Air Force Falcon baseball: 2005 Season Review
6/17/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
In Closing
The 2005 Air Force baseball team finished the season with a 9-44 overall record and 4-26 regular-season Mountain West Conference mark for sixth place. The Falcons went 0-2 in the MWC tournament, falling to San Diego State (21-6) and New Mexico (11-9).
Head Coach Mike Hutcheon
Mike Hutcheon concluded his second year as the head coach of the Falcons. Prior to his stint at the Academy, Hutcheon spent the last four years at Bethel College in Mishawaka, Ind. and compiled a record of 130-78 during his tenure there. In 2002, Hutcheon was named the National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association (NCCAA) National Coach of the year after leading Bethel to the 2002 NCCAA national title. Prior to his stay at Bethel, Hutcheon coached at Belhaven College in Jackson, Miss., for five seasons where he went 109-62. Through ten seasons as a head coach, Hutcheon has compiled a 254-233 record and is 15-93 at Air Force.
Hitting/Offense Notes
Air Force batted .279 as a team in 2005, 13 points above its 2004 total of .266...senior Reid Lamson led the team with a .321 average...Karl Bolt led the team with 12 homers, 39 RBI, a .579 slugging percentage and .433 on base percentage...Lamson tied for the MWC lead with 18 stolen bases...Lamson, Bolt and Geno Salazar hit 11 doubles...Lamson, Troy Jeffers and Dale Kasel hit three triples apiece...Lamson also led the team with 62 hits and 52 runs scored...Air Force led the conference with 55 stolen bases...junior Price Paramore led the Falcons with a .370 average in MWC games...seniors Nathan DeRohan and Dale Kasel led AFA with five conference homers each...Dustin Smith was the top junior hitter with a .320 average...Bolt led the sophomores with a .315 average and Matt Ghigna was the top freshman hitter, batting .283.
Pitching Notes
Air Force had a 12.18 earned run average in 2005...The Falcons struck out 263 batters in 416.2 innings pitched...junior Paul Pratt led the Falcons with a 3-9 record in 62.2 innings pitched...junior Kyle DePierre led the Falcons with 43 strikeouts in just 44.1 innings pitched...junior Clayton Couch led the team with a 6.32 ERA as a starter...Pratt had a ERA of 1.42 after being converted to closer at the end of the season...sophomore Mitch Brown led the team with 21 appearances...freshman Sam Rosener led the team with two saves and had a 7.46 ERA...Mike Garrison pitched in 15 games as the lone lefty on the staff.
Fielding Notes
Air Force fielded .947 on the season, committing 100 errors...AFA fielded .938 in 2004, committing 116 errors...sophomore Geno Salazar had the top fielding percentage among MWC shortstops with a .970 percentage, committing just seven errors...sophomore Jon Polston was third in the conference with 18 runners thrown out...Karl Bolt was sixth in the MWC with 358 putouts...Nathan DeRohan was eighth in the league with 144 assists and Salazar was ninth with 137 assists.
Team MVP
Senior center fielder Reid Lamson was named the team's MVP. Lamson concluded his career with a stellar senior season, leading the team in hits (62), runs (52), batting average (.321), games played and started (50) and tied for first in the conference with 18 stolen bases. Lamson was also a standout defensively, making countless diving catches in center field and threw out five base runners on the season.
Finishing Strong
Air Force played its best ball late in the season, closing it's regular season with a 3-3 record in its last six games. Air Force took 2-of-3 from Utah and went 1-2 against New Mexico, snapping a 17-game losing streak to the Lobos. The Falcons batted .345 over their last six games, hitting 11 home runs. Their team ERA of 8.32 over those six games was nearly four runs per game lower than their season average.
Pitching Inside
To keep batters honest, you must pitch inside. And that's exactly what the Falcons did, setting a school record with 101 hit batters. The new mark was 35 more than the previous high of 66 hit batters set last year.
