Thursday, May 19
Albuquerque, NM
6:00 pm MT
Air Force Academy
at
University of New Mexico
Photo by: Photo by Trevor Cokley
Air Force closes regular season at New Mexico
5/18/2022 5:18:00 PM | Baseball
Schedule
GAME ONE: at New Mexico, May 19, 6:00 pm MT
GAME TWO: at New Mexico, May 20, 6:00 pm MT
GAME THREE: at New Mexico, May 21, 12:00 pm MT
Broadcast Information
Live Stream: Mountain West Network
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Twitter: @AF_Baseball
Series History
-Having first played in 1957, Air Force is 53-148 all-time against New Mexico.
-Earlier this season, the Lobos took two of three games at Falcon Field.
-Air Force is 3-8 over its last 11 games at Santa Ana Star Field.
Pitching Probables
GAME ONE
RHP Paul Skenes (8-2, 2.71 ERA) vs. LHP Matt Haley (2-4, 8.02 ERA)
GAME TWO
RHP Doyle Gehring (2-3, 4.66 ERA) vs. RHP Brett Russell (1-6, 8.67 ERA)
GAME THREE
RHP Dylan Rogers (0-1, 6.14 ERA) vs. LHP Justin Still (1-3, 9.69 ERA)
Air Force Projected Batting Order
1. 1B, So. Sam Kulasingam (S) (.414/.484/.668/9 HR/53 RBI)
2. CF, Jr. Blake Covin (L) (.276/.365/.368/2 HR/28 RBI)
3. LF, Sr. Gabriel Garcia (R) (.338/.417/.605/11 HR/57 RBI)
4. RF, So. Jake Greiving (L) (.321/.396/.545/8 HR/43 RBI)
5. DH, So. Paul Skenes (R) (.306/.401/.597/10 HR/32 RBI)
6. C, Sr. Braydon Altorfer (R) (.282/.382/.520/10 HR/39 RBI)
7. 3B, So. Jay Thomason (L) (.335/.410/.610/14 HR/46 RBI)
8. 2B, Jr. Trayden Tamiya (R) (.263/.327/.400/4 HR/35 RBI)
9. SS, So. Aerik Joe (R) (.275/.367/.344/1 HR/23 RBI)
Last Series vs. San Diego State
GAME ONE
- On Friday, the Falcons took care of business, as Paul Skenes gave his dugout eight strong innings on the mound, earning his eighth win of the spring in today's 4-2 victory over the Spartans.
-Skenes was his formidable self this afternoon, resetting career-highs on the way to the win. The sophomore lasted eight innings, striking out 10 to mark new career-bests in both categories.
-Skenes didn't allow a run until the 8th, having surrendered just four hits through seven innings. Skenes is the first Falcons pitcher to record at least 10 strikeouts since Jason Shuger struck out 11 hitters at Duke on February 24, 2020. With his eighth win,
-Skenes also becomes only the 10th Air Force hurler to record at least eight wins in program history.
-Zach Argo entered in the 9th and secured his second save of 2022, striking out the side while scattering an infield hit.
-Sam Kulasingam recorded a team-high three hits with a RBI in four plate appearances, all singles. -Gabriel Garcia was 1-3 with 2 RBI, slugging a solo shot in the 8th, his 11th of the spring.
-Garcia also drove home a run with a sacrifice fly in the 1st.
-Out of the eight-hole, Aerik Joe was 2-3 with a double and a run scored, while Blake Covin managed a double as well in his four at-bats.
GAME TWO
-The Falcons slugged two home runs on Saturday while Rob Martin piggybacked a solid start from Doyle Gehring, as Air Force took Game Two by a score of 8-4.
-Braydon Altorfer and Sam Kulasingam each knocked home runs, with Trayden Tamiya coming a long ball short of a cycle as part of a 3-4 day.
-Kulasingam was 2-3, as his solo blast in the 5th broke a 3-3 tie. Kulasingam now has 88 hits on the season, needing just eight hits to break Bradley Haslam's all-time record of 95 hits in a single season. Altorfer's two-run homer in the 8th gave the Falcons a pair of insurance runs, extending the Air Force advantage to 8-4 going into the final inning.
-Tamiya led all players with a game-high three hits, driving in a run and scoring a run as well.
