• Friday, Feb. 7 | UNLV vs CSUN | 12 p.m. | Live Stats | Live Video
• Friday, Feb. 7 | UNLV vs Oregon State | 5 p.m. | Live Stats | Live Video
• Saturday, Feb. 8 | UNLV vs CSUN | 3 p.m. | Live Stats | Live Video
• Saturday, Feb. 8 | UNLV vs Oregon State | 5:30 p.m. | Live Stats | Live Video
• Sunday, Feb. 9 | UNLV vs Southern Utah | 11 a.m. | Live Stats | Live Video

LAS VEGAS. (UNLVRebels.com) - Rebel softball is set for the 2020 season, opening up the new campaign by hosting the Rebel Kickoff at Eller Media Stadium February 7-9. UNLV will begin its 36th season in program history by hosting a home tournament for the 16th straight year. The three-day tournament begins Friday, February 7 at noon and features UNLV, CSUN, Oregon State and Southern Utah.

The Scarlet and Gray will play five games on opening weekend, two each against CSUN and Oregon State and one against Southern Utah. UNLV will face CSUN at noon Friday to kick off the weekend, marking the first meeting between the two programs since 2014. The Rebels second game of the day will be against Pac-12 foe Oregon State with a 5 p.m. first pitch. Saturday will pit the Rebels against the Matadors and the Beavers a second time with back-to-back games at 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Opening weekend concludes with an 11 a.m. matchup against Southern Utah on Sunday morning.

The Rebels had plenty to be proud of after an outstanding 2019 campaign that saw them go 36-14 - the program's most wins since 2007 - but they were left with a bitter taste in their mouths after just missing out on the NCAA Tournament as one of the committee's first four teams out. The near-miss on the NCAA postseason appearance will serve as motivation in 2020, where the goal of winning the Mountain West and making the tournament is clear. 

UNLV has many reasons to believe they can reach that goal with all the talent and experience the Rebels have returning this spring. Offensively, six of the top eight hitters return from a squad that hit .314 as a team a year ago, which ranked top-20 nationally, with NFCA All-Region selections Justine Federe and Mia Trejo leading the way. Trejo earned the nod for a second consecutive season after being first in both RBI (42) and home runs (8) in 2019, while Federe led all Rebels with 14 doubles and was second in hits (63). The speedy senior Lauren Tycksen is also back to spark the offense in the leadoff spot after recording team-bests in hits (66) and runs scored (46) last spring.

The Rebels figure to be stout again defensively after they welcome back all four infield starters in Trejo (1B), Federe (2B), Lauryn Barker (3B) and the reigning Mountain West Co-Defensive Player of the Year Samantha Trejo (SS) from a squad that ranked top-10 in the country in 2019 with a .979 fielding percentage and a school record 30 errors. Tycksen returns in center and sophomore Statia Cermak should earn some time in right field after primarily serving as the designated player her freshman season.

Pitching should also be strong in 2020 as all three starters are back from a staff that registered the lowest team ERA since 2005. Sophomore Jenny Bressler, a first team all-conference and all-region selection, will try to build on her stellar freshman campaign that saw her go 23-5 with a 2.10 ERA and 154 strikeouts. Seniors Breana Burke and Charlie Masterson both had career years as juniors in 2019, with Burke leading all three with a 2.00 ERA and a career-high seven wins.

Fox added five newcomers, all freshmen, who will have to impress to break into the lineup with so much coming back this season. The third-year head coach is no stranger to giving freshmen their opportunities to play, so any one of them could see time on the field. Highlighting the class is 6'1 freshman pitcher Halle Arends from Naperville, Illinois, who came to Las Vegas after a standout prep career. With three pitchers returning, Fox and the Rebels will have the luxury of easing her in to provide depth on the staff.

UNLV will open the season with back-to-back home tournaments the next two weekends then head to UT Chattanooga on its first away trip February 21-23rd. Overall, the Rebels will face six teams that participated in the NCAA tournament last spring and play five games against Pac-12 foes as part of a challenging slate that they hope will end with the program's first NCAA postseason appearance since 2009.

QUICK HITTERS
• Kristie Fox enters her third season with a 69-34 record in her first two years
• The 69 wins are tied for the most in the first two seasons by a head coach in program history (tied with
 former Rebel coach Loni Alameda)
• The Rebels went 36-14 in year two under Fox, marking the program's most wins since the 2007 squad went 37-27
• The Rebels were tabbed one of the NCAA Tournaments "First Four Teams Out", just missing their first NCAA postseason appearance since 2009
• The 36 wins were tied for eighth-most wins in a single season, while the back-to-back 30-win seasons were the program's first since 2009-10
• UNLV began the year 25-7, its best start since 1995, and won eight of its final nine games
• In 2019, Rebels captured their first ever wins over Stanford, beating the Cardinal twice on their home field. Rebels will play five games against Pac-12 foes in non-conference play, two against Oregon State opening weekend and three against California at home on the conference bye week
• UNLV went 14-9 in conference play, tallying its most conference wins since 2014, and finished third in the MW standings, just their seventh top-three finish in the MW all-time
• Defense has been a point of emphasis for Fox and her staff since they arrived. After setting new program marks for fielding percentage and errors committed in 2018, the Rebels broke both marks in 2019 with a .979 fielding percentage and just 30 errors in 50 games. The fielding percentage ranked top-10 in the country all season long
• The Rebels return six of their top eight hitters from a 2019 squad that had eight players hit over .300.
• Their team average of .314 was the highest since 2014 and ranked top-20 in the NCAA all year
• 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

RETURNING STAT LEADERS
• Batting average: Sr., C, Lauren Tycksen .395
• Hits: Sr., C, Lauren Tycksen 66
• Doubles: Sr., 2B, Justine Federe 14
• Home runs: Jr., 1B, Mia Trejo 8
• RBI:  Jr., 1B, Mia Trejo 42
• Runs scored: Sr., C, Lauren Tycksen 46
• ERA: Sr., Breana Burke 2.00
• Strikeouts: So., Jenny Bresler 154
• Fielding percentage: Sr., C, Lauren Tycksen 1.000

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 Rebel Kickoff Tournament page for the full weekend schedule and tournament info: https://unlvrebels.com/feature/2020RebelKickoff