Thursday, May 15
Las Vegas, NV
7 pm MT
Air Force Academy
at
UNLV
Air Force Baseball Takes on UNLV in Final Road Series
5/14/2025 6:03:00 PM | Baseball
LAS VEGAS, Nev., - The Falcons (20-31,12-15) fly west to take on UNLV (28-22, 13-14) in their final conference series of the regular season from Thursday May 15-Saturday May 17 at Earl E. Wilson Stadium. Air Force is looking to clinch a spot in the Mountain West tournament, which is dependent on the outcome of this series against the Rebels.
Schedule
Thurs: at UNLV, 6 p.m. PT/7 p.m. MT at Earl E. Wilson Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev.,
Fri: at UNLV, 6 p.m. PT/7 p.m. MT at Earl E. Wilson Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev.,
Sat: at UNLV, 12 p.m. PT/1 p.m. MT at Earl E Wilson Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev.,
Broadcast Information
Live Stream: Mountain West Network
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Twitter: @AF_Baseball
Series History
-The first meeting of the two programs was the first game of the 1970 season, ending in a 2-1 Falcon win.
-Air Force holds a losing record, 47-112.
-Over time the Falcons have been outscored by the Rebels, 1,027-1,482.
-Last season, the two teams played one three-game series won by UNLV, 2-1 (1-11, 15-12, 5-6 (10 Inn.)).
-The Falcons won a series earlier this season, 2-1. After they were run-ruled, 13-2 on Friday, AF battled back to win the last pair of games (6-4, 10-9).
Mountain West Tournament Scenarios
-Air Force baseball is looking to clinch a spot in the Mountain West Tournament held at Sloan Park in Mesa, Ariz., from Wednesday May 21-Saturday May 24.
-In order to secure a spot the Falcons must:
1. Win all three games this weekend
2. Win two games and SDSU/WSU split series
3. Win one game, SJSU wins one game, WSU wins one game.
Pitching Probables (2025 Stats)
Thurs: TBD vs. RHP Carson Lane (6.15 ERA, 6-3)
Fri: RHP Cranz Smelcer (7.71 ERA, 2-4) vs. RHP LJ Mercurius (3.45 ERA, 3-3)
Sat: LHP Ethan Dillinger (5.88 ERA, 1-2) vs. RHP Sam Simon (4.37 ERA, 3-4)
Projected Lineup (2025 OPS)
1. R/R, Chase Spencer, CF (.921 OPS)
2. R/R, Walker Zapp, C (1.033 OPS)
3. R/R, Zach Peters, RF (1.023OPS)
4. R/R, Luke Elmore, 1B (.819 OPS)
5. R/R, Christian Taylor, LF (.799 OPS)
6. L/L, Tripp Garrish (.914 OPS)
7. R/R, Alex Adams, 3B (.706 OPS)
8. R/R, T.J. Oster (.702 OPS)
9. R/R, Ben Niednagel, 3B (.738 OPS)
A Look at the Rebels
-UNLV has posted an overall record of 28-22 with a Mountain West record of 13-14.
-To open the season, the Rebels took a pair from #25 Indiana (4-2, 13-12), lost to #7 Oregon State (0-16), and split a four-game series with #25 Cincinnati (0-6, 5-4, 9-10, 7-6).
-At home, the Rebels hold a winning record of 16-7.
-So far this season, the Rebs have outscored their opponents, 330-295.
-The pitching staff has collected a combined overall ERA of 5.20 and 401 strikeouts across 422.0 innings, along with a MW ERA of 4.71 and 188 strikeouts in 231.0 conference innings.
-UNLV's batters have notched overall batting average of .295, a .443 slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .383. In conference play, the Rebels are batting .301, slugging .443, and have marked on OB% of .383.
-Dean Toigo represents the Rebels at #1 in: hits (81), RBIs (71), and home runs (16) in the league stats.
Smelcer Saturday
-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 (17) for an Air Force pitcher and has a team second-best 36 Ks, along with an overall ERA of 7.71 across 51.1 IP.
-In MW play, Smelcer holds an ERA of 6.21 with 16 strikeouts, and 26 earned runs off 47 hits allowed, in 37.2 innings, the most conference innings pitched by a Falcon.
-Most recently, the freshman threw four innings in his start against New Mexico. He collected three Ks and allowed five earned runs.
-Smelcer took the game two start at Washington State and threw seven scoreless innings (7.2 total) with only two earned runs allowed.
-The righty started game two against Nevada, where he recorded one K in four IP.
-At Fresno State, Smelcer picked up a new career-high 6.2 innings pitched and logged a pair of strikeouts while giving up five runs.
-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 five full innings with three strikeouts and three earned runs allowed.
-The RHP closed game two at New Mexico during the first series between the two teams, 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.
-His collegiate debut came against No. 10 Florida, where he went 0.2 innings with one K and five runs allowed.
Dilly Day
-Typically, Ethan Dillinger serves as a middle reliever but he earned the starting Sunday slot for AF.
-Over 33.2 innings pitched, the lefty has collected four starts in 14 total appearances and a record of 1-2.
-Dillinger marks an ERA of 5.88 with a third team best 35 strikeouts for a batting average against of .321.
-In MW play, the sophomore has logged a 7.23 ERA with 23 Ks in 23.2 innings pitched.
-Last time up against UNLV, Dillinger threw in both games one and three. In the first game, he threw 2.2 innings with a pair of strikeouts and three runs allowed. Game three saw him go two innings with one K and one hit.
