Friday, April 12
Fresno, CA (AF Home team)
4 p.m. MT
Air Force Academy
at
Fresno State
Photo by: Josh Armstrong
Air Force Heads to Fresno State for Five Game Series
4/11/2019 3:46:00 PM | Baseball
The Falcons and Bulldogs will play doubleheaders both Friday and Saturday
Air Force (15-15, 5-5 MW) at Fresno State (16-11, 4-5 MW)
Fresno, Calif. | Pete Beiden Field at Bob Bennett Stadium
SCHEDULE
Friday, April 12 - 4 p.m. MT (7 inn.)
Friday, April 12 - 30 min. after
Saturday, April 13 - 4 p.m. MT (7 inn.)
Saturday, April 13 - 30 min. after
Sunday, April 14 - 1 p.m. MT
Falcons Head to Fresno for Five Game Series
- The Air Force Academy baseball team heads to California for a five game series against Mountain West rival Fresno State, April 12-14. The Falcons and Bulldogs will play two consecutive doubleheaders, both starting at 4 p.m. MT, Friday and Saturday, followed by a solo game on Sunday, with a 1 p.m. MT first pitch.
Following Along At Home
- All five games can be followed via live stats on Sidearm, as well as via a live stream on the MW Network. All games can also be tracked live on Twitter, @AF_Baseball.
Schedule Changes
- The Falcons will make up two games of the postponed series at Fresno State this weekend, as well as finish the halted game against San Diego State on April 18. The final games in the postponed series against both Fresno State and SDSU, as well as the midweek against Northern Colorado, scheduled for April 16, have been canceled.
- This weekend, Air Force will play doubleheaders on Friday, April 12, and Saturday, April 13, at Fresno State. Air Force will serve as the home team for both games on Friday, and will be the away team on Saturday and Sunday. Both of the first games of the doubleheaders will be seven inning games, and will begin at 4 p.m. MT. A regular nine inning game will follow 30 minutes after the conclusion of both games. Sunday's game will begin at 1 p.m. MT.
Last Time Out
- The Falcons went 3-2 over a five games in five days stretch, all at home
- Air Force won the series opener over UNLV, 11-5, before dropping the final two games of the series
- The Falcons then swept a midweek series from Utah Valley, taking the opener, 16-15, followed by a 12-9 win on Tuesday, April 9.
Walk It Off Easley
- In the 16-15 win over Utah Valley, April 8, junior Ashton Easley hit a two run walk off home run with no outs in the ninth inning
- It was the first walk off at Falcon Field since Tyler Jones hit a walk off grand slam to defeat Nevada, April 28, 2017.
Offensive Explosion against the Wolverines
- In the two game midweek sweep of Utah Valley, Air Force put up some eye popping numbers at the plate
- The Falcons scored a combined 28 runs over the two game stretch, with 25 coming on RBIs
- The 16 runs in the opener were a season high, and the most runs scored for AF since putting up 21 last season against New Mexico (May 13)
- As a team, AF batted .449 (35-for-78) with 15 extra base hits (six doubles, four triples, five home runs)
- The Falcons drew 13 walks and were HBP five times, while only striking out nine times
- Senior Nic Ready led the way, batting .600 with six hits, including a double, triple, and home run, while also driving in four
- Junior Ashton Easley hit three home runs over the two games, including a walk off in the opener, and two dingers in the finale
- Every player who recorded an at bat in the series had at least two hits
- The two game stretch raised the team batting average from .261 to .275.
Ready Named Finalist for Senior CLASS Award
- Senior infielder Nic Ready has been named a finalist for the 2019 Baseball Senior CLASS Award, announced, April 10. Ready is one of 10 Division I baseball players who are being recognized for their work both on and off the field and the only finalist representing the Mountain West Conference.
- To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
- Finalists were chosen by national media from the list of 30 candidates announced in March. Nationwide fan voting begins immediately to help select the winner. Fan votes will be combined with media and Division I head coaches' votes to determine the winner. This year's Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2019 College World Series® in June.
Don't Run on Dau
- Senior captain catcher Rob Dau has always had a knack for throwing out would-be base stealers, as he has been top-five in the conference in that category all three seasons, including leading the league as a sophomore in 2017. This season, he has thrown out 15 and picked-off eight to lead the league in both categories.
Dau Named to Buster Posey Award Watch List
- Senior team captain Rob Dau was named to the 2019 Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year award watch list, the Greater Wichita Sports Commission Announced Tuesday, April 2. Dau is one of 79 catchers who were nominated for the award given annually to the top catcher in Division I baseball.
Lock Down Rotation
- Air Force's weekend starting pitchers have dominated this season with the senior trio of Jake Gilbert, Matt Hargreaves, and Ethan Nichols.
