LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – UNLV softball head coach Kristie Fox was named the Mountain West Coach of the Year and four Rebels landed on 2021 Mountain West All-Conference teams, the league office announced Wednesday. Senior Justine Federe and juniors Jenny Bressler and Denise Armendariz were named to the first team, while senior Mia Trejo garnered a second team selection.
Fox earns the honor for the first time in her career and becomes the first UNLV coach to receive the award since Lonni Alameda in 2007. She is also just the third UNLV head coach to collect a conference coaching superlative, marking only the sixth time in program history a Rebel coach snagged the nod.
Federe and Bressler each picked up their third career all-conference first team selections, while Trejo's second team accolade was her fourth conference honor overall. Armendariz was named an all-conference selection for the first time in her career. The four selections are the most for UNLV since four were selected in 2014.
Fox, in her fourth year, led the Rebels to a fourth consecutive winning season, finishing with a 25-15 mark overall and a 17-7 record in conference play. The 17 league wins matched a program record for the most in conference play since UNLV joined the Mountain West in 2000. The Rebels won six conference series (a seventh was won via SJSU forfeit), which is the most for UNLV since the league switched to a three-game series format prior to the 2012 season. That includes handing eventual Mountain West Champion Fresno State its only series loss all season. While there is still one weekend of play remaining for the rest of the league, UNLV will finish no lower than tied for second, which is its best finish since 2014. In three Mountain West seasons under Fox (2020 was canceled), the Rebels haven't finished lower than fourth and have improved one spot in the standings each year. On March 6, 2021 Fox reached 100 wins at UNLV, doing so in only 143 games to become the fastest coach to reach the milestone in school history. Statistically, the Rebels rank in the top three in almost every major offensive, pitching and defensive category, including leading the league in fielding percentage for a fourth straight year. UNLV also collected six conference weekly honors in 2021 - five player of the week nods and one pitcher of the week - which were the most in a decade.
Federe, from Chula Vista, California, returned for her super senior season after 2020 was cut short and was again a staple in the UNLV lineup, making 34 starts at second base in 2021. She collected a career-high nine home runs, including not one but two grand slams, to go along with a .323 average, a career-high 24 runs scored, 32 hits, five doubles and 28 RBI. Her home runs ranked second, batting average third, runs scored and RBI tied for second and hits fourth on the team this spring. She was named Mountain West Player of the Week on March 30 for the second time in her career after hitting .400 with two runs scored - one game-winner - three RBI and a solo home run to help UNLV capture a second straight series win at San Diego State. Federe finishes a stellar Rebel career having started 197 games over five seasons. The three-time all-conference selection and 2019 NFCA All-Region third team selection dots the record book in multiple career categories as she ranks sixth in runs batted in (138), seventh in doubles (41), 10th in home runs (27) and tied for 10th in slugging percentage (.527).
Bressler, a Canton, Michigan, native, earned a third consecutive first team honor after going 15-7 in the circle with a 2.39 ERA, 22 starts, 10 complete games, four shutouts, 128.2 innings pitched and 131 strikeouts. The Rebel ace was even stingier in Mountain West play, going 10-3 with a 2.03 ERA, eight complete games, three shutouts and 72 strikeouts in 81.2 innings pitched. Bressler won nine straight starts against league opponents, going the distance in six of those games. During the month of April alone Bressler went 5-0 with a 1.99 ERA, which included her second career no-hitter - first in seven innings - in a 5-0 win over New Mexico on April 17. Bressler earned her third career Mountain West Pitcher of the Week honor on March 30 after helping UNLV to a series win at San Diego State, pitching 19.2 of 25.2 total innings on the weekend with two complete games, 14 strikeouts, a shutout and just three earned runs allowed. Against conference opponents, Bressler ranks second in ERA (2.03), wins (10), strikeouts (72) and opposing batting average (.186). The 2019 NFCA All-Region First Team selection has collected 49 career wins over three seasons, which already ranks seventh in program history.
Armendariz, out of Riverside, California, turned in her best season as a Rebel, starting 36 of 39 games played and registering career highs in batting average (.352), at-bats (108), runs scored (16), hits (38), doubles (14), RBI (25), slugging percentage (.565) and on-base percentage (.413). Her .352 average and 14 doubles at the plate led all Rebels in 2021, and ranked third and first, respectively, in the Mountain West. Her 14 doubles also ranked tied for 25th nationally, while 17 of her 38 hits went for extra bases. Armendariz picked up her first career Mountain West Player of the Week award on April 20 after leading the Rebels to a series win over New Mexico, where she went 4-for-7 (.571), driving in six of UNLV's nine runs on the weekend. Armendariz also recorded a career-high nine-game hitting streak during one stretch of the season, which was tied for best on the team with Federe.The all-conference nod is a welcome sight after Armendariz missed the first month of the 2020 season and had just come back into the lineup when the remainder of the season was canceled.
Trejo, from Tucson, Arizona, collected a fourth all-conference honor in four seasons at UNLV, adding a second team selection after three first team awards. The first baseman has been a key to UNLV's success under Fox and Trejo played a big role in yet another strong season for the program. Trejo has started every game she's played in over four seasons, including 37 in 2021, and logged a .300 batting average this spring, marking a fourth straight season at .300 or better. Trejo added 15 runs scored, 30 hits, three doubles, 28 RBI and seven home runs - just one shy of matching her career high. The two-time NFCA All-Region selection earned her second career Mountain West Player of the Week award on May 4 after the Rebels handed Fresno State its only series loss of the season. Trejo went 6-for-9 (.667) with a home run, two runs scored, two walks and seven RBI, including six RBI in a 9-1 walk-off win in five innings in the series clinching victory. Trejo will be returning for a fifth season in 2022 thanks to the extra year of eligibility granted to student-athletes due to the 2020 canceled season.
