REBELS HOST FALCONS IN FINAL HOME SERIES
The Hustlin’ Rebels (28-22, 13-14 MW) close out the 2025 regular season at home with a visit from the Air Force Falcons to Earl E. Wilson Stadium this week. The three-game, Mountain West series begins Thursday evening at 6:05 pm and continues Friday (6:05 pm) and Saturday (12:05 pm). The Rebels and Falcons head into the series sitting in fourth and tied for fifth place, respectively, in the MW standings. Air Force owns a 12-15 mark in league play and is 20-31 overall on the year. UNLV is 13-14 against conference foes and 28-22 overall.
SCHEDULE (PST)
Thursday, May 15 at 6:05 p.m.
Friday, May 16 at 6:05 p.m.
Saturday, May 17 at 12:05 p.m.
MATCHUP HISTORY
Overall vs. Air Force: 120-49
Current streak against Air Force: L2
Last Meeting: The Hustlin’ Rebels defeated Air Force once in their three-game series in Colorado Springs Apr. 11-13.
BROADCAST INFO: The official livestream for the weekend will be broadcasted on the Mountain West Network. Links to broadcasts as well as live stats are available here.
SENIOR SEND-OFF: The UNLV baseball program will recognize its 12 outgoing seniors prior to Saturday’s game at Earl E. Wilson Stadium. The 12-member class includes four-year Rebels Sam Simon and Chase Gallegos as well as transfers Isaac Rodriguez, JP Hefft, Dwight Allen II, Brendan O’Sullivan, Paul Myro IV, Dean Toigo, Will Marquart, Mason Dillow, Cole Koniarsky and Colton Sundloff.
SERIES PROMOTIONS: Fans in attendance will receive a 2025 UNLV baseball schedule poster all weekend and a red Rebels bucket hat, while supplies last. The UNLV Hustlin’ Rebels will host CCSD Staff Appreciation Day on Saturday, May 17, at Earl E. Wilson Stadium. CCSD staff can claim up to four (4) $1 tickets to see the Hustlin’ Rebels take on the Air Force Falcons on Senior Day.
THIS SEASON: The Hustlin’ Rebels have been able to produce a pair of batters with a batting average of .350 or higher; Dean Toigo (.399) and Cole Koniarsky (.362) represent the highest averages. The duo represents several of the top 15 spots in the Mountain West leaderboard for those marks, ranking second and eighth, respectively, in batting average.
UNLV holds several other top marks within the conference, Toigo ranking first in the Mountain West in hits (81) and RBI (71). Toigo also sits tied for seventh in the nation in RBI and tied for 11th in hits. Additionally, Toigo is first in the MW in home runs (16) and ranks second in total bases (142). Cole Koniarsky is fourth in conference only games with a .472 on-base percentage.
Sophomore starter Carson Lane leads the Rebels with 81 strikeouts, currently third in the Mountain West and sits first with a .230 opponent batting average and second in the MW with a 4.15 ERA.
The UNLV baseball team earned a 2-1 road series win against Washington State. The Rebels recorded a 4-3 victory in game one of the series. In game two, Washington State captured a 5-4 win, but in game three, the Hustlin’ Rebels bounced back with a 5-2 win in the rubber match. For the weekend, Mikey Cruz Jr. batted a combined .417 (5-for-12) with one home run and four singles. Dean Toigo also performed well with a .357 batting average where he went 5-for-14 with a pair of home runs and four RBI. In Alex Overbay’s two appearances in relief, he captured two saves with a 0.00 ERA and four strikeouts. He earned his sixth save of the season in game one of the series where he threw 1.1 innings of work, giving up two hits, one walk and struck out one batter, with the strikeout ending the game with the tying-run at the plate. In the series finale, Overbay notched his seventh save of the season where he gave up one walk and struck out three batters.
The Hustlin’ Rebels have collected six Mountain West weekly honors so far this season, Sheff owning three Freshman honors, while Toigo collected his first Player of the Week nod on April 28. Additionally, Lane and Mercurius have picked up their first Pitcher awards within two weeks apart.
ABOUT THE OPPONENT: Air Force enters the weekend after winning two out of three games against New Mexico. Walkee Zapp has paced the Falcons with a team-high .346 batting average, team-best 64 hits and 111 total bases. Zapp’s 49 runs scored sits tied for fifth in the MW, while his .602 slugging percentage ranks seventh in the conference. Additionally, Zapp’s 18 doubles is tied for the sixth most in the MW.
Air Force’s Dylan Rogers leads the team with 43 strikeouts and has compiled a 1-4 ledger in 56.2 innings of work. Rogers has walked just 14 batters in 13 total appearances giving up 48 earned runs.
NEW FOR 2025: The Rebels feature 23 newcomers wearing the Scarlet & Gray heading into the new season, three of those student-athletes being marked as true freshmen on the roster and 20 transferring to Las Vegas.
Of those 20 transfers, the Scarlet & Gray have two pairs of student-athletes to the roster arriving from the same institution, including Nicky Garritano and Michael Cruz from CSN. The duo helped lead the Coyotes to become one of the premiere JUCO programs, Garritano earning the 2024 NJCAA DI Baseball Defensive Player of the Year honor. Also being a two-time NJCAA DI Baseball ABCA & Rawlings Gold Glove recipient, both he and Cruz hold multiple All-Region selections in Region 18.
A few of UNLV’s fresh faces earned some time on the diamond during the Rebels’ scrimmage, the team having plenty of options to utilize throughout the season. Senior outfielder Dean Toigo led Hope International to their first-ever win in the Avista NAIA World Series as Toigo drove in two runs during the contest. Dwight Allen II was part of the 2022 Georgia squad that advanced to the NCAA Regional after appearing in 42 games that season and Colton Sundloff owns postseason experience from his time at Oklahoma pitching in the NCAA Super Regional.
UNLV was voted tied for fourth in the Mountain West Preseason Poll prior to the start of the season, tied with New Mexico and San Diego State. The Rebels earned a first-place team vote during the poll, Paul Myro IV claiming All-Mountain West Preseason Team honors.