Power Surge
After hitting just 26 home runs as a team in 2004, the Falcons nearly doubled that number in 2005, hitting 49 as a team, which is the second-highest team total in the last six years. Karl Bolt hit 12 homers to lead the Falcons, ranking him tied for 11th all-time in a season at Air Force.
Three Falcons Earn MWC Player Of The Week Honors
Karl Bolt, Dale Kasel and Paul Pratt earned MWC Player of the Week honors this season for the Falcons. Bolt and Pratt earned MWC Player and Pitcher of the Week honors on Feb. 7, While Kasel earned MWC POW honors on May 16.
Bolt, a Stockton, Calif., native, was 6-for-13 (.462) with a pair of home runs, 4 runs scored and 6 RBI in a 4-game series vs. Southern Utah.
Pratt, from Tooele, Utah, tossed a complete-game 5-hitter in Air Force's opening game vs. Southern Utah, giving the Falcons an 8-2 victory. In his first appearance since serving a two-year mission, he struck out 7 batters, while allowing 2 earned runs and 2 walks.
Kasel, a native of Fort Collins, Colo., went 6-for-13 (.462) in the three-game series at Utah, hitting three home runs, two doubles and driving in nine runs.
Bolt Named To Service Academies Spring Classic All-Tourney Team
Sophomore first baseman Karl Bolt was named to the 2005 Service Academies Spring Classic All-Tournament Team for his efforts this past weekend. Bolt led the Falcons by batting .375 over the weekend hitting two home runs at USA Stadium in Millington, Tenn.
Bolt's first home run of the weekend broke up a no-hit bid in the fourth inning against Memphis pitcher Stephen Gostkowski. His second home run was a monster blast that cleared the left field fence by over 40 feet against Indiana State. Bolt also had an on-base percentage of .615 for the weekend, reaching base eight times.
The two long-balls gives Bolt three home runs at the tourney as he hit a grand slam a season ago against Murray state.
The Seniors
The Falcon seniors combined to bat .281 (180-for-641) and hit 21 homers, while scoring 133 runs and driving in 101...Reid Lamson was named the team's MVP after leading the team in several offensive categories...Nathan DeRohan finished second on the team with nine home runs on the season...Kasel Kasel was third with seven homers...Brent Tittle was the team captain, tying for second on the team with 27 RBI...Travis Fugler was 2-5 on the mound for the Falcons, pitching 30 innings in 10 appearances before leaving the team midway through the season...DeRohan will be working in Security Forces at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico...Lamson will be stationed in Mountain Home, Idaho, as a communications officer...Kasel will become a Civil Engineering Officer at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla...Tittle will be headed to Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, and then will begin pilot training in January at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma.
The Juniors
The junior class batted .288 (78-for-271) as a group, hitting five home runs and scoring 46 runs while driving in 43...Dustin Smith finished second on the team with a .320 batting average, hitting 10 doubles...Price Paramore batted .302 on the season, including a team-best .370 clip in conference play...Matt Musser stole three bases in 15 games...Josh Oakley started three games at catcher...the juniors accounted for 33 of the 51 starts in 2005, logging 252.2 innings and striking out 173...Paul Pratt led the team in several categories, including innings pitched (62.2) and wins (3)...Kyle DePierre led the team in strikeouts (43)...Clayton Couch returned from a sore shoulder that kept him out for half of the season to log 36 innings and strike out 21...Paul Vignola walked just 13 batters in 42 innings, while striking out 25...Jeff Tetrault was second on the team with 16 relief appearances...John Meyers pitched in 18 games, starting four...Price Paramore also appeared in 10 games on the mound, striking out 11 in 13 innings.
The Sophomores
The sophomore class batted .302 (137-for-454) as a group, hitting 19 homers and scoring 84 runs and driving in 76 runs...Karl Bolt led the team with 12 homers and 39 RBI...Geno Salazar tied for the team-lead with 11 doubles and three triples...Jon Polston started 37 games at catcher, hitting three homers...Andrew Vasquez was 2-for-4 in two games played...Mike Garrison appeared in 15 games in relief as the lone lefty on the team...Mitch Brown led the Falcons with 21 pitching appearances...Andrew Goss was tied for second on the team with seven starts on the mound.
