UNLV Hustlin' Rebels Infielder Mikey Cruz Jr Transfers to In-State Rival

The UNLV Hustlin' Rebels baseball team has lost another one of their players to the transfer portal. This time, they have lost senior infielder Mikey Cruz Jr. To make matters worse, he will be transferring to in-state rivals the Nevada Wolf Pack.

Cruz is a 6'3, 255-pounder who started 13 games for the Rebels last season, but played in all 27. In 2025, he batted .295 with two home runs and seven RBIs with a .459 slugging percentage and .377 on-base percentage. This isn't the biggest loss in the world, but they have to hate to see him go to Nevada. Nevada Sports Net recently reported on the transfer.

Nevada Sports Net's Take

"Former Reno High baseball star Mikey Cruz Jr. announced on social media he will transfer from UNLV to Nevada for his senior season. An infielder, Cruz began his college career at College of Southern Nevada where he was an all-region pick and helped the team reach the 2024 JUCO World Series, hitting .327/.418/.428 in two seasons with the Coyotes. Last season at UNLV, he earned 13 starts and hit .295/.377/.459 in 61 at-bats. The 6-foot-3, 255-pound Cruz was on a loaded Reno High team that was nationally ranked in 2022 before losing to Bishop Gorman in the state championship game."

Now, after losing Cruz Jr, along with a handful of other key players this offseason to the transfer portal, the Hustlin' Rebels will look to retool their roster in an attempt to find the success they had last season. The biggest losses they have to deal with are right-handed pitcher LJ Mercurius and Mountain West Conference Co-Player of the Year Dean Toigo. It's not going to be able to fill the void left by any of the players who left, but especially their star pitcher and the best offensive player in the Mountain West.

Nevertheless, the UNLV faithful still have high hopes for the upcoming Rebels' baseball season. It would be hard not to after the late-season run they went on last year. They are a well-coached team that should still have plenty of talent on the roster. It should be an exciting year in Las Vegas for college baseball. We will continue to update you on all the roster moves the Hustlin' Rebels make between now and next spring when the college baseball season is set to get underway.

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