Falcons and Longhorns to set stage for Austin Regional

Schedule
GAME ONE: vs. #1 Texas, June 3, 12:00 pm MT

Broadcast Information
TV: Longhorn Network (Texas only)
Live Stream: ESPN+ (Subscription required)
Live Stats: SIDEARM Live Stats
Twitter: @AF_Baseball

NCAA Regional History
-The 2022 season marks the Falcons first NCAA Regional appearance since 1969, as well as Air Force's 7th Regional appearance.
-In 20 previous Regional games, Air Force is 8-12.

Pitching Probables

RHP Paul Skenes (10-2, 2.42 ERA) vs. LHP Pete Hansen (10-1, 3.01 ERA)

Air Force Projected Batting Order
1. 1B, So. Sam Kulasingam (S) (.414/.486/.683/11 HR/61 RBI)
2. CF, Jr. Blake Covin (L) (.270/.371/.379/4 HR/35 RBI)
3. RF, Sr. Gabriel Garcia (R) (.353/.430/.639/14 HR/62 RBI)
4. DH, So. Jake Greiving (L) (.317/.396/.543/9 HR/49 RBI)
5. C, Sr. Braydon Altorfer (R) (.284/.378/.534/12 HR/48 RBI)
6. 3B, So. Jay Thomason (L) (.344/.417/.626/16 HR/52 RBI)
7. 2B, Jr. Trayden Tamiya (R) (.276/.337/.429/4 HR/44 RBI)
8. SS, So. Aerik Joe (R) (.284/.378/.355/1 HR/30 RBI)
9. LF Cayden Zimmerman (R) (.200/.308/.400/2 HR/8 RBI

Mountain West Tournament Recap

GAME ONE (vs. UNLV)
-Led by battery mates Paul Skenes and Braydon Altorfer, #4 seed Air Force took down top-seed UNLV in the Falcons opening game of the Mountain West Tournament, beating the Rebels 5-2.
-Skenes, who named the Mountain West Co-Pitcher of the Year on Thursday, was outstanding in his first postseason start for Air Force, tossing seven scoreless innings while striking out 10 to tie his career-high. The sophomore allowed just two hits with three of his four walks taking place in the bottom of the 4th, where Skenes stranded the bases-loaded jam.
-Skenes has been massively important for Air Force all season, but especially towards the latter end of the schedule, posting a 0.90 ERA over his last three starts. WIth 10 wins this season, Skenes is now only the second pitcher in Air Force history to win 10 games in a single season, joining Dave Lyons (1994).
-Altorfer drove in four of Air Force's five runs as part of a 2-4 evening. The senior backstop launched his 12th home run of the spring in the 4th, a no-doubter to left field to give the Falcons a 4-0 lead at that juncture. Altorfer also drove in a run in the 1st with a RBI groundout before singling to left field in the 5th to plate Blake Covin.
-Sam Kulasingam, the Mountain West Player of the Year, was 2-4 with a walk. Following his single in the 9th, Kulasingam becomes the first hitter in Air Force history to record 100 hits in a single season. Now with 164 total bases in 2022, Kulasingam becomes the all-time leader in the statistic in program history.
-Jake Greiving was 2-4 out of the cleanup spot, and drove in Air Force's first run of the game with a double in the 1st. Altorfer's RBI grounder to shortstop one batter later padded the lead to 2-0 before Skenes took the mound.

GAME TWO (vs. SJSU)
-Sophomore Doyle Gehring notched a career-best 13 strikeouts to just four hits over 7.1 innings, as #4 Air Force bested #3 San Jose State 7-3 to advance to the Mountain West Championship.
-Gehring didn't allow a run over his 7.1 innings, as his 13 strikeouts becomes a season-high for any Falcons pitcher in 2022. His 13 strikeouts is the most by a Falcons pitcher since Cam White, who punched out 14 Jackrabbits against South Dakota State in 2014. Gehring becomes one of only nine pitchers in program history to record at least 13 strikeouts in a single game.
-Jay Thomason had a game-high three hits in five at-bats, including a solo blast over the right field fence to leadoff the 4th. The sophomore also drove in a run in the 5th with a RBI single. Now with 16 home runs, Thomason becomes one of only eight Falcons to hit at least 16 home runs in a single season.
-Gabriel Garcia was 2-5, as the senior lined his 14th home run of the spring in the 5th. Cayden Zimmerman entered as a defensive replacement in the 7th and clubbed his second home run of the season in the 9th. Blake Covin and Trayden Tamiya each managed RBI base hits as well.

