Friday, May 14
USAFA
11 a.m. MT
Air Force Academy
vs
San Jose State
Photo by: Eric Strom
Air Force Set to Host San Jose State For Four-Game Series
5/13/2021 3:14:00 PM | Baseball
AF and SJSU have not played each other since the last weekend of the 2019 season
Air Force Falcons (20-18, 12-12 MW) vs. San Jose State Spartans (6-18, 2-8 MW)
May 14-16 | Falcon Field
Falcons To Host SJSU in Four-Game Series
The Air Force Academy baseball team continues its season-ending home stand with a four-game series against San Jose State at Falcon Field, Friday-Sunday, May 14-16. AF and SJSU open the series with an 11 a.m. first pitch on Friday, play a doubleheader on Saturday with an 11 a.m. start time, and conclude the series with a noon first pitch on Sunday. Game one of the DH on Saturday will be a seven-inning game.
Following Along At Home
All games will have a live stream on the MW Network page, as well as live stats on AirForceStats.com. As always, fans can follow along on Twitter, @AF_Baseball.
Last Series In Review
The Falcons swept a three-game series from MW rival New Mexico, winning the opening DH by 6-4 and 15-12 tallies, before taking the finale by a 10-3 score.
It was the second MW sweep of the season for AF after taking all three games from UNLV back in March. It was also the first sweep of the Lobos since 2002.
Historic Success in the MW in 2021
This season, AF is poised to make history since its first season of Mountain West Conference play back in 2000.
- AF had its first six-game winning streak over all MW opponents in program history
- AF has swept two three-game MW series for the first time since 2002
- AF had tallied double-digit wins in MW play for the seventh-straight season
- AF is two MW wins away from tying the program record for MW wins (14, 2002)
- If AF finishes .500 or above in MW play, would mark the best MW winning percentage ever (.482, 2002). Best conference winning percentage ever is .500 twice (1982, 1989) while in the WAC
- The highest AF has finished in the MW standings was fourth in 2002
Altorfer Hits for the Cycle
Junior Braydon Altorfer hit for the cycle in the series finale against UNM, as he tallied a double, single, home run, and a triple in his first four at bats. He later added another single to finish with five hits and four RBIs. It was the first cycle for an AF hitter since Matt Alexander accomplished the feat back in 2008, and it is just the fourth cycle for a Falcon since 2003.
Altorfer Named MW Player of the Week
Altorfer was rewarded for his efforts against UNM by being named the MW Player of the Week for the period ending May 9. It is the first weekly award of Altorfer's career and the fifth weekly award for the Falcons in 2021.
In addition to the cycle, Altorfer batted .692 with nine hits, two doubles, a triple, and two home runs, slugged 1.462, and also had eight RBIs and four runs scored.
Explosive Weekend at the Dish
In the three-game sweep of New Mexico, AF had its best offensive weekend of the season by a wide margin. On the weekend, AF scored 31 runs off of 49 hits, including a season-best 21 in the finale. It was the most hits in a single game since 2018.
In the process, AF upped his team batting average from .272 to .285.
Byrnes the ERA Leader
Senior John Byrnes currently has a MW-leading ERA of 2.53 on the season. The ERA ranks 78th in the nation, and as it stands now, is the seventh-lowest in a single-season in program history.
Skenes the Super Freshman
Freshman Paul Skenes has simply been one of the best freshmen in both the MW and NCAA this season. While he ranks in the top-15 in the MW in nine offensive categories, the rookie also ranks in the top-150 in the nation in six offensive categories, batting average, doubles, doubles/game, hits/game, slugging, and total bases. He is also 14th in the nation in saves with eight, which leads the MW and is fourth among freshmen nationally.
Skenes has been extremely versatile for the Falcons this season, as he has made starts at catcher (15), first base (2), and DH (21). He has also made his 13 pitching appearances in games in which he started in the batting lineup. For his efforts, Skenes has been named to the Baseball America 2021 Freshman of the Year watchlist.
Saving the Best for Last
AF has had some late inning magic in 2021, with two walk off wins and five wins where the winning run was scored in the ninth inning or later. In fact, AF has out-scored its opponents by a 26-10 margin in the ninth inning or later.