The Freshmen
The Freshman class batted .247 (88-for-356) as a group, hitting three homers and scoring 47 runs and driving in 55...Matt Ghigna tied for second on the team with 27 RBI and stole six bases...Troy Jeffers started 35 games and tied for the team-lead with three triples...Austin Ferreria appeared in 21 games, batting .276...Josh Meents appeared in 27 games, starting 12...Sam Rosener led the Falcon reliever with two saves and a 7.46 ERA...Kyle Yamamoto appeared in eight games in relief, striking out six in 11 innings.
Weather Woes, Again
The spring weather is often unpredictable in Colorado and this year was no different. The Falcons had 11 games postponed in 2005, 10 of which were at the Academy. The Falcons were able to make up seven of the games at later dates. In 2005, the Falcons had seven games postponed, five of which were made up.
Looking Ahead
Although not set in stone, the 2006 Falcon baseball schedule looks to be a promising one. Air Force will again take part in the Service Academies Springs Classic, in Millington, Tenn. The 2006 Field will also include perennial national powerhouse Notre Dame, led by former USAFA head coach Paul Mainieri. Wright State (Dayton, Ohio) is slated to come to the Academy for a three-game series. Air Force is also slated to play several games against east-coast schools in Arizona in the spring. The Falcons will also play Northern Colorado, Colorado Christian, Southern Utah and Utah Valley State. The 2006 and 2007 Mountain West Conference baseball Tournament will be held at Earl E. Wilson Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev.
Team Captains Named For 2006
Three Falcons will share team captain duties for the 2006 season. Seniors Price Paramore and Paul Pratt, along with junior Karl Bolt will assume leadership duties for Air Force, replacing Brent Tittle, who was the team captain in 2005.
Who's Gone
The Falcons lose four seniors to graduation. Third baseman Nathan DeRohan and outfielders Dale Kasel, Reid Lamson and Brent Tittle made up the class of 2005.
Who's Back
Aside from losing the four seniors, the Falcons will return everybody else. Air Force returns six position players with significant starting experience. The Falcons return their top pitchers in Clayton Couch, Kyle DePierre and Paul Pratt, who will all be seniors in 2006.
Projected Starters For 2006 (Excluding Freshman Class of 06)
Pos. Player (Yr./BA/HR/RBI/SB)
1B Karl Bolt (Jr./.315/12/39/2) Will be one of top returning hitters in the MWC
2B Price Paramore (Sr./.302/2/20/6) Batted .370 in MWC play
SS Geno Salazar (Jr./.310/4/27/1) Fielded .970 for the Falcons
3B Austin Ferreria (So./.276/0/5/0) Will get a shot at starting role
LF Josh Meents (So./.137/0/3/0) Has the size and potential to be a dangerous power-hitter
CF Dustin Smith (Sr./.320/3/21/3) One of Falcons' top hitters
RF Matt Ghigna (So./.283/2/27/8) RBI machine batted .410 with runners in scoring position
C Jon Polston (Jr./.260/3/10/3) Third in MWC with 18 runners thrown out
Pos. Player (Yr./W-L/IP/BB/K)
SP Clayton Couch (Sr./0-3/36.2/16/21) Will anchor a senior-laden rotation
SP Kyle DePierre (Sr./1-3/44.1/29/43) Averaged 9 K's per 9 innings
SP Paul Vignola (Sr./1-5/42.0/12/25) Has over 170 innings of experience at the college level
CL Paul Pratt (Sr./3-9/62.2/32/41) Had a 1.42 ERA as a reliever; Fastball reaches the 90's
--30--
The 2005 Air Force baseball team finished the season with a 9-44 overall record and 4-26 regular-season Mountain West Conference mark for sixth place. The Falcons went 0-2 in the MWC tournament, falling to San Diego State (21-6) and New Mexico (11-9).