GAME THREE (vs. SJSU)
-Behind the right arm of freshman Dylan Rogers and timely hitting from the Falcons lineup, Air Force wrapped up its Mountain West Tournament appearance with three-consecutive wins, as Saturday's 8-3 victory over San Jose State brings home the Falcons first-ever Mountain West Tournament title. As a result, Air Force will appear in its first NCAA Regional since 1969.
-In as pressurized a position as a freshman could face, Rogers was tremendous. The first-year right-hander lasted 7.1 innings, allowing just three runs with a career-best eight strikeouts. Rogers did not walk any of the 30 batters he faced.
-In the three games at the Mountain West Tournament, the starting trio of Paul Skenes, Doyle Gehring, and Rogers combined for 21.2 innings with an ERA of 1.25.
-With the bases loaded, the score tied 3-3 and two outs in the 7th, Trayden Tamiya provided the biggest hit of the night, as he singled into right-center. An error in right field allowed all three runners to score, giving the Falcons a 6-3 lead, an advantage that Air Force refused to surrender.
-Tamiya ended the evening 2-4 with a walk two and runs scored.
-Sam Kulasingam, the Mountain West Player of the Year, wasn't far behind Tamiya in the 7th. The switch-hitting sophomore pulled a two-run double into right field, blowing the game open and extending the Air Force lead to 8-3. The nation's 4th-leading hitter also brought in a run in the 6th, a two-out single to tie the score at 3-3. Kulasingam will tote a .414 batting average and a 1.169 OPS into the Falcons first Regional appearance in 53 years.

Kulasingam, Skenes lead All-Mountain West selections
-Following sterling 2022 campaigns, sophomore Sam Kulasingam was named the Tony Gwynn Mountain West Player of the Year, while sophomore Paul Skenes received conference Co-Pitcher of the Year accolades. In addition to both players being named First Team All-Mountain West choices, sophomore Jay Thomason and senior Gabriel Garcia were also named to their respective All-Mountain West teams.
-Kulasingam becomes the first Falcon to receive Mountain West Player of the Year honors after slashing .457/.516/.797 in conference play, leading all players in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging. His .457 BA in 30 conference games sits second behind Adam Groesbeck's .458 BA set in 2017 for the highest in-conference batting average by an Air Force player, while his .797 slugging percentage is the highest mark by a Falcon in Mountain West play in program history.
-With 39 RBI in conference action, Kulasingam produced the third-most RBI by a Falcon in Mountain West play since joining the conference in 2000. His 63 hits in Mountain West games stands as a new program record, as are his 110 total bases.
-Skenes is now only the second Air Force hurler to receive Mountain West Pitcher of the Year honors, joining Griffin Jax who received the honor in 2016. The sophomore recorded a 7-1 mark on the mound in conference action with a league-best 2.40 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 10 starts. Skenes allowed 16 earned runs and 22 walks in 60 innings pitched.
-Skenes' seven wins are an in-conference program record, while his 2.40 ERA is third-lowest by a Falcons pitcher since 2000. His 56 strikeouts are the second-most by an Air Force pitcher in Mountain West play.
-Thomason received First Team All-Mountain West honors as the result of his .392/.458/.752 slash line in his 30 conference starts. Thomason led all players with 12 home runs in Mountain West games, tying Nic Ready's program record set in 2018. The sophomore's .752 slugging percentage trailed only Kualsingam's .797 mark among Mountain West players.
-The 2022 spring marks consecutive Second Team All-Mountain West honors for Garcia. The senior's .370 BA was eighth-highest among all players within conference play, while his 50 hits and 86 total bases were fifth-most. Garcia was one of only eight players to hit at least eight home runs in conference games.

The Boys are Mashing
-With a team .313 batting average, Air Force ranks 9th among 293 Division I programs.
-With 654 hits in 2022, the Falcons rank 8th nationally in the category.
-Air Force's 489 runs scored is 13th among Division I programs.
-With 89 home runs, the Falcons are 26th in Division I in the category, and have set a new team record for home runs in a single season.
-The Falcons are also 6th in doubles (141).

Friday Night Might
-After transitioning from the bullpen to the Friday starting slot, Paul Skenes has stayed true to form.
-Skenes' owns a 10.1 K/9 to lead the Falcons.
-Skenes' 2.65 ERA is 2nd among MW starters.
-Skenes' 92 total strikeouts was 2nd in the MW.
-The sophomore's .214 opponent BA leads the conference.
-Skenes leads all Air Force pitchers with 81.2 IP, 2nd-most in the MW.
-Righties are hitting only .206 off of Skenes, with lefties owning a .229 BA.
-Air Force is 12-2 in game started by Skenes.
-The sophomore is one of only 17 DI pitchers with at least 10 wins
-Skenes is now only the second pitcher in Air Force history to win 10 games in a single season, joining Dave Lyons (1994).
-Skenes has posted a 0.90 ERA over his last three starts.

