HUSTLIN’ REBELS RETURN WITH FOUR-GAME RUN IN CALIFORNIA
X: @UNLVbaseball | IG: @unlvbaseball | Game Notes | Schedule
The UNLV baseball team will open the 2024 season out west in California, first stopping at the University of the Pacific for a three-game series starting on Friday, Feb. 16 before running a one-game stop at Stanford University on Monday, Feb. 19.
SCHEDULE (all times in PST)
Friday, February 16 at Pacific at 5 pm
Saturday, February 17 at Pacific at 3 pm
Sunday, February 18 at Pacific at 1 pm
Monday, February 19 at Stanford at 12 pm
MATCHUP HISTORY
All-time vs. Pacific: 39-20 (UNLV)
In Stockton: 12-10 (UNLV)
Current Streak: UNLV, 10
First Meeting: 1970, Win 7-1
Last Meeting: 2023 at UNLV, Win 31-6
All-time vs. Stanford: 8-5 (UNLV)
In Stanford: 8-4 (UNLV)
Current Streak: Stanford, 2
First Meeting: 1980 at Stanford, Win 9-4
Last Meeting: 2019 at Stanford, Loss 6-5
BROADCAST INFO: All three games versus Pacific will be streamed on ESPN+, the contest against the Cardinals on pac-12.com. Live stats on all four games can be found on the team’s schedule page on UNLVrebels.com.
NEXT SERIES: UNLV will be back in Las Vegas to host their home opening series against Bradley, playing a game each day from Friday, Feb. 23 through Sunday, Feb. 25. All three games will be played at Earl E. Wilson Stadium.
REBELS’ SQUAD: The Hustlin’ Rebels return 14 letterwinners, consisting of 11 right-handed batters and three left-handed student-athletes. The Scarlet & Gray featured one player on the league’s Preseason All-Conference list, Rylan Charles picking up the honor from the outfield. Charles batted .280 for UNLV last season, totaling a team-high 60 hits among returners and 39 RBI’s in 2023. This year’s team also showcases the squad’s most efficient returner at the plate, Alex Pimentel holding a .314 average last season with a team-leading 33 walks. Pimentel also hit 10 doubles and five triples during the 2023 campaign.
The Rebels feature 19 newcomers wearing the Scarlet & Gray heading into the new season, five of those student-athletes being marked as freshman on the roster and 14 transferring to Las Vegas.
Of those 14 transfers, six of them stem from the same institution and already contain familiarity on the field in JP Hefft & Will Girardi (Saddleback CC), Austin Cates & Jesus Gonzalez (CSN) and Brendan O’Sullivan & Blaze Hill (San Joaquin Delta). A pair of them hold Mountain West experience in Boon Fay (UNR) and Bailey Seeger (UNM).
The Rebels focused their recruiting class on the mound, three transfers look to hold immediate impact on the program’s rotation. Cates hosted a 9-4 record last season for the Coyotes, picking up at least six strikeouts in four different appearances. Albert Roblez averaged a 9.39 strikeout per 9-innings rate while with Riverside Community College last season, working 23 innings. Will Girardi saw 63 innings last season for Saddleback Community College, including a 6-inning appearance where he allowed one hit and struck out seven batters towards the team’s 11-1 win.
A trio of the five freshman are Nevada locals, two of them directly in Las Vegas. Both Las Vegas natives boast top-500 recruit honors, LJ Mercurius being honored as a Preseason West All-Region 1st Team honoree and Gunnar Myro being featured on the 2nd Team. Mercurius has showcased his talents at the national level, participating in the 2023 DREAM Series (hosted by the MLB and USA Baseball) as one of the 11 graduates of 2023.
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.