On the Horizon
AF continues its home stand with a three-game series against San Diego State, May 22-23.
May 14-16 | Falcon Field
Falcons To Host SJSU in Four-Game Series
The Air Force Academy baseball team continues its season-ending home stand with a four-game series against San Jose State at Falcon Field, Friday-Sunday, May 14-16. AF and SJSU open the series with an 11 a.m. first pitch on Friday, play a doubleheader on Saturday with an 11 a.m. start time, and conclude the series with a noon first pitch on Sunday. Game one of the DH on Saturday will be a seven-inning game.
Following Along At Home
All games will have a live stream on the MW Network page, as well as live stats on AirForceStats.com. As always, fans can follow along on Twitter, @AF_Baseball.
Last Series In Review
The Falcons swept a three-game series from MW rival New Mexico, winning the opening DH by 6-4 and 15-12 tallies, before taking the finale by a 10-3 score.
It was the second MW sweep of the season for AF after taking all three games from UNLV back in March. It was also the first sweep of the Lobos since 2002.
Historic Success in the MW in 2021
This season, AF is poised to make history since its first season of Mountain West Conference play back in 2000.
- AF had its first six-game winning streak over all MW opponents in program history
- AF has swept two three-game MW series for the first time since 2002
- AF had tallied double-digit wins in MW play for the seventh-straight season
- AF is two MW wins away from tying the program record for MW wins (14, 2002)
- If AF finishes .500 or above in MW play, would mark the best MW winning percentage ever (.482, 2002). Best conference winning percentage ever is .500 twice (1982, 1989) while in the WAC
- The highest AF has finished in the MW standings was fourth in 2002
Altorfer Hits for the Cycle
Junior Braydon Altorfer hit for the cycle in the series finale against UNM, as he tallied a double, single, home run, and a triple in his first four at bats. He later added another single to finish with five hits and four RBIs. It was the first cycle for an AF hitter since Matt Alexander accomplished the feat back in 2008, and it is just the fourth cycle for a Falcon since 2003.
Altorfer Named MW Player of the Week
Altorfer was rewarded for his efforts against UNM by being named the MW Player of the Week for the period ending May 9. It is the first weekly award of Altorfer's career and the fifth weekly award for the Falcons in 2021.
In addition to the cycle, Altorfer batted .692 with nine hits, two doubles, a triple, and two home runs, slugged 1.462, and also had eight RBIs and four runs scored.
Explosive Weekend at the Dish
In the three-game sweep of New Mexico, AF had its best offensive weekend of the season by a wide margin. On the weekend, AF scored 31 runs off of 49 hits, including a season-best 21 in the finale. It was the most hits in a single game since 2018.
In the process, AF upped his team batting average from .272 to .285.
Byrnes the ERA Leader
Senior John Byrnes currently has a MW-leading ERA of 2.53 on the season. The ERA ranks 78th in the nation, and as it stands now, is the seventh-lowest in a single-season in program history.
Skenes the Super Freshman
Freshman Paul Skenes has simply been one of the best freshmen in both the MW and NCAA this season. While he ranks in the top-15 in the MW in nine offensive categories, the rookie also ranks in the top-150 in the nation in six offensive categories, batting average, doubles, doubles/game, hits/game, slugging, and total bases. He is also 14th in the nation in saves with eight, which leads the MW and is fourth among freshmen nationally.
Skenes has been extremely versatile for the Falcons this season, as he has made starts at catcher (15), first base (2), and DH (21). He has also made his 13 pitching appearances in games in which he started in the batting lineup. For his efforts, Skenes has been named to the Baseball America 2021 Freshman of the Year watchlist.
Saving the Best for Last
AF has had some late inning magic in 2021, with two walk off wins and five wins where the winning run was scored in the ninth inning or later. In fact, AF has out-scored its opponents by a 26-10 margin in the ninth inning or later.
On the Horizon
AF continues its home stand with a three-game series against San Diego State, May 22-23.
Players Mentioned
Falcons win on senior day over New Mexico
Sunday, May 11
Lobos top Falcons to even series
Saturday, May 10
Falcons big 8th inning leads to win over Lobos
Friday, May 09
Falcons fall in series finale to Nevada
Sunday, April 27
