Thursday, May 16
USAFA
1 p.m. MT
Air Force Academy
vs
San Jose State
Photo by: Eric Strom
Air Force Welcomes In San Jose State For Regular Season Finale
5/15/2019 3:46:00 PM | Baseball
The Falcons are looking to clinch a spot in the Mountain West Tournament
Air Force (24-25, 10-13 MW) vs. San Jose State (19-32, 12-15 MW)
USAFA, Colo. | Falcon Field
SCHEDULE
Thursday, May 16 - 1 p.m. MT
Friday, May 17 - 1 p.m. MT
Saturday, May 18 - 12 p.m. MT
Falcons Host Spartans in Regular Season Finale
- The Air Force Academy baseball team remains at home for the final series of the 2019 regular season when it plays host to San Jose State, Thursday-Saturday, May 16-18. Start times at Falcon Field are set for 1/1/12, respectively. Saturday will also mark Senior Day for the 12-man senior class. A ceremony will take place prior to first pitch.
Following Along At Home
- The games can be followed via live stats on Statbroadcast, as well as via a live stream on the Mountain West Network. All games can also be tracked live on Twitter, @AF_Baseball.
Last Time Out
- The Falcons wrapped up non-conference play with a 2-1 weekend series win over Butler University. The Falcons split a doubleheader on Saturday, winning the opener, 9-7, before falling in the nightcap, 10-6.
- In the series finale on Sunday, AF won 8-7 in the 10th inning on a walk off walk drawn by senior Drew Wiss
- With the weekend series win over BU, Air Force finished the regular season with a 14-12 non-conference record.
Win and We Are In
- Air Force effectively controls its own destiny for this series, as if the Falcons sweep the three game set, they will guarantee a top four conference finish, and a spot in the 2019 Mountain West Tournament
- If Air Force sweeps, the Falcons would finish the conference season with a 13-13 record, which based on win percentage, means they could finish as high as third, but at least fourth in the standings.
- If Air Force does not sweep, they will finish outside of the top four, as Nevada is currently locked into a 14-16 conference record, which is a win percentage of .467. The highest win percentage AF could have if they don't win all three is a .462.
- Should AF earn a spot in the conference tournament, it would mark the first time the Falcons will play in it since 2016, when the current senior class were freshmen.
- In that tournament, Air Force, the five seed, played their way into the semifinals before falling to No. 3 seeded Nevada.
Thank You Seniors!
- There is no question that the Air Force baseball class of 2019 is one of the best to ever come through the Academy. This group of 12 have combined for 105 wins in their careers, second most for a Senior Class only behind the class of 1995 (106).
- In addition, their 46 conference wins are the most from any class in conference play in the history of the program
- On Saturday before the game, the team will honor the class of 2019, which includes Karter Cook, Colby Brown, Nic Ready, Rob Dau, Gabe Martinez, Ethan Nichols, Daniel Jones, Drew Wiss, Matt Hargreaves, Steven Plaskett, Tyler Mortenson, and Jake Gilbert.
The Price is Right
- Freshman Nathan Price has been one of Air Force's most consistent and relied upon arms this season out of the bullpen.
- The rookie leads the team in appearances (21), ERA (2.13), opposing batting average (.212), and saves (5) and is tied for the team lead in wins (6).
- His ERA ranks second best in the conference, and 37th best in the nation. It is also third best among true freshmen. He also ranks 2nd in the MW (51st NCAA) in WHIP with a mark of 1.02
- Price is close to putting up one of the best seasons for a freshman pitcher in Academy history.
- His six wins and five saves are both second most for a freshman pitcher, while his 2.13 ERA is the best mark for a rookie, currently ahead of the prior record of 2.15 set by Tom Grinstead back in 1979.
Twice is Nice
- Nic Ready has 19 doubles to lead the team this season. He ranks tied for second in the conference and 19th in the nation.
- His 76 career doubles is second most in program history. He is just two away from breaking the record of 77 set by Garrett Custons in 2013.
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 24 and picked-off 13 to lead the league in both categories.
Ready the Record Books
- Coming into the season, senior Nic Ready was poised to break many school records, and he has a few 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 current Air Force football assistant coach Mike Theissen, who had 486 from 1998-2001
- The third was in the home series versus Nevada, as he tallied the 871st official at bat of his career to break the record his former teammate Tyler Zabojnik had set just last season
- The fourth came in New Mexico, as Ready blasted a two run opposite field home run for the 47th of his career, passing the record of Steve Saleck set back in 1980.
- The fifth came at Northern Colorado, May 7, as Ready's double in the top of the eighth was the 295th hit of his career, breaking the record of 294 set back in 2001 by Thiessen.
- The next records Ready has his eye on are the Academy record in doubles and games played, as well as the MW Conference record in RBIs.
Run, Falcons, Run
- The Falcons have been active on the base paths this season, having stolen 76 bags
- The 76 steals ranks first in the conference and 48th in the country.
- Junior Ashton Easley has 29 swipes to lead the conference, and rank 18th in the nation.
- His 29 steals also rank tied for the third most in a single season in Air Force program history
- Against Northern Colorado, March 12, Air Force stole 10 bags, the most in a single game for AF since May 4, 1979.
- The 76 steals is also one away from being in the top 10 in singe season steals at the Academy, and is the most stolen bases in a single season since 2008.
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 native is the active career leader in doubles (76), while ranking second among active players in total bases (539), and RBIs (223), and sixth in HRs (49).
On the Horizon
- Should the Falcons make it into the Mountain West Conference Tournament, the playoff begins Thursday, May 23, at Pecole Park in Reno, Nev. The double elimination tournament runs Thursday-Sunday, May 23-26.
