LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV baseball team (8-7 overall, 6-6 MW) returns home to host the Fresno State Bulldogs (7-10, 4-5 MW) at Earl E. Wilson Stadium this weekend.
 
The Rebels and Bulldogs will square off Friday and Saturday. The first two games will be played as part of a doubleheader Friday, with first pitch scheduled for 11:05 am. The finale is set for Saturday at 11:05 am.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
Fans can follow the MW series between UNLV and Fresno State 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 Fresno State rekindle a series that dates back to 1977 with this week's matchup. The two teams have played a total of 100 times, with the Bulldogs leading the head-to-head series by 20 games – 60-40. The teams did not meet during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign; however, they played each other eight times in 2019. UNLV won the first two of three meetings that took place in Fresno in '19, but Fresno State claimed the next five which all were contested in the Silver State – three in Las Vegas at UNLV and two in Reno at the Mountain West Tournament.
 
LAST TIME OUT
UNLV suffered a three-game sweep to the Air Force Falcons in Colorado Springs, Colorado, last weekend in Mountain West play. The Rebels lost Saturday's doubleheader by 4-3 and 10-7 scores, and closed out the set by allowing the Falcons to rally over the eighth and ninth innings for a 11-10 win.
 
The Rebels batted .336 as a team (37-for-110) and posted a .445 slugging percentage with help from nine extra-base hits, with seven doubles, one triple and one home run. The offense registered a .388 on-base percentage, with nine walks and one hit-by-pitch.
 
Seven players had at least three hits in the series and six of those hit .333 or better. Austin Kryszczuk and Rylan Charles tied for the team lead in average with identical .600 clips, with the former notching six hits (10 at-bats) to the latter's three (five at-bats). Brendan Brooks led the team in overall hits with seven, while Myles Denson (four hits/.571), Edarian Williams (four/.400) and Diego Alarcon (four/.333) had four apiece.
 
On the mound, the Rebels notched an 8.39 ERA after it allowed 23 earned runs (25 total) in 24.2 innings. The pitching staff struck out 18 against 10 walks.
 
NATIONALLY SPEAKING … TEAM
For the year, UNLV is hitting .308 as a team with 164 hits, 53 of which have gone for extra bases with 34 doubles, 16 home runs and three triples, to go along with 107 runs and 101 RBI. Conversely, Rebel pitching owns a 4.96 ERA with 90 strikeouts against 72 earned runs (87 total), 158 hits and 37 walks in 130.2 innings.
 
In the latest NCAA rankings (as of March 31), the Rebels are ranked within the top 100 of six NCAA Division I offensive statistical categories. UNLV is 11th in batting average (.308), 16th in doubles per game (2.27), 22nd in slugging percentage (.473), 31st in on-base percentage (.396), 41st in scoring (7.1), 64th in home runs per game (1.07).
 
UNLV's pitching staff is also ranked highly in numerous NCAA statistics, too; coming in No. 8 in walks allowed per 9.0 innings (2.55), 55th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.65), 83rd in shutouts (1.
 
Additionally, the team ranks 49th in double plays per game (0.80).
 
NATIONALLY SPEAKING … PLAYER
For the year, UNLV has four players hitting .326 or better with a minimum of 14 hits. Diego Alarcon sits atop the team standings with a .375 average and 24 hits in 64 at-bats. Eric Bigani is second with a .352 average (19 hits), while Jack-Thomas Wold (.348/23 hits) and Austin Kryszczuk (.326/14) round out third and fourth, respectively.
 
In the national rankings, Alarcon is 38th in hits per game (1.60), 75th in doubles per game (0.40) and 129th in batting average (.375). Bigani sits fifth in doubles per game (0.57) and 47th in doubles (eight). Wold is 61st in hits per game (1.53), 64th in toughest to strike out (11.0) and 75th in doubles per game (0.40). Kryszczuk is 74th in base on balls per game (0.86) and 113th in on-base percentage (.482).
 
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
>Fresno State: The Bulldogs enter the week sporting a 7-10 overall record and a 4-5 mark in the Mountain West … The Bulldogs began the year 2-0, but lost four of the next five to sit 3-4 … The Bulldogs have since gone 4-6 in their last 10, which includes a pair of losses last weekend at Stanford … The Bulldogs are batting .258 with 144 hits, 44 of which have gone for extra bases (27 doubles, 12 home runs and five triples) that have resulted in a .389 slugging percentage … The Bulldogs have three players hitting .302 or better with a minimum of 13 hits … The Bulldogs are led by Zach Morgan, who is hitting .325 with 13 hits, seven RBI and five runs … The Bulldogs own a 6.08 ERA and have allowed 96 earned runs (123 total) off 175 hits in 142.0 innings of work … The Bulldogs have struck out 110 against 74 walks.