Friday, April 8
USAFA
3:00 pm MT
Air Force Academy
vs
California Baptist University
Air Force to battle CBU at Falcon Field this weekend
4/7/2022 4:10:00 PM | Baseball
Schedule
GAME ONE: vs. California Baptist, April 8, 3:00 pm MT
GAME TWO: vs. California Baptist, April 9, 12:00 pm MT
GAME THREE: vs. California Baptist, April 10, 12:00 pm MT
Broadcast Information
Live Stream: Mountain West Network
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Twitter: @AF_Baseball
Series History
-The upcoming three-game series will mark the first meeting between the two schools.
Pitching Probables
GAME ONE
RHP Paul Skenes (3-2, 2.87 ERA) vs. RHP CJ Culpepper (1-0, 3.80 ERA)
GAME TWO
LHP Kyle Moats (0-1, 7.94 ERA) vs. RHP Brandon Downer (3-0, 2.49 ERA)
GAME THREE
LHP Seungmin Shim (2-3, 5.20 ERA) vs. RHP Drew Necochea (3-1, 3.26 ERA)
Air Force Projected Batting Order
1. CF, Jr. Blake Covin (L) (.269/.374/.346/0 HR/13 RBI)
2. 1B, So. Sam Kulasingam (S) (.333/.422/.454/2 HR/18 RBI)
3. LF, Sr. Gabriel Garcia (R) (.295/.360/.475/4 HR/19 RBI)
4. DH, So. Paul Skenes (R) (.283/.361/.491/3 HR/9 RBI)
5. RF, So. Jake Greiving (L) (.300/.360/.475/3 HR/16 RBI)
6. 3B, So. Jay Thomason (L) (.320/.396/.660/10 HR/21 RBI)
7. C, Sr. Braydon Altorfer (R) (.215/,315/.376/4 HR/16 RBI)
8. SS, So. Aerik Joe (R) (.258/.345/.309/0 HR/9 RBI)
9. 2B, Jr. Trayden Tamiya (R) (.184/.241/.296/2 HR/13 RBI)
Last Series vs. Abilene Christian
GAME ONE
-A 12-hit night from the Air Force lineup was reinforced by Jake Sansing's career-best start, as the Falcons took down the Wildcats 9-4.
-Paul Skenes paced the Air Force offense, ending his evening 3-4 with 3 RBI. The sophomore rocketed his third home run of the season, a two-run blast in the 3rd and his first home run since February 19.
-Jay Thomason and Aerik Joe both finished with two hits, as the left side of the Falcons infield also managed to drive in a run each.
-Joe bounced a RBI infield single off of the pitcher's leg in the 5th while Thomason lined a RBI single off of the right field wall as part of a four-run 6th for Air Force.
-In his first start of 2022 and only the second of his Air Force career, Jake Sansing gave the Falcons five solid innings. The junior allowed just two runs on four hits, four walks, and four strikeouts.
-Three of Sansing's four punchouts came in the 2nd, where he kept the game from turning against the visitors.
-After three-consecutive Wildcats reached to open the inning allowing a run to score, Sansing proceeded to strikeout the side to limit the damage.
-Dylan Rogers made the 10th appearance of his freshman season and stymied Abilene Christian for much of his three innings.
-Rogers didn't allow a run over his nine outs, surrendering just three hits while striking out a career-best five hitters.
GAME TWO
-The Falcons extended their winning streak to three-consecutive games on Wednesday, as a five-run 6th played a major role in the 9-4 win.
-Jay Thomason was a perfect 4-4 on the day, an afternoon in which the Falcons third baseman reached base in all five plate appearances.
-Thomason provided 3 RBI for Air Force, punctuated by a 9th inning solo home run, his 10th of the 2022 season.
-The sophomore is now 23-46 (.500) over his last 11 games.
-Aerik Joe continues to be dialed in at the plate, as the Air Force shortstop was 3-4 with a double and a run batted in.
-After holding just a .175 average as of March 12, Joe has raised his batting average 83 points to .258 over his last 16 games.
