LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV softball team hits the road for a Mountain West midweek doubleheader against Boise State on Wednesday, April 3. The Rebels look for their fifth straight win and their fourth against MW foes.
 
SCHEDULE:
Wednesday, April 3 - UNLV at Boise State at 10 a.m. PT
Wednesday, April 3 - UNLV at Boise State at 12:30 p.m. PT
 
UNLV vs. BOISE STATE
All-time vs. Boise State: 20-15
Streak: Loss 3
Last meeting: The Broncos took the series 3-0 last season on March 17-19 in Las Vegas.
 
SCOUTING BOISE STATE: Boise State heads into the doubleheader with a 23-14 overall record and a 3-3 MW record. The Broncos just took the series 2-1 over San Jose State in the third weekend of league play. Boise State is led by Sophia Knight who is batting .461 (59-128), has a .517 on-base percentage. Knight's batting average, hits and on-base percentage also lead the MW. Sydney Groves leads the squad with 14 home runs, 40 RBI and a .809 slugging percentage. In the circle for the Broncos, Taylor Caudill has a 12-7 overall record to go with a 2.72 ERA through 105.1 IP. Caudill not only leads the Broncos in strikeouts with 106, but also leads the MW.
 
BROADCAST INFO: All Mountain West series will be streamed on theMW.com/watch. Links to the stream and live stats links can be found on UNLVrebels.com
 
NEXT UP: UNLV will then head back to Las Vegas for a three-game non-conference series against North Dakota State beginning on Saturday, April 6 and concluding on Sunday, April 7.
 
LAST TIME ON THE FIELD: In the third weekend of Mountain West play, UNLV swept Utah State. The Rebels are now 6-2 in conference play which is good for third in the standings.
 
In the opening game of the series on March 28, UNLV defeated Utah State 7-3. Although the Rebels fell behind 1-0 in the top of the first inning, UNLV put up five runs in the bottom of the third to give them the lead and never looked back. Skyler Shaw was unstoppable at the plate going 3-for-3 including a RBI and scored a run. Sophia Morales was also solid at the plate going 2-for-2 including her first triple of the season, two RBI and scored a run. Alanna Thiede earned the win for the Scarlet & Gray notching her 12th win of the season and Ellie Zellien came in to earn her first save of the season.
 
To close out the series, UNLV and Utah State played a doubleheader where the Rebels completed a 14-13 comeback to secure an extra innings victory and then closed out the series with a 12-3 five inning run-rule. In game two, UNLV overcame a six-run deficit, 10-4, scoring eight runs in the sixth inning to take its first lead of the day. The Aggies took the lead back in the top of the seventh, but the Rebels scored in the bottom half of the seventh to force extra innings. Kelsie Kelso walked it off in the bottom of the ninth with a single through the right side with bases loaded. The bats continued in the series finale, as the Scarlet & Gray scored one or more runs in the five innings played. Maddie Schmidt was 3-for-5 with a triple, three RBI and crossed the plate twice. Ariana Martinez was 3-for-5 in today's first game including two RBI and two doubles. Kelsie Kelso was 3-for-5 at the plate in today's first game. Kelso had two RBI and marked a new career-high in runs scored with three. Skyler Shaw's bat was still hot as she went 3-for-4 in today's first game. Her three hits tied her career-high for the second straight day. Alanna Thiede picked up her 13th win in relief in today's first game. Thiede now has a 13-2 overall record on the season. Janyssa Martin hit two homers in the series finale, which marked the first time for her in her career. Jessie Fontes earned her third win of the season in the series finale and is now 3-2 overall on the season.
 
200 WINS AT THE HELM OF THE REBELS: UNLV head coach Kristie Fox earned her 200th UNLV win on Thursday, March 28 as the Rebels defeated the Aggies 7-3 in the series opener. Fox became the second head coach in program history to reach the 200 win mark at the helm of the UNLV softball program. Shan McDonald (1987-03 with 511 wins) was the only head coach to reach 200 or more wins as the Rebels coach.
 
REBELS' SQUAD: UNLV returns 16 letterwinners, including six position starters and three pitchers. All-Mountain West selections in Ariana Martinez, Maddie Schmidt and Skyler Shaw return to the Rebels this season. UNLV welcomes six newcomers to the squad including Charelle Aki, Jesse Farrell, Mackenzie Huntington, Malia Jones, Kailani Olivas and Rylei Trujillo.
 
On the pitching side, senior Ellie Zellien led the team last season with seven wins and 69 strikeouts. Zellien made 30 appearances and 19 starts for the Rebels. Fifth year senior Alanna Thiede also returns and was second on the squad in ERA (5.21), struck out 61 hitters and had two saves. Senior Jessie Fontes is also back for the Rebels this season. Last season, Fontes made 20 appearances and 11 starts and had an ERA of 7.05.
 
The Rebels bring back the top-five hitters from last season which include juniors Ariana Martinez and Sofia Morales, seniors Janyssa Martin and Skyler Shaw and fifth year senior Maddie Schmidt. Martinez was second on the squad with a .370 batting average, she posted team-highs in doubles (16), home runs (12) and slugging percentage (.708). Morales hit .299 with four doubles and 14 RBI. Martin started all 50 games last season and batted .305 with eight doubles, six home runs and a triple. Shaw led the squad and conference in batting with a .411 average. Shaw had a double, a triple and 11 RBI. Schmidt posted a .331 batting average with two doubles and two triples. Schmidt led the squad in stolen bases and was a perfect 21-for-21.