Falcon Baseball Travels To Utah Valley State
2/28/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Falcon Baseball Travels To Utah Valley State
The Air Force baseball team (5-6) travels to Orem, Utah., to take on Utah Valley State (2-8) this Fri.-Sat., March 3-4. Game one is on Friday at 4 p.m. and the Saturday doubleheader has now been moved up one hour to a 11 a.m. start time. There will be no live stats for the series.
Air Force Head Coach Mike Hutcheon
Mike Hutcheon begins his third 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 11 seasons as a head coach, Hutcheon has compiled a 259-239 record and is 20-99 at Air Force.
50 Years of Falcon Baseball
The Falcons are in their 50th season of baseball in 2006.
? The Falcons' fielded their first varsity team in 1957, going 6-9 in 15 games.
? Air Force is 908-1,071-3 all time for a .459 winning percentage.
? The Falcons' winningest season came in 1964, when the team went 22-5, good for an .815 winning percentage.
? The 1979 team had the most wins ever, going 33-13 for a .719 winning percentage.
? The Falcons have produced seven baseball All-Americans in addition to five freshman All-Americans.
The Falcons
Air Force is 5-6 on the season after losing to Notre Dame, Navy and Indiana State last weekend at the 2006 Service Academies Spring Classic in Millington, Tenn. The Falcons are batting .260 as a team and have a pitching staff earned run average of 6.10. Sophomore centerfielder Chay Derbigny leads the team with a .368 batting average, scoring 10 runs and stealing six bases in the leadoff role. Junior Mitch Brown leads the Falcon staff with a 2-2 record, striking out 23 batters in 24 innings pitched.
Recapping Last Week
Air Force went 0-3 last week at the Service Academies Spring Classic in Millington, Tenn. On Friday, the Falcons lost 8-2 to #22 Notre Dame. Saturday, Air Force lost 11-6 to Notre Dame, despite Price Paramore's grand slam and Karl Bolt's solo homer. On Sunday, the Falcons failed to hold a 5-0 lead, highlighted by Josh Meents' grand slam, to lose 6-5 to Indiana State.
The Opponents
Utah Valley State is 2-8 after getting swept in a three game series at New Mexico last weekend. The Wolverines went 17-39 in their first year as a Div. I program last season. Steve Gardner (Weber State) is in his 16th year as head coach of UTVS and has a record of 412-336 in Orem and a 588-439 career mark (24th year). The Wolverines are batting .297 as a team, led by soph. first baseman Adam Openshaw, who is batting .351 with 13 runs scored. The UTVS pitching staff has a 5.79 ERA, led by senior RHP Kyle Tash, who is 2-1 with a 4.71 ERA in 21 innings pitched.
Against The Opponent
Air Force is 0-2 all time against Utah Valley State. The Falcons and Wolverines met twice last year at the Academy, with UTVS winning the first game, 13-5 and the second game 21-4. Karl Bolt and Nathan Derohan both hit two home runs in the first meeting againt UTVS.
Air Force-UTVS Ties
Falcon freshman reliever Shaun Naugle is a native of Orem, Utah. Naugle attended Orem HS where he was a two-time team captain and graduated with a 4.0 grade point average.
Falcons Among The Leaders In MWC
Several Air Force Falcons are among the Mountain West Conference statistical leaders. Dustin Smith is tops in the league in walks (10) and third in doubles (4). Paul Vignola leads the league in appearances (7) and saves (3) and second in ERA (0.69) and seventh in strikeouts (19). Mitch Brown is second in the league in strikeouts (23) and wins (2) and third in innings pitched (24). Jon Polston leads the MWC in pickoffs (5). Chay Derbigny is second in the league in stolen bases (6) and sixth in batting average (.368) and fifth in on base percentage (.489).
Grand Slams
Through its first eight games, the Falcons had hit only one home run. But in three games in Millington, AFA awoke from its long-ball slumber by hitting three homers, two of which, were grand slams. Price Paramore hit one against Navy and Josh Meents made his first-career homer a memorable one with a grand slam against Indiana State.
