Tuesday, April 18
Lawrence, KS
5:00 pm MT
Air Force Academy
at
.png&width=60&height=60&type=webp)
University of Kansas
Falcons to face Jayhawks in battle of the Birds
4/17/2023 5:20:00 PM | Baseball
Schedule
Tue: at Kansas, April 18, 5:00 pm MT
Wed: at Kansas, April 19, 2:00 pm MT
Broadcast Information
Television: ESPN+
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Twitter: @AF_Baseball
Series History
-A series that began in 2009, Air Force is 3-7 against Kansas.
-A season ago, the Falcons and Jayhawks split a two-game series at Falcon Field.
-In Lawrence, the Falcons are 1-3 in four games.
-Air Force was no-hit by Kansas in the first-ever meeting between the two schools on Feb. 20, 2009, marking one of the six no-hitters thrown against the Falcons.
Pitching Probables
Tue: RHP Ben Weber (1-0, 5.74 ERA) vs. LHP Gavin Brasosky (1-1, 5.77 ERA)
Projected Lineup
1. L/R, Blake Covin, CF (.788 OPS)
2. S/R, Sam Kulasingam, 1B (1.157 OPS)
3. L/R, Jay Thomason, 3B (1.003 OPS)
4. L/R, Jake Greiving, DH (.765 OPS)
5. R/R, Trayden Tamiya, 2B (.822 OPS)
6. R/R, Aerik Joe, SS (.698 OPS)
7. R/R, Matt Thompson, LF (.729 OPS)
8. S/R, Landon Boyd, C (.806 OPS)
9. R/R Chase Spencer, RF (.765 OPS)
Last Weekend (at Nevada)
Game One
-Air Force picked up its fifth-consecutive win on Friday, as Jake Sansing was outstanding yet again in the Falcons 7-2 win.
-Sansing allowed a two-run homer in the 9th, his only blemish of the evening. The senior was responsible for 8.0+ innings for the second-consecutive start while also notching a career-high eight strikeouts.
-The senior surrendered eight hits over his 29 batters faced, having retired 17 of his final 21 batters. Sansing's 3.33 ERA remains the best among Falcons hurlers.
-In the 1st, Sam Kulasingam worked a one-out walk to stretch his on-base streak to 31 games, matching the career-best mark he set a season ago.
-Following Kulasingam was Jay Thomason, who promptly unloaded his conference-leading 12th home run to quickly create a 2-0 lead. One batter later, Jake Greiving knocked his 16th double of the season before Trayden Tamiya singled him home to leave the opening frame with a 3-0 lead.
-The 2nd developed as quickly as the previous inning, as Landon Boyd roped a double off of the right field wall to place a runner in scoring position no one out. After a wild pitch allowed Boyd to advance a base, Chase Spencer sent a hard single through the right side to extend the Air Force lead to 4-0.
-Kulasingam put an exclamation on his night with a two-run homer in the 4th, his third long ball of the spring. The defending Player of the Year in the conference finished 1-1 with a career-best four walks.
-Air Force later scored an unearned run in the 7th on a throwing error.
-Sansing pitched into the 9th, though a double and a two-run home run saw Ben Weber take over in the final inning. The C4C, fresh off of his first collegiate win, retired all three batters he faced to end the ballgame.
Game Two
-Leading 8-1 after their initial three turns at the plate, the Falcons saw the Wolfpack respond with 15 unanswered runs, leading to the 16-8 defeat.
-Sam Kulasingam was 3-4 with a double, a walk and a run scored, as he's now reached base in 32-consecutive games. Kulasingam bests his previous on-base streak of 31 games set a season ago, as he now owns a .429 batting average and a Division I best 19 doubles.
-Landon Boyd was also 3-4, providing two doubles, a two-run home run and 2 RBI. Boyd's three hits are a career-best.
-Trayden Tamiya also had 2 RBI and a triple as part of a 2-5 evening.
-Aerik Joe, Jake Greiving, Chase Spencer and Blake Covin each managed a hit and an RBI each.
-It was a tough night for the Air Force pitching staff, as the collection of Doyle Gehring, Seungmin Shim, and Duke Benge surrendered six home runs and nine extra-base hits in total.
Game Three
-The Air Force lineup wasn't its usual self, as the Falcons were held scoreless over the final six innings in Sunday's 6-3 loss.
-Aaron Reyes and Blake Covin provided RBI singles in the 2nd to build an early 2-0 Air Force lead. Aerik Joe mimicked his teammates an inning later with a RBI knock to account for the entirety of the Air Force offense.
-Sam Kulasingam was 0-3, though his two walks helped to extend his on-base streak 33 games.
-Jake Greiving and Trayden Tamiya recorded doubles, the Falcons only extra-base hits of the afternoon.
-In spite of drawing seven walks, Air Force struck out 10 times, leaving 10 men on base.
-Dylan Rogers was charged for six runs, though only three were earned. Tamiya's first error of the season resulted in three unearned runs in the Wolfpack half of the 2nd.
