Friday, May 12
USAFA, CO
2:00 pm MT
Air Force Academy
vs
San Diego State University
Falcons to square off with conference-leading Aztecs
5/11/2023 5:47:00 PM | Baseball
Air Force will honor its graduating class on Sunday
Schedule
Fri: vs. San Diego State, May 12, 2:00 pm MT
Sat: vs. San Diego State, May 13, 12:00 pm MT
Sun: vs. San Diego State, May 14, 12:00 pm MT
Broadcast Information
Live Stream: Mountain West Network
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Twitter: @AF_Baseball
Series History
-Since 1961, Air Force is 33-119 against San Diego State.
-Earlier this season, the Aztecs took two of three games in Sani Diego, outscoring the Falcons 30-13 in the series
-In the last four series against the Aztecs, the Falcons are 3-9.
-The Falcons last series win over San Diego State was in 2018, also at Falcon Field.
Pitching Probables
Fri: RHP Sr. Jake Sansing (5-3. 3.47 ERA) vs. LHP Jr. T.J. Fondtain (6-2, 2.65 ERA)
Sat: RHP Jr. Doyle Gehring (3-3, 6.22 ERA) vs. LHP So. Chris Canada (3-5, 5.60 ERA)
Sun: RHP So. Dylan Rogers (2-4, 7.38 ERA) vs. RHP RS-So. Jadon Bercovich (0-1, 6.23 ERA)
Projected Lineup
1. L/R, Blake Covin, CF (.669 OPS)
2. S/R, Sam Kulasingam, 1B (1.157 OPS)
3. L/R, Jay Thomason, 3B (1.081 OPS)
4. L/R, Jake Greiving, DH (.840 OPS)
5. R/R Chase Spencer, RF (.798 OPS)
6. R/R, Trayden Tamiya, 2B (.842 OPS)
7. R/R, Aerik Joe, SS (.738 OPS)
8. R/R, Aaron Reyes, C (.795 OPS)
9. R/R, Matt Thompson, LF (.758 OPS)
Last Series (vs. Arizona)
Game One
-Air Force saw its five-game winning streak snapped on Friday, as the Falcons surrendered a season-high 22 hits in Friday's 16-4 loss to the Arizona Wildcats.
-Jake Greiving launched his fourth home run in the 1st to give Air Force an early 2-0 lead. The junior finished 2-4, having now gone deep twice in his last three games.
-It was a productive night for Blake Covin, as the senior was 1-3 with a run scored, having also produced a sac fly in the 7th. Sam Kulasingam needed his final at-bat to do so, but the junior lined a base-hit through the left side to bring home a run in the 9th, extending his on-base streak to 43 games.
-As well as Greiving, Matt Thompson was the only other Falcon to produce multiple hits after concluding the evening with a 2-4 line.
-Greiving's two-run home run was Air Force's lone extra-base hit.
-On the mound against a talented Arizona lineup, Jake Sansing was pulled after allowing six runs in his 3.0+ IP. The Falcons most reliable arm this spring saw the Wildcats pound out 10 hits while also working the right-hander to a season-high four walks.
-Ryan Stohr entered in the 4th after Sansing surrendered consecutive walks to open the inning and did well to keep his team in the ballgame.
-With two on, Stohr opened his appearance with a strikeout before Kulasingam made an excellent diving play at first for the second out. Stohr eventually induced a fly out to end the inning.
-Stohr allowed just one run over his first nine outs.
Game Two
-After surrendering 22 hits on Friday, the duo of Doyle Gehring and Sawyer Hawks limited Arizona to just two on Saturday, as the Falcons executed a team-wide effort to beat the Wildcats 5-0.
-Gehring earned his fourth win of the spring on Saturday, as the junior provided his teammates with six scoreless innings, surrendering just two hits while striking out three. In spite of four walks, Gehring was largely effective pitching to contact, as the Wildcats managed just one extra-base hit.