-Doyle Gehring gave Air Force a strong performance through 4.2 innings, allowing three runs on five hits, three walks and four strikeouts.
-After seeing a two-run home run leave the yard in the 1st, Gehring allowed just one run over his next 3.2 innings, with all four of strikeouts taking place after the opening frame.
-On Senior Weekend, Rob Martin delivered one of his finest outings out of the bullpen. Martin, who entered in the 5th, allowed just one run over the game's concluding 4.1 innings, giving up two hits and two walks to go with five strikeouts.
-The C1C saw a run cross in the 6th, but Martin retired the Spartans in order in the 7th and 8th, while working around a one-out triple in the 9th secure the Air Force victory.
GAME THREE
-The jovial atmosphere of Air Force's Senior Day celebration became much bleaker as the afternoon rolled along, as a 13-run Spartans 6th inning sealed the Falcons fate in today's 30-9 loss.
-Sam Kulasingam led all Falcons in hits, going 3-5 with a double and two-run home run. With 91 hits, the sophomore sits just five hits away from breaking the all-time single season hit record in program history.
-Paul Skenes and Braydon Altorfer also lifted two-run dingers, both coming as part of a four-run 3rd. Skenes reached base in all four plate appearances, recording a single and two walks in addition to his home run. Altorfer was 1-3, walking twice. Trayden Tamiya finished the day 2-5 with a double and 2 RBI.
-Dylan Rogers, like the rest of the Air Force pitching staff, found it tough sledding on Sunday. Rogers allowed six runs on seven hits with one walk and a pair of strikeouts in three innings. Following Rogers, the Falcons used nine other pitchers with the group allowing 20 earned runs over the game's remaining six innings.
Seeding Scenarios for MW Tournament
-If Air Force wins three games, the Falcons earn the No. 3 seed due to head-to-head competition tiebreakers.
-If Air Force loses a game and stays tied with Fresno State, Air Force will be the No. 4 seed due to the head-to-head competition tiebreaker.
-Air Force owns the tiebreaker over Fresno State (4-2) and San José State (2-1). San José State owns the tiebreaker over Fresno State (2-1).
The Boys are Mashing
-With a team .306 batting average, Air Force ranks 16th among 293 Division I programs.
-With 564 hits in 2022, the Falcons rank 9th nationally in the category.
-Air Force's 422 runs scored is 21st among Division I programs.
-With 74 home runs, the Falcons are three dingers away from breaking the program's all-time record of 76 home runs.
Friday Night Might
-After transitioning from the bullpen to the Friday starting slot, Paul Skenes has stayed true to form.
-Skenes' owns a 9.95 K/9 to lead the Falcons.
-Skenes' 77 total strikeouts is 3rd in the MW.
-The sophomore's .227 opponent BA leads the conference.
-Skenes leads all Air Force pitchers with 69.2 IP.
-Righties are hitting only .220 off of Skenes, with lefties owning a .239 BA.
-Skenes' 1.38 GO/FO rate is 3rd among AF pitchers.
-Skenes' 57 hits allowed is 5th-lowest among starters in the MW.
-Skenes' 2.71 ERA is 2nd among MW starters.
-Air Force is 10-2 in game started by Skenes.
Oh...He Hits Too
-Skenes has managed a .362 BA (21-58) over his last 15 games.
-Of his 21 hits, 10 are extra-base hits (6 HR's, 4 2B's).
-Has reached base in his last 15 of his last 16 games.
Sammy K, Hitting Machine
-Kulasingam's .416 average leads qualifying hitters on Air Force, as do his 91 hits.
-His batting average ranks him 6th among all DI hitters.
-Kulasingam's 91 hits is 2nd nationally among DI hitters.
-He leads all players in the MW in batting average (.414) and slugging percentage (.668)
-With 23 doubles, Kulasingam is tied for 3rd-most in Division I in the category.
-The sophomore has reached base in 48 of 51 games in 2022.
-Kulasingam's 1.152 OPS is 2nd in the MW.
-Kulasingam leads AF in total bases (147).
-Kulasingam is hitting .395 vs. righties and .460 vs. lefties.
-Kulasingam is hitting .467 with two outs, and .435 with runners in scoring position.
