Falcons Open 2009 Season at Service Academies Spring Classic.
2/17/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 17, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Air Force Baseball @ 2009 Service Academies Spring Classic
Fri., Feb. 20, 10 a.m. - vs. Navy (0-0)
Fri., Feb. 20, 1 p.m. - vs. Kansas (0-0)
Sat., Feb. 21, 11 a.m. - vs. Memphis (0-0)
Sun., Feb. 22, 10 a.m. - vs. Navy
All four games at USA Stadium or Auxilliary Field - Millington, Tenn.
- Times local to site
Live Stats/Radio:
Live stats available for select games via gametracker at: GoAirForceFalcons.com.
Radio available for Kansas game at: KUathletics.com
The Coaches:
AF: Mike Hutcheon (Wayne State (Neb.), 1984) is 51-208 in his 6th year at Air Force and 290-348 in his 15th year as a head coach.
Navy: Paul Kostacopoulos (Providence, 1987) is 99-66 in his 4th year at Navy and 603-398-4 in his 20th year as a head coach.
Kansas: Ritch Price (Willamette, 1978) is 203-169 in his 7th year at Kansas and 420-387-2 in his 15th year as a head coach.
Memphis: Daron Schoenrock (Tennessee Tech, 1984) is 98-135 in his 5th year atMemphis and 123-187 in his seventh year as a head coach.
Series:
vs. Navy: Navy leads 11-10, having won six in a row.
vs. Memphis: Memphis leads, 7-6.
vs. Kansas: First Meeting
Last Meetings:
vs. Navy: Navy took both meetings last year at the Academies Spring Classic, winning 6-5 and 16-5.
vs. Memphis: Memphis defeated the Falcons 4-3 at the Academies Spring Classic last year.
Falcons Open 2009 Season at Service Academies Spring Classic.
The Air Force baseball team opens the 2009 season at the Service Academies Spring Classic in Millington, Tenn. The Falcons take on Navy and Kansas on Friday, Feb. 20, Memphis on the 21st and Navy again on the 22nd.
2009 Falcons
- The Falcons returns eight starters and 20 letterwinners.
- Air Force welcomes 12 newcomers, including six pitchers to the team.
- Senior right-hander Jake Petro and junior shortstop K.J. Randhawa are the team captains.
- Sophomore OF Nathan Carter is the top returning hitter with a .312 average in 2008.
- Junior RHP Alex Truesdale is the top returning pitcher with a 3-6 record and 6.73 ERA in 97.2 innings last year.
2008 Falcons In Review
- 18-33 record was best season since 2002. Improvement of ten games over 8-44 season in 2006.
- Led the nation in triples per game (.63).
- .957 fielding percentage tied the 1979 team for the best defensive fielding percentage ever at Air Force.
- Defeated an SEC school for the first time with 6-4 win over Mississippi State on March 1.
- Defeated a Big 10 school in Ohio State, 9-8, on March 7.
- Finished with a winning non-conference record for the first time since 2002.
- Snapped 55-game conference losing streak with win over BYU on Apri 24.
- Snapped a 27-game losing streak to UNLV with win on May 15.
- Won two MWC series (BYU & UNLV) for first time since 2002.
- Defeated Doane College 37-13 on April 2, which was the second-most runs scored in a game in Air Force history.
Individual Highlights of 2008
- Nathan Carter led the nation in triples with 10 and triples per game with a .20 average. Daniel Walker was second in the nation with a .18 triples per game average.
- Nathan Carter set MWC record for triples by a freshman with 10. Previous record was 6. His six conference game triples is second all-time in MWC play and also a freshman record.
- Chay Derbigny leads MWC with 31 stolen bases. Second best single-season mark at Air Force and new MWC record for a senior.
- Matt Alexander hits for the cycle and drives in a MWC record 11 runs against Doane College on April 2.
- Addison Gentry snaps 55-game conference losing streak with walkoff grand slam vs. BYU.
- Alex Truesdale snaps 55-game conference losing streak with win over BYU.
- Alex Truesdale snaps 27-game losing streak to UNLV.
- Alex Truesdale 2nd in MWC with 97.2 innings pitched and 9th with 58 strikeouts.
- Daniel Walker hits seven triples in just 109 at bats. Averages a triple every 15.6 at bats.
In Season Openers
- Air Force is 30-22 all-time in season openers.
- The Falcons are 12-6 in their last 18 season openers.
- Last year, the Falcons lost to Navy, 6-5, in its season-opener.
- Air Force opens the season against Navy for the second-time ever.
Series History vs. Navy
- Air Force has played Navy 21 times, trailing 10-11 in the series. Navy has won the last six games in the series over the last four years.
- This years' senior class has never defeated Navy.
- The two teams first met on March 3, 1990, where the Falcons swept a doubleheader, 9-1, 3-0, at the Service Academies Spring Classic.
- Air Force is 26-17 against service academy schools, going 16-6 all-time against Army.