-The strapping right-hander did run into some trouble in the 3rd when Arizona created a bases-loaded situation. However, Gehring notched a looking strikeout in a full count to extinguish the threat.
-Gehring's two hits allowed are a season-low, while the junior has posted a 2.25 ERA in his last two starts.
-Jake Greiving was 3-4 while slugging his third home run in four games to start the scoring. Leading off the 2nd, Greiving lined an impressive opposite-field homer to left field to give the Falcons a 1-0 lead. Greiving is now the owner of a seven-game hitting streak, batting .535 (15-28) in that span.
-Aerik Joe extended his on-base streak to 23 games with a single in the 4th, as well.
-The score held until the 7th when Trayden Tamiya lifted a sacrifice fly to build a 4-0 lead.
-Sawyer Hawks relieved Gehring in the bottom half of the 7th, and the sophomore was exceptional. Hawks left the attending faithful at Hi Corbett Field in little suspense, striking out five of the 10 batters he faced while allowing just one baserunner in his 3.0 innings.
-For the second-consecutive night, Sam Kulasingam kept his on-base streak alive with an RBI base-hit in his final plate appearance, stamping the Air Force lead to 5-0. Kulasingam has now reached base in 44-consecutive games and in 47 of 48 games this season. The reigning Mountain West Player of the Year has also recorded at least one hit in last 11 games.
-In the bottom half of the 9th, Hawks retired the side in order with a punchout, as he is now averaging 12.3 K/9. Air Force's closer also nabbed his 7th save in the process, third-most in the Mountain West.
Game Three
-Owning a one-run lead in the 9th, Air Force saw the Wildcats plate the tying and winning runs in the final inning, as the Falcons hopes of a series win on the road at Arizona were dashed in the 11-10 loss.
-In what turned into a slugfest, the Falcons provided plenty of reason why. Sam Kulasingam continues to get on-base at a ridiculous rate, as his run of games reaching base has now touched 45 games. Kulasingam was 2-4 with a stolen base, clubbing his fifth home run of the spring. His three-run, go-ahead shot to left field saw the Falcons lead 6-3 in the 4th.
-Jay Thomason had his most productive set of at-bats in the series finale, stroking two doubles and two RBI as part of a 3-5 day. Thomason now has 15 doubles to go with his 17 home runs.
-After Jake Greiving exited the game prior to his first at-bat due to illness, Charlie Jones was placed in the cleanup hole as the designated hitter. Shaking off a pair of strikeouts in his first two at-bats, Jones provided a RBI base-hit to close a five-run Air Force 4th inning.
-Aerik Joe managed a double to extend his on-base streak to 24-consecutive games. Since March 28, Joe's OPS has risen from .620 up to .738. One of Air Force's most impactful players of the weekend, Chase Spencer was 1-2 with three walks and a stolen base, closing the three-game set with a pair of assists from the outfield as well.
-Each of Air Force's nine starters managed at least one hit.
-Dylan Rogers toughed out 5.0 innings, fighting through some tough batted ball luck to allow 12 hits and six earned runs. Nine of the 12 hits on Rogers' ledger were ground ball base-hits.
-Leading 10-6 entering the bottom of the 6th, the Falcons weren't quite able to put the Wildcats away.
-Seungmin Shim was brought into the ballgame to start the 6th, though the lefty allowed two hits, walked two and plunked a batter while recording just one out. Duke Benge did well to limit Arizona to just a run in his 1.2 IP, inducing a 9-4-6 double play to end the 6th.
-Ben Weber tossed a scoreless 8th before running into trouble an inning later.
-The C4C began the 9th with a foul out to Thomason, though back-to-back doubles saw the tying run cross the plate. Following an intentional walk and an infield single, the Wildcats were able to send a sacrifice fly just deep enough in left field to see the winning run cross the plate.
Greatness
-In 49 games, Sam Kulasingam owns a .409 BA, the second-best mark among Mountain West players and 21st overall in Division I.
