Thursday, April 17
Fresno, CA
7 pm MT
Air Force Academy
at
Fresno State
Falcons Fly West for Series at Fresno State
4/16/2025 3:28:00 PM | Baseball
FRESNO, Calif., - The Falcons (15-22, 7-8) fly west to face the Bulldogs of Fresno State (17-19, 10-5) in a Mountain West series from Thursday April 17-Saturday April 19 at Pete Beiden Field in Bob Bennett Stadium.
Schedule
Thurs: at Fresno State, 6 p.m. PT/7 p.m. MT at Bob Bennett Stadium in Fresno, Calif.,
Fri: at Fresno State 6 p.m. PT/7 p.m. MT at Bob Bennett Stadium in Fresno, Calif.,
Sat: at Fresno State 1 p.m. PT/2 p.m. MT at Bob Bennett Stadium in Fresno, Calif.,
Broadcast Information
Live Stream: Mountain West Network
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Twitter: @AF_Baseball
Series History
-The first meeting between the two programs was a three-game series from May 9-11, 1997. The Bulldogs won the series 2-1 (9-8 (11 Inn.), 0-7, 0-24).
-The teams did not meet up from 1999-2013 but have played every year since then (except 2020 for COVID reasons).
-Last season, the Falcons defeated Fresno State 5-2 across seven games, winning the most recent 3-2 in the Mountain West tournament.
-Air Force holds an overall losing record of 26-40.
-Over time, AF has been outscored by the 'Dogs 459-381.
Pitching Probables (2025 Stats)
Thurs: RHP Dylan Rogers (9.32 ERA, 0-4) vs. RHP Jack Anker (5.68 ERA, 5-3)
Fri: RHP Cranz Smelcer (8.69 ERA, 1-3) vs. RHP Aidan Cremarosa (5.18 ERA, 3-5)
Sat: TBA vs. RHP Kaleb Hay (4.46 ERA, 2-1)
Projected Lineup (2025 OPS)
1. R/R, Alex Adams, 3B (.773 OPS)
2. R/R, T.J. Oster (.689 OPS)
3. R/R, Walker Zapp, C (1.049 OPS)
4. L/L, Tripp Garrish (.982 OPS)
5. R/R, Luke Elmore, 1B (.775 OPS)
6. R/R, Zach Peters, RF (.911 OPS)
7. R/R, Chase Spencer, CF (.639 OPS)
8. R/R, Kayden Bradshaw, LF (.536 OPS)
9. R/R, Ben Niednagel, 3B (.736 OPS)
A Look at the Bulldogs
-FSU has posted an overall record of 17-19 and currently leads the Mountain West with a record of 10-5.
-Earlier in the season, the Bulldogs dropped a series 2-1 (1-3, 7-8, 2-1) at No. 19 UC Santa Barbara.
-The team holds a record of 10-7 when at home.
-Fresno State's offense has outscored opponent, 227-214.
-The batters have tallied an overall average of .284, a slugging percentage of .417, and an OB% of .373.
-The Bulldog pitching staff combines for a season ERA of 5.56 and 308 strikeouts in 310.2 total innings pitched.
-In the Mountain West, the 'Dogs are batting .294 and slugging .442, while the pitchers have collected a 4.57 ERA and struck out 142 in league play.
-In just MW pitching, FSU sits atop the charts with the lowest ERA, most strikeouts, most saves (7), and the most wins (10), least amount of runs allowed (71), least amount of earned runs allowed (65), and least amount of walks issued (30).
-The batters rank second in MW play in doubles (42) and stolen bases (19).
Air Force in the Mountain West
-The Falcons have started Mountain West Conference play with a record of 7-8, following four conference series.
-Across league play, the AF hitters are:
1st in Stolen Bases: 26
2nd in Sac Bunts: 7
2nd in Triples: 7
3rd in On-Base Percentage: .400
3rd in Runs Scored: 117
3rd in RBIs: 110
3rd in Doubles: 38
4th in Batting Average: .299
4th in Slugging: .491
4th in Hits: 156
4th in Home Runs: 16
-The Falcon pitching staff ranks at:
2nd in IP: 133.0
4th in Strikeouts: 114
4th in Saves: 3
Series Starter
-Dylan Rogers has assumed the Friday night spot, after serving as a weekend starter last season.