Vignola Returns To Dominant Form
After shedding 30 pounds in a rigourous off-season workout regimen, Paul Vignola has turned into a dominant relief pitcher for the Falcons in 2006. Vignola leads the league in saves (3) and appearances (7) and has allowed just one run in 13 innings pitched, while striking out 19. As a freshman in 2003, Vignola led the team with a 5-8 record, to go with 36 strikeouts. After having subpar sophomore and junior campaigns, Vignola has is holding opposing batters to a .213 batting average and just two walks in the seven appearances.
Small Ball
Through 11 games, Air Force has attempted 31 bunts, recording 13 hits and five sacrifices. Air Force is batting .500 when they bunt. Chay Derbigny leads the team with seven bunt hits and Austin Ferreria is second with three bunt hits.
Pick Off Artists
Air Force has already picked off seven baserunners this season, which is tops in the Mountain West Conference. Catcher Jon Polston has picked off five of those runners, also tops in the conference. The Falcons picked off seven during the entire 2005 season.
Hitting Notes
Air Force is batted .258 in the three games in Millington...Karl Bolt was the top hiiter last weekend, going 3-for-7 (.429) with five walks and five RBI, to go with a home run...Dustin Smith is third in the conference with four doubles...Price Paramore and Josh Meents hit grand slams in Millington...Geno Salazar had his nine-game hitting streak snapped against Indiana State...Chay Derbigny has reached base 60.9 percent of the time when leading off an inning (14-for-23)...Billy Adams is batting .500 (4-for-8) with runners in scoring position...Austin Ferreria is fifth in the conferene with eight walks.
Pitching Notes
The Falcons had a 7.92 ERA last weekend...In just four appearances, Mitch Brown has surpassed his strikeout total from 2005 (23 in 24 innings in 2006, 22 in 45 innings in 2005)...Kyle DePierre is ninth in the conference with 17 strikeouts and eighth with 19.2 innings pitched...Juan Perez is tied for ninth in the conference with five appearances...Paul Pratt and Casey Allen both made two relief appearances last weekend...the Falcon pitching staff is third in the conference with 80 strikeouts, in 90 innings pitched.
Fielding Notes
Air Force is second in the conference with a .967 fielding percentage...The Falcons fielded .964 last weekend in Millington...Jon Polston leads the conference with five runners picked off...Karl Bolt is fourth in the league with 94 putouts...Geno Salazar is fifth in the conference with 32 assists.
Winning The Close Ones
Air Force is 3-1 in one run games this season. Both of its wins against York College were by one runs and the Falcons won 2-1 over Colorado Christian in their season opening doubleheader. In 2005, the Falcons were 2-3 in one run games.
Up Next
The Falcons next play host to Northern Colorado on Tuesday, March 7, beginning at Noon. Air Force then travels to Dayton, Ohio to play Wright State for a three-game weekend series from March 10-12.
Season Standing Notes
A Quick Recap of 2005
? Air Force went 9-44 overall in 2005 and 4-26 in Mountain West Conference play, finishing in sixth place.
? The Falcons batted .279 as a team and had a team earned-run average of 12.18.
? AFA's top hitter and team MVP was senior Reid Lamson, who batted .321 with 52 runs and an MWC-leading 18 stolen bases.
? The Falcons' top pitcher was Paul Pratt, who was 3-9 with 9.62 ERA with 41 K's in 62.2 innings pitched.
? The Falcons graduated four seniors in 2005 - Lamson, Nathan DeRohan, Dale Kasel and Brent Tittle.
Who's Back
? The Falcons return 18 letterwinners, including six starters on the field.
? Air Force returns nine pitchers, six with significant starting experience.
? The Falcons top returning hitters are senior IF/OF Dustin Smith (.320 avg, 3 HR, 21 RBI) and junior 1B Karl Bolt (.315, 12, 39).