USAFA, Colo. | Falcon Field
SCHEDULE
Thursday, May 16 - 1 p.m. MT
Friday, May 17 - 1 p.m. MT
Saturday, May 18 - 12 p.m. MT
Falcons Host Spartans in Regular Season Finale
- The Air Force Academy baseball team remains at home for the final series of the 2019 regular season when it plays host to San Jose State, Thursday-Saturday, May 16-18. Start times at Falcon Field are set for 1/1/12, respectively. Saturday will also mark Senior Day for the 12-man senior class. A ceremony will take place prior to first pitch.
Following Along At Home
- The games can be followed via live stats on Statbroadcast, as well as via a live stream on the Mountain West Network. All games can also be tracked live on Twitter, @AF_Baseball.
Last Time Out
- The Falcons wrapped up non-conference play with a 2-1 weekend series win over Butler University. The Falcons split a doubleheader on Saturday, winning the opener, 9-7, before falling in the nightcap, 10-6.
- In the series finale on Sunday, AF won 8-7 in the 10th inning on a walk off walk drawn by senior Drew Wiss
- With the weekend series win over BU, Air Force finished the regular season with a 14-12 non-conference record.
Win and We Are In
- Air Force effectively controls its own destiny for this series, as if the Falcons sweep the three game set, they will guarantee a top four conference finish, and a spot in the 2019 Mountain West Tournament
- If Air Force sweeps, the Falcons would finish the conference season with a 13-13 record, which based on win percentage, means they could finish as high as third, but at least fourth in the standings.
- If Air Force does not sweep, they will finish outside of the top four, as Nevada is currently locked into a 14-16 conference record, which is a win percentage of .467. The highest win percentage AF could have if they don't win all three is a .462.
- Should AF earn a spot in the conference tournament, it would mark the first time the Falcons will play in it since 2016, when the current senior class were freshmen.
- In that tournament, Air Force, the five seed, played their way into the semifinals before falling to No. 3 seeded Nevada.
Thank You Seniors!
- There is no question that the Air Force baseball class of 2019 is one of the best to ever come through the Academy. This group of 12 have combined for 105 wins in their careers, second most for a Senior Class only behind the class of 1995 (106).
- In addition, their 46 conference wins are the most from any class in conference play in the history of the program
- On Saturday before the game, the team will honor the class of 2019, which includes Karter Cook, Colby Brown, Nic Ready, Rob Dau, Gabe Martinez, Ethan Nichols, Daniel Jones, Drew Wiss, Matt Hargreaves, Steven Plaskett, Tyler Mortenson, and Jake Gilbert.
The Price is Right
- Freshman Nathan Price has been one of Air Force's most consistent and relied upon arms this season out of the bullpen.
- The rookie leads the team in appearances (21), ERA (2.13), opposing batting average (.212), and saves (5) and is tied for the team lead in wins (6).
- His ERA ranks second best in the conference, and 37th best in the nation. It is also third best among true freshmen. He also ranks 2nd in the MW (51st NCAA) in WHIP with a mark of 1.02
- Price is close to putting up one of the best seasons for a freshman pitcher in Academy history.
- His six wins and five saves are both second most for a freshman pitcher, while his 2.13 ERA is the best mark for a rookie, currently ahead of the prior record of 2.15 set by Tom Grinstead back in 1979.
Twice is Nice
- Nic Ready has 19 doubles to lead the team this season. He ranks tied for second in the conference and 19th in the nation.
- His 76 career doubles is second most in program history. He is just two away from breaking the record of 77 set by Garrett Custons in 2013.
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 24 and picked-off 13 to lead the league in both categories.
Ready the Record Books
- Coming into the season, senior Nic Ready was poised to break many school records, and he has a few 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 current Air Force football assistant coach Mike Theissen, who had 486 from 1998-2001
- The third was in the home series versus Nevada, as he tallied the 871st official at bat of his career to break the record his former teammate Tyler Zabojnik had set just last season
- The fourth came in New Mexico, as Ready blasted a two run opposite field home run for the 47th of his career, passing the record of Steve Saleck set back in 1980.
- The fifth came at Northern Colorado, May 7, as Ready's double in the top of the eighth was the 295th hit of his career, breaking the record of 294 set back in 2001 by Thiessen.
- The next records Ready has his eye on are the Academy record in doubles and games played, as well as the MW Conference record in RBIs.
Run, Falcons, Run
- The Falcons have been active on the base paths this season, having stolen 76 bags
- The 76 steals ranks first in the conference and 48th in the country.
- Junior Ashton Easley has 29 swipes to lead the conference, and rank 18th in the nation.
- His 29 steals also rank tied for the third most in a single season in Air Force program history
- Against Northern Colorado, March 12, Air Force stole 10 bags, the most in a single game for AF since May 4, 1979.
- The 76 steals is also one away from being in the top 10 in singe season steals at the Academy, and is the most stolen bases in a single season since 2008.
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 native is the active career leader in doubles (76), while ranking second among active players in total bases (539), and RBIs (223), and sixth in HRs (49).
On the Horizon
- Should the Falcons make it into the Mountain West Conference Tournament, the playoff begins Thursday, May 23, at Pecole Park in Reno, Nev. The double elimination tournament runs Thursday-Sunday, May 23-26.
Players Mentioned
IF
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RHP
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OF
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RHP
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RHP
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OF
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OF
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C
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RHP
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LHP
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RHP
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RHP
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IF
/ BaseballFalcons win on senior day over New Mexico
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Saturday, May 10
Falcons big 8th inning leads to win over Lobos
Friday, May 09
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Sunday, April 27
