), 34th in runs (54), 39th in doubles (17), 54th in hits (67), 58th in slugging percentage (.638), 83rd in home runs (10) and 86th in batting average (.362).
- Max Smith is ranked 135th in RBI (43) and 145th in doubles (14).
- Edarian Williams is ranked 95th in hits (64).
- Jackson Cofer is 22nd in saves (10).
- Ryan Hare is 35th in victories (seven), 30th in WHIP (0.95) and 51st in hits allowed per 9.0 IP (6.25).
- Cameron Jabara is 82nd in complete games (one) and 109th in walks allowed per 9.0 IP (2.02).
- Chase Maddux is 28th in games started (12) and 114th in walks allowed per 9.0 IP (2.03).
- Donavon McCrystal is 37th in pitching appearances (25).
- Conner Woods is 95th in pitching appearances (23).
 
QUICK HITS:
- With the completion of last weekend's series at Houston, UNLV concluded the nonconference portion of its 2019 schedule, going 13-11 against a total of 12 opponents from five different conferences.
- UNLV is 19-9 in home games and 6-14 in road games this season.
- UNLV is 12-12 in conference games.
- UNLV is 11-9 in games decided by one or two runs: 10-7 in one-run games and 1-2 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 17-5 when it limits an opponent to five or fewer runs, but 8-18 when it allows six or more runs.
- UNLV is 13-9 when it scores first and 8-7 when it scores in the first inning.
- UNLV is 12-14 when an opponent scores first and 6-12 when an opponent scores in the first inning.
- UNLV owns impressive figures when leading after six (19-2), seven (17-2) and eight (18-3) innings.
- UNLV is 18-3 when it outhits and opponent, 4-14 when it is outhit and 3-6 when hits are tied in a game.
- Bryson Stott: In his last 19 games, which included a 14-game hit streak, he has produced a .447 batting average (34-for-76) with 14 extra-base hits (nine doubles and five homers) that has helped amass a .763 slugging percentage. With the combination of hits and 14 walks, Stott has a .533 on-base percentage. He's also scored 25 runs and knocked in 21.
- Edarian Williams: In his last 22 games, he has produced a .359 batting average (33-for-92) with six extra-base hits (all doubles) that has produced a .424 slugging percentage. Williams also has a .406 on-base percentage with help from eight walks. He has also knocked in 13 RBI and scored six times.
- James Gamble: In his last 19 games, he is hitting .338 (22-for-65) with seven multiple-hit games. Gamble has .431 slugging and .389 on-base percentages, with 15 runs scored and seven RBI.
- UNLV's Ryan Hare, a three-time Mountain West Pitcher of the Week, is 7-3 on the year with a 3.27 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 13 appearances and a total 63.1 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 eight starts, he owns a 3.04 ERA with 30 strikeouts in 50.1 innings.
 
MOUND & CLASSROOM SUCCESS: UNLV baseball's Donavon McCrystal was named to the CoSIDA NCAA Division I All-District 8 Team, the organization announced Thursday. This is the first career CoSIDA honor for the senior pitcher.
 
McCrystal has made a conference- and team-high 25 appearances on the mound, thus far, in 2019, which places him 37th nationally amongst NCAA Division I pitchers. Additionally, the right-hander has thrown a total of 26.1 innings and registered a 3.76 ERA and an overall record of 2-1, with 21 strikeouts.
 
In the classroom, McCrystal has a 3.95 cumulative GPA and will graduate this spring with his undergraduate degree in criminal justice. As a junior, he earned the Mountain West's Scholar-Athlete Award and was a member of the 2018 Spring Academic All-MW Team.
 
The native of Santee, California, attended Grossmont College and played baseball for the Griffins during his freshman and sophomore seasons (2015-16 and 2016-17) following graduation from West Hills High School.
 
McCrystal is the program's first Academic All-District performer since Erick Fedde was recognized by the College Sports Information Directors of America during his season campaign in 2014.
 
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, subsequently, 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 this week, an award that is given annually to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball.
 
Through 10-plus weeks of the season, Cofer ranks 15th nationally in saves with nine. The senior transfer from Utah Valley has made 19 relief appearances and sits 2-2 on the year with a 2.52 ERA in 25.0 innings of work. He has struck out 24 batters against eight runs (seven earned), 26 hits and five walks.
 
STOTT ON TWO WATCH LISTS: UNLV baseball's Bryson Stott has worked his way onto the Golden Spikes Award midseason watch list as well as the Brooks Wallace Award watch list through three months of play.
 
The Golden Spikes Award midseason watch list is comprised of 40 of the nation's top amateur players from the high school and college ranks, and includes the addition of 21 athletes that have played their way into the mix since the preseason list was announced in early February.
 
The Golden Spikes Award Advisory Board will continue to maintain a rolling list of players that will allow athletes to play themselves into consideration for the award throughout the season. USA Baseball will announce the semifinalists on May 15, and the finalists two weeks later on May 29. Fan voting will open May 29 at GoldenSpikesAward.com and run through June 10. The 42nd Golden Spikes Award will be presented in partnership with the Rod Dedeaux Foundation on June 14.
 
The Brooks Wallace Award watch list has identified 69 players that are in the mix for to be named the nation's top collegiate shortstop. The award will be presented by the College Baseball Foundation this summer.
 
RANKED OPPONENTS: To date, UNLV has played three teams – a total of six times – that are currently ranked in the top-25 polls, with the trio listed No. 4 (Stanford), No. 7 (UC Santa Barbara) and No. 17 (Arizona State) in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll. Stanford comes in as high as No. 2 in the Baseball America and D1Baseball.com's weekly surveys, while UCSB and ASU are ranked the highest in the CBN poll.
 
Five of those contests came against Stanford (Feb. 23-24) and Arizona State which were ranked at the time of play, with the former coming in as high as No. 5 and the latter at No. 9 (April 9) and No. 10 (April 23). The Rebels went 2-3 against the Pac-12 squads: 1-2 at Stanford and 1-1 against ASU.
 
Additionally, 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.
 
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 this season 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.