? The Falcons return a bevy of returning pitchers in seniors Paul Pratt, Kyle DePierre, Clayton Couch and Paul Vignola.
? Junior Geno Salazar led all MWC shortstops with a .970 fielding percentage in 2005.
? Junior Jon Polston tied for third in the conference with 18 base-runners thrown out.
The Newcomers
The Falcons welcome 10 new players to the team in 2006. Eight freshmen and two sophomores look to improve the Falcons in coach Mike Hutcheon's third year. Five of the freshman newcomers - Casey Allen, Jake Daly, Shawn Naugle, Juan Perez and Jake Petro - are pitchers. The two sophomores, Chay Derbigny and Tony Lee, and freshmen Bob Carpenter, Jake Griggs and Brad Madison will see time in the field. Allen and Madison were all-state selection out of high school in Texas and Carpenter and Daly played for the super-power NorCal summer baseball program in Northern California.
2006 Team Captains
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.
Brown Earns MWC Pitcher Of The Week
Air Force junior right hander Mitch Brown was named Mountain West Conference Pitcher and Player of the Week by the Conference office on Feb. 6. Brown, from Semmes, Ala., tossed a one-hit shutout and struck out a career-high 11 batters in a 5-0 Air Force win vs. Colorado Christian. He earned his first victory of the season by not allowing a runner past second base and giving up the only hit of the game in the second inning. Brown's shutout was the first for an Air Force pitcher since the April 26, 2003 (vs. San Diego State), while his 11 strikeouts were the most by a Falcon hurler since the Feb. 3, 2002 (vs. Hastings College).
Falcons Tabbed 7th in MWC Preseason Poll
The Air Force Falcon baseball team was tabbed to finish seventh in the Mountain West Conference as voted by the seven head coaches and select media. TCU, in it's first season in the conference, was selected to finish first, followed by a second-place tie by UNLV and San Diego State for second. BYU followed in fourth, New Mexico fifth and Utah sixth.
Lone Star and Golden State Falcons
To become competitive in college baseball, you must be able to recruit well out of the of the hot-beds of baseball: Texas and California. Luckily for the Air Force baseball, coach Mike Hutcheon has, as 13 of the Falcons' 29 varsity players hail from Texas and California. Seven Falcons, Casey Allen, Matt Ghigna, Brad Madison, Price Paramore, Juan Perez, Jake Petro and Andrew Vasquez, hail from the Lone Star state. Six Falcons, Karl Bolt, Bob Carpenter, Jake Daly, Kyle DePierre, Austin Ferreria and Kyle Yamamoto, hail from the Golden state.
NorCal Connection
Three current Falcons played summer ball during their prep careers for the NorCal baseball program. Junior Karl Bolt and freshmen Bob Carpenter and Jake Daly were former NorCal players. The NorCal summer team is the top summer team in Northern California for players 18 and under. Notable NorCal alumni include current Major Leaguers Patt Burrell, J.P. Howell, Xavier Nady, Jimmy Rollins, Dontrelle Willis and more.
? Falcon freshman right-hander Jake Petro is the second Petro to play for the Falcons. Older brother, Dan Petro, played for the Falcons from 2000-03 and was an all-conference catcher in '03.
? Sophomore Tony Lee is the Kansas prep record-holder for stolen bases with 89 career swipes at Andover Central HS.
? Two pairs of Falcon teammate share the same birthdays. Seniors Matt Musser and Dustin Smith were both born on March 7, 1984. Freshman Jake Daly and senior Paul Pratt were both born on April 4.
? Senior team co-captains Price Paramore and Paul Pratt both served religious missions and did not play for the Falcons during the 2003 and 2004 seasons. Paramore served a two-year mission to Siberia, Russia and Pratt served a two-year mission to Paraguay.
? The Falcons are four wins away from 500 wins all-time at Falcon Field. Air Force is 496-368 all-time at Falcon Field.
