LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV baseball team will play its second straight home series at Earl E. Wilson Stadium Friday night against the Bradley Braves. The contest, which is slated for a 6:05 pm first pitch, is the fifth of nine straight home games to start the campaign as the Braves series will run through Sunday afternoon. Game two will be Saturday at 4:05 pm followed by the series finale on Sunday at 11:05 am.
The Bradley Braves, who hail from the Missouri Valley Conference, fell to Indiana, 15-3, on Tuesday evening in seven innings as Cal Leighton paced the Braves at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI. Jack Holubowski also drove in a run, while A.J. Garcia, Hayden Miller, Sohrab Rezaei, and Anthony Martinez each recorded a hit
PROMOTIONAL ITEMS: Fans can enjoy $2 beers through the second inning and $5 off ribbon fries on Friday, and $5 mimosas and Bloody Marys on Sunday, courtesy of Smoken Sam's Be one of the first fans through the gates each day and receive a Hustlin' Rebels T-Shirt while supplies last. Kids in high school and younger (with valid NV ID) will receive free admission. Adults can get tickets to this weekend's games by going to unlvtickets.com.
FOLLOW ALONG: Fans can follow this weekend's series between UNLV and Bradley through live stats, live video and social media. Links to stats and live video can be found online at UNLVRebels.com in the "schedule" section of the team's baseball page as well as on the team's official social media channels.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING: The Hustlin' Rebels and Braves will meet for the first since the 2024 season and the series dates back to the 2013 season, with all eight meetings being at Earl E. Wilson Stadium.
LOOKING BACK: The UNLV Rebels split its series with ASUN foe, Austin Peay, at Earl E. Wilson Stadium. The Rebels defeated the Governors, 7-3, before winning game one of a doubleheader, 9-8, on Saturday. The Scarlet & Gray suffered a 5-3 setback in game two Saturday, and lost in extras, 13-12, in the series finale on Sunday.
In game one, UNLV scored a run in four straight innings before putting up three runs in the fourth inning. UNLV broke the game open in the bottom of the fourth with a three-run frame. Rosales delivered the big blow, ripping a double down the right-field line to score Gunnar Myro and Reggie Bussey. Cooper Sheff later singled up the middle to plate Rosales, extending the lead to 6-0. Relief pitcher Jase Evangelista shut the door as he retired the side in order in both the eighth and ninth innings to secure the season-opening victory.
In game two, UNLV overcame an early three-run deficit and survived a tense ninth inning to secure the victory. Austin Peay scored five runs in the top of the ninth inning and had runners on base with two outs before Jacob Gomberg came in relief to face one batter, whom he struck out, to end the game. In game three, the Governors went up 5-0 before the Rebels scored three runs, but APSU turned a key double play in the ninth to end the game.
In game four, the extra-inning affair went over four hours as Austin Peay regained the lead in the ninth, but Marcos Rosales answered in the bottom half with a clutch solo home run, knotting the score again and sending the contest to extra innings. In the 10th, Paris Pridgen reached on a dropped third strike and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt before Kyler Proctor singled up the middle to score the go-ahead run for Austin Peay. UNLV went quietly in the bottom of the inning, sealing the 13-12 decision.
NEWCOMERS MAKE AN IMMEDIATE IMPACT: The UNLV Rebels' 2026 roster features 27 newcomers with 26 transfers and one true freshman; however, two of the transfers will not play this year due to injury, Drew Charney) and Kevin Smith. Seventeen of those newcomers made their Rebel debuts in the season-opening, nonconference series against the Austin Peay Governors. Delving deeper, nine of those first-year Rebels have had a minimum of two plate appearances, while eight more have pitched in at least one game. Seniors Jack Salmon and Nin Burns II have appeared in all four contests, as the former has started all four in left field, while the latter has gotten four starts at right field. Additionally, junior Marcos Rosales (Cal State Fullerton) has played in four games, with three starts (all at second base), while junior Drew Barragan and senior Ayden Garcia have seen action in three. Both Barragan and Garcia have started three times, along with Jayden Sanchez. On the mound, the Scarlet & Gray has gotten starts from two newcomers, as senior Parker Dillhoff (Louisiana) and sophomore Felix Ong (sophomore) threw in the season-opening series against Austin Peay. Juniors Gavyn Bowen (State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota), Jacob Gomberg (Florida) and Cal Barna (UNC Asheville) have made three relief appearances apiece.
NOTABLE NEWCOMER PERFORMANCES
-Evangelista came in relief in the season opener (Feb. 13) going 4.1 innings of work where he gave up one earned run with five strikeouts and one hit allowed.
-Rosales went 5-for-14 with two home runs, two doubles, three walks, five RBI and scored five runs with 13 total bases against Austin Peay. He recorded a .929 slugging percentage, a .471 on-base percentage and a 1.400 OPS. The junior went 1-for-3 in the season-opening 7-3 win with a double, two RBI and two walks, and came off the bench in game three of the series (second game of a doubleheader) with a pinch-hit solo home run. Rosales went 3-for-5 in the series finale with a double and added his second home run of the season tying the game 12-12 in the bottom of the ninth inning to force extra innings.
-Barragan collected the highest batting average (.417) over the season-opening series as the junior went 5-for-12 with one home run, five RBI, nine total bases, slugged .750 and recorded a .500 on-base percentage.
-Salmon had a solid weekend as well, collecting a team tying-high six hits with a .353 batting average on one triple.
-Burns II is hitting .235 with four hits (one home run), six RBI and one run.
