LAS VEGAS (AP) - UNLV swept the Mountain West Conference baseball player and pitcher of the week awards after designed hitter A.J. Hernandez drove in nine runs over four games and right-hander Kenny Oakley allowed only three hits over eight scoreless innings.
Hernandez hit .462 for the week with a slugging percentage of .692. The junior from Las Vegas had three doubles and scored two runs as the Rebels won three of four games to earn a share of the league’s regular season title and advance to this week’s MWC tournament as the top seed.
Oakley, a sophomore from Henderson, struck out five and walked two on 116 pitches in a 4-2 win over rival Nevada.
UNLV (33-21, 20-10) earned the No. 1 seed after posting a 5-1 record during the regular season against co-champ New Mexico (37-18-1, 20-10). Both get first-round byes in the double-elimination tourney this week in Las Vegas.
Fourth-seeded Nevada (28-25, 15-15) opens play Wednesday night against fifth-seed Fresno State (27-27, 13-17). On Wednesday afternoon, third-seed San Diego State (37-18, 17-13) faces the winner of a play-in game earlier in the day between No. 6 Air Force (20-33, 10-20 MW) and No. 7 San José State (18-36, 10-20 MW).
On Thursday the lower-seeded winner of Wednesday’s second-round games advances to face UNLV with the second-lowest winning seed playing New Mexico. The championship is scheduled Sunday at Earl E. Wilson Stadium in Las Vegas.
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