-Kulasingam leads the Falcons with 26 multi-hit games.
-The sophomore leads Air Force with 16 multi-RBI games as well.
-Owns the longest hit streak (19) and on-base streak (31) among Falcons this season.
-Is one of only four players to start all 51 games for Air Force.
A Prototypical Three-Hole Guy
-In Gabe Garcia's first nine games, the senior hit just .167 (5-30) with one XBH.
-Over Garcia's last 42 games, he has exploded, hitting .373 (66-177) with 31 XBH's.
-That stretch includes 16 multi-hit games.
-Garcia is in the top-ten among MW players in OPS (1.022, 10th), RBI (57, 5th), 2B's (17, 8th), and HR's (11, 8th).
-Garcia has driven in 56 of his 57 RBI over the last 42 games, leading the team in RBI.
-Garcia is 2nd on AF in total bases (127).
-Has produced 18 multi-hit games.
-Is one of only four players to start all 51 games for Air Force.
He Goes by "BOMB-ason" Now
-Jay Thomason enters Friday 2nd in the Mountain West in home runs (14).
-As a result, Thomason is 3rd on the team in OPS (1.020) and 2nd among Falcons in slugging (.610).
-Thomason's slugging percentage is 9th-highest in the MW.
-With 46 RBI, Thomason is 3rd among Falcons in the category.
-Thomason is second behind Kulasingam for the team lead with 20 multi-hit games.
He Makes Pitchers Greive
-Sophomore Jake Greiving has boosted the Air Force lineup in his 47 games..
-Greiving's .545 SLG% is 5th among Falcon hitters.
-His 90 total bases is 5th-most on the team.
-Greiving's .396 OBP is 4th among qualified AF hitters.
-His .321 BA is 4th among AF hitters.
Alt and Catch Fire
-After owning a .211 batting average as of April 14, Braydon Altorfer has found a jolt over the past 18 games.
-Altorfer's batting average has been elevated to .282, going 27-68 (.397) in the last 18 games.
-In his last 68 at-bats, Altorfer has managed nine doubles and six home runs with 21 RBI.
After New Mexico
-Following the Falcons weekend series at New Mexico, Air Force will either contine on to the Mountain West Tournament, or wrap up its 2022 season pending results.
GAME ONE: at New Mexico, May 19, 6:00 pm MT
GAME TWO: at New Mexico, May 20, 6:00 pm MT
GAME THREE: at New Mexico, May 21, 12:00 pm MT
Broadcast Information
Live Stream: Mountain West Network
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Twitter: @AF_Baseball
Series History
-Having first played in 1957, Air Force is 53-148 all-time against New Mexico.
-Earlier this season, the Lobos took two of three games at Falcon Field.
-Air Force is 3-8 over its last 11 games at Santa Ana Star Field.
Pitching Probables
GAME ONE
RHP Paul Skenes (8-2, 2.71 ERA) vs. LHP Matt Haley (2-4, 8.02 ERA)
GAME TWO
RHP Doyle Gehring (2-3, 4.66 ERA) vs. RHP Brett Russell (1-6, 8.67 ERA)
GAME THREE
RHP Dylan Rogers (0-1, 6.14 ERA) vs. LHP Justin Still (1-3, 9.69 ERA)
Air Force Projected Batting Order
1. 1B, So. Sam Kulasingam (S) (.414/.484/.668/9 HR/53 RBI)
2. CF, Jr. Blake Covin (L) (.276/.365/.368/2 HR/28 RBI)
3. LF, Sr. Gabriel Garcia (R) (.338/.417/.605/11 HR/57 RBI)
4. RF, So. Jake Greiving (L) (.321/.396/.545/8 HR/43 RBI)
5. DH, So. Paul Skenes (R) (.306/.401/.597/10 HR/32 RBI)
6. C, Sr. Braydon Altorfer (R) (.282/.382/.520/10 HR/39 RBI)
7. 3B, So. Jay Thomason (L) (.335/.410/.610/14 HR/46 RBI)
8. 2B, Jr. Trayden Tamiya (R) (.263/.327/.400/4 HR/35 RBI)
9. SS, So. Aerik Joe (R) (.275/.367/.344/1 HR/23 RBI)
Last Series vs. San Diego State
GAME ONE
- On Friday, the Falcons took care of business, as Paul Skenes gave his dugout eight strong innings on the mound, earning his eighth win of the spring in today's 4-2 victory over the Spartans.