-Rogers completed 5.0 full innings, allowing eight hits with with two walks, a hit-by-pitch and four strikeouts.
-Sawyer Hawks entered in relief of Rogers in the 6th and overwhelmed Nevada. The sophomore struck out a career-high eight batters in just 3.0 innings, not allowing a hit.
-Air Force trailed 6-3 entering the 5th, though the Falcons did not record a hit in the face of the deficit.
A Walking Hit
-In 37 games, Sam Kulasingam owns a .420 BA, the second-best mark among Mountain West players and 20th overall in Division I.
-The reigning Mountain West Player of the Year is also one of only four players in Division I with at least 63 hits thus far in 2023.
-The junior's 22 multi-hit games lead the team.
-Kulasingam is currently riding a 33-game on-base streak, having reached base in 36 of 37 games this season.
-Kulasingam also is tied for the DI lead in doubles with 19.
-A master of bat control, Kulasingam also owns more than twice as many walks (30) than strikeouts (14).
-His 30 walks are best in the conference.
-Kulasingam's 95 total bases lead the MW, as does his 1.157 OPS.
#BOMBason is Back
-After leading Air Force with 16 home runs a season ago, Jay Thomason has maintained his status as a power threat.
-Thomason again owns the team lead in home runs (12), and is behind only Kulasingam with a 1.003 OPS.
-Thomason currently leads the conference in home runs with 12, and remains the only player in the Mountain West with double-digit homers.
-Thomason's 86 total bases are second-most behind Kulasingam in the MW.
-Thomason's 37 RBI are also the most in the Mountain West.
The Captain
-Trayden Tamiya has been one the Falcons most consistent offensive threats.
-Tamiya's .338 average is second to only Kulasingam.
-Tamiya's 53 hits are second-most in the conference.
-Tamiya has been charged with just one error in 171 chances at second base, as his 117 assists lead the Mountain West.
The Bull
-Jake Greiving has returned to his usual self after posting a .943 OPS in 2022.
-After an up-and-down start at the plate, Greiving has now reached base in 17-consecutive games.
-Greiving's 18 doubles are second-most in Division I.
-In his last 14 games, Greiving has driven in 23 of his 36 RBI.
-Greiving's 36 RBI are second to only Thomason among MW players.
Ol' Reliable
-Reliever Duke Benge has amassed 20 appearances in Air Force's first 37 games.
-He's one of only 20 DI pitchers with at least 20 appearances in 2023.
Up Next
-Following the Falcons series against the Jayhawks, Air Force will return to Colorado Springs to take on the New Mexico Lobos for a weekend series starting Friday, April 21.
Tue: at Kansas, April 18, 5:00 pm MT
Wed: at Kansas, April 19, 2:00 pm MT
Broadcast Information
Television: ESPN+
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Twitter: @AF_Baseball
Series History
-A series that began in 2009, Air Force is 3-7 against Kansas.
-A season ago, the Falcons and Jayhawks split a two-game series at Falcon Field.
-In Lawrence, the Falcons are 1-3 in four games.
-Air Force was no-hit by Kansas in the first-ever meeting between the two schools on Feb. 20, 2009, marking one of the six no-hitters thrown against the Falcons.
Pitching Probables
Tue: RHP Ben Weber (1-0, 5.74 ERA) vs. LHP Gavin Brasosky (1-1, 5.77 ERA)
Projected Lineup
1. L/R, Blake Covin, CF (.788 OPS)
2. S/R, Sam Kulasingam, 1B (1.157 OPS)
3. L/R, Jay Thomason, 3B (1.003 OPS)
4. L/R, Jake Greiving, DH (.765 OPS)
5. R/R, Trayden Tamiya, 2B (.822 OPS)
6. R/R, Aerik Joe, SS (.698 OPS)
7. R/R, Matt Thompson, LF (.729 OPS)
8. S/R, Landon Boyd, C (.806 OPS)
9. R/R Chase Spencer, RF (.765 OPS)
Last Weekend (at Nevada)
Game One
-Air Force picked up its fifth-consecutive win on Friday, as Jake Sansing was outstanding yet again in the Falcons 7-2 win.
-Sansing allowed a two-run homer in the 9th, his only blemish of the evening. The senior was responsible for 8.0+ innings for the second-consecutive start while also notching a career-high eight strikeouts.
-The senior surrendered eight hits over his 29 batters faced, having retired 17 of his final 21 batters. Sansing's 3.33 ERA remains the best among Falcons hurlers.
-In the 1st, Sam Kulasingam worked a one-out walk to stretch his on-base streak to 31 games, matching the career-best mark he set a season ago.
-Following Kulasingam was Jay Thomason, who promptly unloaded his conference-leading 12th home run to quickly create a 2-0 lead. One batter later, Jake Greiving knocked his 16th double of the season before Trayden Tamiya singled him home to leave the opening frame with a 3-0 lead.
-The 2nd developed as quickly as the previous inning, as Landon Boyd roped a double off of the right field wall to place a runner in scoring position no one out. After a wild pitch allowed Boyd to advance a base, Chase Spencer sent a hard single through the right side to extend the Air Force lead to 4-0.