-Sam Kulasingam was 2-5 with a two-base hit, while Gabriel Garcia extended his hitting streak to nine games with a double in the 7th.
-Sawyer Hawks made the second start of his freshman season and was solid, allowing just one unearned run over four innings. He scattered six hits while striking out four.
-Ryan Stohr was credited with the win after taking over in the 5th, just before the Falcons took the lead in the next half-inning. The junior pitched three innings, allowing two runs on five hits, four strikeouts and a walk.
Skenes Named MW Pitcher of the Week
-On April 4, Paul Skenes was named the Mountain West Pitcher of the Week after his performance over the weekend at Fresno State.
-The sophomore went six scoreless innings, allowing just three hits while striking out three and walking just one.
-The California native out-dueled Fresno State starter Ixan Henderson, who entered the weekend leading the conference in ERA (1.05 ERA) and K/9 (12.3).
-Skenes didn't see a baserunner cross second base over his six innings.
-Picking up his third win of the season on Friday, Skenes set the tone for a weekend in which Air Force claimed its first-ever series win at Fresno State in program history.
-Over his last three starts, Skenes has not allowed a run over his last 12.1 IP, as the Falcons ace now boasts a 2.87 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 31.1 IP.
Friday Night Might
-After transitioning from the bullpen to the Friday starting slot, Paul Skenes has stayed true to form.
-Skenes' 10.0 K/9 is second in the Mountain West behind Fresno State's Ixan Henderson (12.3 K/9).
-Over his last three starts, Skenes has not allowed a run over his last 12.1 IP
-Skenes' 35 total strikeouts is 3rd in the MW.
-The sophomore's .209 opponent BA is 2nd in the MW as well.
-Skenes leads all Air Force pitchers with 31.1 IP.
-Righties are hitting only .178 off of Skenes.
-Skenes' 1.60 GO/FO rate also leads all Falcon pitchers.
-Skenes' 23 hits allowed is the lowest among starters in the MW.
-Skenes' 2.87 ERA is is second among MW starters.
-As well, Skenes is now 7-17 with 1 HR, 1 2B, and 4 RBI since returning to the Falcons lineup.
He Goes by "BOMB-ason" Now
-Jay Thomason has slugged 10 home runs over his last 11 games, including three multi-homer games.
-All of Thomason's home runs this season and of his collegiate career have come in the span of the last 11 games.
-As a result, Thomason leads Air Force in OPS (1.056) and slugging (.660).
-Thomason's slugging percentage is 5th-highest in the MW.
-His 1.056 OPS is 6th-highest in the MW.
-Thomason's 64 total bases also leads all Falcons.
-With 21 RBI, Thomason also leads Air Force in runs batted in.
-Thomason's 10 home runs lead the MW.
-In total, Thomason is 23-46 (.315) in his last 11 games.
-Thomason has raised his BA .163 points (.157 to .320) over the last 11 games.
-Thomason is 6-7 in stolen base attempts, 5th-most in the MW.
-The Auburn native's 11 walks are third on the team.
-Thomason is tied for the team lead with Kulasingam with nine multi-hit games.
Kul-Hand Sam
-Kulasingam's .333 average leads qualifying hitters on Air Force, as do his 36 hits.
-The switch-hitter's .422 OBP leads all Falcon hitters.
-The sophomore's 1.0 BB/K rate leads Air Force.
-Kulasingam is third on AF in total bases (49).
-The North Carolinian's .354 BA vs. righties is best on Air Force.
-Kulasingam is hitting .400 with two outs, and .449 with runners on base.
-Kulasingam is tied for the team lead with Thomason with nine multi-hit games.
-The sophomore leads Air Force with six multi-RBI games as well.
-Kulasingam has reached base in 14-consecutive games, and in 25 of 27 games this season.
Garcia Heating Up
-In Gabe Garcia's first nine games, the senior hit just .167 (5-30) with one XBH.
