Play Ball: Looking Forward to UNLV Rebel Softball

This Friday, UNLV will open it 2009 Softball Season. The Rebel's are playing in and hosting the Sportco Kick-Off Classic. I, as I have been for last four season will be there as a season ticket holder.

Many questions seem to be around the team. It clear they have the talent, with All-American, Marrissa Nichols, returning from injury, along with two other teammates. They have the pitching lead by Traci Odegard.

Another question is how the Rebels will respond to new Head Coach, and the new staff. I didn't have a chance to see the fall games, so I don't know. I do know there is always a period of adjustment to learn the new style and ways.

We have a lot of seniors on the team, so this the chance to win a Mountain West Championship, a NCAA National Championship, and / or impress scouts for overseas softball leagues.

The following is a review/ preview of up coming season. it is from http://www.unlvrebels.com/

""The Rebels begin their season on Feb. 6, as they host the Sportco Kick-Off Classic (Feb. 6-8) at Eller Media Stadium. UNLV will welcome Marshall, Illinois-Chicago and Seton Hall to Las Vegas for the weekend.

The Sportco will be played in a true tournament format. The teams will play a total of three games, once against each other. Following the set schedule, the squads will be seeded and will play in a #1 vs. #4, #2 vs. #3 format on Saturday afternoon.

The tournament will conclude on Sunday, Feb. 8, when the two winners from Saturday's games play at 9:00 am, while a consolation game will be played at 11:15 am, between the remaining two teams.

The Rebels will stay home for the second weekend of the season and host the Louisville Slugger Desert Classic (Feb. 12-15). The LSDC is one of the premier collegiate softball tournaments in the country, as well as, one of the largest boasting 21 teams this season. The games are split between two complexes: UNLV's Eller Media Stadium and Stephanie Lynn Craig Park.

The UNLV Rebels were selected to finish third in the 2009 Mountain West Conference Preseason Softball Poll, according to a vote of the league's six coaches. The Rebels tallied 15 points, while 2008 NCAA Tournament participants BYU and San Diego State tied atop the standings with both garnering three first-place votes and a total of 23 points.

UNLV, who will be led by first-year head coach Pete Manarino, welcomes back 13 letterwinners from the 2008 squad that went 25-40-1 overall and 5-15 in conference play. The Rebels return all three of their all-conference performers (Brittany Bolinger, Ashli Holland and Jaci Hull), while two former All-MWC honorees (Kendall Fearn and Marissa Nichols) jump back into the lineup after missing last year.

San Diego State notched its fourth MWC regular-season title last year with a 15-5 league mark, en route to a 44-17 season. The Aztecs return 12 letterwinners, including Erin Floros, Brittany Knudson and Lindsey Marquez. The trio earned All-MWC recognition last season.

BYU picked up its fourth straight 40-win season in 2008 with its 44-20 showing. The Cougars finished one game behind SDSU in the final 2008 MWC standings with a 14-6 tally. Last season's freshman of the year, Kristin Delahoussaye, returns to the Cougar roster and will be joined by fellow All-MWC members Angeline Quiocho and Amanda Vance.

The Utah Utes, Colorado State Rams and New Mexico Lobos round out the six-team poll. The Utes were tabbed to finish fourth with its 14 points, while the Rams notched 10 to the Lobos' five.

The 2009 Rebels will have a new look this season in more ways than one. There is a new coaching staff, some returning faces are back in the lineup and a plethora of newcomers dot the roster.

The biggest change is the introduction of Pete Manarino to the Rebel family. Manarino comes to UNLV after spending 23 years as the skipper of the Long Beach State program, where he won over 800 games and made 17 NCAA postseason appearances with the 49ers.

Manarino replaces Lonni Alameda, who spent the previous five seasons as the Rebel head coach. Alameda left UNLV to become only the second softball head coach in Florida State's history. She replaces Dr. JoAnne Graf, who won over 1,400 career games as the Seminoles head coach.

Manarino filled out his staff with Panita Thanatharn and Maggie Livreri. Thanatharn and Maggie Livreri. Thanatharn spent the past seven years at LBSU as either a student-athlete (2002-05) or coach. Liveri begins her first year as a full-time assistant coach after spending the past two as a volunteer assistant coach under Alameda at UNLV. Liveri played for the Rebels her final two years of collegiate softball (2005-06).

Besides the coaching change, the Rebel program will welcome back three familiar faces (Marissa Nichols, Kendall Fearn and Bri Bernardi) to the diamond.

Nichols was an all-everything performer for UNLV in 2005. She was instrumental in snapping a nine-year drought in the NCAA Tournament as a freshman. She was tabbed an NFCA All-America and All-West Region selection, while being named to the MWC All-Conference Team and the league's Freshman of the Year.

Unfortunately, she has been absent from the Rebel lineup since midway through the 2006 season. She sat out the last two years, due to injuries.

Fearn and Bernardi joined Nichols on the "Disabled List" last year with injuries of their own. Fearn, a 2008 all-conference representative, will return to her first base position, while Bernardi looks to jump back behind the plate.""

I have felling this is going to be a very exciting season UNLV Softball and Thier fans. UNLV, GO, Fight , Win !!!!!