SOFTBALL PICKED FOURTH IN MOUNTAIN WEST PRESEASON POLL
Jesse Farrell and Ariana Martinez named to All-Mountain West Preseason Team
In a preseason polling of the Mountain West softball coaches, the UNLV softball squad was picked to finish fourth in the 2025 campaign, the conference announced Thursday.
Individually, sophomore Jesse Farrell and senior Ariana Martinez received preseason honors both selected to the All-MW Preseason Team. Farrell, the 15th-best catcher in the country ranked by D1 Softball earned NFCA All-West Region second team accolades after a great freshman campaign. The Henderson, Nevada native led the Rebels with 11 home runs and ranked second on the squad in slugging percentage (.683), RBI (46) and doubles (12). She also became the first UNLV freshman to be named to the TUCCI/NFCA D1 Freshman of the Year Top-25 list. Martinez, a three-time All-MW first team selection, earned NFCA All-West Region first team last season after leading the Scarlet & Gray with a .396 batting average and 51 RBI. The San Antonio, Texas native tallied 47 hits which included 15 doubles, three triples and eight home runs.
San Diego State was picked as the preseason favorites for the second consecutive season to win the regular season after collecting both the 2024 Regular Season and Tournament Champion title. The Aztecs tallied 64 points and eight first-place votes. Fresno State and Boise State each earned 50 points in the poll with the Bulldogs being picked second and Broncos picked third. The Rebels tabbed the fourth-place vote with 47 points and one first place vote. UNR was picked fifth with 31 points, followed by Colorado State with 27 points for the sixth spot. Rounding out the nine-team preseason poll is Utah State (22) in seventh, New Mexico (17) in eighth and San Jose State (16) in ninth.
The Scarlet & Gray are ready to get back to business after a 31-19 record last season and a 14-8 MW record. The Rebels return six from last year’s squad and welcomes 15 newcomers.
The Rebels kick off the 2025 campaign hosting the UNLV Desert Classic at Eller Media Stadium on Feb. 7-9 and will play Buffalo, Oregon and Southern Utah. UNLV will face Buffalo first in the season-opener on Friday, Feb. 7 at 3 p.m. followed by a game against Southern Utah at 6 p.m. The Scarlet & Gray will play two games on Saturday, Feb. 8, first against Oregon and 3 p.m. and then Buffalo at 6 p.m. The Rebels will close out the UNLV Desert Classic on Sunday, Feb. 9 against Southern Utah at 12 p.m.
Tickets are on sale now for the 2025 UNLV softball season. Season tickets are $50 for adults, $40 for seniors, faculty and staff, and alumni. Tournament passes for both the UNLV Desert Classic and UNLV Rebel Classic are $25 for adults and $20 for seniors, faculty and staff. Single-day tournament tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for seniors, faculty and staff. Kids under 12, Nevada High School students with their high school ID, UNLV students are free at all home contests. Visit UNLVtickets.com to purchase tickets.