Rebels’ NCAA fate largely up to them
If Sunday was a day of missed opportunities for UNLV’s baseball team, then it’s probably only appropriate.
The Rebels have played much better than expected, but when they’ve had chances to make something special of their season, they’ve often fallen short.
But the good news for UNLV, which lost 9-4 to Fresno State at Wilson Stadium, is the opportunity for an NCAA regional berth remains. The bad news: The Rebels have little margin for error to gain their first postseason bid in eight years.
UNLV’s best hope is to win the Mountain West tournament at the end of the month in Fresno, Calif., and gain the automatic bid. With a Ratings Percentage Index ranking of No. 84, winning the tourney is the only sure path for the Rebels (30-17, 13-11 MW).
To increase their chances of winning the double-elimination tournament, they probably need to finish the regular season in the top two in the conference to receive a first-round bye and save their best pitchers.
This loss to Fresno State (16-29, 10-14) didn’t help, but second-place UNLV got a break when San Diego State (13-11 MW) lost 4-3 to UNR on Sunday. The Rebels, who won the season series 4-2 over the Aztecs, own the tiebreaker for the second spot behind conference leader New Mexico (20-4 MW).
“It still in our hands,” UNLV coach Tim Chambers said.
UNLV had chances against Fresno State, scoring the first three runs, but missed opportunities to score even more.
A baserunning mistake by Joey Swanner in the first inning helped limit the Rebels to a run. UNLV loaded the bases with no outs in the second, but ended the inning with just one run.
The Rebels put the leadoff man on base in four of the first five innings, and failed to bring any of those runners home. UNLV lost by five runs despite outhitting the Bulldogs 15-9.
“We had plenty of opportunities to cash some runs in,” Chambers said.
As for the big picture, Chambers and his team haven’t given up on gaining an at-large berth.
The Rebels host San Diego at 3:05 p.m. today, and the Toreros bring in a No. 50 RPI and one the nation’s top professional prospects in Bonanza High School graduate Kris Bryant.
“We’ve proven we’re a good baseball team, and I think everyone knows it,” said UNLV first baseman Patrick Armstrong, who went 2-for-4 with an RBI to raise his batting average to .403. “We’ve beaten good teams, and a win against San Diego would be huge. We’ve got to win a lot of ballgames, but I think we’ve got a good chance of getting a bid.”
To even be in the conversation regarding a postseason bid is a little amazing to Chambers. He and associate head coach Stan Stolte didn’t see this kind of production coming when the schedule was finalized.
“I hollered to Stan next door to me, ‘Where are the wins at?’ ” Chambers said. “I really felt like, golly, 20 would be difficult.”
Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter: @markanderson65.
FRESNO STATE 9, UNLV 4
KEY: Taylor Tempel and Aaron Judge homered during a four-run fifth inning that put the Bulldogs ahead for good.
NEXT: San Diego at UNLV, 3:05 p.m. today