-Currently, Rogers holds an overall ERA of 9.32 across a Falcon high 37.2 innings with a B/AVG of .406.
-Rogers has struck out the most batters for Air Force, 34.
-The senior has taken eight starts, a team-high, and marks a record of 0-4.
-In league play, the RHP has an ERA of 10.50, 18 Ks, and 21 earned runs allowed.
-In his latest MW appearance, Rogers started game one against UNLV, giving up one earned run accompanied by nine total runs and four strikeouts in four IP.
-The righty started game one against San Diego State, finishing after 2.1 IP with a pair of Ks and seven earned runs allowed.
-The weekend before, in game one at New Mexico, Rogers opened with a season second-best 5.1 innings and five Ks. He allowed four earned runs off seven hits.
-The RHP threw five innings of relief in game one at San Jose State, where he struck out four Spartans but allowed a trio of earned runs off ten hits.
-Against MW opponent Washington State, Rogers took a start with three strikeouts and six earned runs allowed, but the Falcons still went on to win 15-14.
- At California Baptist, Rogers threw 4.2 innings and allowed a season-high eight runs off 10 hits, while striking out one Lancer.
-The walk-off 9-8 win against Army saw Rogers go four full innings with four strikeouts and four earned runs off two hits allowed. The righty went 1-2-3 in the first two frames against the Black Knights.
-He faced Navy in the first game of the Freedom Classic, where he threw 7.0 innings and allowed the only two unearned runs of the 3-2 win. He went three up, three down in three frames and tied his career high nine strikeouts in a single game.
-His efforts on the mound against Navy earned him Mountain West Pitcher of the Week honors (02/24/25) for the first time in his career.
-Rogers not only serves as the Friday night guy, but also as one of the team captains.
Startin' Smelcer
Cranz Smelcer has worked his way from reliever to taking multiple starts for the Falcons.
-Overall, the freshman has the third-most appearances for an(13) for an Air Force pitcher and has a team second-best 30 Ks, along with an overall ERA of 8.69 across 29 IP.
-In MW play, Smelcer holds an ERA of 5.87 with 13 strikeouts, and ten earned runs off 22 hits allowed, in 15.1 innings.
-Most recently, Smelcer started the game two 6-4 win over UNLV. He threw 4.2 innings with four Ks and two earned runs.
-In the 18-8 run-rule win against San Diego State, Smelcer threw a career-high five full innings with three strikeouts and three earned runs allowed.
-The RHP closed game two at New Mexico, throwing 3 full innings, striking out a trio of Lobos, and not surrendering a run or a hit.
-Smelcer started his third game of 2025 in a midweek win, 9-4, over Wright State. He opened with three Ks and two earned runs allowed in 2.1 IP.
- He took his second start of the season in the rubber match 14-9 win against MW opponent, Washington State. He went 1.1 innings with one K and three earned runs given up off six hits.
-In the 15-2 run-rule win over South Dakota State, Smelcer made his first start on the mound. He recorded an impressive outing, going four full innings with a career-high six strikeouts.
-The freshman earned his first win at Air Force and improved to 1-3, after defending AF's lead and only allowing one run off three hits.
-So far this season, the right-handed pitcher has made seven appearances out of the bullpen.
-His collegiate debut came against No. 10 Florida, where he went 0.2 innings with one K and five runs allowed.
Double A
-Alex Adams is one of two Falcons who has started all 37 games of the 2025 season, thus far.
-The freshman is batting .315 second-best for Air Force with eight doubles out of a team-high 47 hits and 22 RBIs.
-Last weekend against UNLV, Adams notched three hits and three RBIs with one double.
-During the MW series against San Diego State, Adams notched two hits and scored one run in all three games, while accounting for three RBIs.
-Against New Mexico, Adams totaled six hits, three RBIs, and scored one run with a single stolen base.
-Defensively, Adams began his season with Air Force at first base, but made the switch to protect third.
-Adams holds a fielding percentage of .942 with 99 put outs, 62 assists, and 13 double plays.
-Adams is currently on an 18-game reached base streak, and has tallied 15 multi-hit games.