- Gilbert (1.63) and Hargreaves (3.03) own the second and sixth best ERAs in the MW Conference.
- Gilbert's ERA is the 35th best in the nation
- Meanwhile, Nichols owns a 4.26 ERA in his three Mountain West starts (11th best), while tallying 30 strikeouts on the season, good for 13th in the conference. Gilbert and Hargreaves are tied for 17th in the conference with 26 Ks each.
The Price is Right
- Freshman RHP Nathan Price has burst onto the scene for the Air Force Falcons to start the season, putting up some eye popping numbers
- In a team-high 12 relief appearances, Price has four wins, an ERA of 2.03 over 31 innings, has allowed just seven runs and eight walks, while striking out 19 and holding opponents to a .173 batting average.
- Price ranks second in the conference in walks allowed, and opposing BA, while ranking third in ERA.
- In addition, he is 14th in the NCAA in WHIP (0.81), and 74th in ERA.
- Against No. 14 ECU, Price went the final 5.0 innings in relief, only allowing two hits and one run, while striking out a pair.
Run, Falcons, Run
- The Falcons have been active on the base paths this season, having stolen 55 bags
- The 55 steals ranks first in the conference and 39th in the country.
- Junior Ashton Easley has 22 swipes to lead the conference, and rank 13th in the nation.
- Against Northern Colorado, March 12, Air Force stole 10 bags, the most in a single game for AF since May 4, 1979.
Ready the Record Books
- Coming into the season, senior Nic Ready was poised to break many school records, and he has a couple to his name already
- His first record broken was Friday, March 29 at Nevada. With a solo home run to tie the game in the eighth inning, Ready recorded the 196th RBI of his AF career, to surpass the previous record of 195 held by Vern Mullis ('94) and Tyler Jones ('17).
- The second came against Utah Valley, April 9. With seven total bases in the contest, Ready achieved 487 career total bases to pass Mike Theissen, who had 486 from 1998-2001.
- The next records Ready has his eye on are the Academy record in hits, doubles, and home runs, as well as the MW Conference record in RBIs.
Active Career Leader
- With such a successful career to this point, it shouldn't come as much surprise that senior Nic Ready is among the NCAA active career leaders in multiple categories. The Texas is the active career leader in doubles (71), while ranking second among active players in total bases (487), third in RBIs (203), and sixth in HRs (41).
On the Horizon
- The Falcons continue their busy slate, as they will play four games in a weekend series at San Diego State, April 18-20. The two teams will make up the suspended game from March 2, before playing the regularly scheduled three game set.
Fresno, Calif. | Pete Beiden Field at Bob Bennett Stadium
SCHEDULE
Friday, April 12 - 4 p.m. MT (7 inn.)
Friday, April 12 - 30 min. after
Saturday, April 13 - 4 p.m. MT (7 inn.)
Saturday, April 13 - 30 min. after
Sunday, April 14 - 1 p.m. MT
Falcons Head to Fresno for Five Game Series
- The Air Force Academy baseball team heads to California for a five game series against Mountain West rival Fresno State, April 12-14. The Falcons and Bulldogs will play two consecutive doubleheaders, both starting at 4 p.m. MT, Friday and Saturday, followed by a solo game on Sunday, with a 1 p.m. MT first pitch.
Following Along At Home
- All five games can be followed via live stats on Sidearm, as well as via a live stream on the MW Network. All games can also be tracked live on Twitter, @AF_Baseball.
Schedule Changes
- The Falcons will make up two games of the postponed series at Fresno State this weekend, as well as finish the halted game against San Diego State on April 18. The final games in the postponed series against both Fresno State and SDSU, as well as the midweek against Northern Colorado, scheduled for April 16, have been canceled.
- This weekend, Air Force will play doubleheaders on Friday, April 12, and Saturday, April 13, at Fresno State. Air Force will serve as the home team for both games on Friday, and will be the away team on Saturday and Sunday. Both of the first games of the doubleheaders will be seven inning games, and will begin at 4 p.m. MT. A regular nine inning game will follow 30 minutes after the conclusion of both games. Sunday's game will begin at 1 p.m. MT.
Last Time Out
- The Falcons went 3-2 over a five games in five days stretch, all at home
- Air Force won the series opener over UNLV, 11-5, before dropping the final two games of the series
- The Falcons then swept a midweek series from Utah Valley, taking the opener, 16-15, followed by a 12-9 win on Tuesday, April 9.
Walk It Off Easley
- In the 16-15 win over Utah Valley, April 8, junior Ashton Easley hit a two run walk off home run with no outs in the ninth inning
- It was the first walk off at Falcon Field since Tyler Jones hit a walk off grand slam to defeat Nevada, April 28, 2017.
