LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV baseball team (8-4 overall, 6-3 MW) jumps back into Mountain West play this weekend with a three-game series against the Air Force Falcons (7-8, 1-5) in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
 
The Rebels and Falcons will square off at Falcon Field Saturday and Sunday. The first two games will be played as part of a doubleheader Saturday, with first pitch scheduled for 11:00 am MT (10:00 am PT). The finale is set for Sunday at 12:00 pm MT (11:00 am PT).
 
FOLLOW ALONG
Fans can follow the MW series between UNLV and Air Force 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 Air Force rekindle a series that dates back to 1969 with this week's matchup. The two teams have played a total of 138 times, with the Rebels leading the head-to-head series by 68 games – 103-35. The Scarlet & Gray has won seven of the last 10 in the series. Most recently, UNLV took two of three on the road in the only series played between the two squads in 2019. The Falcons won game one, 11-5, before the Rebels rebounded with 9-6 and 7-1 victories in games two and three, respectively.
 
LAST TIME OUT
UNLV split a two-game, midweek series against the Washington State Cougars in Las Vegas at Earl E. Wilson Stadium earlier this week. The Cougars claimed game one, 10-5, before the Rebels bounced back in the finale with a 15-8 victory. Both contests saw the losing squad pull within one in the middle innings only to see the winner pull away with a stretch of unanswered runs: WSU had its lead cut to 6-5 before its offense scored four in the seventh, and UNLV was up one, 9-8, before it rattled off six over the sixth, seventh and eight frames.
 
The Rebels batted .365 as a team (27-for-74) and posted a .486 slugging percentage with help from nine doubles. The offense also registered a .505 on-base percentage, coupling the 27 hits with 20 walks and four hit-by-pitches.
 
Eight players had at least two hits in the series, while three of those – Eric Bigani, Brendan Brooks and Jack-Thomas Wold – had a team-high four hits. Bigani paced the team with a .571 average in seven at-bats, two doubles, two RBI and two runs. Brooks and Wold both hit .500, as the former had one double, five RBI and five runs to the latter's two doubles and three RBI. James Gamble hit .429 with three hits, two of which were doubles, and added four runs and three RBI.
 
On the mound, the Rebels notched a 5.00 ERA after it allowed10 earned runs (18 total) in 18.0 innings. The pitching staff struck out 13 against 11 walks.
 
NCAA RPI
The NCAA released its initial RPI rankings Thursday and UNLV came in 24th behind its 8-4 record. The Rebels have played five opponents who all sit within the top 100, going 4-3 against teams ranked No. 26-50 and 4-1 versus those No. 51-100.
 
Thus far, UNLV has played Arizona State (No. 28), San Diego State (No. 47), UNR (No. 49), Washington State (No. 51) and New Mexico (No. 84).
 
NATIONALLY SPEAKING … TEAM
For the year, UNLV is hitting .300 as a team with 127 hits, 44 of which have gone for extra bases with 27 doubles, 15 home runs and two triples, to go along with 87 runs and 81 RBI. Conversely, Rebel pitching owns a 4.16 ERA with 80 strikeouts against 49 earned runs 62 total), 118 hits and 27 walks in 106.0 innings.
 
In the latest NCAA rankings (as of March 25), the Rebels are ranked within the top 100 of seven NCAA Division I offensive statistical categories. UNLV is 21st in doubles per game (2.25) and slugging percentage (.480), 25th in batting average (.300), 32nd in on-base percentage (.398), 44th in home runs per game (1.25), 47th in scoring (7.2) and 92nd in home runs (15).
 
UNLV's pitching staff is also ranked highly in numerous NCAA statistics, too; coming in No. 4 in walks allowed per 9.0 innings (2.29), 38th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.96), 69th in shutouts (1), 83rd in ERA (4.16) and 85th in WHIP (1.37).
 
Additionally, the team ranks 27th in double plays per game (0.92), 54th in W-L percentage (.667) and 98th in double plays (11).
 
NATIONALLY SPEAKING … PLAYER
For the year, UNLV has five players hitting .302 or better with a minimum of 11 hits. Jack-Thomas Wold sits atop the team standings with a .423 average and 22 hits in 52 at-bats. Brendan Brooks is second with a .393 average (11 hits), while Diego Alarcon (.385/20 hits), Eric Bigani (.381/16) and Austin Pfeifer (.302/13) round out third through fifth.
 
In the national rankings, Wold is 15th in doubles per game (0.50) and hits per game (1.83), 17th in toughest to strike out (17.3), 50th in batting average (.423) and 96th in doubles (6). Alarcon is 33rd in hits per game (1.67) and 92nd in doubles per game (0.42). Eric Bigani is46th in doubles per game (0.45). Austin Kryszczuk is 34th in base on balls per game (.423).
 
On the mound, Conner Woods is ranked in five different categories, coming in as high as No. 8 in strikeout-to-walk ratio (17.00) as well as 23rd in ERA (0.71) and 24th in walks allowed per 9.0 IP (0.71). Chase Maddux is 31st in walks allowed per 9.0 IP (0.84) and 61st in strikeout-to-walk ratio (7.00).
 
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
>Air Force: The Falcons enter the sixth week of the 2021 season sporting a 7-8 overall record and 1-5 mark in the Mountain West … The Falcons began the year with a split at then-No. 7 LSU, winning game two – 6-5 – by scoring three runs in the top of the ninth; however, four straight losses followed before they rattled off five consecutive victories, the last of which was a 5-2 triumph over then-No. 13 Arizona … The Falcons had lost their previous three before they won the finale of last weekend's conference series, 13-9, at San Diego State … The Falcons are batting .257 with 133 hits, 35 of which have gone for extra bases (24 doubles, eight home runs and three triples) that have resulted in a .361 slugging percentage … The Falcons have three batters hitting .306 or better with a minimum of 11hits … The Falcons are led offensively by Cole Blatchford, who is hitting .327 with 17 hits, 12 RBI and nine runs … The Falcons' Blake Covin also has 17 hits for a .321 average with four RBI and seven runs … The Falcons own a 5.48 ERA and have allowed 78 earned runs (108 total) off 150 hits in 128.0 innings of work …The Falcons have struck out 106 against 68 walks.