Since we play the Rebels twice in the tournament, here's a more in-depth look at the team that D1Baseball posted today.
After UNLV finished the 2023 season with a record of 21-30, head coach Stan Stolte said in last year’s MWC preview that his Rebel team was “a pissed-off group” of players. In the end, that 2024 rebound season saw the Rebels finish at .500 overall and just 12-18 in conference play. I’m guessing this team is still pissed… and looking to take a much bigger step this season. The good news is, they’ve got the experience and talent to do so.
Coach Stolte admits that the strength of this year’s Rebel team is going to be in the position players and batting order, even though there are just four starters returning to their posts. But the good news is that all four infielders are returnees who had a ton of starting experience, and there is no replacing experience in the infield dirt. First baseman Brendan O’Sullivan will make the move from second to first for 2025 and will strengthen the defense because of his versatility. Offensively, O’Sullivan hit .287 in part-time duty but also crushed nine home runs and 33 RBI. JP Heftt had some struggles in his time at second base, committing 12 errors last season but the coaches like the defensive adjustments he made in the fall and see a better season ahead for him in the dirt. Heftt is the top returning hitter after going .328-3-33 last season and could hit leadoff again or at the very least he will hit near the top of the order. His double-play partner returns as well in redshirt senior Paul Myro, who the coaches say is the best defensive player in the Mountain West. His bat is capable as well, hitting .275-9-64 in his two seasons in Vegas after transferring from Oregon State. And at third base, junior Chase Ditmar returns after having a breakout season in 2024, hitting .296 and committing just four errors in his 41 games played. The Rebels had a .968 fielding percentage as a team last season, which was second-worse in the MWC, but with these four experienced fielders coming back they should make defense a strength this season. Also look for Oregon transfer Cooper Sheff to see some playing time in the infield as the 6-foot-4, 210-pounder was the No. 3-ranked player in Nevada coming out of high school in 2023.
Speaking of transfers, the outfield looks like it’ll be comprised entirely of four-year transfers in the form of left fielder Elijah Rodriguez (from Oral Roberts), center fielder Dwight Allen (from Georgia) and Dean Toigo (from Oregon). Rodriguez is a legit dude to say the least. The staff thinks he’ll hit in the leadoff position after hitting .324 with 33 walks and 17 stolen bases for the Golden Eagles last season. Allen is hyper-athletic and played in 42 games for the Bulldogs as a freshman but had his share of bumps and bruises the next two seasons. The staff thinks his speed is of the game-changing variety in the outfield and on the basepaths. Toigo actually played for NAIA national champion Hope International last season and spent the fall at Oregon. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Toigo hit .37-6-24 with 11 stolen bases in an injury-shortened 26 games. Also look for UC Riverside transfer Cole Koniarsky to take up a spot either in the outfield or at the DH spot after he hit .361 for the Highlanders in 2024, earning him All Big West honors.
A pair of returning part-timers will also factor into the starting nine in catcher Chase Gallegos (hit .234 in 26 games) and DH Isaac Rodriguez (hit .276 in 35 games), who are both upperclassmen and look to make a step up this season.
The arms staff has a lot of youth to it, which can be a dicey situation of course. But it is worth noting that all three projected weekend starters are sophomores and all three had made a handful of starts last season. RHP Carson Lane is the projected Friday guy after making nine weekend starts a year ago as a freshman and posted 0-2, 7.52 numbers. The coaches noted that Lane made a big jump in growth and development since last season, including amping his fastball up to 93-96 and improvement on all of his off-speed stuff. Fellow righty LJ Mercurius can also heat his fastball to the 96-97 range and made four weekend starts last year among his 14 appearances on the bump. Mercurius was ranked as the No. 78 righthanded pitcher in the country coming out of high school in 2023 and now should be the Saturday starter. The Sunday position should land on the very broad shoulders of Jordan Hanson, a 6-foot-6, 230-pound righthander who went 1-1, 6.61 last season but also battled some bumps and bruises.
Another candidate for the weekend rotation is the addition of LHP Evan Vasiliou, who comes to Sin City from Utah Tech. He made 12 starts last season as the Trailblazers Friday night horse and posted 4-6, 7.43 numbers. If not starting, Caden Byers will be another key piece to the bullpen as he transferred in from Irvine Valley College, where he was named a first team Orange County Empire Conference performer. He is a 91-94 hurler on his fastball along with an upper 80s slider and throws a ton of strikes. Right hand pitcher Mason Dillow has had a star-crossed career filled with battling injuries while at Virginia (2022) and two years at Long Beach State (2023-2024). He made seven appearances last season, going 2-0, 7.11. He changed his arm slot in the offseason and has developed a splitter-change as his put-away pitch to give the Rebels a possibility at the closer position.
Also watch for heavy contributions from RHP Sam Simon, who went 5-3, 6.47 in seven starts and 13 appearances, RHP Alex Overbay, who was a two-way player as a freshman but has dropped the bat and has increased his fastball to 95-96, and also RHP Jesus Gonzalez, who was 1-2, 3.50 with two saves in nine appearances. So yes, we can say “Jesus Saves” here.
newbaseballmedia.com
