Wednesday, April 9
2 pm MT
Air Force Academy
vs
University of Northern Colorado
Falcons to Host Northern Colorado in Midweek Matchup
4/8/2025 5:22:00 PM | Baseball
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo., - The Falcons welcome back familiar foe Northern Colorado to complete the game started on Feb. 25 and will follow with another matchup on Wednesday April 9. The start time is slated for 2 p.m. MT at Erdle Field.
Schedule
Weds: vs. Northern Colorado (Continuation Game), 2 p.m. MT at Erdle Field in USAFA, Colo.
Weds: vs. Northern Colorado, Following the continuation game at Erdle Field in USAFA, Colo.,
Broadcast Information
Live Stream: Mountain West Network
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Twitter: @AF_Baseball
Erdle Field
With the anticipation of great crowds during the 2025 Air Force baseball season, fans are encouraged to bring a folding chair to enjoy the game from the third base line, and other areas around Erdle Field, when the first base bleachers reach capacity.
Base Access
The U.S. Air Force Academy processes to access the installation continue to affect athletic events. While the installation remains open, if you do not have a DoD ID card you will need to obtain a pass to enter the base. Ticket holders wishing to attend can request a base pass by using this link for each game. Once you register, you will receive a message with a QR code on your phone to present at the gate when entering the Academy. Fans will present game tickets (if needed) when entering each venue. All ticketed/credentialed attendees will need to enter through the North Gate only to get to the Cadet Field House.
Series History
-The first meeting of the two programs was technically in 1956, however the record for Air Force did not count, as it was a freshman schedule. The official first match up was
-The Bears and the Falcons faced off early in the season, on February 25. The game was halted after the completion of the ninth inning due to insufficient lighting. The teams will complete this game, starting in the top of the tenth tied 10-10 before playing the regularly scheduled matchup.
-Air Force holds a losing record, 80-103.
-Over time the Falcons have been outscored by the Bears, 1,093-1,211.
-Across the last five meetings, the Falcons have gone 3-2 against Northern Colorado.
Pitching Probables (2025 Stats)
Weds (Continuation Game): LHP Joey Collier (3.00 ERA, 1-0) vs. RHP Luke Guest (4.97 ERA, 1-2)
Weds: RHP Marcus Downing (6.43 ERA, 0-0) vs. TBD
Projected Lineup (2025 OPS)
1. R/R, Alex Adams, SS (.726 OPS)
2. R/R, Christian Taylor, LF (.785 OPS)
3. R/R, Walker Zapp, C (1.048 OPS)
4. R/R, Luke Elmore, 1B (.796 OPS)
5. L/L, Tripp Garrish, DH (.901 OPS)
6. R/R, Zach Peters, RF (.855 OPS)
7. R/R, Chase Spencer, CF (.649 OPS)
8. R/R, T.J. Oster, 2B (.660 OPS)
9. R/R, Ben Niednagel, 3B (.711 OPS)
A Look at the Bears
-Northern Colorado holds an overall record of 8-21, a Summit League record of 3-9, and are on a seven-game loss streak.
-On the road, UNC has a losing record of 5-13.
-So far this season, the Bears have been outscored by opponents, 269-198.
-The pitching staff has collected a combined overall ERA of 8.09 and 204 strikeouts across 248.0 innings and a SL ERA of 6.62 and 87 strikeouts in 103.1 conference innings.
-UNC's batters have notched overall batting average of .276, a .388 slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .392. In conference play, the Bears are batting .286, slugging .383, and have marked on OB% of .377.
Suspended Matchup Recap
-The initial meeting of the two teams ended on February 25 due to insufficient lighting.
-At the time the game was called, the Falcons had finished batting in the bottom of the ninth inning with the score tied at 10-10.
-Scoring opened early, with a 1-1 score at the end of the first.
-Air Force took the lead in the bottom of the second, 3-1 off a solo homer from Christian Taylor and an RBI triple hit by T.J. Oster.
-The bottom of the third saw a strengthened Falcon advantage, 6-1 after Tripp Garrish hit a two RBI triple to the left center gap and scored on a ground out by Taylor.
-A two-run bottom of the fourth saw an Alex Adams homer put the Birds up 8-1.
-Northern Colorado trimmed the deficit to 8-4 in the top of the fifth with three runs off five hits.
-For a score of 8-8, the Bears added four runs in the top of six.
-An RBI single from Oster put AF back in front, 9-8, in the bottom half of the sixth.
-In the bottom of seven, Garrish scored off a Taylor double to extend the lead by two, 10-8.