-Skenes was his formidable self this afternoon, resetting career-highs on the way to the win. The sophomore lasted eight innings, striking out 10 to mark new career-bests in both categories.
-Skenes didn't allow a run until the 8th, having surrendered just four hits through seven innings. Skenes is the first Falcons pitcher to record at least 10 strikeouts since Jason Shuger struck out 11 hitters at Duke on February 24, 2020. With his eighth win,
-Skenes also becomes only the 10th Air Force hurler to record at least eight wins in program history.
-Zach Argo entered in the 9th and secured his second save of 2022, striking out the side while scattering an infield hit.
-Sam Kulasingam recorded a team-high three hits with a RBI in four plate appearances, all singles. -Gabriel Garcia was 1-3 with 2 RBI, slugging a solo shot in the 8th, his 11th of the spring.
-Garcia also drove home a run with a sacrifice fly in the 1st.
-Out of the eight-hole, Aerik Joe was 2-3 with a double and a run scored, while Blake Covin managed a double as well in his four at-bats.
GAME TWO
-The Falcons slugged two home runs on Saturday while Rob Martin piggybacked a solid start from Doyle Gehring, as Air Force took Game Two by a score of 8-4.
-Braydon Altorfer and Sam Kulasingam each knocked home runs, with Trayden Tamiya coming a long ball short of a cycle as part of a 3-4 day.
-Kulasingam was 2-3, as his solo blast in the 5th broke a 3-3 tie. Kulasingam now has 88 hits on the season, needing just eight hits to break Bradley Haslam's all-time record of 95 hits in a single season. Altorfer's two-run homer in the 8th gave the Falcons a pair of insurance runs, extending the Air Force advantage to 8-4 going into the final inning.
-Tamiya led all players with a game-high three hits, driving in a run and scoring a run as well.
-Doyle Gehring gave Air Force a strong performance through 4.2 innings, allowing three runs on five hits, three walks and four strikeouts.
-After seeing a two-run home run leave the yard in the 1st, Gehring allowed just one run over his next 3.2 innings, with all four of strikeouts taking place after the opening frame.
-On Senior Weekend, Rob Martin delivered one of his finest outings out of the bullpen. Martin, who entered in the 5th, allowed just one run over the game's concluding 4.1 innings, giving up two hits and two walks to go with five strikeouts.
-The C1C saw a run cross in the 6th, but Martin retired the Spartans in order in the 7th and 8th, while working around a one-out triple in the 9th secure the Air Force victory.
GAME THREE
-The jovial atmosphere of Air Force's Senior Day celebration became much bleaker as the afternoon rolled along, as a 13-run Spartans 6th inning sealed the Falcons fate in today's 30-9 loss.
-Sam Kulasingam led all Falcons in hits, going 3-5 with a double and two-run home run. With 91 hits, the sophomore sits just five hits away from breaking the all-time single season hit record in program history.
-Paul Skenes and Braydon Altorfer also lifted two-run dingers, both coming as part of a four-run 3rd. Skenes reached base in all four plate appearances, recording a single and two walks in addition to his home run. Altorfer was 1-3, walking twice. Trayden Tamiya finished the day 2-5 with a double and 2 RBI.
-Dylan Rogers, like the rest of the Air Force pitching staff, found it tough sledding on Sunday. Rogers allowed six runs on seven hits with one walk and a pair of strikeouts in three innings. Following Rogers, the Falcons used nine other pitchers with the group allowing 20 earned runs over the game's remaining six innings.
Seeding Scenarios for MW Tournament
-If Air Force wins three games, the Falcons earn the No. 3 seed due to head-to-head competition tiebreakers.
-If Air Force loses a game and stays tied with Fresno State, Air Force will be the No. 4 seed due to the head-to-head competition tiebreaker.
-Air Force owns the tiebreaker over Fresno State (4-2) and San José State (2-1). San José State owns the tiebreaker over Fresno State (2-1).
The Boys are Mashing
-With a team .306 batting average, Air Force ranks 16th among 293 Division I programs.
