Tuesday, February 28
Lubbock, TX
5:30 pm MT
Air Force Academy
at
Texas Tech University
Photo by: Hozana Arceri
Air Force ventures to Lubbock for midweek series at #24 Texas Tech
2/27/2023 4:07:00 PM | Baseball
Schedule
Tue: at #24 Texas Tech, February 28, 5:30 pm MT
Wed: at #24 Texas Tech, March 1, 1:00 pm MT
Broadcast Information
Live Stream: ESPN+ (Subscription Required)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Twitter: @AF_Baseball
Series History
-All-time, Air Force is 1-5 against Texas Tech, a series that began in 1991.
-The most previous meeting between the two teams was in 2004, an 11-0 Texas Tech win in Lubbock.
-Air Force's only win against Texas Tech was in 1991, head coach Mike Kazlausky's senior year at Air Force.
Pitching Probables
Tue: LHP Jr. Kyle Moats (0-0, 10.80 ERA) vs. TBA
Wed: TBA vs. TBA
Projected Lineup
1. R/R, Matt Thompson, LF (.333/.385/.417)
2. S/R, Sam Kulasingam, 1B (.538/.625/.769)
3. L/R, Jake Greiving, DH (.226/.250/.355)
4. L/R, Jay Thomason, 3B (.269/.367/.731)
5. R/R, Chase Spencer, RF (.333/.414/.833)
6. R/R, Chris Stallings, CF (.143/.280/.286)
7. R/R, Trayden Tamiya, 2B (.222/.250/.259)
8. L/R, Landon Boyd, C (.133/.278/.133)
9.R/R, Aerik Joe, SS (.179/.233/.179)
The Previous Series
Game One
-The Air Force bats eventually found a spark, but their ignition was too little too late, as the Falcons were on the wrong end of Friday's 5-3 score versus Navy.
-Making his second start of the spring, Doyle Gehring was a bit erratic over his first couple of innings, but later settled into a rhythm. In spite of a high pitch-count early on, Gehring eventually completed 5.0 innings, allowing three runs on five hits to go with six strikeouts.
-Chase Spencer launched his third home run of the season in just his fifth game, a majestic blast to straightaway center field in the 7th. Jake Greiving narrowly missed a home run of his own in the 4th, but in the 6th, he settled for an RBI triple to score the first Falcons run of the game.
-Charlie Jones, pinch-hitting in the 7th, manufactured his first collegiate knock to score a run, as the freshman dumped a base-hit into left center field to put Air Force within a run.
-Matt Thompson made his first start of 2023 on Friday, and was the lone Falcon with multiple hits.
Game Two
-The Air Force bats were unable to create much traffic on Saturday, as the Falcons offense stalled in the 5-2 loss to Navy.
-After going hitless in his last eight plate appearances, Sam Kulasingam found the barrel throughout the afternoon. Kulasingam was 3-4 with a double while scoring both Air Force runs, and was robbed of potential extra-bases in the 8th following a tremendous diving catch by the Navy left fielder.
-Jay Thomason drove home the first Falcons run in the 1st, lining a double over the head of the Navy centerfielder to bring home Kulasingam. Thomason finished the day 1-3 with a walk.
-Kulasingam and Thomason each added a stolen base as well.
-Chase Spencer singled through the left side to bring home a run in the 7th, bringing his hit-streak to a team-best four-consecutive games.
-Dylan Rogers gave Air Force the definition of a quality start, as the sophomore pitched 6.0 innings while allowing three runs on five hits, three walks, and three strikeouts. Nine of Rogers' 18 outs came via the ground ball.
Game Three
-Seungmin Shim provided six innings of one-run ball in the final game of the Freedom Classic, as Air Force ended the weekend with a 4-1 win over Navy.
-Shim was terrific while recording a career-best seven strikeouts. The junior southpaw scattered three hits and three walks while having not allowed a hit through his first five innings.
-Sam Kulasingam was 1-3, though his lone hit was a big one. After Matt Thompson led off the game with a single to right field, Kulasingam tripled into right-center to give the Falcons a 1-0 lead two batters into the afternoon.
-Following Kulasingam, Jake Greiving lined a double over the head of the Navy centerfielder to score Kulasingam and extend the lead to 2-0. Later in the inning, Chase Spencer singled up the middle to score Greiving, extending his hit-streak to five games in the process.
-The Falcons immediately led 3-0 after the first half inning.
-Thompson finished with his second multi-hit game of the weekend, going 2-4 with a double.
-Sawyer Hawks picked up his second save of the season, overwhelming the Midshipmen. The sophomore closed the final three innings, striking out five of the 11 batters he faced.
