The Columbia baseball team will travel to Las Vegas for its season opening games against the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Rebels. The four-game series will not be easy for the Lions, as the Rebels have already played the first ten games of their season. Nevertheless, the Light Blue is ready and anxious to kick of its 2010 campaign with the hope of picking up some difficult nonconference wins.
UNLV enters this weekend’s contests with a 7-3 record. The Rebels dropped their first two games against Sacramento State a few weeks ago 10-8 and 19-5 before winning the series finale 18-4, avoiding getting swept and starting a seven-game win streak. UNLV took its one-game series with Southern Utah to extra innings and edged out the Thunderbirds 5-4 after freshman catcher Nolan Clark knocked in the winning run with a single in the 11th.
The Rebels maintained momentum entering their series with the Temple University Owls. After a 22-6 blowout in the series opener, UNLV, with the help of some clutch, late-inning offense, narrowly picked up victories in the next three games by scores of 10-8, 10-9, and 12-10. In game two, the Rebels found themselves with a comfortable 7-4 lead entering ninth inning. However, UNLV relievers Brian Gilbertson and Matt Hutchison surrendered a combined five runs to the Owls in the top of the ninth, knotting the game at seven runs apiece. With their backs against the wall, the Rebels tacked on three runs to a two-RBI double off the bat of Robbie De La Cruz and a walk-off single by Duncan Satherlie.
UNLV’s most recent matchup was a pair of road games against the University of Arizona Wildcats. The Wildcats couldn’t match the offensive onslaught of the Rebels in game one, losing the contest 12-10. However, in game two Arizona managed to pull off a 5-4 win in a 13-inning marathon, thus severing the Rebels’ seven-game winning streak.
“They [UNLV] have 10 games under their belt, which is nothing different than in other years,” said Lions head coach Brett Boretti. “We are going out with an attitude of expecting to be successful and expecting to win, there is no other way to approach it.”
The Rebels have been swinging hot bats, and have outscored opponents 106-96 so far this season. In particular, junior catcher Drew Beuerlein and freshman outfielder Brandon Bayardi have been particularly dangerous in 2010. Both have started all 10 games and have accumulated a .405 batting average with 17 hits and 11 runs scored in 42 at bats. Beuerlein has 10 RBI on the season and Bayardi has knocked in 15 runs and clubbed one home run.
The Lions are allowed to travel with just 22 players on this West Coast road trip. According to outfielder and team co-captain Jason Banos, deciding which players to bring along was no easy task for the coaching staff.
“It’s always so tough, especially this year,” Banos explained. “So many guys looked great in spring practice, and it basically came down to coach having to make a tough decision.”
Banos himself will be counted on to step up in what could be an arduous opening series. After a having a breakout rookie year and sitting out last year due to an injury, Banos is back and has been selected as a team co-captain, alongside catcher Dean Forthun.
While there is no word as to who exactly will be on the active roster for this weekend’s games, the Lions have an ample selection of new freshmen and returning players from which to select. The pitching rotation remains nearly intact after last season with the exception of former team co-captain Joe Scarlata. Pat Lowery, Dan Bracey, Geoff Whitaker, and Roger Aquino will most likely be toeing the rubber for the Light Blue. The pitching staff, which struggled for the latter half of the 2009 campaign, will have to be at its best against UNLV in order to give the offense a chance to take a lead.
“I think the biggest goal for this weekend is getting the pitchers out there facing UNLV, and definitely playing some good defense behind them,” said Banos. “I think defense is going to be a real strong point for us. If we can get out, make very few errors, and get the bats going a little bit, we will be able to at least win a couple games.”
The four-game series will commence tonight at 10pm in Las Vegas, Nev. Games two and three will be played as a doubleheader tomorrow starting at 5pm and 9pm respectively. The series finale will take place on Sunday with the first pitch being tossed at 4 p.m.
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