Saturday, February 20
Baton Rouge, La.
12 p.m. MT
Air Force Academy
at
LSU
Air Force Opens 2021 Season in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
2/18/2021 4:07:00 PM | Baseball
Full Notes (PDF)Live Stream (LSU Games Only)Audio Stream (LSU)Audio Stream (La Tech)Live Stats (LSU)Live Stats (La Tech)
The Falcons will face the host #7 LSU Tigers, as well as Louisiana Tech
Air Force Falcons (0-0) at #7 LSU Tigers (0-0) and vs. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (0-0)
Saturday-Sunday, Feb. 20-21 | Baton Rouge, La. (Alex Box Stadium)
SCHEDULE
#7 LSU - Saturday, Feb. 20 - 12 p.m. MT
#7 LSU - Sunday, Feb. 21 - 11 a.m. MT
Louisiana Tech - Sunday, Feb. 21 - 3 p.m. MT
Falcons Open 2021 in Baton Rouge
The Air Force Academy baseball team opens its 2021 season down in Baton Rouge, La. as they are set to take on the host #7 LSU Tigers, along with Louisiana Tech in neutral site action, Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 20-21 at Alex Box Stadium. The season opener against the host Tigers is set for a noon MT start on Saturday. Then on Sunday, AF will play a doubleheader with the opener against LSU at 11 a.m. MT, followed by a 3 p.m. MT start against the Bulldogs.
Following Along At Home
All games will have live stats available through LSU's website, LSUSports.net. The LSU games will have a live stream on SEC Network+, and a radio stream on their website. The game against La Tech will also have an audio stream on their website as well. As always, fans can follow along on Twitter, @AF_Baseball.
Game vs. Notre Dame Canceled
The weekend was originally supposed to include a solo game against Notre Dame, however it was canceled due to COVID-19 related protocols in the ND program.
Falcons In Season Openers
- Air Force is 36-28 all-time in season openers.
- Last season, the Falcons defeated Manhattan College in the lid-lifter, 4-3.
- Head coach Mike Kazlausky is 5-5 in season-openers.
Cole Blatchford Named Preseason All-Conference
Senior infielder Cole Blatchford was named to the Mountain West Preseason All-Conference Team, Feb. 11. Blatchford was named All-MW at the end of the canceled 2020 season after he started all 19 games of the shortened season at third base, while leading the team in batting average (.343), slugging (.627), hits (23), runs (16), doubles (10), home runs (3) and total bases (42). He was also second in RBIs (13). He finished the season top-five in the conference in doubles (1st), hits (5th), home runs (4th), runs (3rd), slugging (4th), and total bases (3rd). Meanwhile, his doubles were second-most in the nation, while his total bases were 47th.
Who's Back
- Air Force returns 21 letterwinners
- Includes 11 pitchers, five with starting experience
- Air Force returns eight of nine primary starters from a season ago
- AF position player returnees account for 80 percent of ABs and 82 percent of hits from a season ago.
- Air Force also returns its closer in junior RHP Nathan Price, who was a 2019 Freshman All-American
Key Losses
- AF only lost four players to graduation from a season ago, but a pair were key losses.
- OF Ashton Easley was a two-time All-Coference honoree, and was set to get into the top-10 in numerous AF career record categories before the season was cut short.
- Easley was signed as a NDFA by the Miami Marlins following the 2020 MLB Draft.
- The other was relief pitcher Josh Leaser, who was also named All-MW in 2020 after pitching to a 1.88 ERA over 14.1 innings and a perfect 2-0 record.
Who's New
Air Force welcomes 14 newcomers to the team, including eight pitchers. The biggest name to watch is C/RHP Paul Skenes, who was named the Preseason MW Freshman of the Year by D1Baseball. The 6-6 235 pound rookie will look to make an impact both on the mound, and behind the plate in his first season as a Falcon.
2020 Season Notes
-The Falcons went 7-12 in non-conference play before the season was canceled
-Air Force did not play any MW Conference games
- AF finished the season having won four of their last five games
- The pitching staff finished with a 5.43 ERA, continuing a trend of fourth-year pitching coach Ryan Forrest lowering the team ERA in each of his three seasons.
Back on the Diamond
The final game of the shortened 2020 season came March 11 in a 17-12 triumph over Utah Valley. When the Falcons return to the field on Saturday, it will have been 346 days since the Falcons played a regular season game.