Picking Up Where He Left Off
-In his first seven games, Sam Kulasingam is 14-26 (4 2B's, 1 3B) with 4 RBI.
-To go with four BB's and two HBP's, Kulasingam has reached base in 20 of his first 32 plate appearances (.625 OBP).
-The reigning Mountain West Player of the Year is currently one of only 16 players in Division I with a batting average of .538 or higher.
-Kulasingam's 1.394 OPS is second among players in the Mountain West.
-The junior's four multi-hit games lead the team.
-Kulasingam owns a .700 BABIP (batting average on balls in play), 9th-highest in DI.
No Sophomore Slump
-Following Air Force's opening seven games, Chase Spencer leads the Falcons in slugging (.833), the highest figure of any player in the Mountain West.
-His three home runs are tied for the team lead.
-The C3C's 1.247 OPS is third among Mountain West players.
-Spencer is the only Falcon to have reached base in all seven games this season.
-Spencer's current five-game hitting streak is also a team best.
A Strong Start for the Rotation
-Air Force's weekend rotation has been solid in its first two turns, as Doyle Gehring, Dylan Rogers, and Seungmin Shim have pitched to a 2.53 ERA in 32.0 IP.
-The trio have held opponents to a .202 BA, while striking out opposing hitters at rate of 10.1 K/9.
-The Falcons starters also posted a KK/B ratio of 3.6 (36 K's/10 BB's).
#BOMBason is Back
-After leading Air Force with 16 home runs a season ago, Jay Thomason looks to again be a consistent power threat.
-Thomason is tied with Chase Spencer for the team lead in home runs (3), having hit one long ball against each of Air Force's first three opponents.
-Thomason is the first Falcon to reach double-digit RBI (10), and is second in total bases (19).
-He is one of three Falcons with an OPS north of 1.000 (1.098).
-Thomason is the only Air Force player thus far with two multi-RBI games.
Missed Opportunities
-In Air Force's first 271 plate appearances, the Falcons have struck out 71 times (26.9%).
-That figure is the highest among teams in the Mountain West.
-As well, the Falcons are currently hitless with the bases loaded this season, going 0-10 in said opportunities.
Up Next
-Following Air Force's midweek action in Lubbock, the Falcons will travel to Charleston, South Carolina to play three different opponents in four games. Air Force will share the field with Charleston Southern on March 3, and again on March 5. The Falcons will also take on the College of Charleston on March 4, as well as Michigan State at Shipyard Park on March 6.
Tue: at #24 Texas Tech, February 28, 5:30 pm MT
Wed: at #24 Texas Tech, March 1, 1:00 pm MT
Broadcast Information
Live Stream: ESPN+ (Subscription Required)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Twitter: @AF_Baseball
Series History
-All-time, Air Force is 1-5 against Texas Tech, a series that began in 1991.
-The most previous meeting between the two teams was in 2004, an 11-0 Texas Tech win in Lubbock.
-Air Force's only win against Texas Tech was in 1991, head coach Mike Kazlausky's senior year at Air Force.
Pitching Probables
Tue: LHP Jr. Kyle Moats (0-0, 10.80 ERA) vs. TBA
Wed: TBA vs. TBA
Projected Lineup
1. R/R, Matt Thompson, LF (.333/.385/.417)
2. S/R, Sam Kulasingam, 1B (.538/.625/.769)
3. L/R, Jake Greiving, DH (.226/.250/.355)
4. L/R, Jay Thomason, 3B (.269/.367/.731)
5. R/R, Chase Spencer, RF (.333/.414/.833)
6. R/R, Chris Stallings, CF (.143/.280/.286)
7. R/R, Trayden Tamiya, 2B (.222/.250/.259)
8. L/R, Landon Boyd, C (.133/.278/.133)
9.R/R, Aerik Joe, SS (.179/.233/.179)
The Previous Series
Game One
-The Air Force bats eventually found a spark, but their ignition was too little too late, as the Falcons were on the wrong end of Friday's 5-3 score versus Navy.
-Making his second start of the spring, Doyle Gehring was a bit erratic over his first couple of innings, but later settled into a rhythm. In spite of a high pitch-count early on, Gehring eventually completed 5.0 innings, allowing three runs on five hits to go with six strikeouts.
-Chase Spencer launched his third home run of the season in just his fifth game, a majestic blast to straightaway center field in the 7th. Jake Greiving narrowly missed a home run of his own in the 4th, but in the 6th, he settled for an RBI triple to score the first Falcons run of the game.
-Charlie Jones, pinch-hitting in the 7th, manufactured his first collegiate knock to score a run, as the freshman dumped a base-hit into left center field to put Air Force within a run.