-The reigning Mountain West Player of the Year is also one of only eight players in Division I with at least 81 hits thus far in 2023.
-The junior's 28 multi-hit games in 49 starts lead the team.
-Kulasingam is currently riding a 45-game on-base streak, the third-longest active streak in Division I.
-Kulasingam also is tied for nationally lead in DI with 23 doubles.
-A master of bat control, Kulasingam also owns nearly twice as many walks (38) than strikeouts (20).
-Kulasingam has struck out in only 8.2% of his plate appearances this spring.
-His 38 walks are best in the conference.
-Kulasingam's 127 total bases are second in the MW, as is his 1.157 OPS.
-The junior's durability has never been in question, as Kulasingam has started 115-consecutive games.
#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 (17), surpassing his career-high set a season ago.
-Thomason is now tied with Karl Bolt for 9th in program history with 33 career home runs.
-Thomason currently leads the conference in home runs with 17, and is one of only 42 players in DI with at least 17 dingers.
-Thomason's 128 total bases lead the MW.
-Thomason's 55 RBI are tied for the most in the Mountain West.
-The Falcons third baseman has reached base in each of the last 19 games, the third-longest active streak on the team.
-The lefty isn't afraid to see southpaws, hitting a team-best .522 against lefties.
One of a Kind
-On April 29, head coach Mike Kazlausky surpassed Joe Robison for the most wins at Air Force with 283.
-On the honor, Coach Kaz said the following:
"For me, winning on the baseball field is just a small piece of what we do here at USAFA. I am humbled by the recognition, but what is even more meaningful to me is being surrounded by this amazing team of coaches and players each and every day. Our mission at Air Force is so much bigger than baseball and I am the one who is inspired and motivated when I see what they do both on and off the field. More importantly, the kind of people they are and who I know they will become. When I think about winning the most this or that, I think about my own mentors, like my own father and Coach Robison and Coach (Paul) Mainieri. A record is something that will eventually be broken, but the thing that matters most to me is what we are doing to prepare these young men for their service to our country. I'm proud of our men willing to make the commitment fight for our nation. That's the win that matters for our country."
The Captain
-Trayden Tamiya has been one the Falcons most consistent offensive threats.
-Tamiya's .341 average is second to only Kulasingam among Falcons.
-Tamiya's 70 hits are second-most in the conference.
-Tamiya has been charged with just two errors in 210 chances at second base (.990), as his 143 assists lead the Mountain West.
-Another Iron Man, Tamiya has started 110-consecutive games.
Here Come the Horns
-Jake Greiving has been mashing, as his OPS has risen from .745 on April 11 to .840 as of May 11.
-In his last seven games, Greiving is 15-28 (.538) with 3 HR's, 2 2B's and 13 RBI.
-Greiving's 21 doubles this season are tied for third-most in Division I.
Aerik is Cookin'
-Aerik Joe has sneakily been one of the Falcons most consistent threats over the past month.
-Joe has reached base in each of his last 24 games, with at least one hit in 14 of his last 16 games.
Bird of Prey
-Air Force closer Sawyer Hawks has allowed just one run in his last eight appearances.
-In those eight games, Hawks has 24 strikeouts over his last 15.2 IP.
-The big righty leads the Falcons with a strikeout percentage of 31.7%.
-Hawks has also amassed a 90.1% left-on base percentage, leading the team.
-He's one of only three pitchers in the MW with at least seven saves.
A Senior Salute
-Air Force will honor its graduating class of six players, including seniors Duke Benge, Blake Covin, Jason Shuger, Ryan Stohr, Trayden Tamiya, Matt Thompson, as well as team managers Hayden Archer and Mitchell Woelfle.
-The Senior Day ceremony will take prior to the Sunday, May 14 series finale.
Up Next
-Following the Falcons series against the Aztecs, Air Force will conclude the regular season in Las Vegas against UNLV. The series is scheduled to begin May 18.