Kazlausky Second In Wins At Air Force
Air Force head coach Mike Kazlausky ranks second for most wins ever at Air Force with 205. Kazlausky surpassed his mentor back in 2018, Paul Mainieri, the current head coach at LSU. Coach Kaz is the winningest coach at Air Force in terms of career wins in Mountain West play.
Most Wins at Air Force
Joe Robison 1971-75, 77-85 282
Mike Kazlausky 2011-Pres. 205
Paul Mainieri 1989-94 152
Coach Kaz First USAFA Grad Head Coach
Air Force baseball head coach Mike Kazlausky is the first USAFA graduate to be the head coach for Air Force baseball. Coach 'Kaz' is a 1991 graduate of the Academy and four-year letterwinner for the Falcon baseball team
Kaz was a standout in his four year career, as he still ranks on the career AF lists in games played (10th), hits (14th), runs scored (2nd), doubles (10th), triples (3rd), steals (8th), and walks (3rd).
Bonus Season for Gillman
Heading into the 2020 season, Tommy Gillman thought it would be his final in a Falcon uniform. Despite being a sophomore academically at the Academy, Gillman was in his final year of eligibility after spending his first two seasons at Texas A&M and Midland College. However, after the pandemic wiped out the 2020 season early, Gillman was granted an extra year of eligibility on the field.
Gillman will lead the Falcons as a team captain in 2021, while also wearing the special #20 jersey for AF. More on that special honor is below.
Remembering 2Lt. Travis Wilkie
This season and the season's that follow will be about honoring the life and legacy of former AF baseball player Travis Wilkie. Wilkie tragically lost his life in November 2019 in an aircraft mishap while going through undergraduate pilot training at Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Oklahoma. Travis was a three-year letterwinner for the Falcons from 2015-2018, appearing in 119 games, and starting 102 times behind the plate as a catcher. He earned a degree in systems engineering with a focus on factors engineering, graduating with the class of 2018. He was named to the Academic All-Mountain West Team all three years he played.
Throughout the season and for future season's to come, there will be a TW20 patch on AF's jerseys, and on the new turf behind home will be a subdued TW. Also, Wilkie's No. 20 jersey will be assigned to the player or team personnel that best exemplifies Wilkie's spirit and values. This season, it has been bestowed upon senior infielder Tommy Gillman.
On the Horizon
The Falcons will open its 36-game Mountain West slate when it heads to Albuquerque to face New Mexico for three games. The Falcons and Lobos will play a doubleheader Saturday, Feb. 27, followed by a single game, Sunday, Feb. 28.
Saturday-Sunday, Feb. 20-21 | Baton Rouge, La. (Alex Box Stadium)
SCHEDULE
#7 LSU - Saturday, Feb. 20 - 12 p.m. MT
#7 LSU - Sunday, Feb. 21 - 11 a.m. MT
Louisiana Tech - Sunday, Feb. 21 - 3 p.m. MT
Falcons Open 2021 in Baton Rouge
The Air Force Academy baseball team opens its 2021 season down in Baton Rouge, La. as they are set to take on the host #7 LSU Tigers, along with Louisiana Tech in neutral site action, Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 20-21 at Alex Box Stadium. The season opener against the host Tigers is set for a noon MT start on Saturday. Then on Sunday, AF will play a doubleheader with the opener against LSU at 11 a.m. MT, followed by a 3 p.m. MT start against the Bulldogs.
Following Along At Home
All games will have live stats available through LSU's website, LSUSports.net. The LSU games will have a live stream on SEC Network+, and a radio stream on their website. The game against La Tech will also have an audio stream on their website as well. As always, fans can follow along on Twitter, @AF_Baseball.
Game vs. Notre Dame Canceled
The weekend was originally supposed to include a solo game against Notre Dame, however it was canceled due to COVID-19 related protocols in the ND program.
Falcons In Season Openers
- Air Force is 36-28 all-time in season openers.
- Last season, the Falcons defeated Manhattan College in the lid-lifter, 4-3.
- Head coach Mike Kazlausky is 5-5 in season-openers.
Cole Blatchford Named Preseason All-Conference
Senior infielder Cole Blatchford was named to the Mountain West Preseason All-Conference Team, Feb. 11. Blatchford was named All-MW at the end of the canceled 2020 season after he started all 19 games of the shortened season at third base, while leading the team in batting average (.343), slugging (.627), hits (23), runs (16), doubles (10), home runs (3) and total bases (42). He was also second in RBIs (13). He finished the season top-five in the conference in doubles (1st), hits (5th), home runs (4th), runs (3rd), slugging (4th), and total bases (3rd). Meanwhile, his doubles were second-most in the nation, while his total bases were 47th.
