RENO, Nev. - The Nevada softball team is coming off back-to-back postseason berths with aspirations of clinching the Mountain West Championship. The 2018 season saw the Pack finish in the semi-finals of the NISC tournament in Las Vegas and is looking to bounce back and make an NCAA Regional in 2019.

Much of the upward trend of success can be credited to Nevada's high-octane offenses, which have become a consistent theme amongst Wolf Pack teams in years past. With a balance between the leadership of his veterans and raw talent of his newcomers, third-year head coach Josh Taylor feels that the preparation his team has put in this offseason can result in this season becoming one of the most memorable ones for his program.
 
OFFENSE
Hitting will be among the Pack's greatest strengths again this season as Nevada continues to improve its numbers. The Pack posted a .288 team batting average in 2017 and a .310 in 2018, almost a 25 point increase. Last season, the team also shattered the school record number of runs scored in a single season with 327, next closest was in 2008 with 310.

Returning to the lineup is three of the five All-Mountain West players in Kenzi Goins, Sierra Mello and Lauren Gutierrez. Combine these three with the speed of junior outfielder Sadaria McAlister and the consistency and senior leadership of Alyssa Mendez, the Pack will look to improve on its fifth-place finish in Mountain West play from last season.
 
PITCHERS
The Pack will carry four pitchers on its staff this season, who will all see action in the circle. Seniors Kali Sargent and Rachel Rodriguez both saw time on the rubber last season with Sargent making 23 appearances with 12 starts and now has 17 wins in her career. Returning for her sophomore season is Julia Jensen, who had a standout rookie season in the circle. The Sparks native made 35 appearances with 25 starts and a 13-12 record. Jensen wrote herself in the record book in six different single season categories including strikeouts with 151.

The lone freshman pitcher, Kendall Fritz, joins the Pack from Frisco, Texas where she recorded over 600 strikeouts and had a junior and senior year combined ERA of 1.45. The right-handed talent will look to make an immediate impact on defense for Nevada.

NEWCOMERS
The Pack has brought on seven new faces to the 2019 roster, including six freshmen. Joining Fritz is Dallas Millwood, Riley Brooks, Brianna Seek, Danielle Lew and Natalie Medina. Nevada also welcomed Aubrey Slocum who will be a junior infielder after spending time as a manger last year.
 
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Kenzi Goins – Mountain West accolades and All-Tournament recognition after the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge is just the beginning for the Reno native. Put together a four-week stretch during conference play having recorded eight multiple hit performances in 11 games, including five three-hit outings and found herself among the best in conference.
 
Julia Jensen – Had a standout rookie season posting six single season top 10 records and 13 wins in her 25 starts in the circle. Tossed a gem against receiving votes, Louisiana Tech, where she threw a complete game and only allowed one run in her debut. Her 14 strikeouts against Utah Valley marked the second-most in one game in school history.
 
SCHEDULE
In total, Nevada has 53 games scheduled for the upcoming season, including 24 contests prior to the start of conference play. The Pack will also square up against a trio of Power-5 opponents and eight teams that participated in the 2018 NCAA Tournament.
 
The season opens at the UC Davis/Sacramento State Tournament where the Pack matches up with Santa Clara and NCAA Regional team Sac State on Saturday, Feb. 9 in Sacramento, Calif. before traveling to Davis, Calif. to take on UC Santa Barbara and UC Davis on Sunday. The 2019 season will also see UNLV visit Hixson Park on May 3-5.