-On the base path, Adams accounts for a team-high 13 stolen bags this season.
On Deck
Air Force will travel to Greely, Colo., where they will take on Northern Colorado for the third time this season on Tuesday April 22.
Schedule
Thurs: at Fresno State, 6 p.m. PT/7 p.m. MT at Bob Bennett Stadium in Fresno, Calif.,
Fri: at Fresno State 6 p.m. PT/7 p.m. MT at Bob Bennett Stadium in Fresno, Calif.,
Sat: at Fresno State 1 p.m. PT/2 p.m. MT at Bob Bennett Stadium in Fresno, Calif.,
Broadcast Information
Live Stream: Mountain West Network
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Twitter: @AF_Baseball
Series History
-The first meeting between the two programs was a three-game series from May 9-11, 1997. The Bulldogs won the series 2-1 (9-8 (11 Inn.), 0-7, 0-24).
-The teams did not meet up from 1999-2013 but have played every year since then (except 2020 for COVID reasons).
-Last season, the Falcons defeated Fresno State 5-2 across seven games, winning the most recent 3-2 in the Mountain West tournament.
-Air Force holds an overall losing record of 26-40.
-Over time, AF has been outscored by the 'Dogs 459-381.
Pitching Probables (2025 Stats)
Thurs: RHP Dylan Rogers (9.32 ERA, 0-4) vs. RHP Jack Anker (5.68 ERA, 5-3)
Fri: RHP Cranz Smelcer (8.69 ERA, 1-3) vs. RHP Aidan Cremarosa (5.18 ERA, 3-5)
Sat: TBA vs. RHP Kaleb Hay (4.46 ERA, 2-1)
Projected Lineup (2025 OPS)
1. R/R, Alex Adams, 3B (.773 OPS)
2. R/R, T.J. Oster (.689 OPS)
3. R/R, Walker Zapp, C (1.049 OPS)
4. L/L, Tripp Garrish (.982 OPS)
5. R/R, Luke Elmore, 1B (.775 OPS)
6. R/R, Zach Peters, RF (.911 OPS)
7. R/R, Chase Spencer, CF (.639 OPS)
8. R/R, Kayden Bradshaw, LF (.536 OPS)
9. R/R, Ben Niednagel, 3B (.736 OPS)
A Look at the Bulldogs
-FSU has posted an overall record of 17-19 and currently leads the Mountain West with a record of 10-5.
-Earlier in the season, the Bulldogs dropped a series 2-1 (1-3, 7-8, 2-1) at No. 19 UC Santa Barbara.
-The team holds a record of 10-7 when at home.
-Fresno State's offense has outscored opponent, 227-214.
-The batters have tallied an overall average of .284, a slugging percentage of .417, and an OB% of .373.
-The Bulldog pitching staff combines for a season ERA of 5.56 and 308 strikeouts in 310.2 total innings pitched.
-In the Mountain West, the 'Dogs are batting .294 and slugging .442, while the pitchers have collected a 4.57 ERA and struck out 142 in league play.
-In just MW pitching, FSU sits atop the charts with the lowest ERA, most strikeouts, most saves (7), and the most wins (10), least amount of runs allowed (71), least amount of earned runs allowed (65), and least amount of walks issued (30).
-The batters rank second in MW play in doubles (42) and stolen bases (19).
Air Force in the Mountain West
-The Falcons have started Mountain West Conference play with a record of 7-8, following four conference series.
-Across league play, the AF hitters are:
1st in Stolen Bases: 26
2nd in Sac Bunts: 7
2nd in Triples: 7
3rd in On-Base Percentage: .400
3rd in Runs Scored: 117
3rd in RBIs: 110
3rd in Doubles: 38
4th in Batting Average: .299
4th in Slugging: .491
4th in Hits: 156
4th in Home Runs: 16
-The Falcon pitching staff ranks at:
2nd in IP: 133.0
4th in Strikeouts: 114
4th in Saves: 3
Series Starter
-Dylan Rogers has assumed the Friday night spot, after serving as a weekend starter last season.
-Currently, Rogers holds an overall ERA of 9.32 across a Falcon high 37.2 innings with a B/AVG of .406.
