Saturday, May 22
USAFA
11 a.m. MT
Air Force Academy
vs
San Diego State
Photo by: Trevor Cokley
Falcons Host Aztecs in Penultimate 2021 Regular Season Series
5/21/2021 10:59:00 AM | Baseball
AF enters the weekend winners of eight-straight games, all in MW play
Air Force Falcons (24-18, 16-12 MW) vs. San Diego State Aztecs (25-15, 17-13 MW)
May 22-23 | Falcon Field
AF Welcomes in SDSU for Crucial Three-Game Set
The Air Force Academy baseball team is set to host San Diego State for a three-game series Saturday-Sunday, May 22-23, at Falcon Field. First pitch for the doubleheader is set for 11 a.m. MT, while the finale on Sunday will begin at 1 p.m. MT.
Following Along At Home
All games will have a live stream on the MW Network, as well as live stats on AirForceStats.com. As always, fans can follow along on Twitter, @AF_Baseball.
Last Series In Review
The Falcons continued their winning ways by sweeping a four-game series from San Jose State. The Falcons have now won a season-best eight games in a row, their longest winning streak since 2017. AF is also a season-best six games above .500, their best mark above .500 since getting to 10 games above in 2016.
Going Streaking
With the eight game winning streak entering the weekend, AF is on its longest winning streak since winning 12-straight back in 1992 under then Head Coach Paul Mainieri.
Falcons On the Bubble
With just six games left on the schedule, AF is still in the hunt for the Mountain West regular season title, as they are in a virtual tie for second place with UNLV and SDSU, and are two and a half games behind Nevada.
However, AF might not need the automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, as according to the national outlets, D1Baseball and Baseball America, AF is squarely on the bubble for an at-large NCAA bid.
AF enters the weekend with a top-50 RPI, and four non-conference wins over teams who look like they are in the tournament (LSU, Arizona, Dallas Baptist). Baseball America has AF in as a three-seed in the Vanderbilt regional, while D1Baseball says AF is one of the last five teams out of the bracket.
Home Sweet Home
With AF at home for 16 of the final 19 games, it should come as no surprise that the AF bats have begun heating up in the friendly confines of Falcon Field. Since starting the home stretch on April 24, AF has raised its team batting average from .272 to .294. The Falcons have double-digit hits in seven of the 10 home games thus far, and the fewest hits they've had is seven.
Historic Success in the MW in 2021
This season, AF has made history since its first season of Mountain West Conference play back in 2000.
- AF has six-game and eight-game winning streaks over all MW opponents, the longest winning streaks over MW opponents in program history
- AF has swept three MW series for the first time in program history
- AF had tallied double-digit wins in MW play for the seventh-straight season
- AF has set the program record for conference wins in a season (previous 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
Byrnes the ERA Leader
Senior John Byrnes currently has a MW-leading ERA of 2.71 on the season. The ERA ranks 83rd in the nation, and as it stands now, is the tenth-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-10 in the MW in 10 offensive categories, the rookie also ranks in the top-100 in the nation in seven offensive categories, batting average, doubles, doubles/game, hits, hits/game, slugging, and total bases. He is also 7th in the nation in saves with 10, which leads the MW and is tied for second among freshmen nationally.
Skenes has been extremely versatile for the Falcons this season, as he has made starts at catcher (16), first base (2), and DH (24). He has also made his 15 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 30-12 margin in the ninth inning or later.
On the Horizon
AF wraps up the regular season with three games against Fresno State at Falcon Field, May 28-29.
May 22-23 | Falcon Field
AF Welcomes in SDSU for Crucial Three-Game Set
The Air Force Academy baseball team is set to host San Diego State for a three-game series Saturday-Sunday, May 22-23, at Falcon Field. First pitch for the doubleheader is set for 11 a.m. MT, while the finale on Sunday will begin at 1 p.m. MT.
Following Along At Home
All games will have a live stream on the MW Network, as well as live stats on AirForceStats.com. As always, fans can follow along on Twitter, @AF_Baseball.
Last Series In Review
The Falcons continued their winning ways by sweeping a four-game series from San Jose State. The Falcons have now won a season-best eight games in a row, their longest winning streak since 2017. AF is also a season-best six games above .500, their best mark above .500 since getting to 10 games above in 2016.
Going Streaking
With the eight game winning streak entering the weekend, AF is on its longest winning streak since winning 12-straight back in 1992 under then Head Coach Paul Mainieri.
Falcons On the Bubble
With just six games left on the schedule, AF is still in the hunt for the Mountain West regular season title, as they are in a virtual tie for second place with UNLV and SDSU, and are two and a half games behind Nevada.
However, AF might not need the automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, as according to the national outlets, D1Baseball and Baseball America, AF is squarely on the bubble for an at-large NCAA bid.
AF enters the weekend with a top-50 RPI, and four non-conference wins over teams who look like they are in the tournament (LSU, Arizona, Dallas Baptist). Baseball America has AF in as a three-seed in the Vanderbilt regional, while D1Baseball says AF is one of the last five teams out of the bracket.
Home Sweet Home
With AF at home for 16 of the final 19 games, it should come as no surprise that the AF bats have begun heating up in the friendly confines of Falcon Field. Since starting the home stretch on April 24, AF has raised its team batting average from .272 to .294. The Falcons have double-digit hits in seven of the 10 home games thus far, and the fewest hits they've had is seven.
Historic Success in the MW in 2021
This season, AF has made history since its first season of Mountain West Conference play back in 2000.
- AF has six-game and eight-game winning streaks over all MW opponents, the longest winning streaks over MW opponents in program history
- AF has swept three MW series for the first time in program history
- AF had tallied double-digit wins in MW play for the seventh-straight season
- AF has set the program record for conference wins in a season (previous 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
Byrnes the ERA Leader
Senior John Byrnes currently has a MW-leading ERA of 2.71 on the season. The ERA ranks 83rd in the nation, and as it stands now, is the tenth-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-10 in the MW in 10 offensive categories, the rookie also ranks in the top-100 in the nation in seven offensive categories, batting average, doubles, doubles/game, hits, hits/game, slugging, and total bases. He is also 7th in the nation in saves with 10, which leads the MW and is tied for second among freshmen nationally.
Skenes has been extremely versatile for the Falcons this season, as he has made starts at catcher (16), first base (2), and DH (24). He has also made his 15 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 30-12 margin in the ninth inning or later.
On the Horizon
AF wraps up the regular season with three games against Fresno State at Falcon Field, May 28-29.
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Baseball
C/RHP
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