-Kulasingam put an exclamation on his night with a two-run homer in the 4th, his third long ball of the spring. The defending Player of the Year in the conference finished 1-1 with a career-best four walks.
-Air Force later scored an unearned run in the 7th on a throwing error.
-Sansing pitched into the 9th, though a double and a two-run home run saw Ben Weber take over in the final inning. The C4C, fresh off of his first collegiate win, retired all three batters he faced to end the ballgame.
Game Two
-Leading 8-1 after their initial three turns at the plate, the Falcons saw the Wolfpack respond with 15 unanswered runs, leading to the 16-8 defeat.
-Sam Kulasingam was 3-4 with a double, a walk and a run scored, as he's now reached base in 32-consecutive games. Kulasingam bests his previous on-base streak of 31 games set a season ago, as he now owns a .429 batting average and a Division I best 19 doubles.
-Landon Boyd was also 3-4, providing two doubles, a two-run home run and 2 RBI. Boyd's three hits are a career-best.
-Trayden Tamiya also had 2 RBI and a triple as part of a 2-5 evening.
-Aerik Joe, Jake Greiving, Chase Spencer and Blake Covin each managed a hit and an RBI each.
-It was a tough night for the Air Force pitching staff, as the collection of Doyle Gehring, Seungmin Shim, and Duke Benge surrendered six home runs and nine extra-base hits in total.
Game Three
-The Air Force lineup wasn't its usual self, as the Falcons were held scoreless over the final six innings in Sunday's 6-3 loss.
-Aaron Reyes and Blake Covin provided RBI singles in the 2nd to build an early 2-0 Air Force lead. Aerik Joe mimicked his teammates an inning later with a RBI knock to account for the entirety of the Air Force offense.
-Sam Kulasingam was 0-3, though his two walks helped to extend his on-base streak 33 games.
-Jake Greiving and Trayden Tamiya recorded doubles, the Falcons only extra-base hits of the afternoon.
-In spite of drawing seven walks, Air Force struck out 10 times, leaving 10 men on base.
-Dylan Rogers was charged for six runs, though only three were earned. Tamiya's first error of the season resulted in three unearned runs in the Wolfpack half of the 2nd.
-Rogers completed 5.0 full innings, allowing eight hits with with two walks, a hit-by-pitch and four strikeouts.
-Sawyer Hawks entered in relief of Rogers in the 6th and overwhelmed Nevada. The sophomore struck out a career-high eight batters in just 3.0 innings, not allowing a hit.
-Air Force trailed 6-3 entering the 5th, though the Falcons did not record a hit in the face of the deficit.
A Walking Hit
-In 37 games, Sam Kulasingam owns a .420 BA, the second-best mark among Mountain West players and 20th overall in Division I.
-The reigning Mountain West Player of the Year is also one of only four players in Division I with at least 63 hits thus far in 2023.
-The junior's 22 multi-hit games lead the team.
-Kulasingam is currently riding a 33-game on-base streak, having reached base in 36 of 37 games this season.
-Kulasingam also is tied for the DI lead in doubles with 19.
-A master of bat control, Kulasingam also owns more than twice as many walks (30) than strikeouts (14).
-His 30 walks are best in the conference.
-Kulasingam's 95 total bases lead the MW, as does his 1.157 OPS.
#BOMBason is Back
-After leading Air Force with 16 home runs a season ago, Jay Thomason has maintained his status as a power threat.
-Thomason again owns the team lead in home runs (12), and is behind only Kulasingam with a 1.003 OPS.
-Thomason currently leads the conference in home runs with 12, and remains the only player in the Mountain West with double-digit homers.
-Thomason's 86 total bases are second-most behind Kulasingam in the MW.
-Thomason's 37 RBI are also the most in the Mountain West.
The Captain
-Trayden Tamiya has been one the Falcons most consistent offensive threats.
-Tamiya's .338 average is second to only Kulasingam.
-Tamiya's 53 hits are second-most in the conference.
-Tamiya has been charged with just one error in 171 chances at second base, as his 117 assists lead the Mountain West.
The Bull
-Jake Greiving has returned to his usual self after posting a .943 OPS in 2022.
-After an up-and-down start at the plate, Greiving has now reached base in 17-consecutive games.
-Greiving's 18 doubles are second-most in Division I.
-In his last 14 games, Greiving has driven in 23 of his 36 RBI.
-Greiving's 36 RBI are second to only Thomason among MW players.
Ol' Reliable
-Reliever Duke Benge has amassed 20 appearances in Air Force's first 37 games.
-He's one of only 20 DI pitchers with at least 20 appearances in 2023.
Up Next
-Following the Falcons series against the Jayhawks, Air Force will return to Colorado Springs to take on the New Mexico Lobos for a weekend series starting Friday, April 21.
.png&width=84&height=84&quality=100&type=webp)
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
IF
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
IF/RHP
/ Baseball
IF
/ Baseball
IF
/ Baseball
IF/OF
/ Baseball
Falcons 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
