LAS VEGAS (UNLVrebels.com) – The UNLV baseball team return back to the 702 with the start of their 10-game homestand, first hosting the Fresno State Bulldogs from Thursday, March 28 through Saturday, March 30.
 
SCHEDULE (all times in PST)
Thursday, March 28 at 6:05 p.m.
Friday, March 29 at 6:05 p.m.
Saturday, March 30 at 12:05 p.m.
 
MATCHUP HISTORY
All-time vs. Fresno State: 46-69
In Las Vegas: 29-25
Current Streak: Fresno State, 6
Last Meeting: UNLV fell in all three games on the road last season.

BROADCAST INFO: All three games will be streamed on the Mountain West Network. Links to broadcasts as well as live stats are available on unlvrebels.com/sports/baseball/schedule.

NEXT SERIES: The Rebels will continue their 10-game homestand with a home series against Air Force, playing three games against the Falcons from Friday, April 5 through Sunday, April 7. The Scarlet & Gray will open that series in tip-top shape, after this weekend embarking on their first week of the season without a midweek game. Tickets for those games can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/UNLVBASE.

THIS SEASON: The program earned their first set of Mountain West weekly honors in late February, Austin Kryszczuk picking up the league's Player of the Week award and Sam Simon being presented the Pitcher of the Week honor. The Rebels won all four games that week, including a win over Stanford, averaging 10.7 runs per game last week while only allowing three per contest.

UNLV's offense continues to stand as the highlight of the program, sticking as a top-25 team in hits this season (25th) that stems from a strong core of intelligent batters. The team's RBI leader, Austin Kryszczuk, currently sits 2nd overall in the Mountain West's "Toughest To Strikeout" list with a rating of 10.2, only striking out six times in his 74 trips to the plate so far this season.

The Scarlet & Gray's holds some top marks among the conference as well, JP Hefft solidifying himself as one of the league's top hitters with 35 so far on the season. The junior's hot stretch has picked up 12 hits in the last six games, slapping two or more hits in five of the last eight contests. Kryszczuk reigns as the highest RBI rate per game at 1.29, currently being credited and RBI in eight of the last nine contests. Kade Higgins has also quietly stayed as one of the league's top batters as well, holding a top-10 spot in batting average (.354) and tied fourth overall in hits (34).

The Rebels' pitching holds a handful of notable marks among the Mountain West Conference, Austin Cates still holding a top-three spot in the league in total strikeouts on the season with 39. Cates sits in the top-five pitchers in ERA with a minimum one inning pitched per game, third in the conference in runs allowed among those previously mentioned.

UNLV's win against then-no. 23 ranked Stanford was a landmark win for the program, their first win against a ranked opponent since 2019. The Rebels' have produced double-digit runs six times in 2024, a feat they achieved 13 times last season.

ABOUT FRESNO STATE: Fresno State reigns as one of the strongest teams in the Mountain West, holding one of the strongest defenses in the league. With a team ERA of 4.04 that leads the conference, the Bulldogs have only allowed an average of 4.66 runs per game. The team is lead with the two-lowest ERA totals of starters in the conference in Jake Dixon (2.23) and Jack Anker (2.27), Anker entering the weekend with his perfect 5-0 record on the line.

The Bulldogs' offense poses just as much a threat, Eddie Salvidar currently holding the highest hit total in the Mountain West so far this season (36). He also totals the league's highest runs during 2024 with 30. 
 
LAST YEAR: The Rebels had an overall record of 21-30 in the 2023 season, including a Mountain West record of 12-18. The program earned three Mountain West Player of the Week honors over the course of last season, including two Freshman of the Week mentions by then-freshman Reese Lueck and a Pitcher of the Week award for Noah Carabajal.