Rebels’ win easy as 1-2-3
It’s not as if Xavier Scruggs was a secret. As a high school baseball standout, he was admired by several college recruiters.
The power hitter from Poway High School near San Diego had a few appealing options, including Arizona, San Diego and UNLV.
He might have stayed home to play for San Diego State but never got a look from Aztecs coach Tony Gwynn.
“I don’t know why they didn’t recruit me,” Scruggs said. “They probably had their eyes set on something else, so I can’t be mad at them for that.”
Scruggs was all smiles Saturday. It was Gwynn who was angry.
The Rebels’ junior first baseman homered three times and had eight RBIs in a dramatic 19-18, 10-inning win over San Diego State at Wilson Stadium.
Scruggs hit towering three-run homers in the first and eighth innings and ripped a tying two-run shot with two outs in the ninth inning.
“The thing with him right now is he’s playing with a lot of confidence,” Gwynn said. “When you swing the bat and you’ve got a lot of confidence, you believe you can do pretty much what you want. He’s having one heck of a year.”
The season has been a struggle for UNLV, which improved to 17-20 overall and 6-8 in the Mountain West Conference. It has been a breeze for Scruggs, who leads the team in batting average (.427), home runs (14) and RBIs (48).
With winds gusting out at 30 mph, Scruggs took advantage by teeing off on Aztecs starter J.R. Murphy and relievers James McLaughlin and Addison Reed.
“The conditions were such, if you hit the ball in the air today, it’s going to go,” Gwynn said. “But the ones he hit weren’t cheap.”
With a runner on second and two outs in the ninth, Scruggs lined Reed’s second pitch over the left-field fence. Scruggs was not sure he would get a pitch to hit, and Gwynn had other plans.
“We didn’t want to give him anything to hit,” Gwynn said.
Scruggs sent the game to the 10th inning. After San Diego State (23-16, 10-4) scored twice, the Rebels’ Jarred Frierson tied it with a two-run homer, and J.J. Sferra hit a winning single to center.
Gwynn said he was disgusted about the ninth inning, when the Aztecs committed three errors that led to six runs and Scruggs’ third homer.
“I was just happy they gave him a chance to swing the bat,” UNLV coach Buddy Gouldsmith said.
Scruggs made the Aztecs regret taking that risk.
“I was a little surprised they pitched to me,” Scruggs said. “But I felt good about the challenge. I needed to pick up my team right there.”
After hitting .214 as a freshman and .289 as a sophomore, Scruggs is taking a more positive approach at the plate.
“It’s his plate discipline and his pitch recognition,” Gouldsmith said. “Obviously, he’s got tremendous power. I thought he would hit maybe between 15 and 20 homers this year.
“The average is the thing that’s a little surprising. The fact that he’s managed to maintain his average is really a tribute to how hard he’s worked.”
Scruggs said not being recruited by San Diego State was not a disappointment. He got a bigger thrill out of the power display he put on Saturday.
“I’m happy I got the opportunity to come here and prove what kind of player I am,” he said.
Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907.