Friday, Aug. 15, 2008 | 3:48 p.m.
UNLV hoops coach Lon Kruger will return to the pitcher’s mound Aug. 28 at Cashman Field.
He and new Rebels women’s coach Kathy Olivier will throw out ceremonial first pitches before the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s play Fresno at 7:05 p.m.
Those who mention the Rebels at the Cashman Field box office will receive $2 discounts on tickets for a special Rebel section, where Kruger and Olivier will sit and mingle with fans who are encouraged to wear Rebels gear.
Kruger was drafted by the Houston Astros after he graduated from Silver Lake High in Kansas in 1970, but he went on to play basketball at Kansas State.
He also played shortstop for the Wildcats and was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1974. He attended a Cards rookie camp, as a pitcher, but instead played basketball in Israel.
Kruger told the Sun that he did not return to the States to find a pile of phone messages from the Cardinals, wooing him back to spring training. In fact, there wasn’t one message.
He made a stellar career decision when he got into coaching, and Kruger has guided the Rebels to victories in the past two NCAA tournaments, a first for the program since 1991.
Practice starts for his fifth season at UNLV in two months.
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