AF vs. Navy Year-by-Year
Year Score1990 AF, 9-11990 AF, 3-01991 AF, 6-01991 Navy, 3-11992 AF, 6-5 (9 inn. of 7 inn. start)1993 AF, 8-71994 Navy, 5-61995 Navy, 3-71996 AF, 4-31998 Navy, 2-11999 AF, 3-22000 Navy, 5-02001 AF, 42 (10 inn.)2002 AF, 11-92004 AF, 7-02005 Navy, 3-52006 Navy, 11-62007 Navy, 7-12007 Navy, 7-52008 Navy, 6-52008 Navy, 16-5
Air Force vs. Patriot League
- The Falcons are 27-19 all-time in games against Patriot League schools.
Air Force vs. Patriot League W-L First Meeting Lastvs. Army 16-6 1985 2005vs. Lafayette 1-0 1999vs. Lehigh 0-2 2005 2008vs. Navy 10-11 1990 2008
Last Meeting vs. Navy - 2008 Game 1
A furious late-game rally was not enough, as Air Force lost its 2008 season-opener, 6-5, to Navy at the Service Academies Spring Baseball Classic at USA Stadium Friday morning. The Falcons rallied from a 6-0 deficit with a five-run seventh inning but failed to score any more runs.
Navy starter Drake Oliver picked up the win for the Mids (1-0), allowing three runs off five hits in six innings pitched. J.D. Melton earned the save. Air Force starter Jake Petro took the loss for the Falcons, allowing six runs, five earned, while striking out a career-high five in five innings.
The Falcon bullpen had a stellar day as sophomores Alex Truesdale and Michael Ruvolo combined to pitched three scoreless innings. Air Force had seven hits on the day with Matt Alexander leading way with a 2-for-4 effort.
Nathan Carter went 1-for-3 with two walks and a run scored in his Falcon debut. Ben Ausbun had a clutch two-run triple in the seventh and K.J. Randhawa also had a two-run double for the Falcons. Freshmen Jon McMahon had a single and run scored and Parker Mayo had an RBI as well.
Navy had eight hits on the day with Michael Speciale going 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI.
Navy put two runs up in the third, fourth and sixth innings to go ahead 6-0 before the Falcon rally.
Last Meeting vs. Navy - 2008 Game 2
The Air Force baseball team (0-2) lost 16-5 to Navy (2-0) Saturday morning at the 2008 Service Academies Spring Classic at USA Stadium. Freshman Nathan Carter led the way for the Falcons, going 3-for-5 with two runs and a stolen base.
Navy racked up 20 hits on the day, with three players recording three hits apiece. Sophomore Kendall Bolt, brother of recent Falcon grad., Karl Bolt, went 3-for-6 with a homer and three runs scored for the Mids. Mids starter Matt McCoy (1-0) picked up the win, striking out six in five innings pitched.
Air Force had 10 hits on the day. The 1-2-3 hitters of Carter, K.J. Randhawa and Chay Derbigny, combined to go 7-for-13 for the Falcons. Randhawa was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Derbigny was also 2-for-4 with an RBI and two stolen bases.
Air Force starter David Miller (0-1) took the loss, allowing seven runs in 2.2 innings pitched. Freshmen Brad Pingel, Matt Barattino and Jeff Abt--all making their collegiate debuts--pitched the remainder of the game in relief for the Falcons.
The Falcons held an early 1-0 lead after the first inning before Navy jumped ahead 7-1 with three runs in the second and four in the third. Navy extended its lead to 11-2 before Air Force rallied with three runs in the sixth to cut the margin to six. The Mids tacked on five more runs with four in the seventh and one in the eighth.
Series History vs. Memphis
- Air Force has played Memphis 13 times and trails the series is 6-7.
- The two teams first played on Feb. 29, 1992, a 5-4 Tiger win.
- Memphis has won the last three meetings in the series.
AF vs. Memphis Year-by-Year
Year Score1992 Memphis, 5-41993 AF, 3-01994 AF, 10-01994 Memphis, 6-51995 AF, 2-01996 AF, 3-21998 Memphis, 3-2 (8 inn. of 7 inn. game)2001 Memphis, 9-32001 AF, 3-12002 AF, 4-32003 Memphis, 1-142005 Memphis, 10-42008 Memphis, 4-3
Air Force vs. Conference USA
- The Falcons are 8-15 all-time in games against Patriot League schools. - Air Force and Rice were once conference foes in the Western Athletic Conference from 1997-99.
Air Force vs. Conference USA W-L First Meeting Lastvs. Houston 0-2 1971vs. Memphis 6-7 1992 2008vs. Rice 1-5 1997 1999vs. Tulane 1-1 1979
Last meeting vs. Memphis
Air Force lost 4-3 to Memphis at the 2008 Service Academies Spring Classic at Nat Buring Stadium. The Tigers scored the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth to break up the tie.
Air Force, playing as the home team due to tourney rules, despite playing at Memphis' home field, rallied from a 3-0 defecit to tie the game up with a three-run fifth inning. A pair of errors led to Memphis scoring its run in the ninth.
