LAS VEGAS (UNLVrebels.com) – The UNLV baseball team will aim to continue strong in the Mountain West schedule, traveling out to Albuquerque, N.M. to face off against the New Mexico Lobos from Friday, March 8 through Sunday, March 10.
 
SCHEDULE (all times in PST)
Friday, March 8 at 1:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 9 at 1:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 10 at 11:00 a.m.
 
MATCHUP HISTORY
All-time vs. Lobos: 103-85 (UNLV)
In Albuquerque: 42-27 (UNM)
Current Streak: UNLV, 2
Last Meeting: UNLV won two out of the three at Earl E. Wilson last season (May 5-7)

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: UNLV will play two more road matches to start the week, visiting UC Santa Barbara on Tuesday and Cal Poly on Wednesday. 
 
The Rebels'll then host Santa Clara for a non-conference weekend series at Earl E. Wilson Stadium, facing off against the Broncos from Friday, March 15 through Sunday, March 17.
 
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 enters the weekend as the most efficient team in the Mountain West to start the season, hitting a .316 average in the team's first 12 games of the season. The team also ranks in the conference's top spot in runs, runs per game, hits and hits per game. The team's defense also sits near the top of the league, sitting second in team ERA and fielding percentage.
 
The Rebels hold several individuals among the top ranks of the conference in the early part of the season, Austin Kryszczuk's 20 RBIs on the season have earned him the top spot in the Mountain West but also a top-20 ranking among NCAA DI student-athletes (19th). Junior Kade Higgins also sits atop a handful of rankings, slotted first overall in runs scored while tied for the no.-one spot in both hits and doubles this season.
 
The program's pitching staff holds two student-athletes among the top-six individual ERAs (minimum 1 IP / game) in Sam Simon and Austin Cates, the former sitting third and the latter slotted sixth. Cates' strikeout total is tied as the highest in the league, leaving 21 opposing batters stuck at the plate with a strike three called this season.
 
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 five times in 2024, a feat they achieved 13 times last season.
 
ABOUT UNM: The Lobos host the Rebels as the second-best offense in the league, just behind the Scarlet & Gray by .001 in their team batting average. New Mexico holds the edge on UNLV in drawing walks in the early season, marked as the 11th-best program among NCAA DI teams in the free trip to first base. The Lobos are the only other team in the conference to have hit over 100 runs so far this season. 
 
New Mexico's offense is led by Will Asby, ranking third in the conference with 14 RBIs on the season with a .318 batting average. Sean Stephens reigns as the program's most efficient batter, his .422 average across 12 games ranks among third in the Mountain West. Once Stephens hits first base, his eight stolen bases on the season sits 24th overall among NCAA DI players while leading the conference.
 
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.