The Air Force baseball team (5-6) travels to Orem, Utah., to take on Utah Valley State (2-8) this Fri.-Sat., March 3-4. Game one is on Friday at 4 p.m. and the Saturday doubleheader has now been moved up one hour to a 11 a.m. start time. There will be no live stats for the series.
Air Force Head Coach Mike Hutcheon
Mike Hutcheon begins his third 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 11 seasons as a head coach, Hutcheon has compiled a 259-239 record and is 20-99 at Air Force.
50 Years of Falcon Baseball
The Falcons are in their 50th season of baseball in 2006.
? The Falcons' fielded their first varsity team in 1957, going 6-9 in 15 games.
? Air Force is 908-1,071-3 all time for a .459 winning percentage.
? The Falcons' winningest season came in 1964, when the team went 22-5, good for an .815 winning percentage.
? The 1979 team had the most wins ever, going 33-13 for a .719 winning percentage.
? The Falcons have produced seven baseball All-Americans in addition to five freshman All-Americans.
The Falcons
Air Force is 5-6 on the season after losing to Notre Dame, Navy and Indiana State last weekend at the 2006 Service Academies Spring Classic in Millington, Tenn. The Falcons are batting .260 as a team and have a pitching staff earned run average of 6.10. Sophomore centerfielder Chay Derbigny leads the team with a .368 batting average, scoring 10 runs and stealing six bases in the leadoff role. Junior Mitch Brown leads the Falcon staff with a 2-2 record, striking out 23 batters in 24 innings pitched.
Recapping Last Week
Air Force went 0-3 last week at the Service Academies Spring Classic in Millington, Tenn. On Friday, the Falcons lost 8-2 to #22 Notre Dame. Saturday, Air Force lost 11-6 to Notre Dame, despite Price Paramore's grand slam and Karl Bolt's solo homer. On Sunday, the Falcons failed to hold a 5-0 lead, highlighted by Josh Meents' grand slam, to lose 6-5 to Indiana State.
The Opponents
Utah Valley State is 2-8 after getting swept in a three game series at New Mexico last weekend. The Wolverines went 17-39 in their first year as a Div. I program last season. Steve Gardner (Weber State) is in his 16th year as head coach of UTVS and has a record of 412-336 in Orem and a 588-439 career mark (24th year). The Wolverines are batting .297 as a team, led by soph. first baseman Adam Openshaw, who is batting .351 with 13 runs scored. The UTVS pitching staff has a 5.79 ERA, led by senior RHP Kyle Tash, who is 2-1 with a 4.71 ERA in 21 innings pitched.
Against The Opponent
Air Force is 0-2 all time against Utah Valley State. The Falcons and Wolverines met twice last year at the Academy, with UTVS winning the first game, 13-5 and the second game 21-4. Karl Bolt and Nathan Derohan both hit two home runs in the first meeting againt UTVS.
Air Force-UTVS Ties
Falcon freshman reliever Shaun Naugle is a native of Orem, Utah. Naugle attended Orem HS where he was a two-time team captain and graduated with a 4.0 grade point average.
Falcons Among The Leaders In MWC
Several Air Force Falcons are among the Mountain West Conference statistical leaders. Dustin Smith is tops in the league in walks (10) and third in doubles (4). Paul Vignola leads the league in appearances (7) and saves (3) and second in ERA (0.69) and seventh in strikeouts (19). Mitch Brown is second in the league in strikeouts (23) and wins (2) and third in innings pitched (24). Jon Polston leads the MWC in pickoffs (5). Chay Derbigny is second in the league in stolen bases (6) and sixth in batting average (.368) and fifth in on base percentage (.489).
Grand Slams
Through its first eight games, the Falcons had hit only one home run. But in three games in Millington, AFA awoke from its long-ball slumber by hitting three homers, two of which, were grand slams. Price Paramore hit one against Navy and Josh Meents made his first-career homer a memorable one with a grand slam against Indiana State.
