Ranked Broncos Open Conference Play on the Road

BOISE, Idaho — Riding the second-longest active winning streak in the nation, the Boise State softball team will open Mountain West play this weekend, March 15-17, on the road at UNLV. The defending conference champions are off to the best 20-game start in program history.

SERIES HISTORY: The Broncos will look to take control in the series history against UNLV, as they currently trail the Rebels, 11-12 all-time. Despite dropping the series last year, Boise State took the final game of the series in a 12-11 victory in nine innings. The combined three-game series was decided by a combined three runs.

SCOUTING REPORT: UNLV is off to a 19-5 start through 24 games, and are coming off of back-to-back wins on the road against Stanford. The team has scored six or more runs in 14 of their 24 games, and rank 45th in Division I in scoring, and 17th in batting average (.332). UNLV has displayed the pitching to match their high-octane offense, ranking 29th in the nation in ERA (1.88).

AT LAST, WE'VE REACHED THE POLLS: Since the program's inception in 2009, Boise State has never been ranked in any of the three major polls: USA Today/NFCA Coaches' poll, ESPN.com/USA Softball poll, and the Softball America poll. All that changed on March 5, 2019 with the release of the Week 4 Softball America Poll, currently in its inaugural season, which pegged the Broncos as 24th in the nation.

In Week 5, Team XI held steady in that publication, but also moved into 24th in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches' Poll – the first time Boise State has been ranked by that respective outlet. The Broncos were also the first team in the receiving votes category of the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll. This marks the second-consecutive, and second all-time, week that Boise State has appeared in all three of the major polls in a given week.

HOMECOMING FOR LIVRERI: This weekend's series will mark a return to Las Vegas for first-year head coach, Maggie Livreri. Livreri is a Las Vegas-native, and wrapped up her collegiate playing career for UNLV in the 2005-06 seasons. After graduating with her bachelor's degree she spent five years on the UNLV coaching staff – two as a volunteer assistant while seeking a graduate degree, and the final three on the full-time staff.

RED-HOT BRONCOS: Named one of the hottest teams by the NFCA, Boise State has won 17-straight games. That mark is the longest win streak in program history, and currently the second-longest active win streak in country behind Alabama (25). Boise State has not lost since dropping back-to-back games against Northwestern State (Feb. 8) and Texas (Feb. 9) at the Texas Classic.

LIVRERI ERA STARTS WITH A BANG: At 18-2 on the season, Boise State is off to the best 20-game start in program history. Currently sixth in the NCAA in winning percentage, first-year head coach Maggie Livreri led the Broncos through the best non-conference season in program history, and has posted a better winning percentage than any other first-year head coach in the country this season.

DEFENDING THE 'SHIP: This will be the second-straight season Boise State has opened Mountain West play on the road. Last year, the Broncos opened their blitz toward the first conference title in program history with a sweep of Utah State in Logan, Utah. A series win over UNLV would be the third-consecutive season that Boise State opens conference play with a series victory.

All-time, the Broncos have opened conference play, whether in the Mountain West or WAC, with a series victory seven times.

THREE CHEERS FOR ADAMS: With four triples on the season, Ashlyn Adams is currently tied with former All-American Tara Glover for the school single-season record in triples. The sophomore is currently tied for third, with Kora Wade, on the Boise State career record book with five triples.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Ashlyn Adams

Kora Wade