-Matt Thompson made his first start of 2023 on Friday, and was the lone Falcon with multiple hits.
Game Two
-The Air Force bats were unable to create much traffic on Saturday, as the Falcons offense stalled in the 5-2 loss to Navy.
-After going hitless in his last eight plate appearances, Sam Kulasingam found the barrel throughout the afternoon. Kulasingam was 3-4 with a double while scoring both Air Force runs, and was robbed of potential extra-bases in the 8th following a tremendous diving catch by the Navy left fielder.
-Jay Thomason drove home the first Falcons run in the 1st, lining a double over the head of the Navy centerfielder to bring home Kulasingam. Thomason finished the day 1-3 with a walk.
-Kulasingam and Thomason each added a stolen base as well.
-Chase Spencer singled through the left side to bring home a run in the 7th, bringing his hit-streak to a team-best four-consecutive games.
-Dylan Rogers gave Air Force the definition of a quality start, as the sophomore pitched 6.0 innings while allowing three runs on five hits, three walks, and three strikeouts. Nine of Rogers' 18 outs came via the ground ball.
Game Three
-Seungmin Shim provided six innings of one-run ball in the final game of the Freedom Classic, as Air Force ended the weekend with a 4-1 win over Navy.
-Shim was terrific while recording a career-best seven strikeouts. The junior southpaw scattered three hits and three walks while having not allowed a hit through his first five innings.
-Sam Kulasingam was 1-3, though his lone hit was a big one. After Matt Thompson led off the game with a single to right field, Kulasingam tripled into right-center to give the Falcons a 1-0 lead two batters into the afternoon.
-Following Kulasingam, Jake Greiving lined a double over the head of the Navy centerfielder to score Kulasingam and extend the lead to 2-0. Later in the inning, Chase Spencer singled up the middle to score Greiving, extending his hit-streak to five games in the process.
-The Falcons immediately led 3-0 after the first half inning.
-Thompson finished with his second multi-hit game of the weekend, going 2-4 with a double.
-Sawyer Hawks picked up his second save of the season, overwhelming the Midshipmen. The sophomore closed the final three innings, striking out five of the 11 batters he faced.
Picking Up Where He Left Off
-In his first seven games, Sam Kulasingam is 14-26 (4 2B's, 1 3B) with 4 RBI.
-To go with four BB's and two HBP's, Kulasingam has reached base in 20 of his first 32 plate appearances (.625 OBP).
-The reigning Mountain West Player of the Year is currently one of only 16 players in Division I with a batting average of .538 or higher.
-Kulasingam's 1.394 OPS is second among players in the Mountain West.
-The junior's four multi-hit games lead the team.
-Kulasingam owns a .700 BABIP (batting average on balls in play), 9th-highest in DI.
No Sophomore Slump
-Following Air Force's opening seven games, Chase Spencer leads the Falcons in slugging (.833), the highest figure of any player in the Mountain West.
-His three home runs are tied for the team lead.
-The C3C's 1.247 OPS is third among Mountain West players.
-Spencer is the only Falcon to have reached base in all seven games this season.
-Spencer's current five-game hitting streak is also a team best.
A Strong Start for the Rotation
-Air Force's weekend rotation has been solid in its first two turns, as Doyle Gehring, Dylan Rogers, and Seungmin Shim have pitched to a 2.53 ERA in 32.0 IP.
-The trio have held opponents to a .202 BA, while striking out opposing hitters at rate of 10.1 K/9.
-The Falcons starters also posted a KK/B ratio of 3.6 (36 K's/10 BB's).
#BOMBason is Back
-After leading Air Force with 16 home runs a season ago, Jay Thomason looks to again be a consistent power threat.
-Thomason is tied with Chase Spencer for the team lead in home runs (3), having hit one long ball against each of Air Force's first three opponents.
-Thomason is the first Falcon to reach double-digit RBI (10), and is second in total bases (19).
-He is one of three Falcons with an OPS north of 1.000 (1.098).
-Thomason is the only Air Force player thus far with two multi-RBI games.
Missed Opportunities
-In Air Force's first 271 plate appearances, the Falcons have struck out 71 times (26.9%).
-That figure is the highest among teams in the Mountain West.
-As well, the Falcons are currently hitless with the bases loaded this season, going 0-10 in said opportunities.
Up Next
-Following Air Force's midweek action in Lubbock, the Falcons will travel to Charleston, South Carolina to play three different opponents in four games. Air Force will share the field with Charleston Southern on March 3, and again on March 5. The Falcons will also take on the College of Charleston on March 4, as well as Michigan State at Shipyard Park on March 6.
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IF/OF
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