Who's Back
- Air Force returns 21 letterwinners
- Includes 11 pitchers, five with starting experience
- Air Force returns eight of nine primary starters from a season ago
- AF position player returnees account for 80 percent of ABs and 82 percent of hits from a season ago.
- Air Force also returns its closer in junior RHP Nathan Price, who was a 2019 Freshman All-American
Key Losses
- AF only lost four players to graduation from a season ago, but a pair were key losses.
- OF Ashton Easley was a two-time All-Coference honoree, and was set to get into the top-10 in numerous AF career record categories before the season was cut short.
- Easley was signed as a NDFA by the Miami Marlins following the 2020 MLB Draft.
- The other was relief pitcher Josh Leaser, who was also named All-MW in 2020 after pitching to a 1.88 ERA over 14.1 innings and a perfect 2-0 record.
Who's New
Air Force welcomes 14 newcomers to the team, including eight pitchers. The biggest name to watch is C/RHP Paul Skenes, who was named the Preseason MW Freshman of the Year by D1Baseball. The 6-6 235 pound rookie will look to make an impact both on the mound, and behind the plate in his first season as a Falcon.
2020 Season Notes
-The Falcons went 7-12 in non-conference play before the season was canceled
-Air Force did not play any MW Conference games
- AF finished the season having won four of their last five games
- The pitching staff finished with a 5.43 ERA, continuing a trend of fourth-year pitching coach Ryan Forrest lowering the team ERA in each of his three seasons.
Back on the Diamond
The final game of the shortened 2020 season came March 11 in a 17-12 triumph over Utah Valley. When the Falcons return to the field on Saturday, it will have been 346 days since the Falcons played a regular season game.
Kazlausky Second In Wins At Air Force
Air Force head coach Mike Kazlausky ranks second for most wins ever at Air Force with 205. Kazlausky surpassed his mentor back in 2018, Paul Mainieri, the current head coach at LSU. Coach Kaz is the winningest coach at Air Force in terms of career wins in Mountain West play.
Most Wins at Air Force
Joe Robison 1971-75, 77-85 282
Mike Kazlausky 2011-Pres. 205
Paul Mainieri 1989-94 152
Coach Kaz First USAFA Grad Head Coach
Air Force baseball head coach Mike Kazlausky is the first USAFA graduate to be the head coach for Air Force baseball. Coach 'Kaz' is a 1991 graduate of the Academy and four-year letterwinner for the Falcon baseball team
Kaz was a standout in his four year career, as he still ranks on the career AF lists in games played (10th), hits (14th), runs scored (2nd), doubles (10th), triples (3rd), steals (8th), and walks (3rd).
Bonus Season for Gillman
Heading into the 2020 season, Tommy Gillman thought it would be his final in a Falcon uniform. Despite being a sophomore academically at the Academy, Gillman was in his final year of eligibility after spending his first two seasons at Texas A&M and Midland College. However, after the pandemic wiped out the 2020 season early, Gillman was granted an extra year of eligibility on the field.
Gillman will lead the Falcons as a team captain in 2021, while also wearing the special #20 jersey for AF. More on that special honor is below.
Remembering 2Lt. Travis Wilkie
This season and the season's that follow will be about honoring the life and legacy of former AF baseball player Travis Wilkie. Wilkie tragically lost his life in November 2019 in an aircraft mishap while going through undergraduate pilot training at Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Oklahoma. Travis was a three-year letterwinner for the Falcons from 2015-2018, appearing in 119 games, and starting 102 times behind the plate as a catcher. He earned a degree in systems engineering with a focus on factors engineering, graduating with the class of 2018. He was named to the Academic All-Mountain West Team all three years he played.
Throughout the season and for future season's to come, there will be a TW20 patch on AF's jerseys, and on the new turf behind home will be a subdued TW. Also, Wilkie's No. 20 jersey will be assigned to the player or team personnel that best exemplifies Wilkie's spirit and values. This season, it has been bestowed upon senior infielder Tommy Gillman.
On the Horizon
The Falcons will open its 36-game Mountain West slate when it heads to Albuquerque to face New Mexico for three games. The Falcons and Lobos will play a doubleheader Saturday, Feb. 27, followed by a single game, Sunday, Feb. 28.
Players Mentioned
IF/OF
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IF/OF
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RHP
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C/RHP
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C
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