-Over Garcia's last 18 games, he has exploded, hitting .357 (28-79) with 10 XBH's.
-That stretch includes eight multi-hit games.
-Garcia has driven in 18 of his 19 RBI over the last 18 games, as he is second on the team in RBI (19).
-The senior's 54 total bases is second on Air Force.
-Garcia's seven doubles are tied with Kulasingam for the team lead.
-The C1C owns a nine-game hitting streak, tied with Kulasingam for the longest such streak of 2022.
Doyle Rules
-Doyle Gehring has taken well to the closer role, picking up six saves in six tries for Air Force.
-Exclusively out of the pen, his 21.2 IP is fourth among Falcon arms and leads all AF relievers.
-Gehring's 2.49 ERA leads the team.
-Gehring's 1.02 WHIP leads all AF pitchers.
-The sophomore is one of only 35 pitchers in in Division I with at least six saves.
-Gehring's .213 opponent BA is second among AF pitchers.
-Righties are hitting just .163 off of Gehring.
-Gehring has been tough with runners on, with opponents hitting only .175 with ducks on the pond.
-The sopohomore's 25 strikeouts are second behind Skenes among AF pitchers.
Greiving is Achieving
-Sophomore Jake Greiving has boosted the Air Force lineup in his 23 games.
-Greiving's .475 SLG% is third among qualfied AF hitters.
-His 38 total bases is 4th on the team.
-Greiving's .360 OBP is 4th among qualfied AF hitters.
-His .300 BA is 3rd among AF hitters.
Joe Knows
-Aerik Joe continues to be dialed in at the plate, as the Air Force shortstop was 3-4 on Wednesday with a double and a run batted in.
-After holding just a .175 average as of March 12, Joe has raised his batting average 83 points to .258 over his last 16 games.
-The Falcons shortstop has managed at least two hits in four of his last eight games.
-Seven of Joe's nine RBI this season have come in his last nine games.
After California Baptist
-Following the Falcons weekend series with the Lancers, Air Force will host Northern Colorado on Tuesday, April 12 before traveling to Reno for a four-game series with the Wolfpack starting April 14.
GAME ONE: vs. California Baptist, April 8, 3:00 pm MT
GAME TWO: vs. California Baptist, April 9, 12:00 pm MT
GAME THREE: vs. California Baptist, April 10, 12:00 pm MT
Broadcast Information
Live Stream: Mountain West Network
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Twitter: @AF_Baseball
Series History
-The upcoming three-game series will mark the first meeting between the two schools.
Pitching Probables
GAME ONE
RHP Paul Skenes (3-2, 2.87 ERA) vs. RHP CJ Culpepper (1-0, 3.80 ERA)
GAME TWO
LHP Kyle Moats (0-1, 7.94 ERA) vs. RHP Brandon Downer (3-0, 2.49 ERA)
GAME THREE
LHP Seungmin Shim (2-3, 5.20 ERA) vs. RHP Drew Necochea (3-1, 3.26 ERA)
Air Force Projected Batting Order
1. CF, Jr. Blake Covin (L) (.269/.374/.346/0 HR/13 RBI)
2. 1B, So. Sam Kulasingam (S) (.333/.422/.454/2 HR/18 RBI)
3. LF, Sr. Gabriel Garcia (R) (.295/.360/.475/4 HR/19 RBI)
4. DH, So. Paul Skenes (R) (.283/.361/.491/3 HR/9 RBI)
5. RF, So. Jake Greiving (L) (.300/.360/.475/3 HR/16 RBI)
6. 3B, So. Jay Thomason (L) (.320/.396/.660/10 HR/21 RBI)
7. C, Sr. Braydon Altorfer (R) (.215/,315/.376/4 HR/16 RBI)
8. SS, So. Aerik Joe (R) (.258/.345/.309/0 HR/9 RBI)
9. 2B, Jr. Trayden Tamiya (R) (.184/.241/.296/2 HR/13 RBI)
Last Series vs. Abilene Christian
GAME ONE
-A 12-hit night from the Air Force lineup was reinforced by Jake Sansing's career-best start, as the Falcons took down the Wildcats 9-4.
