RENO, Nev. - The Nevada baseball team is looking to carry momentum from its opening weekend into this weekend as it will open Mountain West play against in-state rival UNLV.

The Wolf Pack went 3-1 on opening weekend, taking three of four games from Cal Poly on the road. The Mustangs grabbed the victory in game one, only allowing two hits, but Nevada turned the tables and won the last three games of the series to take the series win and some momentum into league action. The Wolf Pack got its first win of the season in game two of the series at Cal Poly, winning in thrilling fashion, 2-1. Win No. 2 was just as dramatic as the Pack claimed an 11-8 win in 10 innings and followed that up with a 12-6 victory in the series finale.

There were some new faces that shined for the Wolf Pack on opening weekend, and also some veterans. True freshman Jacob Stinson was a bright spot for Nevada in his collegiate debut, batting .417 in his first four games with two doubles, four runs scored, two stolen bases and an RBI. Newcomer Dario Gomez also had a productive weekend at the plate as he hit .412 with a homerun, four RBI, three runs scored, two doubles and two stolen bases. Gomez was a triple shy of hitting for the cycle in Monday's series finale. Senior Wyatt Tilley also posted a solid four games, hitting .385 with the Pack's first triple of the season and four runs scored.

On the mound the Wolf Pack got an incredible relief appearance from redshirt junior Tyler Cochran. Cochran, who did not see time in any games in 2020, earned two saves last weekend in helping Nevada to a 2-1win last Saturday and an 11-8 extra innings win on Saturday. In each instance Cochran was brought in with multiple runners on base and no outs. On Saturday, he picked off the lead runner at second base for the first out and the rest of the outs flowed from there. His two saves from opening weekend were tied for the most in the nation. Redshirt sophomore Owen Sharts also posted a good start to his season. In his start on Saturday, Sharts threw 4.0 innings and did not allow a hit while striking out seven batters. True freshman Cam Walty got the call to start game three on Sunday and pitched 4.0 innings in his collegiate debut, only allowing one earned run while tossing five strikeouts.

The three wins over opening weekend have already surpassed the Wolf Pack's win count of two from 2020. They also gave head coach T.J. Bruce 120 victories in his head coaching career.

Now Nevada will turn its attention to Mountain West play and in-state rival UNLV. The Rebels did not play on opening weekend after their series against New Mexico State was canceled. The two teams will play three games in two days with a doubleheader scheduled for Saturday and a single-game to be played on Sunday.

ON THE AIR
Josh Suchon will have the call in Northern Nevada on CBS Sports Radio 94.1 FM and 1450 AM with a 20 minute pregame show prior to first pitch for all four games. Fans can also tune in to listen to Suchon's broadcast online at TuneIn.com or via the TuneIn app.
 
Both games on Saturday will be live streamed on the UNLV Athletics YouTube channel, and Sunday's game will be streamed on the MW Network.

POP-FLYS
-Nevada will play its first 11 games of the season on the road
-Joshua Zamora was named the 22nd best third baseman in college baseball by D1Baseball
-Owen Sharts struck out seven batters in just 4.0 innings in his first start last weekend
-Tyler Cochran's two saves at Cal Poly are tied for the national lead
-Nevada belted three homeruns in the series finale win at Cal Poly on Monday
-The Wolf Pack and Rebels have played 142 baseball games against one another
-T.J. Bruce earned win No. 120 in his head coaching career on Monday

OPENING WEEKEND SUCCESS
It was a solid opening weekend to the 2021 season for the Nevada baseball team, taking three of four from Cal Poly on the road. It was a slow start for the Wolf Pack as it fell in game one, 4-0, and only produced two hits in the ballgame. Additionally the Pack offense plated just two runs the next night, but was able to sneak away with a 2-1 victory thanks to a masterful pitching performance that ended with a save from redshirt junior Tyler Cochran. Cochran picked up his second save of the weekend the following night as he came in during the bottom of the 10th to shut the door on the Mustangs. In his two appearances, Cochran did not allow an earned run despite being brought in with multiple runners on base and no outs each time. In Monday's series finale the bats came alive as Nevada recorded 13 hits in the ballgame for the second straight day. The difference in Monday's offensive showing though was that the Wolf Pack registered six extra base hits, including three homeruns. Dillan Shrum connected on the Pack's first long ball of the season in the bottom of the first, an opposite field shot to right center that gave Nevada an early 1-0 lead. The Pack went on to win the game, 12-6, and earn the series victory.

Nevada already has more wins this season than it did during the shortened 2020 season (2).
    
WE WANT ZAMORA THAT
Redshirt junior Joshua Zamora was honored by D1 Baseball earlier this offseason, being ranked as the 22nd-best third baseman in college baseball. His pedigree speaks for itself, as Zamora has boasted a career-batting average of .321 with 27 doubles, 17 homers, 73 RBI and a .494 slugging percentage. 

In his first season, he was awarded the second Mountain West Freshman of the Year honor in Wolf Pack baseball history as well as Freshman All-American honors. In 2019, he was named second-team All-MW as well as being selected to the All-MW Tournament team.