Vignola Returns To Dominant Form
After shedding 30 pounds in a rigourous off-season workout regimen, Paul Vignola has turned into a dominant relief pitcher for the Falcons in 2006. Vignola leads the league in saves (3) and appearances (7) and has allowed just one run in 13 innings pitched, while striking out 19. As a freshman in 2003, Vignola led the team with a 5-8 record, to go with 36 strikeouts. After having subpar sophomore and junior campaigns, Vignola has is holding opposing batters to a .213 batting average and just two walks in the seven appearances.
Small Ball
Through 11 games, Air Force has attempted 31 bunts, recording 13 hits and five sacrifices. Air Force is batting .500 when they bunt. Chay Derbigny leads the team with seven bunt hits and Austin Ferreria is second with three bunt hits.
Pick Off Artists
Air Force has already picked off seven baserunners this season, which is tops in the Mountain West Conference. Catcher Jon Polston has picked off five of those runners, also tops in the conference. The Falcons picked off seven during the entire 2005 season.
Hitting Notes
Air Force is batted .258 in the three games in Millington...Karl Bolt was the top hiiter last weekend, going 3-for-7 (.429) with five walks and five RBI, to go with a home run...Dustin Smith is third in the conference with four doubles...Price Paramore and Josh Meents hit grand slams in Millington...Geno Salazar had his nine-game hitting streak snapped against Indiana State...Chay Derbigny has reached base 60.9 percent of the time when leading off an inning (14-for-23)...Billy Adams is batting .500 (4-for-8) with runners in scoring position...Austin Ferreria is fifth in the conferene with eight walks.
Pitching Notes
The Falcons had a 7.92 ERA last weekend...In just four appearances, Mitch Brown has surpassed his strikeout total from 2005 (23 in 24 innings in 2006, 22 in 45 innings in 2005)...Kyle DePierre is ninth in the conference with 17 strikeouts and eighth with 19.2 innings pitched...Juan Perez is tied for ninth in the conference with five appearances...Paul Pratt and Casey Allen both made two relief appearances last weekend...the Falcon pitching staff is third in the conference with 80 strikeouts, in 90 innings pitched.
Fielding Notes
Air Force is second in the conference with a .967 fielding percentage...The Falcons fielded .964 last weekend in Millington...Jon Polston leads the conference with five runners picked off...Karl Bolt is fourth in the league with 94 putouts...Geno Salazar is fifth in the conference with 32 assists.
Winning The Close Ones
Air Force is 3-1 in one run games this season. Both of its wins against York College were by one runs and the Falcons won 2-1 over Colorado Christian in their season opening doubleheader. In 2005, the Falcons were 2-3 in one run games.
Up Next
The Falcons next play host to Northern Colorado on Tuesday, March 7, beginning at Noon. Air Force then travels to Dayton, Ohio to play Wright State for a three-game weekend series from March 10-12.
Season Standing Notes
A Quick Recap of 2005
? Air Force went 9-44 overall in 2005 and 4-26 in Mountain West Conference play, finishing in sixth place.
? The Falcons batted .279 as a team and had a team earned-run average of 12.18.
? AFA's top hitter and team MVP was senior Reid Lamson, who batted .321 with 52 runs and an MWC-leading 18 stolen bases.
? The Falcons' top pitcher was Paul Pratt, who was 3-9 with 9.62 ERA with 41 K's in 62.2 innings pitched.
? The Falcons graduated four seniors in 2005 - Lamson, Nathan DeRohan, Dale Kasel and Brent Tittle.
Who's Back
? The Falcons return 18 letterwinners, including six starters on the field.
? Air Force returns nine pitchers, six with significant starting experience.
? The Falcons top returning hitters are senior IF/OF Dustin Smith (.320 avg, 3 HR, 21 RBI) and junior 1B Karl Bolt (.315, 12, 39).