Head Coach Mike Hutcheon
Mike Hutcheon concluded his second year as the head coach of the Falcons. Prior to his stint at the Academy, Hutcheon spent the last four years at Bethel College in Mishawaka, Ind. and compiled a record of 130-78 during his tenure there. In 2002, Hutcheon was named the National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association (NCCAA) National Coach of the year after leading Bethel to the 2002 NCCAA national title. Prior to his stay at Bethel, Hutcheon coached at Belhaven College in Jackson, Miss., for five seasons where he went 109-62. Through ten seasons as a head coach, Hutcheon has compiled a 254-233 record and is 15-93 at Air Force.
Hitting/Offense Notes
Air Force batted .279 as a team in 2005, 13 points above its 2004 total of .266...senior Reid Lamson led the team with a .321 average...Karl Bolt led the team with 12 homers, 39 RBI, a .579 slugging percentage and .433 on base percentage...Lamson tied for the MWC lead with 18 stolen bases...Lamson, Bolt and Geno Salazar hit 11 doubles...Lamson, Troy Jeffers and Dale Kasel hit three triples apiece...Lamson also led the team with 62 hits and 52 runs scored...Air Force led the conference with 55 stolen bases...junior Price Paramore led the Falcons with a .370 average in MWC games...seniors Nathan DeRohan and Dale Kasel led AFA with five conference homers each...Dustin Smith was the top junior hitter with a .320 average...Bolt led the sophomores with a .315 average and Matt Ghigna was the top freshman hitter, batting .283.
Pitching Notes
Air Force had a 12.18 earned run average in 2005...The Falcons struck out 263 batters in 416.2 innings pitched...junior Paul Pratt led the Falcons with a 3-9 record in 62.2 innings pitched...junior Kyle DePierre led the Falcons with 43 strikeouts in just 44.1 innings pitched...junior Clayton Couch led the team with a 6.32 ERA as a starter...Pratt had a ERA of 1.42 after being converted to closer at the end of the season...sophomore Mitch Brown led the team with 21 appearances...freshman Sam Rosener led the team with two saves and had a 7.46 ERA...Mike Garrison pitched in 15 games as the lone lefty on the staff.
Fielding Notes
Air Force fielded .947 on the season, committing 100 errors...AFA fielded .938 in 2004, committing 116 errors...sophomore Geno Salazar had the top fielding percentage among MWC shortstops with a .970 percentage, committing just seven errors...sophomore Jon Polston was third in the conference with 18 runners thrown out...Karl Bolt was sixth in the MWC with 358 putouts...Nathan DeRohan was eighth in the league with 144 assists and Salazar was ninth with 137 assists.
Team MVP
Senior center fielder Reid Lamson was named the team's MVP. Lamson concluded his career with a stellar senior season, leading the team in hits (62), runs (52), batting average (.321), games played and started (50) and tied for first in the conference with 18 stolen bases. Lamson was also a standout defensively, making countless diving catches in center field and threw out five base runners on the season.
Finishing Strong
Air Force played its best ball late in the season, closing it's regular season with a 3-3 record in its last six games. Air Force took 2-of-3 from Utah and went 1-2 against New Mexico, snapping a 17-game losing streak to the Lobos. The Falcons batted .345 over their last six games, hitting 11 home runs. Their team ERA of 8.32 over those six games was nearly four runs per game lower than their season average.
Pitching Inside
To keep batters honest, you must pitch inside. And that's exactly what the Falcons did, setting a school record with 101 hit batters. The new mark was 35 more than the previous high of 66 hit batters set last year.
Power Surge
After hitting just 26 home runs as a team in 2004, the Falcons nearly doubled that number in 2005, hitting 49 as a team, which is the second-highest team total in the last six years. Karl Bolt hit 12 homers to lead the Falcons, ranking him tied for 11th all-time in a season at Air Force.
