Las Vegas, NV (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV softball team returns home this weekend to host Boise State, March 20-21, at Eller Media Stadium on the opening weekend of Mountain West Conference play. The Rebels will be happy to be on its home field again, where it went 11-4 during non-conference play.
With covid protocols this spring, the league altered its usual Friday-Saturday-Sunday series to a Saturday doubleheader and a Sunday finale. Saturday's doubleheader with the Broncos will begin at 1 p.m. with the second game scheduled for 3:30 p.m., while Sunday's first pitch is set for 12 p.m. Because of COVID-19, current attendance policies for UNLV Athletics' home events do not allow for fan attendance; however, some sports may allow a limited number of invited guests.
This is the second time in three years (not including 2020) the Rebels will host the Broncos to open their conference slate, with UNLV taking that series 2-1 over No. 24 ranked Boise State - UNLV's last win over a ranked opponent. Since head coach
Kristie Fox took over prior to the 2018 season, the Scarlet and Gray won back-to-back series in 2018 and 2019 before last year's series was canceled in the pandemic-shortened season.
UNLV is coming off its first road trip of the season, where it hit a bump in the road, losing twice to No. 3 UCLA on Friday and dropping two at Loyola Marymount Saturday. Sunday's weekend finale was then canceled due to a covid issue within the UNLV program.The Rebels will try to end their losing streak at four and put the road trip in the rearview mirror as conference play is a whole new season.
Next weekend, the Rebels will head out of town for its first Mountain West road series at San Diego State, March 27-28.
QUICK HITTERS
•
Kristie Fox is in her fourth season with a 101-47 record. Fox reached the 100-win mark with a 2-0 win over Utah Valley at home on March 6, 2021
• She is the fastest coach to reach the 100-win milestone at UNLV, doing it in only 143 games
• The Rebels started 11-4 or better through the first 15 games in all four years Fox has been at the helm, including a 12-3 record in 2019
• UNLV's longest winning streak this season in four games, while its current longest losing streak is four games. The current losing skid is the second longest under Coach Fox as the Rebels just had one longer - a five-game streak in her first season in 2018
• UNLV ranks second in the MW with a .978 fielding percentage, sitting behind this week's opponent Boise State
• UNLV is batting .273 through 19 games, which ranks third in the Mountain West, as does its .357 on-base percentage. UNLV ranks second in slugging percentage (.443), runs scored (90), hits (124), RBI (81) and first in doubles (26) and tied for first in home runs (15)
• UNLV already have 15 home runs through 19 games after hitting a total of 17 last season in 26 games in the shortened year
• Rebels have four players currently hitting over .300 (min. 25 at-bats) - sophomore
Maddie Schmidt, freshman
Janyssa Martin, junior
Denise Armendariz and senior
Mia Trejo
• Schmidt has been the consistent and steady bat in the leadoff spot, with her 22 hits leading the MW, her .393 average ranking fourth, her 18 runs scored ranking second and her .469 on-base percentage ranking fifth. Schmidt has had a seven-game and a five-game hitting streak this season already and accounted for three of the Rebels' seven hits in LA last weekend
•
Janyssa Martin has had an impressive start to her collegiate career. Her .354 batting average ranks sixth in the MW, while her .407 on-base percentage is eighth. On opening weekend alone, the right fielder hit .727 with eight hits, seven RBI, two home runs, a double and five runs scored. In her first career at-bat she blasted a two-run home then, then topped that with a walk-off grand slam in the sixth inning against Dixie State
• Seniors
Mia Trejo and
Lauren Tycksen each have team-high eight-game hitting streaks this season, while freshman
Janyssa Martin has a team-high 15-game on-base streak and Tycksen has a 12-gamer.
•
Lauren Tycksen and
Janyssa Martin are tied for the team lead with five multi-hit games, while senior
Samantha Diaz has a team-best six multi-RBI games
• The Rebels have been clutch with runners in scoring position, hitting .306
• The Rebels hit three grand slams on opening weekend, matching the most since UNLV had three during the entire 2015 season. It's just the ninth time since joining the Mountain West in 2000 the Rebels have had three or more in a season. Prior to opening weekend, the Rebels had not hit a grand slam in the
Kristie Fox era
• The pitching staff as a whole has been solid in 2021 with a 3.92 ERA (ranks fifth in MW), led by ace
Jenny Bressler with a 2.98 ERA, with its innings pitched (118.0) and batters struck out (124) ranking first
• Bressler has five wins this season (third in the MW) and 59 strikeouts (second in the MW) to go along with two saves (tied for first in MW). In a complete-game 2-0 shutout over Utah Valley on March 6, Bressler recorded a career-high 13 strikeouts
• Freshman
Jenna Perez has been impressive in her first collegiate season. She is 2-0 on the year with a 3.98 ERA. At the Boyd Gaming Classic, March 5-7, she won her first two collegiate starts with a 1.40 ERA, two runs allowed in 10.0 innings pitched and 13 strikeouts. In her Rebel debut, she recorded three strikeouts in one inning of relief again Southern Utah on Friday, Feb. 12. Opponents are hitting just .197 against Perez, which is second in the MW
• Senior
Charlie Masterson has also been steady in the circle, going 3-2 with a 3.06 ERA and 23 strikeouts
• Senior
Samantha Diaz had a career opening weekend at the plate, hitting five home runs (two two-run homers, two three-run homers and first career grand slam) to go along with 13 RBI and six runs scored. One three-run homer came against Dixie State for the walk-off fifth inning win, while the grand slam tied the game up at five against Southern Utah. Diaz earned her second career Mountain West Player of the Week award on February 16 for her performance
• The Rebels were picked to finish second in the Mountain West Coaches Preseason Poll - their highest predicted finish since 2012 and just the fourth time since they joined the conference in 2000 they had ranked higher than third in the annual poll
•
Andy Jarvis was promoted to Associate Head Coach prior to the 2020 campaign after being an integral 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, is in third season after leading the pitching staff to the top ERA in the conference each of the last two seasons
LIVE STATS/UPDATES
Live video links will be available for all three games in the series, with Saturday's doubleheader will be broadcast on the Mountain West Network and Sunday's contest will be available via YouTube.. Links are available on www.UNLVRebels.com. Live updates can also be found by following @UNLVSoftball on twitter.
