LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The Rebels will hit the road this weekend to visit Fresno State for three games beginning on Friday, May 8 and concluding on Sunday, May 10. Game one against UNLV and FSU is scheduled for a 6:05 pm start, game two at 3:05 pm and the series finale at 12:05 pm.
Earlier this week, the Scarlet & Gray fell to BYU at home, 5-2. With Drew Barragan's 1-for-4 evening, the redshirt senior has now reached base in all 46 games he has played in this season and has an on-base streak of 47 games dating back to his time at Western Kentucky last season. Jayden Hertel recorded back-to-back games of three hits. Gunnar Myro now has a 10-game hitting streak with his 1-for-3 night. BYU used nine pitchers, while UNLV brought in eight pitchers.
FOLLOW ALONG: Fans can follow this week's series against Fresno State 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.
LOOKING BACK: UNLV won two out of three games last weekend to the Milwaukee Panthers, winning 14-4 in eight innings in the series opener, falling 4-1 in game two and winning the rubber match in a come-from-behind 8-7 triumph. In game one against the Panthers, UNLV sent 11 batters to the plate in the eighth inning, as the Scarlet & Gray exploded for seven runs on five hits to trigger the run rule. Ayden Garcia, Burns II, and Jonny Rodriguez each added RBI singles, while Cooper Sheff capped the night with a sacrifice fly to center. On the mound, UNLV received a steady start from Parker Dillhoff, who pitched the first six innings giving up three hits, three runs (two earned) with four walks and 11 strikeouts. Ryan Marton was credited with his second win of the season after going 1.2 innings where he didn't allow a hit or walk and struck out two batters.
In the 4-1 loss in game two, UNLV managed just six hits in the contest, and they left the bases loaded in the seventh and eighth inning, along with a total of nine runners on base. Nin Burns II and Gunnar Myro both went 2-for-4, with the former collecting two singles, while the latter earned a single and a double.
In game three, the Hustlin' Rebels entered the ninth inning facing a 7-3 deficit after Milwaukee controlled much of the game early. Gunnar Myro sparked the rally with a leadoff single before Reggie Bussey electrified the dugout with a triple down the right field line, plating Myro to make it 7-4. After a walk to Marcos Rosales forced a pitching change, Drew Barragan delivered the biggest swing of the day - a towering three-run home run to deep left that tied the game at 7-7. Nin Burns II worked a walk, and Jonny Rodriguez reached on a fielding error to put the winning run 90 feet away. Drew Barragan's two home runs put him at 11 this season, along with 52 RBI, both leading the team.
NEWCOMERS MAKE AN IMMEDIATE IMPACT: The UNLV Rebels' 2026 roster features 26 newcomers with 25 transfers and one true freshman; however, three of the transfers will not play this year due to injury, (Drew Charney, Jaylen Jones, Kevin Smith). Seventeen of those newcomers made their Rebel debuts in the season-opening, nonconference series against the Austin Peay Governors. Delving deeper, three of those first-year Rebels (Barragan, Rosales, Rodriguez) have a minimum of 180 plate appearances, while seven more have pitched in at least 10 games. Marcos Rosales is the lone Rebel to have appeared in all 48 contests, as he has 47 games starting at second base. Additionally, Nin Burns II and Jonny Rodriguez have played in 47, while Drew Barragan has played in 46 games. Ayden Garcia has seen action in 41 games, Reggie Bussey has seen time in 31 games as well, starting 30 games in center field. Junior catcher Gavin Taylor has stepped into the catcher's role of late, with 17 starting behind the plate and has played in 30 total games. On the mound, the Scarlet & Gray has gotten starts from five newcomers - Parker Dillhoff, Felix Ong, Yates Bland, Ryan Marton and Josh Donegan.
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 26 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 OPPONENT: Fresno State boasts a roster with 16 returners and 21 newcomers. Senior Griffen Sotomayor was selected to the Preseason All-Mountain West Team after a solid first season with the Bulldogs in 2025. Sotomayor owns a team-high .331 batting average with 35 games played, including 34 starts. The senior has totaled 44 hits with 10 doubles, six home runs while driving in 35 runs and scoring 30 runs of his own. In his second season as a Bulldog, Sotomayor has recorded 12 multi-hit games, including three straight. Brady Hewitt is another hot bat as he has notched a .308 batting average with 45 starts under his belt. Furthermore, Hewitt has a team-high 56 hits and 13 doubles. Fresno State won just its second conference game of the season against Washington State in the series finale, 5-4. Drew Townson (0-7, 8.60 ERA) has made a team-leading 10 starts this season, while Tyler Patrick (1-4, 7.86 ERA) and Victor Arreola (0-3, 10.07 ERA) have earned nine and eight starts, respectively. Out of the bullpen, Doug Crystal (1-3, 6.75 ERA) tops the squad with 23 relief appearances this season and is tied for team lead with two saves, joining Will Page-Allen (3-2, 7.36 ERA).
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.