Fri: vs. San Diego State, May 12, 2:00 pm MT
Sat: vs. San Diego State, May 13, 12:00 pm MT
Sun: vs. San Diego State, May 14, 12:00 pm MT
Broadcast Information
Live Stream: Mountain West Network
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Twitter: @AF_Baseball
Series History
-Since 1961, Air Force is 33-119 against San Diego State.
-Earlier this season, the Aztecs took two of three games in Sani Diego, outscoring the Falcons 30-13 in the series
-In the last four series against the Aztecs, the Falcons are 3-9.
-The Falcons last series win over San Diego State was in 2018, also at Falcon Field.
Pitching Probables
Fri: RHP Sr. Jake Sansing (5-3. 3.47 ERA) vs. LHP Jr. T.J. Fondtain (6-2, 2.65 ERA)
Sat: RHP Jr. Doyle Gehring (3-3, 6.22 ERA) vs. LHP So. Chris Canada (3-5, 5.60 ERA)
Sun: RHP So. Dylan Rogers (2-4, 7.38 ERA) vs. RHP RS-So. Jadon Bercovich (0-1, 6.23 ERA)
Projected Lineup
1. L/R, Blake Covin, CF (.669 OPS)
2. S/R, Sam Kulasingam, 1B (1.157 OPS)
3. L/R, Jay Thomason, 3B (1.081 OPS)
4. L/R, Jake Greiving, DH (.840 OPS)
5. R/R Chase Spencer, RF (.798 OPS)
6. R/R, Trayden Tamiya, 2B (.842 OPS)
7. R/R, Aerik Joe, SS (.738 OPS)
8. R/R, Aaron Reyes, C (.795 OPS)
9. R/R, Matt Thompson, LF (.758 OPS)
Last Series (vs. Arizona)
Game One
-Air Force saw its five-game winning streak snapped on Friday, as the Falcons surrendered a season-high 22 hits in Friday's 16-4 loss to the Arizona Wildcats.
-Jake Greiving launched his fourth home run in the 1st to give Air Force an early 2-0 lead. The junior finished 2-4, having now gone deep twice in his last three games.
-It was a productive night for Blake Covin, as the senior was 1-3 with a run scored, having also produced a sac fly in the 7th. Sam Kulasingam needed his final at-bat to do so, but the junior lined a base-hit through the left side to bring home a run in the 9th, extending his on-base streak to 43 games.
-As well as Greiving, Matt Thompson was the only other Falcon to produce multiple hits after concluding the evening with a 2-4 line.
-Greiving's two-run home run was Air Force's lone extra-base hit.
-On the mound against a talented Arizona lineup, Jake Sansing was pulled after allowing six runs in his 3.0+ IP. The Falcons most reliable arm this spring saw the Wildcats pound out 10 hits while also working the right-hander to a season-high four walks.
-Ryan Stohr entered in the 4th after Sansing surrendered consecutive walks to open the inning and did well to keep his team in the ballgame.
-With two on, Stohr opened his appearance with a strikeout before Kulasingam made an excellent diving play at first for the second out. Stohr eventually induced a fly out to end the inning.
-Stohr allowed just one run over his first nine outs.
Game Two
-After surrendering 22 hits on Friday, the duo of Doyle Gehring and Sawyer Hawks limited Arizona to just two on Saturday, as the Falcons executed a team-wide effort to beat the Wildcats 5-0.
-Gehring earned his fourth win of the spring on Saturday, as the junior provided his teammates with six scoreless innings, surrendering just two hits while striking out three. In spite of four walks, Gehring was largely effective pitching to contact, as the Wildcats managed just one extra-base hit.
-The strapping right-hander did run into some trouble in the 3rd when Arizona created a bases-loaded situation. However, Gehring notched a looking strikeout in a full count to extinguish the threat.
