LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV baseball team (7-3) returns home to host the Washington State Cougars (11-4) in a midweek series at Earl E. Wilson Stadium. The Rebels, who are coming off a road trip which saw them go 2-2, will face the Cougars in a pair of afternoon matinees with first pitch slated for 12:05 pm both Tuesday and Wednesday.  
 
This week's nonconference contests against WSU mark the second and third straight against Pac-12 competition. This short stretch began last Tuesday with a 10-9, come-from-behind win over the Arizona State Sun Devils, who were ranked as high as No. 11 by Collegiate Baseball and No. 12 by Perfect Game, in Phoenix.

Because of COVID-19, current attendance policies for UNLV Athletics' home events do not allow for fan attendance. Some sports may allow a limited number of invited guests. 
 
FOLLOW ALONG
Fans can follow the midweek bout between UNLV and WSU through live stats and live video, and links to both can be found online at UNLVRebels.com in the "schedule" section of the team's baseball page. Additionally, fans can follow the team's Twitter account – @UNLVbaseball – for links to stats and video as well as inning-by-inning updates.
 
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING
UNLV and WSU rekindle a series that dates back to 1976 with this week's matchup. The two teams have played a total of 21 times, with the Rebels leading the head-to-head series by one game – 11-10; however, the Rebels have won five of the last six in the series, with all but one of those taking place in Las Vegas. Most recently, the Rebels swept a midweek series at home against the Cougars just over two years ago, winning 17-7 (seven innings) and 12-7 on March 12-13, respectively.
 
ON DECK
UNLV jumps back into Mountain West play with a road trip to the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains to face the Air Force Falcons. The Rebels and Falcons will square off three times at Falcon Field. The first two games will be played as part of a doubleheader Saturday, beginning at 11:00 am MT (10:00 am PT). The finale is set for Sunday at 12:00 pm MT (11:00 am PT).
 
LAST TIME OUT
UNLV traveled to the Grand Canyon State for a single game against then-No. 11 Arizona State Sun Devils at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. The Rebels, who trailed by one – 9-8 – after seven innings, scored a pair of runs off RBI singles from Eric Bigani and Edarian Williams for the would-be, game-tying and game-winning runs.
 
The contest was a seesaw affair that witnessed the Rebels own as much as a two-run lead on three different occasions: 2-1 in the second; 3-1 in the third; and 8-6 in the seventh. The host Sun Devils led for the majority of the game, and as late as 9-8 after seven complete.
 
The Rebels batted .325 (13-for-40) as a team in the game, as seven different players collected hits. There were five players that had multiple-hit outings, as Jack-Thomas Wold paced the team with three hits, while Diego Alarcon, Eric Bigani, Austin Pfeifer and Edarian Williams all had two apiece. Besides the hits, Bigani, Williams and Wold combined for seven RBI and three runs.
 
On the mound, UNLV used a total of six pitchers, including four consecutive relievers who hail from the state of Arizona: Austin Bryan, Ty Pohlmann, Troy Balko and Conner Woods (2-0). Noah Beal got his first start as a Rebel and tossed 2.1 innings before giving way to Alex Tisminezky who got two outs to close out the third. The Arizonans combined to throw the final 6.0 innings, striking out five against four runs, eight hits and one walk.
 
NATIONALLY SPEAKING … TEAM
For the year, UNLV is hitting .287 as a team with 100 hits, 35 of which have gone for extra bases with 18 doubles, 15 home runs and two triples, to go along with 67 runs and 64 RBI. Conversely, Rebel pitching owns a 3.99 ERA with 67 strikeouts against 39 earned runs (44 total), 95 hits and 16 walks in 88.0 innings.
 
In the latest NCAA rankings (as of March 21), the Rebels are ranked within the top 100 of seven NCAA Division I offensive statistical categories. UNLV is 13th in home runs per game (1.50), 21st in slugging percentage (.479), 45th in batting average (.287), 64th in scoring (6.7), 85th in home runs (15), 87th in doubles per game (1.80) and 99th in on-base percentage (.372).
 
UNLV's pitching staff is also ranked highly in numerous NCAA statistics, too; coming in No. 1 overall in walks allowed per 9.0 innings (1.64) and fifth in strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.19). They are also 52nd in WHIP (1.26), 69th in shutouts (1) and 76th in ERA (3.99).
 
Additionally, the team ranks 30th in double plays per game (0.90) and 46th in win-loss percentage (.700).
 
NATIONALLY SPEAKING … PLAYER
For the year, UNLV has four players hitting .297 or better with a minimum of 11 hits, with Jack-Thomas Wold sitting atop the team standings with a .409 average and 18 hits in 44 at-bats. Diego Alarcon is second in both average (.386) and hits (17). Eric Bigani (.343 and 12) and Austin Pfeifer (.297 and 11).
 
In the national rankings, Wold is 15th overall in hits per game (1.80), 29th in toughest to strike out (14.7), 70th in batting average (.409) and 96th in doubles per game (0.40). Alarcon is 26th in hits per game (1.70), 96th in doubles per game (0.40) and 104th in batting average (.386). Austin Kryszczuk is 22nd in the country in walks (1.11).
 
On the mound, Conner Woods is ranked in six different categories, coming in as high as No. 8 in strikeout-to-walk ratio (17.00) as well as 24th in ERA (0.71), 26th in walks allowed per 9.0 IP (0.71), 118th in strikeouts per 9.0 IP (12.08), 125th in WHIP (0.95). Chase Maddux is 34th in walks allowed per 9.0 IP (0.84) and 64th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (7.00).
 
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
>Washington State: The Cougars enter the sixth week of the 2021 season sporting an 11-4 overall record … The Cougars are coming off a week where they went 2-2 on the road, beginning with a 6-4 win at Portland and opened a three-game series at No. 18 Oregon State with a 5-2 win before losing the final two contests, 10-3 and 9-8 … The Cougars began the year with nine wins in their first 11 games; however, four straight postponements – two each against Seattle and Washington – followed prior to this current 2-2 stretch … The Cougars are hitting .307 as a team with 164 hits, 52 of which have gone for extra-base hits (31 doubles, 17 home runs and four triples) that have resulted in a .475 slugging percentage … The Cougars have five batters hitting .328 or better with a minimum of 18 hits … The Cougars are led offensively by Collin Montez, who is hitting .386 with 22 hits, eight of which have gone for extra bases with four doubles and four homers, 20 runs and 14 RBI … The Cougars' Kyle Manzardo is hitting .375 with 24 hits, 13 of which have gone for extra bases (seven doubles and six homers), 22 RBI and 17 runs … The Cougars own a 4.43 ERA and have allowed 64 earned runs (73 total) off 119 hits in 130.0 innings of work … The Cougars have struck out 153 against 80 walks … The Cougars wee 9-7 in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.