Three Falcons Earn MWC Player Of The Week Honors
Karl Bolt, Dale Kasel and Paul Pratt earned MWC Player of the Week honors this season for the Falcons. Bolt and Pratt earned MWC Player and Pitcher of the Week honors on Feb. 7, While Kasel earned MWC POW honors on May 16.
Bolt, a Stockton, Calif., native, was 6-for-13 (.462) with a pair of home runs, 4 runs scored and 6 RBI in a 4-game series vs. Southern Utah.
Pratt, from Tooele, Utah, tossed a complete-game 5-hitter in Air Force's opening game vs. Southern Utah, giving the Falcons an 8-2 victory. In his first appearance since serving a two-year mission, he struck out 7 batters, while allowing 2 earned runs and 2 walks.
Kasel, a native of Fort Collins, Colo., went 6-for-13 (.462) in the three-game series at Utah, hitting three home runs, two doubles and driving in nine runs.
Bolt Named To Service Academies Spring Classic All-Tourney Team
Sophomore first baseman Karl Bolt was named to the 2005 Service Academies Spring Classic All-Tournament Team for his efforts this past weekend. Bolt led the Falcons by batting .375 over the weekend hitting two home runs at USA Stadium in Millington, Tenn.
Bolt's first home run of the weekend broke up a no-hit bid in the fourth inning against Memphis pitcher Stephen Gostkowski. His second home run was a monster blast that cleared the left field fence by over 40 feet against Indiana State. Bolt also had an on-base percentage of .615 for the weekend, reaching base eight times.
The two long-balls gives Bolt three home runs at the tourney as he hit a grand slam a season ago against Murray state.
The Seniors
The Falcon seniors combined to bat .281 (180-for-641) and hit 21 homers, while scoring 133 runs and driving in 101...Reid Lamson was named the team's MVP after leading the team in several offensive categories...Nathan DeRohan finished second on the team with nine home runs on the season...Kasel Kasel was third with seven homers...Brent Tittle was the team captain, tying for second on the team with 27 RBI...Travis Fugler was 2-5 on the mound for the Falcons, pitching 30 innings in 10 appearances before leaving the team midway through the season...DeRohan will be working in Security Forces at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico...Lamson will be stationed in Mountain Home, Idaho, as a communications officer...Kasel will become a Civil Engineering Officer at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla...Tittle will be headed to Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, and then will begin pilot training in January at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma.
The Juniors
The junior class batted .288 (78-for-271) as a group, hitting five home runs and scoring 46 runs while driving in 43...Dustin Smith finished second on the team with a .320 batting average, hitting 10 doubles...Price Paramore batted .302 on the season, including a team-best .370 clip in conference play...Matt Musser stole three bases in 15 games...Josh Oakley started three games at catcher...the juniors accounted for 33 of the 51 starts in 2005, logging 252.2 innings and striking out 173...Paul Pratt led the team in several categories, including innings pitched (62.2) and wins (3)...Kyle DePierre led the team in strikeouts (43)...Clayton Couch returned from a sore shoulder that kept him out for half of the season to log 36 innings and strike out 21...Paul Vignola walked just 13 batters in 42 innings, while striking out 25...Jeff Tetrault was second on the team with 16 relief appearances...John Meyers pitched in 18 games, starting four...Price Paramore also appeared in 10 games on the mound, striking out 11 in 13 innings.
The Sophomores
The sophomore class batted .302 (137-for-454) as a group, hitting 19 homers and scoring 84 runs and driving in 76 runs...Karl Bolt led the team with 12 homers and 39 RBI...Geno Salazar tied for the team-lead with 11 doubles and three triples...Jon Polston started 37 games at catcher, hitting three homers...Andrew Vasquez was 2-for-4 in two games played...Mike Garrison appeared in 15 games in relief as the lone lefty on the team...Mitch Brown led the Falcons with 21 pitching appearances...Andrew Goss was tied for second on the team with seven starts on the mound.