-Gehring's two hits allowed are a season-low, while the junior has posted a 2.25 ERA in his last two starts.
-Jake Greiving was 3-4 while slugging his third home run in four games to start the scoring. Leading off the 2nd, Greiving lined an impressive opposite-field homer to left field to give the Falcons a 1-0 lead. Greiving is now the owner of a seven-game hitting streak, batting .535 (15-28) in that span.
-Aerik Joe extended his on-base streak to 23 games with a single in the 4th, as well.
-The score held until the 7th when Trayden Tamiya lifted a sacrifice fly to build a 4-0 lead.
-Sawyer Hawks relieved Gehring in the bottom half of the 7th, and the sophomore was exceptional. Hawks left the attending faithful at Hi Corbett Field in little suspense, striking out five of the 10 batters he faced while allowing just one baserunner in his 3.0 innings.
-For the second-consecutive night, Sam Kulasingam kept his on-base streak alive with an RBI base-hit in his final plate appearance, stamping the Air Force lead to 5-0. Kulasingam has now reached base in 44-consecutive games and in 47 of 48 games this season. The reigning Mountain West Player of the Year has also recorded at least one hit in last 11 games.
-In the bottom half of the 9th, Hawks retired the side in order with a punchout, as he is now averaging 12.3 K/9. Air Force's closer also nabbed his 7th save in the process, third-most in the Mountain West.
Game Three
-Owning a one-run lead in the 9th, Air Force saw the Wildcats plate the tying and winning runs in the final inning, as the Falcons hopes of a series win on the road at Arizona were dashed in the 11-10 loss.
-In what turned into a slugfest, the Falcons provided plenty of reason why. Sam Kulasingam continues to get on-base at a ridiculous rate, as his run of games reaching base has now touched 45 games. Kulasingam was 2-4 with a stolen base, clubbing his fifth home run of the spring. His three-run, go-ahead shot to left field saw the Falcons lead 6-3 in the 4th.
-Jay Thomason had his most productive set of at-bats in the series finale, stroking two doubles and two RBI as part of a 3-5 day. Thomason now has 15 doubles to go with his 17 home runs.
-After Jake Greiving exited the game prior to his first at-bat due to illness, Charlie Jones was placed in the cleanup hole as the designated hitter. Shaking off a pair of strikeouts in his first two at-bats, Jones provided a RBI base-hit to close a five-run Air Force 4th inning.
-Aerik Joe managed a double to extend his on-base streak to 24-consecutive games. Since March 28, Joe's OPS has risen from .620 up to .738. One of Air Force's most impactful players of the weekend, Chase Spencer was 1-2 with three walks and a stolen base, closing the three-game set with a pair of assists from the outfield as well.
-Each of Air Force's nine starters managed at least one hit.
-Dylan Rogers toughed out 5.0 innings, fighting through some tough batted ball luck to allow 12 hits and six earned runs. Nine of the 12 hits on Rogers' ledger were ground ball base-hits.
-Leading 10-6 entering the bottom of the 6th, the Falcons weren't quite able to put the Wildcats away.
-Seungmin Shim was brought into the ballgame to start the 6th, though the lefty allowed two hits, walked two and plunked a batter while recording just one out. Duke Benge did well to limit Arizona to just a run in his 1.2 IP, inducing a 9-4-6 double play to end the 6th.
-Ben Weber tossed a scoreless 8th before running into trouble an inning later.
-The C4C began the 9th with a foul out to Thomason, though back-to-back doubles saw the tying run cross the plate. Following an intentional walk and an infield single, the Wildcats were able to send a sacrifice fly just deep enough in left field to see the winning run cross the plate.
Greatness
-In 49 games, Sam Kulasingam owns a .409 BA, the second-best mark among Mountain West players and 21st overall in Division I.
-The reigning Mountain West Player of the Year is also one of only eight players in Division I with at least 81 hits thus far in 2023.
