Rebels head for Tempe

Tuesday, May 27, 2003 | 10:17 a.m.

UNLV's bid to host an NCAA tournament baseball regional was rejected, but that did not disappoint Rebels coach Jim Schlossnagle.

A year ago, after his first season in Las Vegas, Schlossnagle sat alone in a small office in the UNLV weight room to watch the tournament selection show.

Monday morning, Schlossnagle sat surrounded by about 200 people -- family, friends, assistants, media and players -- as the 64-team field was unveiled on the big screens at ESPN Zone inside New York-New York.

The crowd erupted when it was revealed that UNLV (45-15) was given a No. 2 seed in its four-team regional and will be the home team against third-seeded New Mexico State (42-16) Friday at 1 p.m. at Tempe Diablo Stadium in Arizona.

"That was really something," Schlossnagle said. "All the work has paid off. They're excited and feel like they're truly a part of something special."

They're not satisfied, either.

"We're playing our best baseball right now," said Patrick Dobson, who snatched Mountain West Conference tournament MVP honors with two homers and 14 RBIs. "But we know we can play better."

Advancing to a Super Regional will likely entail beating No. 1-seeded Arizona State (50-12) in its own backyard. The Sun Devils did not get a national top seed, a slight that coach Pat Murphy might highlight.

"Pat is one of the great motivators in our sport," Schlossnagle said. "He will use that to his advantage."

The 18th-ranked Rebels took advantage of many opportunities in Albuquerque over the weekend, winning four games by a combined score of 49-16 to win the league tournament and nab one of 30 automatic bids to the NCAAs.

They will play in their second NCAA tournament in 14 years. Had the league been stronger, Schlossnagle said it would have enhanced UNLV's chances of hosting a regional for the first time.

Rebels associate athletic director Terry Cottle confirmed that UNLV was one of 36 schools that made a bid, at a $35,000 minimum, to host a regional.

Cottle said UNLV's offer was slightly higher, but it probably didn't have a realistic chance of hosting a regional at Wilson Stadium. Showing the NCAA its interest, he said, should benefit the Rebels in the future.

"It's good to get our name out there," Cottle said. "We want that mind-set in Las Vegas. Obviously, you have to continue to win. But I can't say enough about Jim, what he's done and his players, they're all good guys."