Oh...He Hits Too
-Skenes has managed a .386 BA (29-75) over his last 19 games.
-Of his 29 hits, 16 are extra-base hits (8 HR's, 6 2B's).
-Has reached base in his last 18 of his last 19 games.
-Enters the Austin Regional with a 1.078 OPS 141 at-bats.

Sammy K, Hitting Machine
-Kulasingam's .414 average leads qualifying hitters on Air Force, as do his 103 hits.
-Became the all-time single season leader in hits in program history on May 20, breaking Bradley Haslman's record of 96 hits set in 2016.
-His .414 BA is 2nd in DI, trailing only Georgia Tech's Chandler Simpson (.418).
-Kulasingam's 103 hits is tied for most in Division I with Kennesaw State's Josh Hatcher.
-He is one of only 14 players in the country with at least 24 doubles.
-The sophomore has reached base in 54 of 57 games in 2022.
-His 170 total bases are the most-ever by a Falcon, as Kulasingam is 10th among all DI players in the category.
-Kulasingam is hitting .400 vs. righties and .446 vs. lefties.
-Kulasingam is hitting .458 with two outs, and .451 with runners in scoring position.
-Kulasingam leads the Falcons with 30 multi-hit games.
-The sophomore leads Air Force with 18 multi-RBI games as well.
-Owns the longest hit streak (19) and on-base streak (31) among Falcons this season.
-Enters Austin Regional with a 12-game hitting streak.
-Is one of only four players to start all 57 games for Air Force.

A Prototypical Three-Hole Guy
-A Second Team All-Mountain West selection, Garcia was among the most productive hitters in the conference in 2022.
-Garcia finished in the top-ten among MW players in total bases (152, 3rd), hits (84, 6th), RBI (62, 5th), 2B's (20, 5th), HR's (14, 5th), batting average (.353, 8th), slugging (.639, 5th), and runs (60, 6th).
-Garcia leads the team in RBI with 62, tied for the 9th-most by a Falcon in program history ..
-Has produced 22 multi-hit games and 15 multi-RBI games.
-Is one of only four players to start all 57 games for Air Force.

He Goes by "BOMB-ason" Now
-Jay Thomason enters Friday as the second-leading home run hitter in the MW (16).
-Is one of only eight players in program history to hit at least 16 home runs in a single season.
-Thomason finished in the top-ten among MW players in slugging (.626, 7th), stolen bases (10, 6th), and total bases (142, 9th).
-With 52 RBI, Thomason is 3rd among Falcons in the category.
-Thomason is second behind Kulasingam for the team lead with 24 multi-hit games.

He Makes Pitchers Greive
-Sophomore Jake Greiving has boosted the Air Force lineup in his 53 games..
-Greiving's .543 SLG% is 5th among Falcon hitters.
-Is one of only five Air Force players with at least 100 total bases (101).
-Greiving's .417 OBP is 5th among qualified AF hitters.
-His .317 BA is 5th 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 24 games.
-Altorfer's batting average has been elevated to .284, going 35-95 (.368) in the last 21 games.
-In his last 95 at-bats, Altorfer has managed 12 doubles and 8 home runs with 30 RBI.

The Hawaiian is Flyin'
-Second baseman Trayden Tamiya has been vital down the stretch for Air Force, recording at least one hit in seven of his last eight games.
-Over his previous eight games, Tamiya is 15-36 (.416) with 8 extra-base hits and 12 RBI
-In Air Force's comeback win over San Jose State to clinch the Falcons first MW title, Tamiya provided the biggest hit of the night, a bases-clearing single in the 7th with two outs to put the Falcons ahead 6-3.
-Tamiya fouled off six-consecutive pitches before dropping a 3-run, two-RBI single into right field.

Pitching Wins
-Over the three games in the Mountain West Tournament, the starting trio of Paul Skenes, Doyle Gehring, and Dylan Rogers combined to compile a 1.25 ERA with 31 K's.
-Thus far in 2022, the Falcons pitching staff as a whole has recorded 434 K's, the most in a single season in program history.

Falcons and Longhorns to set stage for Austin Regional

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Players Mentioned

Braydon Altorfer

Blake Covin

Gabriel Garcia

Doyle Gehring

Jake Greiving

Aerik Joe

Sam Kulasingam

Dylan Rogers

Paul Skenes

Trayden Tamiya

Jay Thomason

Cayden Zimmerman

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