Broncos Open MW Play at UNLV

THE SCHEDULE

Boise State (5-9, 0-0 MW) at UNLV (11-8, 0-0 MW)
Las Vegas, Nev. (Eller Media Softball Stadium)

Saturday, March 20

GAME 15: Broncos at Rebels | 2 p.m. MT | Live Scoring | Live Stream
GAME 16: Broncos at Rebels | 4:30 p.m. MT | Live Scoring | Live Stream

Sunday, March 21

GAME 17: Broncos at Rebels | 1 p.m. MT | Live Scoring | Live Stream

FOLLOW THE BRONCOS: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Roster | Stats

THIS WEEK FOR THE BRONCOS

WHAT IS NEXT: Boise State (5-9) opens Mountain West Conference play this weekend with a three-game series at UNLV (11-8) on Saturday and Sunday. These will be the first MW contests for either team since the spring of 2019 after last year's campaigns were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been 659 days since Boise State last took the field versus a conference opponent, May 11, 2019 at Fresno State.

THE SCHEDULE: The series opens with a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 2 p.m. (Mountain) at Eller Media Softball Stadium in Las Vegas and concludes with a 1 p.m. (MT) game on Sunday.

FOLLOW THE ACTION: The games versus UNLV will feature both a live streamed via the MW Network and live scoring. Fans can find all the links to follow the action by going to the softball schedule on BroncoSports.com and clicking on the appropriate link(s) or using the links listed above.

BOISE STATE VERSUS UNLV SERIES: The Broncos and Rebels have met 26 times previously with UNLV holding a slim two game 14-12 advantage in the all-time series. The series in 2019 went to the Rebels 2-1 in Las Vegas.

SCOUTING UNLV: The Rebels are coming off a weekend in Los Angeles where they went 0-4 falling twice at No. 3 UCLA and twice at Loyola Marymount. They are led by Maddie Schmidt who is hitting .393 (MW 5th) for 22 hits, 18 runs and four RBI. As a team they hit .273 (MW 3rd), have a team ERA of 3.92 (MW 6th) and a team fielding percentage of .978 (MW 2nd). UNLV returned eight position starters, two pitchers and 13 letterwinners from its 2020 squad that went 21-5 overall before the season was halted in mid-March. The Rebels were picked to place second in the 2021 conference race out of nine teams.

SCOUTING BOISE STATE: Boise State was snowed out last weekend at the Dixie State Tournament. Prior to that it went 2-2 at Eugene, Ore. (March 6-7), sweeping Portland State in two, while dropping a pair to then-sixth-ranked Oregon. As a team Boise State hits .222 (MW 7th), has an ERA of 3.92 (MW 5th) and fielding percentage of .989 (MW 1st). The Broncos return seven position starters and two pitchers from the 2020 campaign that saw the Broncos go 14-11. In addition, they welcomed back 13 veterans while adding two transfers and eight freshmen. Among the returners are two All-Mountain West honorees in Karlee Johnson and Alison Seng. This year's Boise State team was picked to place fourth out of nine teams in the 2021 league race.

ABOUT THE BRONCOS

HEAD COACH HUFFAKER: Boise State is in its third season under the guidance of Maggie Huffaker who has recorded a 55-36 overall record with the Broncos. Some of Huffaker's accomplishments at Boise State include: one NCAA Regional appearance and one NCAA regional championship appearance; two winning seasons; student-athletes have earned three NFCA All-Region honors and eight All-MW accolades. Academically, her team has earned one NFCA Academic Team Award, nine NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete accolades, 29 Academic All-MW and 20 MW Scholar-Athlete (3.5 or better cumulative GPA) honors.

BRONCO LEADERS: Ashlyn Adams is hitting a team-high .326 with 14 hits, five runs and four RBI. Alison Seng follows hitting .293 with 12 hits, three runs and three RBI. Kelsey Lalor is hitting a .256 with 11 hits, five runs, three home runs and six RBI. Hannah Bailey leads the pitching staff with a 2.28 ERA.

ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST HONOREES BACK: Leading the team this year are two 2020 All-MW honorees in Karlee Johnson and Alison Seng. The duo started all 25 games in 2020 combining for 52 hits, 24 runs, 29 RBI and three home runs. Defensively, they combined for 205 putouts.

WHAT IS BACK: Boise State returned 13 members of the 2020 squad, including seven starters and two pitchers. Starters back include: short stop Karlee Johnson (25 hits, 11 runs, 2 home runs, 16 RBI), first baseman Alison Seng (27 hits, 13 runs, 1 home run, 13 RBI), outfielder Ashlyn Adams (23 hits, 17 runs, 2 home runs, 13 RBI), catcher Serena Huchingson (18 hits, 11 runs, 2 home runs, 14 RBI), outfielder Kelsey Lalor (19 hits, 16 runs, 4 home runs, 14 RBI), second baseman Autumn Bennett (16 hits, 13 runs, 1 home run, 5 RBI) and third baseman/designated player Bella Rocco (16 hits, 4 runs, 2 home runs, 14 RBI).

PITCHERS BACK: Hannah Bailey is the leading pitcher back from 2020. She pitched in 42.1 innings in 13 appearances with an ERA of 4.46, 26 strikeouts and eight walks. Jordan Schuring also returns after seeing limited time in 2020.

NATIONALLY RANKED RECRUITING CLASS: This year's freshmen class was ranked 27th nationally by Extra Inning Softball. In all, Boise State added two transfers and eight freshmen to the core group of veterans. The transfers include pitchers Sara Johnson (Towson) and Kiele Miller (Creighton).

THE SCHEDULE

Boise State (5-9, 0-0 MW) at UNLV (11-8, 0-0 MW)
Las Vegas, Nev. (Eller Media Softball Stadium)

THIS WEEK FOR THE BRONCOS

ABOUT THE BRONCOS

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Ashlyn Adams

Hannah Bailey

Autumn Bennett

Serena Huchingson

Karlee Johnson

Sara Johnson

Kelsey Lalor

Kiele Miller

Bella Rocco

Jordan Schuring

Alison Seng