? The Falcons return a bevy of returning pitchers in seniors Paul Pratt, Kyle DePierre, Clayton Couch and Paul Vignola.
? Junior Geno Salazar led all MWC shortstops with a .970 fielding percentage in 2005.
? Junior Jon Polston tied for third in the conference with 18 base-runners thrown out.
The Newcomers
The Falcons welcome 10 new players to the team in 2006. Eight freshmen and two sophomores look to improve the Falcons in coach Mike Hutcheon's third year. Five of the freshman newcomers - Casey Allen, Jake Daly, Shawn Naugle, Juan Perez and Jake Petro - are pitchers. The two sophomores, Chay Derbigny and Tony Lee, and freshmen Bob Carpenter, Jake Griggs and Brad Madison will see time in the field. Allen and Madison were all-state selection out of high school in Texas and Carpenter and Daly played for the super-power NorCal summer baseball program in Northern California.
2006 Team Captains
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.
Brown Earns MWC Pitcher Of The Week
Air Force junior right hander Mitch Brown was named Mountain West Conference Pitcher and Player of the Week by the Conference office on Feb. 6. Brown, from Semmes, Ala., tossed a one-hit shutout and struck out a career-high 11 batters in a 5-0 Air Force win vs. Colorado Christian. He earned his first victory of the season by not allowing a runner past second base and giving up the only hit of the game in the second inning. Brown's shutout was the first for an Air Force pitcher since the April 26, 2003 (vs. San Diego State), while his 11 strikeouts were the most by a Falcon hurler since the Feb. 3, 2002 (vs. Hastings College).
Falcons Tabbed 7th in MWC Preseason Poll
The Air Force Falcon baseball team was tabbed to finish seventh in the Mountain West Conference as voted by the seven head coaches and select media. TCU, in it's first season in the conference, was selected to finish first, followed by a second-place tie by UNLV and San Diego State for second. BYU followed in fourth, New Mexico fifth and Utah sixth.
Lone Star and Golden State Falcons
To become competitive in college baseball, you must be able to recruit well out of the of the hot-beds of baseball: Texas and California. Luckily for the Air Force baseball, coach Mike Hutcheon has, as 13 of the Falcons' 29 varsity players hail from Texas and California. Seven Falcons, Casey Allen, Matt Ghigna, Brad Madison, Price Paramore, Juan Perez, Jake Petro and Andrew Vasquez, hail from the Lone Star state. Six Falcons, Karl Bolt, Bob Carpenter, Jake Daly, Kyle DePierre, Austin Ferreria and Kyle Yamamoto, hail from the Golden state.
NorCal Connection
Three current Falcons played summer ball during their prep careers for the NorCal baseball program. Junior Karl Bolt and freshmen Bob Carpenter and Jake Daly were former NorCal players. The NorCal summer team is the top summer team in Northern California for players 18 and under. Notable NorCal alumni include current Major Leaguers Patt Burrell, J.P. Howell, Xavier Nady, Jimmy Rollins, Dontrelle Willis and more.
? Falcon freshman right-hander Jake Petro is the second Petro to play for the Falcons. Older brother, Dan Petro, played for the Falcons from 2000-03 and was an all-conference catcher in '03.
? Sophomore Tony Lee is the Kansas prep record-holder for stolen bases with 89 career swipes at Andover Central HS.
? Two pairs of Falcon teammate share the same birthdays. Seniors Matt Musser and Dustin Smith were both born on March 7, 1984. Freshman Jake Daly and senior Paul Pratt were both born on April 4.
? Senior team co-captains Price Paramore and Paul Pratt both served religious missions and did not play for the Falcons during the 2003 and 2004 seasons. Paramore served a two-year mission to Siberia, Russia and Pratt served a two-year mission to Paraguay.
? The Falcons are four wins away from 500 wins all-time at Falcon Field. Air Force is 496-368 all-time at Falcon Field.
Sunday, May 10
Sunday, May 10
Saturday, May 09
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