Falcons hosts Hastings College, Feb. 8-9
2/4/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 4, 2003
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This Weekend: Air Force (1-2 overall) continues its seven-game home stand with a four-game non-conference series with Hastings (Neb.) College (0-0), Saturday-Sunday, Feb. 8-9. The teams will play a doubleheader (two seven-inning games) each day with the first pitch at 10 a.m.
Scouting the Opponent: Hastings College (Hastings, Neb.) is an NAIA school from the Great Plains Conference. The Broncos, who open the season with Air Force this weekend, were 22-34 last season and 15-13 for fifth place in the conference. The team returns seven position starters and three pitchers. Hastings has won nine league titles since 1992 and will be rebuilding its pitching staff, which lost its top two starters from last season.
Series History: Air Force and Hastings have played nine times, all at USAFA, and Air Force has won all nine games. The teams played three games last season at Falcon Field and Air Force won by scores of 16-5, 15-2 and 13-3. The teams started playing in 1999. Most games have been decided by five or more runs, but twice the Falcons scored in the last inning to win a one-run game.
Phifer National/Conference Player of the Week: Senior outfielder Josh Phifer was named the Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball magazine and was also named the Mountain West Conference player of the week, Feb. 3. The Torrington, Wyo., native belted five home runs in a three-game series against Northern Colorado as he went 9-for-14 at the plate (.643). He knocked in 10 runs and accounted for 25 total bases. He also had a double and walked twice. He posted a 1.786 slugging percentage after three games. Phifer was perfect in seven chances in left field. Phifer is the first Air Force player to ever earn the Collegiate Baseball national honor. A second-team all-conference selection last season, Phifer earned conference player of the week honors for the second time in his career.
Light Up the Scoreboard: In three games vs. Northern Colorado, the Falcons hit .431 as a team and averaged 14 runs per game. The team has nine home runs and had 20 extra-base hits with a .767 slugging percentage. Three Falcons hit over .400 in the series. Josh Phifer led the way, hitting .643. He was followed by Dan Petro (.545), Zach McAnguss (.545) and Adam Howes (.429).
Who's on the Mound: Air Force's three starting pitchers last weekend had never started a varsity game at the Academy. With the graduation of two starters (Matt Kaercher and Erik Fisher), two-year starter Johnny Koegel was scheduled to be the team's top hurler. However, Koegel had elbow surgery (right/throwing arm) in the off-season and will miss the first third of the season. Senior Jesper Stubbendorff started the first game and allowed three earned runs in four innings (6.75 ERA). Freshmen Clayton Couch and Paul Vignola started games two and three. Couch struggled in his first outing, giving up six earned runs and seven hits in one third of an inning. Vignola started the third game and earned his first career win. He gave up six earned runs on eight hits in four and two-thirds innings (11.57 ERA). Senior relievers Scott Zicarelli, Scott Mears and Josh Zumbrun had solid outings in relief. Zicarelli pitched 3.1 scoreless innings and allowed three unearned runs on three hits. Mears did not allow a hit or a run in 2.1 innings in Sunday's game. Zumbrun pitched three innings and gave up seven runs on four hits. Two errors in one inning led to six unearned runs.
New Additions: Infielders Zach McAnguss (Honolulu, Hawaii) and Nathan DeRohan (Waukegan, Ill.) should bolster an already experienced infield. McAnguss, a freshman second baseman, started all three games and hit .545 with one double, one home run and four RBI. He leads the team with four walks and was perfect in the field in 16 chances, including three double plays. DeRohan, a sophomore shortstop, started the second game of the series and was 3-for-4 at the plate with a double, a home run and four RBI. He had five chances in the field and made one error while assisting on a double play.
Last Week: Northern Colorado took two of three from Air Force, Feb. 1-2. UNC swept Saturday's doubleheader by scores of 15-13 in 10 innings and 16-12 in seven innings. Air Force won the series final, 16-6.
On Deck: Following the Hastings College series, Air Force is on the road for nine straight games and 13 of the next 16. The Falcons travel to Cedar City, Utah, Feb. 21-22, for a three-game series with Southern Utah University.