HIGH NON-CONFERENCE STANDARDS
The Nevada baseball team could very well boast one of the best non-conference schedules among Mountain West teams in 2021, and perhaps one of the best in the nation. The Wolf Pack began its season on the road at Cal Poly, which earned wins over No. 1 Vanderbilt and No. 5 Michigan last season, and will also square up against Pac-12 schools such as USC on the road and a home-and-home series with Arizona State. Perhaps the two headline grabbing opponents on this year's non-conference schedule are a single game at No. 2 UCLA on May 18, and a two-game set on the road at No. 9 Texas, slated for mid-May.

The last time the Wolf Pack faced a top 25 opponent was in April of 2019 when Nevada swept a two-game series against then No. 2 Oregon State, the 2018 NCAA National Champions. Both games were set for dramatics as the Pack walked-off for both wins in extra innings, including a walk-off home run in game two.

When the Pack faces No. 2 UCLA on May 18 it will be a homecoming of sorts for head coach T.J. Bruce, who served as an assistant coach on the Bruins coaching staff under current UCLA head coach John Savage from 2011-15.

SCOUTING THE REBELS
The UNLV baseball team was picked to finish tied for third place with the New Mexico Lobos in the 2021 Mountain West Preseason Poll, but so far this season we have not seen the Rebels in action. UNLV's opening weekend series against New Mexico State was canceled due to a positive COVID-19 test within the Aggies program. The Rebels will now open their 2021 season at home against the Wolf Pack in conference action.
 
The Rebels placed two on the preseason All-MW team with junior catcher Eric Bigani and sophomore second baseman Edarian Williams being selected. Bigani concluded the 2020 season ranked in the top 100 of four NCAA statistical categories: 34th in doubles (seven), 35th in hits (26), 83rd in hits per game (1.53) and 86th in doubles per game (0.41). He led the Rebels in batting average (.394) and hits, and registered 10 multiple-hit efforts. Williams has compiled a .328 batting average with 99 hits, 21 of which have gone for extra bases (16 doubles, four triples and one home run) and help produce a .417 slugging percentage, with 36 RBI and 35 runs scored in his career.

PACK PICKED TO FINISH FIFTH IN MW STANDINGS
Nevada has been slated to finish fifth in the Mountain West Preseason Poll that was released on Feb. 11, 2021. San Diego State was selected as the preseason Mountain West favorite as the Aztecs received six first place votes. Fresno State garnered one first place vote and was picked to finish in the runner-up spot. New Mexico and UNLV were tied for third place, followed by Nevada, Air Force and San Jose State.

ZAMORA AND SHARTS NAMED PRESEASON ALL-MW
The Mountain West announced its 2021 preseason baseball all-conference selections on Feb. 11 with Nevada's Joshua Zamora and Owen Sharts earning a spot on the 13-person team.
 
For Zamora, this is his third consecutive preseason All-MW honor. The California native has batted .324 during his time at Nevada, which includes two full seasons and 14 games in a shortened 2020 season. In his career he has recorded 148 hits, 27 doubles, two triples, 17 homeruns, and 73 RBI in his 116 games played. In 2018 he was named the MW Freshman of the Year and followed that up with an All-MW Second Team selection in 2019.
 
This is the first preseason all-conference honor for Sharts, who is entering his junior season. In a shortened 2020 campaign, Sharts led the Wolf Pack and the Mountain West with 32 strikeouts in four games played. His best performance last season was an 11-strikeout game in seven innings against Hofstra. Additionally, Sharts struck out at least eight batters in three of his four starts. In his career, which spans 18 appearances and 90 innings pitched, he owns an ERA of 5.70 with 72 strikeouts.

NEWBIES
With the unlimited roster size that is permissable this season, the Wolf Pack boasts a large number of returners, but also a large number of newcomers. Nevada will have 22 newcomers on its roster in 2021, including 17 freshmen and five junior college transfers. Of those 22 newcomers eight are either starting or relief pitchers, six are infielders, five play outfield, two are catchers and there is one utility player.

There were multiple newbies that had the opportunity to shine for the Wolf Pack on opening weekend, including true freshmen Cam Walty and Jacob Stinson, and redshirt sophomore Dario Gomez. Walty earned the start in game three on Sunday to make his collegiate debut. The right hander tossed 4.0 innings in his debut and only allowed one earned run on one hit and struck out five batters.

Stinson got the start in left field in all four games and batted .417 in his collegiate debut weekend. He collected two doubles, scored four runs, had an RBI and stole two bases. In Monday's finale he posted a breakout game going 3-for-4 at the plate with one of his doubles, an RBI and a run scored. Gomez had a similarly solid weekend in his Division I debut, earning starts in center field all four games. He hit .412 in the four games with two doubles, three runs scored, two stolen bases, a homerun and four RBI. On Monday he was just a triple shy of hitting for the cycle.

Additionally, newcomer Peter Mendazona made his Nevada debut on Monday as he got the start at shortstop and went 2-for-3 in the Pack's 12-6 win. Mendazona drove in a run and also drew two walks in the game.

UP NEXT
Nevada remains on the road for a single game at Arizona State on Tuesday. First pitch is scheduled for 12:05 p.m.