Falcons host UNLV, April 18-20
4/15/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 15, 2003
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This Weekend: Air Force (11-23 overall, 0-14 MWC) hosts a three-game MWC series with UNLV (28-11, 12-3 MWC), April 18-20. The schedule is below.
Fri. Apr. 18 2 pm UNLV Falcon Field Sat. Apr. 19 1 pm UNLV Falcon Field Sun. Apr. 20 1 pm UNLV Falcon Field
Radio/Television: The Saturday and Sunday games of the UNLV series will be broadcast in Colorado Springs on KBZC AM 1300. Jay Ritchie, in his 14th season of Air Force athletics and sixth season of Falcon baseball, will call the play-by-play. The pre-game show begins at 12:45 with the first pitch coming at 1:05. No television.
Follow the Falcons Anywhere: Games two and three vs. UNLV can be heard anywhere in the United States via the telephone. Falcon baseball radio broadcasts can be heard on Teamline by dialing 1-800-846-4700. The team access code is 0671. This service is free of charge to listeners thanks to the Air Force Academy athletic department. Baseball games can also be listened to on the internet at www.AirForceSports.com. Go to the baseball page and click on Listen to the Falcons on the right side of the screen.
Oklahoma Game Cancelled: The Air Force-Oklahoma baseball game scheduled for Wednesday, April 16, has been cancelled. The game will not be rescheduled.
Utah Schedule Change: The third game of the Air Force-Utah series at Falcon Field, April 6, was postponed due to snow. The game will be made up when Air Force travels to Salt Lake City, May 9-11. The date and time have not yet been announced.
Series History: Air Force and UNLV have played 51 times and the Rebels hold a 37-14 lead in the series that began in 1970. Earlier this season, UNLV swept Air Force by scores of 7-2, 13-7 and 7-3 in Las Vegas. Last season, Air Force took two of three at Falcon Field. AFA won the first two games by scores of 7-6 and 8-5. UNLV won the third game at Falcon Field last season, 13-4. Since joining the MWC, Air Force is 4-3 vs. UNLV at Falcon Field.
Earlier This Season Vs. the Rebels: UNLV swept a three-game MWC series from Air Force, March 14-16, in Las Vegas. In the first game, Rebel starter Matt Luca gave up only two runs off six hits with eight strikeouts in six innings in a 7-2 UNLV win. Rebel Eric Nielsen went 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored. Tony Shockley led Air Force's offense by going 2-for-4 with one run scored. Despite out-hitting UNLV in game two, the Falcons fell to the Rebels, 13-7. Derck Kasel led the Falcons, going 3-for-4 at the plate with two RBI. The Rebels broke the game open with five runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to take a 9-4 lead. Air Force closed the lead to 9-7, however, with three runs in the fifth. A four-run eighth inning put the game out of reach for UNLV. UNLV completed the sweep with a 7-3 win in the series finale. For the second game in a row, the Falcons put up a two-spot in the top of the first inning. Air Force starter Paul Vignola cruised through the first five innings, allowing just two hits before UNLV tied the game in the bottom of the sixth. Leading 4-3, UNLV put the game away in the bottom of the eighth on Robert VanKirk's three-run home run. Rose went 3-for-5 with a run scored, while Petro went 3-for-3 with an RBI.
Scouting the Opponents: UNLV is ranked 21st in the nation by Baseball America. The Rebels are 28-11 overall and lead the MWC with a 12-3 record. UNLV took two of three last weekend from Utah in Salt Lake City. The team is hitting .300 with a sizzling .968 fielding percentage and a 5.24 ERA. Brent Johnson leads the team with a .366 average and 12 doubles. UNLV has hit 54 home runs in 39 games, the second most in the MWC. League Leader: Senior Josh Phifer leads the MWC in batting average, slugging percentage and on-base percentage. He is one of four players in the league with a .400 or better average. His .457 average is 48 points better than UNM's Sean Murray who is second with a .409 mark. Phifer's .853 slugging percentage is 44 points ahead of UNM's Chris Alexander. His .527 on-base percentage is 40 points better than UNM's Matt Young's .487 percentage.
Showing the Leather: Air Force's defense in late March and early April was outstanding as the team fielded .984 in five games at Hawaii and .989 in the Utah series. However, the Falcons committed a season-high nine errors in three games at BYU and fielded just 922 against the Cougars. Air Force has played 10 games this season without making an error.
Welcome Additions: Air Force has had several true freshmen emerge as major contributors this season. Second baseman Zach McAngus, from Honolulu, Hawaii, has started 27 of the 34 games and is third on the team with a .366 batting average. He also has eight doubles, a triple, four home runs, 31 runs scored and 20 RBI. Pitcher Paul Vignola, from Las Vegas, Nev., leads the team with a 5-3 record in 10 starts and combined with Jason Pruitt to shutout Southern Utah. He has thrown 52 innings, the second most on the team, and has a 7.62 ERA with a team-best 33 strikeouts. Pitcher Jeff Tetrault has emerged as a solid reliever and starter for the Falcons. He has a 5.47 ERA, the best on the team, in seven appearances and three starts. He has a 1-0 record in 26.1 innings.
Close Only Counts in Shaving: Air Force has struggled winning close games this season. The Falcons are 0-6 in games decided by one run and have lost seven games in the opponents' final at-bat. In the eighth and ninth innings combined, Air Force has been out-scored 54-22. The Falcons have been out-scored 7-3 in three extra-inning games. AFA is 0-3 in extra innings with losses coming against Northern Colorado, New Mexico and Hawaii. At the Rainbow Easter Tournament in Honolulu, March 25-29, all three of Air Force's losses were by one run and two were decided in the opponents' final at -bat.
Last Week: Air Force defeated Colorado Mines, 22-9 on April 8, but was swept in a three-game MWC series at BYU in Provo, Utah. The Cougars won by scores of 9-2, 17-2 and 22-6.
On Deck: Following the UNLV series, Air Force hosts Metro State, April 22, and then San Diego State, April 25-27.