Falcon reliever Michael Ruvolo (0-1) took the loss, allowing the run in 2.2 innings of work. Air Force starter Alex Truesdale went four innings, allowing three runs off seven hits and striking out three. Sophomore Colin Shepherd made his Falcon debut, tossing two hitless innings to go with three K's. Freshman Brad Pingel also saw action in relief, getting the one batter he faced out on a fly ball.
Memphis reliever Marcus Barnes (1-0) got the win with two scoreless inning of relief. Matt Yokley picked up the save. Tiger starter Philip Utley went six innings, allowing three runs off seven hits and striking out three.
Air Force had seven hits on the day and committed three errors. K.J. Randhawa had his second multi-hit game in as many days, going 2-for-3 with an RBI. Freshman Nathan Carter continues to swing a hot bat, going 1-for-3 with a run and a two-RBI triple. Senior Chay Derbigny added a double.
Memphis had eight hits in the game. Bret Bowen led the Tiger hitters, going 2-for-3 with a pair of stolen bases.
Air Force vs. Big 12 Conference
- The Falcons are 26-55 all-time in games against Big 12 schools.
- The last Big 12 schools Air Force played, were Texas Tech and Oklahoma in 2004.
- Kansas and Texas are the only two schools Air Force has never played from the Big 12.
Air Force vs. Big 12 W-L First Meeting Lastvs. Baylor 0-2 1972vs. Colorado 17-18 1957 1982vs. Iowa State 5-9 1963 2001vs. Kansas State 3-11 1971 1999vs. Missouri 0-1 1985vs. Nebraska 0-3 1957 1987vs. Oklahoma 0-3 1971 2004vs. Oklahoma St. 0-3 1987vs. Texas A&M 0-2 1972vs. Texas Tech 1-5 1991 2004
Scouting Navy
- Navy is coming off a 32-25-1 season in 2008.
- Navy is led offensively by junior outfielder Michael Speciale, who batted .350 with 10 homers and 57 RBIs last year. The Mids' top returning pitcher is junior right-hand closer J.D. Melton. Melton posted a 1.85 ERA in 19 appearances and recorded seven saves on the season.
- Navy batted .304 as a team and had a staff ERA of 4.77 in 2008.
Scouting Kansas
- Kansas is coming off a 30-27 season in 2008.
- The Jayhawks' top returner is second baseman Robby Price, son of head coach Ritch Price. Price batted .296 with 60 hits and 40 runs scored as a sophomore. KU's top returning pitcher is senior right-hand closer Paul Smyth. Smyth posted a 3.73 ERA in 34 games and recorded 10 saves on the season.
- Kansas batted .287 as a team and had a staff ERA of 5.49 in 2008.
Scouting Memphis
- Memphis is coming off a 17-38 season in 2008.
- The Tigers are led offensively by junior 1B/OF Trey Wiedman, who batted .302 with eight homers and 39 RBIs last year. Memphis' top returning pitcher is junior left-hander Brach Davis. Davis posted a 6.40 ERA and struck out 45 batters in 52 innings asa a sophomore.
- Memphis batted .239 as a team and had a staff ERA of 6.32 in 2008.
Air Force-Navy Connections
- Air Force sophomore Nathan Carter and Navy's Kendall Bolt and Yale Eckert were teammates on the NorCal summer U-18 baseball team in Northern California during high school. Former Falcon, Karl Bolt, elder brother of Kendall, was also a member of the NorCal team. Prominent alumni of the NorCal team include MLB star's Jimmy Rollins, Pat Burrell and Troy Tulowitzki.
Alexander On Preseason All-MWC Baseball Team
Air Force junior designated hitter Matt Alexander was named to the 2009 Mountain West Conference Preseason All-Conference Team.
Alexander batted .306 last year as a sophomore, leading the Falcons with seven home runs. He was second on the team with 45 RBIs and a .529 slugging percentage. In one of the best single-game performances in school history, Alexander went 6-for-7 in a game last year against Doane College. In that game, Alexander hit for the cycle, hit two triples and drove in 11 runs. The 11 RBIs and 14 total bases are conference records.
Top Triples Hitting Team in 2008
Air Force led the nation with .63 triples per game in 2008. The Falcons hit 32 triples in 51 games. In addition, freshman Nathan Carter led the nation with 10 triples and .20 triples per game. Daniel Walker hit seven triples and ranked second in the nation with .18 triples per game.
Truesdale 2nd In MWC In Innings Pitched
Air Force right-hander Alex Truesdale finished second in the MWC with 97.2 innings pitched. He was the league leader after the regular season, however. The sophomore from Austin, Texas, pitched into the eighth inning in his last six starts to close out the season. In his final start of the season, Truesdale led Air Force to a 10-1 win over UNLV, tossing an eight-hit complete game. His 97.2 innings pitched ranks 10th in a season at the Academy and is the most by a Falcon since Matt Kaercher set the school record with 110.1 innings pitched in 2002. His 58 strikeouts also ranked ninth in the MWC.
Up Next
The Falcons travel to Charleston, S.C., to take on Charleston Southern for a three-day, four-game series, Feb. 27-March 1.
