LAS VEGAS. (UNLVRebels.com) - UNLV softball will remain home for the second week of the 2020 season, hosting the Marucci Desert Classic at Eller Media Stadium, February 13-16. The Rebels will kick off the weekend with a 6 p.m. matchup against Montana on Thursday in the first of six games they will play over four days. The tournament also features Weber State and Utah Valley. UNLV will play each team twice, taking on Weber State and Montana on Friday at 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., respectively, Utah Valley and Weber State on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. and finishing out the weekend against Utah Valley Sunday at 11:30 a.m.
The Rebels went 2-3 on opening weekend, suffering three narrow losses by a combined four runs - a pair of one-run affairs to CSUN and Oregon State and a two-run loss to the Beavers in the rematch. In their two wins, UNLV outscored Southern Utah and CSUN 16-3 as the offense came alive and the pitchers stymied the Thunderbird and Matador hitters.
Despite the three losses, UNLV's pitching staff shined on weekend one, recording a 1.70 ERA. Senior
Charlie Masterson came away with a 0.00 ERA after her complete-game performance in the 1-0 loss to Oregon State Friday after the Beavers' winning run was unearned. Sophomore
Jenny Bressler pitched a majority of the innings on opening weekend, registering a 1.62 ERA with 17 strikeouts.
UNLV will head out on the road for the first time next weekend for five games at UT Chattanooga's Frost Classic, Feb. 21-23, then return home to host its third and final non-conference home tournament, February 28 - March 1.
QUICK HITTERS
• UNLV's 1.70 ERA ranked second in the MW on opening weekend
• The Rebels recorded a .240 batting average over the first five games, which ranked third overall in the conerence
• After committing four errors on opening day, including three in the first game, UNLV committed none over the final three games of the weekend
• Senior second baseman
Justine Federe picked up where she left off the RBI department, tallying a team-high five the first weekend
• The Rebels hit three home runs opening weekend, one each by the usual suspects,
Mia Trejo,
Samantha Diaz and
Justine Federe
• A pair of freshmen -
Caitlin Covington and
Maddie Schmidt - had successful Rebel debuts at the plate. The two combined to go 9-of -25 (.360) with Covington hitting .357 and Schmidt registering a .364 average - two of three players that hit over .300
• Senior
Charlie Masterson and sophomore
Jenny Bressler rank in the top 10 individually in the conference after the first week, with Masterson giving up zero earned runs in 7.1 innings pitched
• Rebels return all three pitchers from a staff that led the Mountain West with a 2.39 ERA, which was the program's best since 2005
• All three NFCA All-Region selections from last spring return this year - senior
Justine Federe, junior
Mia Trejo and sophomore
Jenny Bressler
• UNLV was picked third in the 2019 Mountain West Preseason Coaches poll, its highest predicted finish since 2015
•
Andy Jarvis was promoted to Associate Head Coach prior to the 2020 campaign after being an intergral part of the success at the plate and the stellar defense in the outfield
• Pitching coach
Emily Vincent, who was a standout pitcher at McNeese State, enters her second season after leading the pitching staff to the top ERA in the conference in 2019
LIVE STATS/UPDATES
Live stats and links to video for all five games are available at
www.UNLVRebels.com. Live updates can also be found by following @UNLVSoftball on twitter. Please visit the Maruccis Desert Classic Tournament page for the full weekend schedule and tournament info:
https://unlvrebels.com/feature/2020DesertClassic
