Time will tell if the UNLV softball team can break into the upper echelon of the Mountain West this season, but Rebels pitchers Kwyn Cooper, Alyssa Batastini and Janine Petmecky already have shown their mettle in the circle.
Cooper and Batastini earned consecutive conference Pitcher of the Week honors earlier this month and Petmecky earned back-to-back wins in relief Friday and Saturday as UNLV (18-14, 2-1) opened league play by winning its series over San Diego State (19-12, 1-2) at Eller Media Stadium.
The Rebels dropped Thursday’s conference opener to the Aztecs 6-2 despite Cooper’s team-leading fifth complete game of the season but bounced back with a 4-2 win on Friday and a 7-2 triumph on Saturday.