-Paul Skenes paced the Air Force offense, ending his evening 3-4 with 3 RBI. The sophomore rocketed his third home run of the season, a two-run blast in the 3rd and his first home run since February 19.
-Jay Thomason and Aerik Joe both finished with two hits, as the left side of the Falcons infield also managed to drive in a run each.
-Joe bounced a RBI infield single off of the pitcher's leg in the 5th while Thomason lined a RBI single off of the right field wall as part of a four-run 6th for Air Force.
-In his first start of 2022 and only the second of his Air Force career, Jake Sansing gave the Falcons five solid innings. The junior allowed just two runs on four hits, four walks, and four strikeouts.
-Three of Sansing's four punchouts came in the 2nd, where he kept the game from turning against the visitors.
-After three-consecutive Wildcats reached to open the inning allowing a run to score, Sansing proceeded to strikeout the side to limit the damage.
-Dylan Rogers made the 10th appearance of his freshman season and stymied Abilene Christian for much of his three innings.
-Rogers didn't allow a run over his nine outs, surrendering just three hits while striking out a career-best five hitters.
GAME TWO
-The Falcons extended their winning streak to three-consecutive games on Wednesday, as a five-run 6th played a major role in the 9-4 win.
-Jay Thomason was a perfect 4-4 on the day, an afternoon in which the Falcons third baseman reached base in all five plate appearances.
-Thomason provided 3 RBI for Air Force, punctuated by a 9th inning solo home run, his 10th of the 2022 season.
-The sophomore is now 23-46 (.500) over his last 11 games.
-Aerik Joe continues to be dialed in at the plate, as the Air Force shortstop was 3-4 with a double and a run batted in.
-After holding just a .175 average as of March 12, Joe has raised his batting average 83 points to .258 over his last 16 games.
-Sam Kulasingam was 2-5 with a two-base hit, while Gabriel Garcia extended his hitting streak to nine games with a double in the 7th.
-Sawyer Hawks made the second start of his freshman season and was solid, allowing just one unearned run over four innings. He scattered six hits while striking out four.
-Ryan Stohr was credited with the win after taking over in the 5th, just before the Falcons took the lead in the next half-inning. The junior pitched three innings, allowing two runs on five hits, four strikeouts and a walk.
Skenes Named MW Pitcher of the Week
-On April 4, Paul Skenes was named the Mountain West Pitcher of the Week after his performance over the weekend at Fresno State.
-The sophomore went six scoreless innings, allowing just three hits while striking out three and walking just one.
-The California native out-dueled Fresno State starter Ixan Henderson, who entered the weekend leading the conference in ERA (1.05 ERA) and K/9 (12.3).
-Skenes didn't see a baserunner cross second base over his six innings.
-Picking up his third win of the season on Friday, Skenes set the tone for a weekend in which Air Force claimed its first-ever series win at Fresno State in program history.
-Over his last three starts, Skenes has not allowed a run over his last 12.1 IP, as the Falcons ace now boasts a 2.87 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 31.1 IP.
Friday Night Might
-After transitioning from the bullpen to the Friday starting slot, Paul Skenes has stayed true to form.
-Skenes' 10.0 K/9 is second in the Mountain West behind Fresno State's Ixan Henderson (12.3 K/9).
-Over his last three starts, Skenes has not allowed a run over his last 12.1 IP
-Skenes' 35 total strikeouts is 3rd in the MW.
-The sophomore's .209 opponent BA is 2nd in the MW as well.
-Skenes leads all Air Force pitchers with 31.1 IP.
-Righties are hitting only .178 off of Skenes.
-Skenes' 1.60 GO/FO rate also leads all Falcon pitchers.
-Skenes' 23 hits allowed is the lowest among starters in the MW.
-Skenes' 2.87 ERA is is second among MW starters.