-With 564 hits in 2022, the Falcons rank 9th nationally in the category.
-Air Force's 422 runs scored is 21st among Division I programs.
-With 74 home runs, the Falcons are three dingers away from breaking the program's all-time record of 76 home runs.
Friday Night Might
-After transitioning from the bullpen to the Friday starting slot, Paul Skenes has stayed true to form.
-Skenes' owns a 9.95 K/9 to lead the Falcons.
-Skenes' 77 total strikeouts is 3rd in the MW.
-The sophomore's .227 opponent BA leads the conference.
-Skenes leads all Air Force pitchers with 69.2 IP.
-Righties are hitting only .220 off of Skenes, with lefties owning a .239 BA.
-Skenes' 1.38 GO/FO rate is 3rd among AF pitchers.
-Skenes' 57 hits allowed is 5th-lowest among starters in the MW.
-Skenes' 2.71 ERA is 2nd among MW starters.
-Air Force is 10-2 in game started by Skenes.
Oh...He Hits Too
-Skenes has managed a .362 BA (21-58) over his last 15 games.
-Of his 21 hits, 10 are extra-base hits (6 HR's, 4 2B's).
-Has reached base in his last 15 of his last 16 games.
Sammy K, Hitting Machine
-Kulasingam's .416 average leads qualifying hitters on Air Force, as do his 91 hits.
-His batting average ranks him 6th among all DI hitters.
-Kulasingam's 91 hits is 2nd nationally among DI hitters.
-He leads all players in the MW in batting average (.414) and slugging percentage (.668)
-With 23 doubles, Kulasingam is tied for 3rd-most in Division I in the category.
-The sophomore has reached base in 48 of 51 games in 2022.
-Kulasingam's 1.152 OPS is 2nd in the MW.
-Kulasingam leads AF in total bases (147).
-Kulasingam is hitting .395 vs. righties and .460 vs. lefties.
-Kulasingam is hitting .467 with two outs, and .435 with runners in scoring position.
-Kulasingam leads the Falcons with 26 multi-hit games.
-The sophomore leads Air Force with 16 multi-RBI games as well.
-Owns the longest hit streak (19) and on-base streak (31) among Falcons this season.
-Is one of only four players to start all 51 games for Air Force.
A Prototypical Three-Hole Guy
-In Gabe Garcia's first nine games, the senior hit just .167 (5-30) with one XBH.
-Over Garcia's last 42 games, he has exploded, hitting .373 (66-177) with 31 XBH's.
-That stretch includes 16 multi-hit games.
-Garcia is in the top-ten among MW players in OPS (1.022, 10th), RBI (57, 5th), 2B's (17, 8th), and HR's (11, 8th).
-Garcia has driven in 56 of his 57 RBI over the last 42 games, leading the team in RBI.
-Garcia is 2nd on AF in total bases (127).
-Has produced 18 multi-hit games.
-Is one of only four players to start all 51 games for Air Force.
He Goes by "BOMB-ason" Now
-Jay Thomason enters Friday 2nd in the Mountain West in home runs (14).
-As a result, Thomason is 3rd on the team in OPS (1.020) and 2nd among Falcons in slugging (.610).
-Thomason's slugging percentage is 9th-highest in the MW.
-With 46 RBI, Thomason is 3rd among Falcons in the category.
-Thomason is second behind Kulasingam for the team lead with 20 multi-hit games.
He Makes Pitchers Greive
-Sophomore Jake Greiving has boosted the Air Force lineup in his 47 games..
-Greiving's .545 SLG% is 5th among Falcon hitters.
-His 90 total bases is 5th-most on the team.
-Greiving's .396 OBP is 4th among qualified AF hitters.
-His .321 BA is 4th among AF hitters.
Alt and Catch Fire
-After owning a .211 batting average as of April 14, Braydon Altorfer has found a jolt over the past 18 games.
-Altorfer's batting average has been elevated to .282, going 27-68 (.397) in the last 18 games.
-In his last 68 at-bats, Altorfer has managed nine doubles and six home runs with 21 RBI.
After New Mexico
-Following the Falcons weekend series at New Mexico, Air Force will either contine on to the Mountain West Tournament, or wrap up its 2022 season pending results.
Players Mentioned
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/ BaseballFalcons 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
