HUSTLIN’ REBELS SELECTED FOURTH IN MW PRESEASON POLL
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The UNLV Hustlin‘ Rebel baseball team was picked to finish fourth in the 2025 Mountain West Baseball Preseason Poll, which was voted on by the conference’s eight head coaches. The list moved up the Rebels’ compared to last season’s preseason poll, having been selected as fifth.
Additionally, infielder Paul Myro IV was chosen by the conference’s coaches as part of the Mountain West Preseason All-Conference Team. The honor marks his first preseason All-Conference selection during his time with the Scarlet & Gray.
UNLV picked up 27 votes on their way to tie in the fourth-place spot, occupying the same spot as New Mexico and San Diego State. One differentiator the Rebels have in the poll is that they also garnered a first-place vote, one of three teams that were given at least one. Fresno State led the mix with 43 total votes and six first-place votes, UNR tallied 35 votes, Washington State owned 30 with a single first-place vote, and then after the fourth-place spot followed up by Air Force (19) and San Jose State (16).
The Rebels owned a 26-26 record at the end of the 2024 season, picking up three All-Mountain West nods at the end of the last season. Austin Kryszczuk was also highlighted on the ABCA/Rawlings All-Region First Team, as well as Austin Cates being selected in the seventh round of the MLB Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays.
UNLV returns several key members to the lineup, including infielders JP Hefft and Myro IV. Hefft served as the leadoffhitter for the Rebels in 2024, earning the top batting average in the lineup that ranked 11th in the Mountain West last season. Myro IV is one of five returning batters to notch over 100 ABs during the 2024 season, but defensively led the team in assists during his time at shortstop.
The Scarlet & Gray also return two arms from the pitching crew that tallied the most innings in the rotation last season, Sam Simon and Carson Lane returning for the Rebels. Between the two they were marked as the starting pitcher 16 times last season and threw over 95 innings, sophomore LJ Mercurius picking up 14 appearances of his own.
The roster for the 2025 season also showcases 23 new faces wearing the Scarlet & Gray uniform, consisting of three true freshman and 20 transfer student-athletes. Among the young names in the lineup is Carl LaGrone, a left-handed local to Las Vegas coming from McQueen High School. Jayden Hertel and Demetriz Lewis are the other two newcomers in their first year of collegiate ball, both coming from the neighboring state, California.
The Rebels picked up a healthy mix of pitchers and fielders among the group of transfers, with several of them including Cooper Sheff (Oregon) originally coming from the state of Nevada. Some of their newcomers hold NCAA Tournament experience, including RHP Colton Sundloff’s relief inning pitched in the NCAA Super Regional match with Oklahoma.
UNLV will start the season in Surprise, Ariz., on Friday, Feb. 14. Their first match of the four-game weekend will be against Indiana on that day, battling the Hoosiers at 4 p.m. PT. The team will also face off against No. 7-ranked Oregon State and Xavier before returning to their home-opening series against Cincinnati. Fans can check the full season schedule here and also pick up season tickets here. Fans may follow along on the team’s social media accounts: Twitter / X, Instagram and Facebook. News and updates on the Hustlin’ Rebels will also be posted online at UNLVrebels.com.