-As well, Skenes is now 7-17 with 1 HR, 1 2B, and 4 RBI since returning to the Falcons lineup.
He Goes by "BOMB-ason" Now
-Jay Thomason has slugged 10 home runs over his last 11 games, including three multi-homer games.
-All of Thomason's home runs this season and of his collegiate career have come in the span of the last 11 games.
-As a result, Thomason leads Air Force in OPS (1.056) and slugging (.660).
-Thomason's slugging percentage is 5th-highest in the MW.
-His 1.056 OPS is 6th-highest in the MW.
-Thomason's 64 total bases also leads all Falcons.
-With 21 RBI, Thomason also leads Air Force in runs batted in.
-Thomason's 10 home runs lead the MW.
-In total, Thomason is 23-46 (.315) in his last 11 games.
-Thomason has raised his BA .163 points (.157 to .320) over the last 11 games.
-Thomason is 6-7 in stolen base attempts, 5th-most in the MW.
-The Auburn native's 11 walks are third on the team.
-Thomason is tied for the team lead with Kulasingam with nine multi-hit games.
Kul-Hand Sam
-Kulasingam's .333 average leads qualifying hitters on Air Force, as do his 36 hits.
-The switch-hitter's .422 OBP leads all Falcon hitters.
-The sophomore's 1.0 BB/K rate leads Air Force.
-Kulasingam is third on AF in total bases (49).
-The North Carolinian's .354 BA vs. righties is best on Air Force.
-Kulasingam is hitting .400 with two outs, and .449 with runners on base.
-Kulasingam is tied for the team lead with Thomason with nine multi-hit games.
-The sophomore leads Air Force with six multi-RBI games as well.
-Kulasingam has reached base in 14-consecutive games, and in 25 of 27 games this season.
Garcia Heating Up
-In Gabe Garcia's first nine games, the senior hit just .167 (5-30) with one XBH.
-Over Garcia's last 18 games, he has exploded, hitting .357 (28-79) with 10 XBH's.
-That stretch includes eight multi-hit games.
-Garcia has driven in 18 of his 19 RBI over the last 18 games, as he is second on the team in RBI (19).
-The senior's 54 total bases is second on Air Force.
-Garcia's seven doubles are tied with Kulasingam for the team lead.
-The C1C owns a nine-game hitting streak, tied with Kulasingam for the longest such streak of 2022.
Doyle Rules
-Doyle Gehring has taken well to the closer role, picking up six saves in six tries for Air Force.
-Exclusively out of the pen, his 21.2 IP is fourth among Falcon arms and leads all AF relievers.
-Gehring's 2.49 ERA leads the team.
-Gehring's 1.02 WHIP leads all AF pitchers.
-The sophomore is one of only 35 pitchers in in Division I with at least six saves.
-Gehring's .213 opponent BA is second among AF pitchers.
-Righties are hitting just .163 off of Gehring.
-Gehring has been tough with runners on, with opponents hitting only .175 with ducks on the pond.
-The sopohomore's 25 strikeouts are second behind Skenes among AF pitchers.
Greiving is Achieving
-Sophomore Jake Greiving has boosted the Air Force lineup in his 23 games.
-Greiving's .475 SLG% is third among qualfied AF hitters.
-His 38 total bases is 4th on the team.
-Greiving's .360 OBP is 4th among qualfied AF hitters.
-His .300 BA is 3rd among AF hitters.
Joe Knows
-Aerik Joe continues to be dialed in at the plate, as the Air Force shortstop was 3-4 on Wednesday with a double and a run batted in.
-After holding just a .175 average as of March 12, Joe has raised his batting average 83 points to .258 over his last 16 games.
-The Falcons shortstop has managed at least two hits in four of his last eight games.
-Seven of Joe's nine RBI this season have come in his last nine games.
After California Baptist
-Following the Falcons weekend series with the Lancers, Air Force will host Northern Colorado on Tuesday, April 12 before traveling to Reno for a four-game series with the Wolfpack starting April 14.
Players Mentioned
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IF
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