Offensive Explosion against the Wolverines
- In the two game midweek sweep of Utah Valley, Air Force put up some eye popping numbers at the plate
- The Falcons scored a combined 28 runs over the two game stretch, with 25 coming on RBIs
- The 16 runs in the opener were a season high, and the most runs scored for AF since putting up 21 last season against New Mexico (May 13)
- As a team, AF batted .449 (35-for-78) with 15 extra base hits (six doubles, four triples, five home runs)
- The Falcons drew 13 walks and were HBP five times, while only striking out nine times
- Senior Nic Ready led the way, batting .600 with six hits, including a double, triple, and home run, while also driving in four
- Junior Ashton Easley hit three home runs over the two games, including a walk off in the opener, and two dingers in the finale
- Every player who recorded an at bat in the series had at least two hits
- The two game stretch raised the team batting average from .261 to .275.
Ready Named Finalist for Senior CLASS Award
- Senior infielder Nic Ready has been named a finalist for the 2019 Baseball Senior CLASS Award, announced, April 10. Ready is one of 10 Division I baseball players who are being recognized for their work both on and off the field and the only finalist representing the Mountain West Conference.
- To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
- Finalists were chosen by national media from the list of 30 candidates announced in March. Nationwide fan voting begins immediately to help select the winner. Fan votes will be combined with media and Division I head coaches' votes to determine the winner. This year's Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2019 College World Series® in June.
Don't Run on Dau
- Senior captain catcher Rob Dau has always had a knack for throwing out would-be base stealers, as he has been top-five in the conference in that category all three seasons, including leading the league as a sophomore in 2017. This season, he has thrown out 15 and picked-off eight to lead the league in both categories.
Dau Named to Buster Posey Award Watch List
- Senior team captain Rob Dau was named to the 2019 Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year award watch list, the Greater Wichita Sports Commission Announced Tuesday, April 2. Dau is one of 79 catchers who were nominated for the award given annually to the top catcher in Division I baseball.
Lock Down Rotation
- Air Force's weekend starting pitchers have dominated this season with the senior trio of Jake Gilbert, Matt Hargreaves, and Ethan Nichols.
- Gilbert (1.63) and Hargreaves (3.03) own the second and sixth best ERAs in the MW Conference.
- Gilbert's ERA is the 35th best in the nation
- Meanwhile, Nichols owns a 4.26 ERA in his three Mountain West starts (11th best), while tallying 30 strikeouts on the season, good for 13th in the conference. Gilbert and Hargreaves are tied for 17th in the conference with 26 Ks each.
The Price is Right
- Freshman RHP Nathan Price has burst onto the scene for the Air Force Falcons to start the season, putting up some eye popping numbers
- In a team-high 12 relief appearances, Price has four wins, an ERA of 2.03 over 31 innings, has allowed just seven runs and eight walks, while striking out 19 and holding opponents to a .173 batting average.
- Price ranks second in the conference in walks allowed, and opposing BA, while ranking third in ERA.
- In addition, he is 14th in the NCAA in WHIP (0.81), and 74th in ERA.
- Against No. 14 ECU, Price went the final 5.0 innings in relief, only allowing two hits and one run, while striking out a pair.
Run, Falcons, Run
- The Falcons have been active on the base paths this season, having stolen 55 bags
- The 55 steals ranks first in the conference and 39th in the country.
- Junior Ashton Easley has 22 swipes to lead the conference, and rank 13th in the nation.
- Against Northern Colorado, March 12, Air Force stole 10 bags, the most in a single game for AF since May 4, 1979.
Ready the Record Books
- Coming into the season, senior Nic Ready was poised to break many school records, and he has a couple to his name already
- His first record broken was Friday, March 29 at Nevada. With a solo home run to tie the game in the eighth inning, Ready recorded the 196th RBI of his AF career, to surpass the previous record of 195 held by Vern Mullis ('94) and Tyler Jones ('17).
- The second came against Utah Valley, April 9. With seven total bases in the contest, Ready achieved 487 career total bases to pass Mike Theissen, who had 486 from 1998-2001.
- The next records Ready has his eye on are the Academy record in hits, doubles, and home runs, as well as the MW Conference record in RBIs.
Active Career Leader
- With such a successful career to this point, it shouldn't come as much surprise that senior Nic Ready is among the NCAA active career leaders in multiple categories. The Texas is the active career leader in doubles (71), while ranking second among active players in total bases (487), third in RBIs (203), and sixth in HRs (41).
On the Horizon
- The Falcons continue their busy slate, as they will play four games in a weekend series at San Diego State, April 18-20. The two teams will make up the suspended game from March 2, before playing the regularly scheduled three game set.
Players Mentioned
OF
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RHP
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RHP
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OF
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LHP
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RHP
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