UNLV did not take the easy road to Mesa, but the Hustlin’ Rebels are still alive, still dangerous and now get another shot at the team that opened their Mountain West season with a sweep.
No. 6 seed UNLV faces No. 3 Air Force at 1:05 p.m. PT Thursday in the opening game of the Credit Union 1 Mountain West Baseball Championship at Sloan Park in Mesa, Arizona. The winner advances to face No. 2 Washington State at 6:05 p.m. Friday.
UNLV enters 30-24 overall and 11-13 in Mountain West play after winning two of three against regular-season champion San Diego State. The Rebels clinched the final tournament berth by tiebreaker over San José State and Grand Canyon, then punched their ticket with Gunnar Myro’s walk-off two-run homer in the 10th inning Saturday.
Dangerous at No. 6
The Rebels may be the No. 6 seed, but they do not look like a soft landing for anyone. UNLV led the Mountain West in batting average, runs, hits, home runs, RBI, total bases, slugging percentage and on-base percentage.
Nationally, the Rebels also ranked among the country’s better offensive teams, including 10th in scoring at 8.7 runs per game, 14th in batting average, 16th in slugging and 41st in home runs.
Barragan, Burns and Trouble
That offense is not built around one hitter. Drew Barragan enters the tournament hitting .375 with 13 home runs, 60 RBI and a 53-game on-base streak dating back to last season at Western Kentucky. He leads the conference in hits, RBI and slugging percentage.
Nin Burns II may be even hotter. The redshirt senior outfielder was named the final Mountain West Player of the Week after batting .583 against San Diego State with two home runs, a double, four RBI and four runs scored. He went 4-for-5 in the regular-season finale and finished a triple short of the cycle.
Lineup Has Layers
UNLV’s depth is what makes the matchup difficult. Burns is hitting .362 with 10 home runs and 55 RBI. Myro brings a 16-game hitting streak into the tournament. Jack Salmon owns a .490 on-base percentage, while Marcos Rosales leads the conference with 68 runs and is tied for the league lead with 20 doubles.
Then there is Jonny Rodriguez, who has caught fire at the right time. Rodriguez has 12 home runs and 54 RBI, including a three-homer game against Fresno State on May 9. That made him the first Hustlin’ Rebel with three home runs in a game since Xavier Scruggs in 2008.
Old Problem, New Stage
Air Force swept UNLV in March at USAFA, winning 16-5 in seven innings, 18-16 and 15-11. The three games produced 81 combined runs, with the Falcons outscoring the Rebels 49-32.
That series sent UNLV to an 0-3 start in conference play. Now, the Rebels get the rematch on a neutral field with their season on the line.
Falcons Can Fly
Air Force finished 25-26 overall and 15-9 in Mountain West play. The Falcons are aggressive, athletic and dangerous on the bases.
They ranked second in the conference in runs and led the league in stolen bases, which puts pressure on a UNLV defense that finished last in the conference in fielding percentage.
Strikeouts Are the Escape Hatch
UNLV’s staff finished with a 7.76 ERA, but it also set a program record with 517 strikeouts. Parker Dillhoff leads the Mountain West with 94 strikeouts, while Carson Lane ranks sixth with 65.
Jase Evangelista gives the Rebels a major bullpen piece. He has four saves, 62 strikeouts in 44.2 innings and has shown he can work multiple innings, including a four-inning save against San Diego State.
That may be the formula in Mesa: score early, avoid the free bases and use the strikeout arms to stop big innings.
The Bracket Door Opens
San Diego State is the No. 1 seed after winning the regular-season title at 16-8. Washington State is No. 2, Air Force is No. 3, Nevada is No. 4, New Mexico is No. 5 and UNLV is No. 6.
Nevada and New Mexico play Thursday night in the other opening-round game. San Diego State and Washington State open play Friday after earning first-round byes.
UNLV has won the Mountain West Tournament three times, most recently in 2005. If the Rebels want another run, it starts with turning an ugly March memory into a May response.
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Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Raiders, Athletics, and UNLV baseball and softball. He has 24 years of journalism experience, is also a senior reporter at Exhibit City News, and previously covered the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers. Follow him on X or connect on LinkedIn.
