UNLV notebook: Rebel baseball to visit UCLA

Thursday, Feb. 8, 2001 | 10:38 a.m.

UNLV's baseball team, which opened the season last weekend by taking two of three from Washington State, will face a tough challenge this weekend when the Rebels travel to Westwood, Calif., for a three-game series against UCLA.

The Rebels (2-1) will take on the unranked Bruins (3-2) Friday night and Saturday and Sunday afternoon. After opening the season with a pair of losses, UCLA has won three straight games.

"They'll be tough but it'll be a good test for us," Rebels head coach Rod Soesbe said. "That will let us know right off the bat exactly were we're at, going on the road for the first time with some freshmen."

Soesbe said he expects his pitching staff to improve upon its performance last weekend when starters Giovanni Pupo, Courtney Hall and Robbie Van combined to allow 19 earned runs in 27 innings.

"That was a case of (it being their) first time out and not really having their command," Soesbe said. "But they gave us a chance to win those games and I know the pitching will get better the second time out, too."

Rebels senior Trent Kitsch was named the MLB Canada Player of the Week, as the top Canadian of the 300-plus currently playing baseball in the U.S., for his efforts in the Washington State series. Kitsch drove in six runs in the three games.

The conference meet will run Feb. 14-16 in Oklahoma City.

UNLV will face UMass, Nebraska, Texas, Missouri and LSU in the tourney.

Sophomore sprinter Michele Davis won both the 60 and 200 meters and provisionally qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships in the 200. Her winning mark of 24.21 eclipsed the qualifying standard of 24.25.

Sophomore jumper Tianika Sharrieff also provisionally qualified for the NCAAs, clearing 5-10 in the high jump and breaking a 10-year-old school record. She won the event by two inches and topped Trevaia Williams' mark of 5-9 as the Rebels' highest indoor leap.

UNLV will compete in the Bill Cosby Invitational in Reno on Saturday.