-The junior's 28 multi-hit games in 49 starts lead the team.
-Kulasingam is currently riding a 45-game on-base streak, the third-longest active streak in Division I.
-Kulasingam also is tied for nationally lead in DI with 23 doubles.
-A master of bat control, Kulasingam also owns nearly twice as many walks (38) than strikeouts (20).
-Kulasingam has struck out in only 8.2% of his plate appearances this spring.
-His 38 walks are best in the conference.
-Kulasingam's 127 total bases are second in the MW, as is his 1.157 OPS.
-The junior's durability has never been in question, as Kulasingam has started 115-consecutive games.
#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 (17), surpassing his career-high set a season ago.
-Thomason is now tied with Karl Bolt for 9th in program history with 33 career home runs.
-Thomason currently leads the conference in home runs with 17, and is one of only 42 players in DI with at least 17 dingers.
-Thomason's 128 total bases lead the MW.
-Thomason's 55 RBI are tied for the most in the Mountain West.
-The Falcons third baseman has reached base in each of the last 19 games, the third-longest active streak on the team.
-The lefty isn't afraid to see southpaws, hitting a team-best .522 against lefties.
One of a Kind
-On April 29, head coach Mike Kazlausky surpassed Joe Robison for the most wins at Air Force with 283.
-On the honor, Coach Kaz said the following:
"For me, winning on the baseball field is just a small piece of what we do here at USAFA. I am humbled by the recognition, but what is even more meaningful to me is being surrounded by this amazing team of coaches and players each and every day. Our mission at Air Force is so much bigger than baseball and I am the one who is inspired and motivated when I see what they do both on and off the field. More importantly, the kind of people they are and who I know they will become. When I think about winning the most this or that, I think about my own mentors, like my own father and Coach Robison and Coach (Paul) Mainieri. A record is something that will eventually be broken, but the thing that matters most to me is what we are doing to prepare these young men for their service to our country. I'm proud of our men willing to make the commitment fight for our nation. That's the win that matters for our country."
The Captain
-Trayden Tamiya has been one the Falcons most consistent offensive threats.
-Tamiya's .341 average is second to only Kulasingam among Falcons.
-Tamiya's 70 hits are second-most in the conference.
-Tamiya has been charged with just two errors in 210 chances at second base (.990), as his 143 assists lead the Mountain West.
-Another Iron Man, Tamiya has started 110-consecutive games.
Here Come the Horns
-Jake Greiving has been mashing, as his OPS has risen from .745 on April 11 to .840 as of May 11.
-In his last seven games, Greiving is 15-28 (.538) with 3 HR's, 2 2B's and 13 RBI.
-Greiving's 21 doubles this season are tied for third-most in Division I.
Aerik is Cookin'
-Aerik Joe has sneakily been one of the Falcons most consistent threats over the past month.
-Joe has reached base in each of his last 24 games, with at least one hit in 14 of his last 16 games.
Bird of Prey
-Air Force closer Sawyer Hawks has allowed just one run in his last eight appearances.
-In those eight games, Hawks has 24 strikeouts over his last 15.2 IP.
-The big righty leads the Falcons with a strikeout percentage of 31.7%.
-Hawks has also amassed a 90.1% left-on base percentage, leading the team.
-He's one of only three pitchers in the MW with at least seven saves.
A Senior Salute
-Air Force will honor its graduating class of six players, including seniors Duke Benge, Blake Covin, Jason Shuger, Ryan Stohr, Trayden Tamiya, Matt Thompson, as well as team managers Hayden Archer and Mitchell Woelfle.
-The Senior Day ceremony will take prior to the Sunday, May 14 series finale.
Up Next
-Following the Falcons series against the Aztecs, Air Force will conclude the regular season in Las Vegas against UNLV. The series is scheduled to begin May 18.
Players Mentioned
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RHP
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1B
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IF
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C
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RHP
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LHP
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IF
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IF/OF
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