-Rogers has struck out the most batters for Air Force, 34.
-The senior has taken eight starts, a team-high, and marks a record of 0-4.
-In league play, the RHP has an ERA of 10.50, 18 Ks, and 21 earned runs allowed.
-In his latest MW appearance, Rogers started game one against UNLV, giving up one earned run accompanied by nine total runs and four strikeouts in four IP.
-The righty started game one against San Diego State, finishing after 2.1 IP with a pair of Ks and seven earned runs allowed.
-The weekend before, in game one at New Mexico, Rogers opened with a season second-best 5.1 innings and five Ks. He allowed four earned runs off seven hits.
-The RHP threw five innings of relief in game one at San Jose State, where he struck out four Spartans but allowed a trio of earned runs off ten hits.
-Against MW opponent Washington State, Rogers took a start with three strikeouts and six earned runs allowed, but the Falcons still went on to win 15-14.
- At California Baptist, Rogers threw 4.2 innings and allowed a season-high eight runs off 10 hits, while striking out one Lancer.
-The walk-off 9-8 win against Army saw Rogers go four full innings with four strikeouts and four earned runs off two hits allowed. The righty went 1-2-3 in the first two frames against the Black Knights.
-He faced Navy in the first game of the Freedom Classic, where he threw 7.0 innings and allowed the only two unearned runs of the 3-2 win. He went three up, three down in three frames and tied his career high nine strikeouts in a single game.
-His efforts on the mound against Navy earned him Mountain West Pitcher of the Week honors (02/24/25) for the first time in his career.
-Rogers not only serves as the Friday night guy, but also as one of the team captains.
Startin' Smelcer
Cranz Smelcer has worked his way from reliever to taking multiple starts for the Falcons.
-Overall, the freshman has the third-most appearances for an(13) for an Air Force pitcher and has a team second-best 30 Ks, along with an overall ERA of 8.69 across 29 IP.
-In MW play, Smelcer holds an ERA of 5.87 with 13 strikeouts, and ten earned runs off 22 hits allowed, in 15.1 innings.
-Most recently, Smelcer started the game two 6-4 win over UNLV. He threw 4.2 innings with four Ks and two earned runs.
-In the 18-8 run-rule win against San Diego State, Smelcer threw a career-high five full innings with three strikeouts and three earned runs allowed.
-The RHP closed game two at New Mexico, throwing 3 full innings, striking out a trio of Lobos, and not surrendering a run or a hit.
-Smelcer started his third game of 2025 in a midweek win, 9-4, over Wright State. He opened with three Ks and two earned runs allowed in 2.1 IP.
- He took his second start of the season in the rubber match 14-9 win against MW opponent, Washington State. He went 1.1 innings with one K and three earned runs given up off six hits.
-In the 15-2 run-rule win over South Dakota State, Smelcer made his first start on the mound. He recorded an impressive outing, going four full innings with a career-high six strikeouts.
-The freshman earned his first win at Air Force and improved to 1-3, after defending AF's lead and only allowing one run off three hits.
-So far this season, the right-handed pitcher has made seven appearances out of the bullpen.
-His collegiate debut came against No. 10 Florida, where he went 0.2 innings with one K and five runs allowed.
Double A
-Alex Adams is one of two Falcons who has started all 37 games of the 2025 season, thus far.
-The freshman is batting .315 second-best for Air Force with eight doubles out of a team-high 47 hits and 22 RBIs.
-Last weekend against UNLV, Adams notched three hits and three RBIs with one double.
-During the MW series against San Diego State, Adams notched two hits and scored one run in all three games, while accounting for three RBIs.
-Against New Mexico, Adams totaled six hits, three RBIs, and scored one run with a single stolen base.
-Defensively, Adams began his season with Air Force at first base, but made the switch to protect third.
-Adams holds a fielding percentage of .942 with 99 put outs, 62 assists, and 13 double plays.
-Adams is currently on an 18-game reached base streak, and has tallied 15 multi-hit games.
-On the base path, Adams accounts for a team-high 13 stolen bags this season.
On Deck
Air Force will travel to Greely, Colo., where they will take on Northern Colorado for the third time this season on Tuesday April 22.
Players Mentioned
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C
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