-The Bears wouldn't let Air Force off the hook, tying the game at 10-10 with a two-run homer in the top of the eighth frame.
-The Falcons and Bears will pick up in the top of the tenth.
Midweek Pitchers
-Junior Joey Collier is projected to take over in the continuation game against UNC.
-The lefty holds the lowest reliever ERA (3.00) and has tallied nine Ks, 10 hits, and four runs across 12.0 IP.
-Marcus Downing is slated to take his first career start.
-The freshman has thrown seven full innings with two strikeouts and five earned runs allowed for an ERA of 6.43.
Double A
-Alex Adams is one of two Falcons who has started all 28 games of the 2025 season, thus far.
-The freshman is batting .309 second-best for Air Forcewith five doubles out of a team second-best 38 hits and 15 RBIs.
-Before the game against UNC was halted earlier this season, Adams went 3-for-4 with a homer, two RBIs, and a pair of scored runs.
-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.
-Defensively, Adams began his season with Air Force at first base but made the switch to protect third.
-Adams holds a fielding percentage of .966 with 98 put outs, 46 assists, and 12 double plays.
-Adams is currently on an eight-game hit streak, an eight-game reached base streak, and has tallied 12 multi-hit games with six multi-RBI games.
-On the base path, Adams accounts for a team-high ten stolen bags this season.
-Most recently against New Mexico, Adams totaled six hits, three RBIs, and scored one run with a single stolen base.
C.T.
-Christian Taylor is proving to be a force for AF in the lineup.
-Batting .304, Taylor is tied for the second-most RBIs for the Falcons with 21.
-Taylor has reached base in 16 straight games, the longest reached-base streak for AF this season. He's tallied nine multi-hit games with six multi-RBI games.
-Before the first game against UNC was halted, Taylor was leading at the plate after accounting for three RBIs off two hits (double and a home run).
-In last weekend's series against San Diego State, the outfielder notched five hits, with three coming in the game two 18-8 victory. In the same game, he recorded a pair of RBIs and doubled twice.
-In the Air Force 14-7 victory over Army, Taylor went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBIs and three runs scored.
-Defensively, he holds a fielding percentage of .929, with 45 put outs and seven assists.
On Deck
Air Force will keep the homestand rolling as they host UNLV for a Mountain West series from Friday April 11-Sunday April 13. Game one is slated for a 3 p.m. MT start.
Schedule
Weds: vs. Northern Colorado (Continuation Game), 2 p.m. MT at Erdle Field in USAFA, Colo.
Weds: vs. Northern Colorado, Following the continuation game at Erdle Field in USAFA, Colo.,
Broadcast Information
Live Stream: Mountain West Network
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Twitter: @AF_Baseball
Erdle Field
With the anticipation of great crowds during the 2025 Air Force baseball season, fans are encouraged to bring a folding chair to enjoy the game from the third base line, and other areas around Erdle Field, when the first base bleachers reach capacity.
Base Access
The U.S. Air Force Academy processes to access the installation continue to affect athletic events. While the installation remains open, if you do not have a DoD ID card you will need to obtain a pass to enter the base. Ticket holders wishing to attend can request a base pass by using this link for each game. Once you register, you will receive a message with a QR code on your phone to present at the gate when entering the Academy. Fans will present game tickets (if needed) when entering each venue. All ticketed/credentialed attendees will need to enter through the North Gate only to get to the Cadet Field House.
Series History
-The first meeting of the two programs was technically in 1956, however the record for Air Force did not count, as it was a freshman schedule. The official first match up was
-The Bears and the Falcons faced off early in the season, on February 25. The game was halted after the completion of the ninth inning due to insufficient lighting. The teams will complete this game, starting in the top of the tenth tied 10-10 before playing the regularly scheduled matchup.
-Air Force holds a losing record, 80-103.
-Over time the Falcons have been outscored by the Bears, 1,093-1,211.
-Across the last five meetings, the Falcons have gone 3-2 against Northern Colorado.
Pitching Probables (2025 Stats)
Weds (Continuation Game): LHP Joey Collier (3.00 ERA, 1-0) vs. RHP Luke Guest (4.97 ERA, 1-2)
Weds: RHP Marcus Downing (6.43 ERA, 0-0) vs. TBD
Projected Lineup (2025 OPS)
1. R/R, Alex Adams, SS (.726 OPS)
2. R/R, Christian Taylor, LF (.785 OPS)
3. R/R, Walker Zapp, C (1.048 OPS)
4. R/R, Luke Elmore, 1B (.796 OPS)
5. L/L, Tripp Garrish, DH (.901 OPS)
6. R/R, Zach Peters, RF (.855 OPS)
7. R/R, Chase Spencer, CF (.649 OPS)
8. R/R, T.J. Oster, 2B (.660 OPS)
9. R/R, Ben Niednagel, 3B (.711 OPS)
A Look at the Bears
-Northern Colorado holds an overall record of 8-21, a Summit League record of 3-9, and are on a seven-game loss streak.