The Freshmen
The Freshman class batted .247 (88-for-356) as a group, hitting three homers and scoring 47 runs and driving in 55...Matt Ghigna tied for second on the team with 27 RBI and stole six bases...Troy Jeffers started 35 games and tied for the team-lead with three triples...Austin Ferreria appeared in 21 games, batting .276...Josh Meents appeared in 27 games, starting 12...Sam Rosener led the Falcon reliever with two saves and a 7.46 ERA...Kyle Yamamoto appeared in eight games in relief, striking out six in 11 innings.
Weather Woes, Again
The spring weather is often unpredictable in Colorado and this year was no different. The Falcons had 11 games postponed in 2005, 10 of which were at the Academy. The Falcons were able to make up seven of the games at later dates. In 2005, the Falcons had seven games postponed, five of which were made up.
Looking Ahead
Although not set in stone, the 2006 Falcon baseball schedule looks to be a promising one. Air Force will again take part in the Service Academies Springs Classic, in Millington, Tenn. The 2006 Field will also include perennial national powerhouse Notre Dame, led by former USAFA head coach Paul Mainieri. Wright State (Dayton, Ohio) is slated to come to the Academy for a three-game series. Air Force is also slated to play several games against east-coast schools in Arizona in the spring. The Falcons will also play Northern Colorado, Colorado Christian, Southern Utah and Utah Valley State. The 2006 and 2007 Mountain West Conference baseball Tournament will be held at Earl E. Wilson Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev.
Team Captains Named For 2006
Three Falcons will share team captain duties for the 2006 season. Seniors Price Paramore and Paul Pratt, along with junior Karl Bolt will assume leadership duties for Air Force, replacing Brent Tittle, who was the team captain in 2005.
Who's Gone
The Falcons lose four seniors to graduation. Third baseman Nathan DeRohan and outfielders Dale Kasel, Reid Lamson and Brent Tittle made up the class of 2005.
Who's Back
Aside from losing the four seniors, the Falcons will return everybody else. Air Force returns six position players with significant starting experience. The Falcons return their top pitchers in Clayton Couch, Kyle DePierre and Paul Pratt, who will all be seniors in 2006.
Projected Starters For 2006 (Excluding Freshman Class of 06)
Pos. Player (Yr./BA/HR/RBI/SB)
1B Karl Bolt (Jr./.315/12/39/2) Will be one of top returning hitters in the MWC
2B Price Paramore (Sr./.302/2/20/6) Batted .370 in MWC play
SS Geno Salazar (Jr./.310/4/27/1) Fielded .970 for the Falcons
3B Austin Ferreria (So./.276/0/5/0) Will get a shot at starting role
LF Josh Meents (So./.137/0/3/0) Has the size and potential to be a dangerous power-hitter
CF Dustin Smith (Sr./.320/3/21/3) One of Falcons' top hitters
RF Matt Ghigna (So./.283/2/27/8) RBI machine batted .410 with runners in scoring position
C Jon Polston (Jr./.260/3/10/3) Third in MWC with 18 runners thrown out
Pos. Player (Yr./W-L/IP/BB/K)
SP Clayton Couch (Sr./0-3/36.2/16/21) Will anchor a senior-laden rotation
SP Kyle DePierre (Sr./1-3/44.1/29/43) Averaged 9 K's per 9 innings
SP Paul Vignola (Sr./1-5/42.0/12/25) Has over 170 innings of experience at the college level
CL Paul Pratt (Sr./3-9/62.2/32/41) Had a 1.42 ERA as a reliever; Fastball reaches the 90's
--30--
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/ BaseballFalcons win on senior day over New Mexico
Sunday, May 11
Lobos top Falcons to even series
Saturday, May 10
Falcons big 8th inning leads to win over Lobos
Friday, May 09
Falcons fall in series finale to Nevada
Sunday, April 27