-Rodriguez has also picked up four hits with one triple, two runs scored, and three RBI for a .235 average.
-Sanchez has added the second-highest batting average on the team at .375 as the junior has tallied a trio of hits with two runs scored and a .958 OPS.
REBELS PICKED SIXTH: UNLV was predicted to finish the 2026 conference season in sixth place (32 points) by the nine head coaches. The Rebels was slotted behind UNR (60 points/five first-place votes), Fresno State (55 points/three votes), conference newcomer Grand Canyon (47 points/one first-place votes), New Mexico (36 points) and San Jose State (33 points), who was picked to finish first through fifth, respectively. San Diego State (30 points), Washington State (17) and Air Force (14) were tabbed to conclude the year in seventh, eighth and ninth.
LANE TABBED TO MW'S PRESEASON TEAM: UNLV baseball's Carson Lane was named to the MW's Preseason All-Conference Team, which was voted on by the league's nine head coaches. The honor marks his first preseason All-Conference selection during his time with the Scarlet & Gray. Lane, a junior right-handed pitcher from Huntington Beach, California, was named to last season's All-MW First Team in his second season with the Hustlin' Rebels where he posted the second-most wins in MW action (5) and the third-most strikeouts in conference play (61). In MW action, Lane registered a 4.45 ERA in 56.2 innings after allowing 28 earned runs (30 total). He posted the fourth best opponent batting average at .230 and his season was highlighted by helping throw UNLV's first no-hitter since 2003 where he went eight innings striking out nine Fresno State batters on three walks en route to winning MW Pitcher of the Week and College Baseball Foundation (CBF) National Pitcher of the Week accolades. The junior led the Rebels with 85 strikeouts, third among MW pitchers and recorded the second-best ERA in the MW (4.23) with a 6-4 record.
REBEL RETURNERS: Including All-Mountain West First Team honoree in Carson Lane, the Scarlet & Gray will see veterans Cooper Sheff and Gunnar Myro make their returns to the starting lineup. Sheff, a redshirt sophomore infielder, played in 53 games and started 49 of them where he batted .281 (fifth on the team) with 54 hits (fourth on the team) including 12 doubles, a triple and six home runs. The Las Vegas native brought in 30 RBI, scored the third-most runs on the team (41) and was named the MW Freshman of the Week three times last season. Myro, a junior from Las Vegas, played in 43 games with 35 starts where he batted .260 with a career-high 32 hits including four doubles and three home runs.
NEW REBEL PITCHERS: The Rebels welcome 27 newcomers, including key starting pitchers in Parker Dillhoff and Felix Ong. Dillhoff, who transferred from Louisiana, made nine appearances with two starts, throwing 7.1 innings with 10 hits allowed along with 11 earned runs. He struck out seven batters and collected a season-high four strikeouts in his Rajun Cajun debut where he threw two innings in a start against San Jose State. Ong, a sophomore transfer out of Florida, pitched in three games out of the UF bullpen as a true freshman. He fanned six batters in 3 1/3 innings pitched.
SCOUTING THE REBELS: UNLV went 31-23 and punched its ticket to the Credit Union 1 Mountain West Championship for the first time since 2022 and 21st overall tournament berth. The Scarlet & Gray earned the four seed where they fell to the fifth-seeded Aztecs of San Diego State, 8-0, in the first round contest. The Scarlet & Gray returns 10 letterwinners from last year's team, and that includes four positional players and two starting pitchers – six pitchers in all. Additionally, there are 27 newcomers donning the Scarlet & Gray this season, 13 pitchers and 14 positional players. Moreover, catcher Drew Charney and outfielder Kevin Smith will miss the 2026 season due to injuries, leaving 11 positional players that are newcomers, including one true freshman, Noah Kubasky.
SCOUTING THE BRAVES: Through four games, Bradley is hitting .222 as a team with 28 hits and 17 runs scored. The Braves have shown patience at the plate with 22 walks and have been active on the bases, going 7-for-9 in stolen base attempts. Cal Leighton has led the offense early, hitting .500 with a .500 on-base percentage, Ashton Horchem is batting .375 and has been steady defensively with a perfect fielding percentage in the outfield.
Anthony Martinez has provided early power, launching a home run and posting a .533 slugging percentage, and Hayden Miller has added a home run and three stolen bases. On the mound, Robert Sanford, Davis Webb, and Tristan Duke have each delivered scoreless outings to stabilize the bullpen early.
The Braves have recorded 25 strikeouts while limiting opponents to a .222 batting average. Defensively, Bradley has turned nine double plays and holds a .942 fielding percentage.
2026 SEASON: UNLV baseball will play a total of 55 regular season games in 2026, with five of those against two teams that participated in last season's NCAA Tournament. In all, the Rebels will play 32 home contests in Las Vegas with 31 of those on campus at Earl E. Wilson Stadium and one more – a March 23 affair against Arizona State – at the Las Vegas Ballpark in Downtown Summerlin.
In addition to the 24 Mountain West contests, the Scarlet & Gray's season slate is highlighted by 30 nonconference games against 15 squads that hail from 10 different leagues. Overall, these 15 teams compiled a .464 winning percentage, and five of those finished with winning records. Delving deeper, four – Austin Peay (ASUN), Cal State Fullerton (Big West), Milwaukee (Horizon) and Southern Illinois (Missouri Valley) finished in the top three of their respective conference standings. Moreover, six of 2026's foes had an end-of-year NCAA RPI that was 125th or better, with six of those in the top 90: Arizona State at No. 49, BYU at No. 62 and Austin Peay at No. 90.