-On the road, UNC has a losing record of 5-13.
-So far this season, the Bears have been outscored by opponents, 269-198.
-The pitching staff has collected a combined overall ERA of 8.09 and 204 strikeouts across 248.0 innings and a SL ERA of 6.62 and 87 strikeouts in 103.1 conference innings.
-UNC's batters have notched overall batting average of .276, a .388 slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .392. In conference play, the Bears are batting .286, slugging .383, and have marked on OB% of .377.
Suspended Matchup Recap
-The initial meeting of the two teams ended on February 25 due to insufficient lighting.
-At the time the game was called, the Falcons had finished batting in the bottom of the ninth inning with the score tied at 10-10.
-Scoring opened early, with a 1-1 score at the end of the first.
-Air Force took the lead in the bottom of the second, 3-1 off a solo homer from Christian Taylor and an RBI triple hit by T.J. Oster.
-The bottom of the third saw a strengthened Falcon advantage, 6-1 after Tripp Garrish hit a two RBI triple to the left center gap and scored on a ground out by Taylor.
-A two-run bottom of the fourth saw an Alex Adams homer put the Birds up 8-1.
-Northern Colorado trimmed the deficit to 8-4 in the top of the fifth with three runs off five hits.
-For a score of 8-8, the Bears added four runs in the top of six.
-An RBI single from Oster put AF back in front, 9-8, in the bottom half of the sixth.
-In the bottom of seven, Garrish scored off a Taylor double to extend the lead by two, 10-8.
-The Bears wouldn't let Air Force off the hook, tying the game at 10-10 with a two-run homer in the top of the eighth frame.
-The Falcons and Bears will pick up in the top of the tenth.
Midweek Pitchers
-Junior Joey Collier is projected to take over in the continuation game against UNC.
-The lefty holds the lowest reliever ERA (3.00) and has tallied nine Ks, 10 hits, and four runs across 12.0 IP.
-Marcus Downing is slated to take his first career start.
-The freshman has thrown seven full innings with two strikeouts and five earned runs allowed for an ERA of 6.43.
Double A
-Alex Adams is one of two Falcons who has started all 28 games of the 2025 season, thus far.
-The freshman is batting .309 second-best for Air Forcewith five doubles out of a team second-best 38 hits and 15 RBIs.
-Before the game against UNC was halted earlier this season, Adams went 3-for-4 with a homer, two RBIs, and a pair of scored runs.
-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.
-Defensively, Adams began his season with Air Force at first base but made the switch to protect third.
-Adams holds a fielding percentage of .966 with 98 put outs, 46 assists, and 12 double plays.
-Adams is currently on an eight-game hit streak, an eight-game reached base streak, and has tallied 12 multi-hit games with six multi-RBI games.
-On the base path, Adams accounts for a team-high ten stolen bags this season.
-Most recently against New Mexico, Adams totaled six hits, three RBIs, and scored one run with a single stolen base.
C.T.
-Christian Taylor is proving to be a force for AF in the lineup.
-Batting .304, Taylor is tied for the second-most RBIs for the Falcons with 21.
-Taylor has reached base in 16 straight games, the longest reached-base streak for AF this season. He's tallied nine multi-hit games with six multi-RBI games.
-Before the first game against UNC was halted, Taylor was leading at the plate after accounting for three RBIs off two hits (double and a home run).
-In last weekend's series against San Diego State, the outfielder notched five hits, with three coming in the game two 18-8 victory. In the same game, he recorded a pair of RBIs and doubled twice.
-In the Air Force 14-7 victory over Army, Taylor went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBIs and three runs scored.
-Defensively, he holds a fielding percentage of .929, with 45 put outs and seven assists.
On Deck
Air Force will keep the homestand rolling as they host UNLV for a Mountain West series from Friday April 11-Sunday April 13. Game one is slated for a 3 p.m. MT start.
Players Mentioned
IF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
IF
/ Baseball
IF
/ Baseball
UT/RHP
/ Baseball
OF/RHP
/ Baseball
UT
/ Baseball
C
/ BaseballFalcons 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
