San Diego State softball returns home after their two-game series in Fort Collins to face UNLV.

The Aztecs and the Rebels will face off in a three-game series starting Friday, April 11, at 6 p.m. Coming into the weekend, UNLV has lost five in a row against two of the top teams in the Mountain West. Boise State and Nevada swept the Rebels before this series against the Aztecs.

The Rebels are 18-19 on the year, just a game below .500.

They are led by senior infielder Ariana Martinez and junior pitcher Amelia Weber.

Martinez is the star of the Rebel offense. She leads the Rebels in almost every offensive category except for triples. Martinez is the definition of a complete hitter in the box. She has an OBP of .500, ten home runs on the year, and 38 RBIs.

UNLV has hit 31 home runs this year with an OBP of .383. The Rebels are very dangerous at the plate when it comes to extra-base hits. They are a very deep lineup, with eight of nine hitters recording an OBP of at least .355. The pitching staff of the Aztecs needs to really lean on keeping the ball low and away, forcing the Rebels to keep the ball on the ground.

Coach Kristie Fox of the Rebels leans on two pitchers to keep her team in ball games.

The aforementioned Weber is one of the pitchers she uses along with true freshman Yania Sherwood.

Sherwood leads the two in Ks and IP. However, Weber leads the two in ERA and WHIP; now, there is only a 0.10 and 0.11 difference between the two stats. What makes Sherwood vulnerable and why she has a bit of a higher ERA is the home runs she allows. Weber has allowed seven so far this year, while Sherwood has allowed 17. The Aztecs, led by Cali Decker, have shown the ability this year to kill teams with the long ball.

Here are the keys for the Aztecs. First, the Aztec pitching staff of Cece Cellura, Grace Uribe, Dee Dee Hernandez, and Ava Schaffel needs to limit the long ball. UNLV is known for having offensive outbursts, typically led by a multitude of home runs. They need to keep the ball in the yard and trust the defense behind them to make plays like they have all year.

The second and most important key is being able to capitalize. The Aztec offense has been extremely inconsistent this year regarding capitalizing on the team’s strong ability to draw walks and create long at-bats. Facing mainly two pitchers from the Rebels, the Aztecs need to strive for a batting average with RISP above the .333 range. If they can get a hit every third at-bat with a RISP, they most certainly could sweep a talented UNLV squad.

All games will be streamed on the Mountain West Network app and website.

Friday, April 11, at 6 p.m.; Saturday, April 12, at 4 p.m.; and Sunday, April 13, at noon

Bryant Thursby

Assistant Coach at Heritage High School. A big time SDSU fanatic and Padres fan.