UNLV gets tough start on diamond

Thursday, Jan. 30, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

It has become a common practice in college sports -- particularly baseball -- for a team to load its early season schedule with opponents that will help build a team's confidence and a winning record.

UNLV head baseball coach Rod Soesbe doesn't have that luxury as his team opens the season Friday at home with a three-game series against No. 2-ranked UCLA.

Despite the fact the Rebels are a young team, Soesbe said he isn't worried about taking on such a strong opponent to open the season.

"There are two different philosophies of approaching it; one is you play people that are going to build your club up as opposed to jumping right in against somebody that's ranked as high as they are," Soesbe said.

"The way we're approaching it is we're playing the second-best team in the country right now and if our guys want some recognition, then they've got to get out and prove it."

Soesbe, in his first season as Rebels head coach after replacing the retired Fred Dallimore, is looking forward to the challenge of playing the Bruins. UCLA, which was 36-28 last year and advanced to the NCAA Central I Regional, already is 3-0 this season after a series sweep at Hawaii.

"It's going to give us a test right off the bat," Soesbe said. "I don't think it's (going to give us) any kind of indication of where we're going to be at the end of the season but it's going to give us an indication of where we're at right now. I'm excited about playing them."

UNLV will play the Bruins at 3:05 p.m. Friday and at 1:05 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Prior to Friday's season opener, the Rebels will retire Dallimore's jersey (No. 13) and honor former UNLV All-American Matt Williams in a 2:30 p.m. ceremony.

Soesbe said sophomore right-hander Mike Zipser will start the season opener and will be followed in the rotation by junior right-handers Jerimiah Tipton and Chris Humphries.

In the field, the Rebels will start freshmen Curt Anthony at shortstop and Ryan Ludwick in right field; sophomores Sean Campbell at second base, Kevin Eberwein at first, Chris Adolph in left and Henry Jones in center; and juniors Toby Hall at catcher and Ryan Hankins at third.

"We're real young, we really are," Soesbe said. "The freshmen kids are playing pretty good and it's going to be an awakening for them; we'll just see how they respond.

"It's too early to say what this team is capable of accomplishing, but we're going to have to have some good years out of people like Adolph and Eberwein and Hankins and Campbell. Some of those key players are going to have to have -- not great years -- just have the years they're capable of having."

They key to the Rebels' success this season, Soesbe said, will be how his young pitching staff develops.

"In our scrimmages, we haven't punched out a lot of guys but they've thrown strikes and haven't been walking many guys," Soesbe said. "If they just get the location and keep the ball in the yard, I think we'll be OK."

With a pitching staff that features four freshmen and three sophomores, Soesbe said the Rebels will rely heavily on junior-college transfer Tipton early in the season.

"Jerimiah Tipton is the kid that we've really got to count on," Soesbe said. "He can pitch a little bit and we're going to have to count on him to get us through some of this early part until these other guys mature."