LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV Hustlin' Rebels head back to The Centennial State for three games in Mountain West play against the Air Force Falcons in USAFA, Colo., at Erdle Field. The conference-opening series begins Friday afternoon with first pitch scheduled for 2 pm PT. Saturday's contest is also a day affair (12 pm PT), while Sunday's is an afternoon matinee (11 am PT).
UNLV and Air Force UNLV were predicted to finish 6th and 9th, respectively, in the MW Preseason Coaches Poll. The Falcons, who finished the 2025 campaign with a 20-34 overall record and seventh-place showing (12-18) in the conference standings, have lost three straight to carry a 3-11 mark into this weekend's series. The Rebels, on the other hand, have won three straight are atop the MW at 13-5 on the year after it went 31-23 last season with a fourth-place league finish (16-14).
Historically speaking, the Rebels own a 123-47 edge in the all-time head-to-head series that dates back to 1969. UNLV won the last three meetings, all at home, last season, and has claimed five of the last seven outings.
FOLLOW ALONG: Fans can follow this weekend's series at Air Force 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 Rebels own a 123-47 edge in the all-time head-to-head series that dates back to 1969. UNLV won the last three meetings, all at home, last season, and has claimed five of the last seven outings.
LOOKING BACK: The Hustlin' Rebels are winners of three straight games as they went 2-1 in the Minnesota hosted Cambria College Classic, defeating Southern Illinois and Northwestern, and returned home to defeat UC Riverside.
Against the Salukis, Parker Dillhoff recorded his second win of the season where the lefthander went 6.1 innings where he gave up five hits, three earned runs, two walks and six strikeouts. Nin Burns II posted a game and season-high four hits on a 4-for-6 effort with a season-high five RBI. Gunnar Myro went 3-for-4 and was one of seven Rebels to score multiple runs in the game. The Scarlet & Gray also scored a season-high 10 runs in the eighth inning.
Against the Wildcats, Felix Ong picked up his first win of the season after going 5.0 innings where he gave up six hits, three earned runs, two walks and three strikeouts. Cooper Sheff went 3-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI. Ayden Garcia tallied double-digit hits for the fourth time this season. Burns II was named the Cambria College Classic Player of the Tournament after batting .500 (6-for-12) with one home run, two doubles, two walks, five RBI, scored four runs, totaled 11 bases, slugged .917 and had an on-base percentage of .571 against Minnesota, Southern Illinois and Northwestern.
Against the Highlanders, Myro led the Rebels offensively with a 3-for-4 effort on a double and four RBI. Reggie Bussey added two hits and three RBI, and the outfielder has a hit in seven of the eight games he has played in this season. Drew Barragan also had a strong day at the plate with a single, double and triple. Reese Lueck was credited with his third win of the season after going 3.0 innings of work where he gave up one hit on two unearned runs with no walks and two strikeouts.
NEWCOMERS MAKE AN IMMEDIATE IMPACT: The UNLV Rebels' 2026 roster features 26Â newcomers with 25Â 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. Nin Burns II and Marcos Rosales have appeared in all 18 contests, as the former has started all games in right field, while the latter has gotten 17 starts at second base. Drew Barragan and senior Ayden Garcia have seen action in 17 and 15 games, respectively. Jayden Sanchez has seen time in 13 games as well, with seven starts in center field. On the mound, the Scarlet & Gray has gotten starts from three newcomers - Parker Dillhoff, Felix Ong and Yates Bland.
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 OPPONENT: Air Force recently was swept by Baylor where they scored a combined five runs in the three-game series. Ben Niednagel was named to the 2026 Brooks Wallace Award Watchlist, highlighting the top 100 shortstops across the nation. Through the opening stretch of the season, Niednagel has emerged as a key contributor for the Falcons, delivering both at the plate and in the field. The senior ranks second on the team in batting average at .324 and owns a .459 slugging percentage, highlighted by two doubles, one home run, and five stolen bases.
Gaines Estridge posted a pair of career outings in his first two outings of the season. In the opening 15-3 win over Penn State, the righty threw four strikeouts and allowed no runs in six innings. He came back stronger against Navy and despite earning the loss, Estridge recorded a couple of career highs with seven innings on the bump and ten strikeouts. Against Baylor, Estridge made his fourth start of the season, tossing five complete innings with five strikeouts while allowing five runs.
Freshman starter Josh Holst currently holds an ERA of 4.11 with 15.1 innings pitched. In his collegiate debut against Iowa, he took a standout start, allowing just one run and striking out five batters in 5.1 innings. Against the Bears of Baylor, Holst took the initial start Saturday evening, throwing 1.1 innings with two strikeouts before the game was suspended due to weather.
Bowen Brantingham has made a quartet of appearances with two starts this season. Against Baylor, Brantingham matched his season high with 4.1 innings pitched while striking out four and allowing three earned runs. Across 14.0 total IP this season, the righty has 14 strikeouts and has allowed 12 runs.
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.Â
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.