-In his latest appearance in the game three win against New Mexico, Dillinger tied his career-high five innings, struck out a career-high six batters, and earned his first career win.
-The lefty took a start in game three at Washington State, where he went 3.1 innings on the hill, struck out three Cougars, and allowed six runs.
-Dillinger went a career-high five innings in the rubber match against Nevada. He struck out three and allowed just a pair of runs off five hits.
Zapp Leading the Pack
-Walker Zapp returned to the lineup after making 50 starts of 51 games played in 2024.
-The junior is batting in the top three of the lineup with AVG: .346, slugging .600, 1.033 OPS, 18 doubles, four triples, seven homers and 42 RBIs.
-In conference play, the junior is batting .324 and slugging .595 with eight doubles, two triples, six homers, and 25 RBIs.
- Zapp has posted 12 multi-RBI games and has logged a team high 22 multi-hit games.
-Last time out against UNLV, the junior picked up three hits and three RBIs and scored one run.
-In the latest series against New Mexico, he notched seven hits, scored seven runs, and batted in five runs, with four coming in game one.
-Zapp picked up a pair of both hits and runs scored in the game two 10-3 win at Washington State.
-The catcher marked eight hits in the series against Nevada, highlighted by a double in each game and a home run for a trio of RBIs and six runs scored.
-In the series win over UNLV, Zapp tallied a trio of hits with three RBIs and a pair of homers.
-Against San Diego State, Zapp collected four hits, five RBIs, scored four runs, and stole two bases.
-In the pair of midweek wins against Wright State and Dayton, Zapp scored four runs and recorded two RBIs.
-Across the MW series against Washington State, the junior accounted for four RBIs, a pair of homers, and three runs scored.
-Against South Dakota State, Zapp finished at a perfect 3-for-3 with a trio of runs scored and two RBIs.
-Against Army in game one, the catcher led off the bottom of the 11th frame with a double down the left line to reach base and ultimately scored the walk-off run for a 9-8 Falcon victory.
-In game one against Navy, Zapp earned an RBI for sending the winning run across the plate in the top of the ninth, 3-2.
-He knocked one out of the park for his first home run of 2025 at No. 15 Vanderbilt.
-Behind the plate, Zapp has marked 321 put outs on 366 chances, with 34 assists for a fielding percentage of .970.
-Zapp has recorded a perfect fielding percentage in the past five games.
-He has caught 11 runners stealing, four of which were in the series at CBU.
Schedule
Thurs: at UNLV, 6 p.m. PT/7 p.m. MT at Earl E. Wilson Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev.,
Fri: at UNLV, 6 p.m. PT/7 p.m. MT at Earl E. Wilson Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev.,
Sat: at UNLV, 12 p.m. PT/1 p.m. MT at Earl E Wilson Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev.,
Broadcast Information
Live Stream: Mountain West Network
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Twitter: @AF_Baseball
Series History
-The first meeting of the two programs was the first game of the 1970 season, ending in a 2-1 Falcon win.
-Air Force holds a losing record, 47-112.
-Over time the Falcons have been outscored by the Rebels, 1,027-1,482.
-Last season, the two teams played one three-game series won by UNLV, 2-1 (1-11, 15-12, 5-6 (10 Inn.)).
-The Falcons won a series earlier this season, 2-1. After they were run-ruled, 13-2 on Friday, AF battled back to win the last pair of games (6-4, 10-9).
Mountain West Tournament Scenarios
-Air Force baseball is looking to clinch a spot in the Mountain West Tournament held at Sloan Park in Mesa, Ariz., from Wednesday May 21-Saturday May 24.
-In order to secure a spot the Falcons must:
1. Win all three games this weekend
2. Win two games and SDSU/WSU split series
3. Win one game, SJSU wins one game, WSU wins one game.
Pitching Probables (2025 Stats)
Thurs: TBD vs. RHP Carson Lane (6.15 ERA, 6-3)
Fri: RHP Cranz Smelcer (7.71 ERA, 2-4) vs. RHP LJ Mercurius (3.45 ERA, 3-3)
Sat: LHP Ethan Dillinger (5.88 ERA, 1-2) vs. RHP Sam Simon (4.37 ERA, 3-4)
Projected Lineup (2025 OPS)
1. R/R, Chase Spencer, CF (.921 OPS)
2. R/R, Walker Zapp, C (1.033 OPS)
3. R/R, Zach Peters, RF (1.023OPS)
4. R/R, Luke Elmore, 1B (.819 OPS)
5. R/R, Christian Taylor, LF (.799 OPS)
6. L/L, Tripp Garrish (.914 OPS)
7. R/R, Alex Adams, 3B (.706 OPS)
8. R/R, T.J. Oster (.702 OPS)
9. R/R, Ben Niednagel, 3B (.738 OPS)
A Look at the Rebels
-UNLV has posted an overall record of 28-22 with a Mountain West record of 13-14.
-To open the season, the Rebels took a pair from #25 Indiana (4-2, 13-12), lost to #7 Oregon State (0-16), and split a four-game series with #25 Cincinnati (0-6, 5-4, 9-10, 7-6).
-At home, the Rebels hold a winning record of 16-7.
-So far this season, the Rebs have outscored their opponents, 330-295.
-The pitching staff has collected a combined overall ERA of 5.20 and 401 strikeouts across 422.0 innings, along with a MW ERA of 4.71 and 188 strikeouts in 231.0 conference innings.
-UNLV's batters have notched overall batting average of .295, a .443 slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .383. In conference play, the Rebels are batting .301, slugging .443, and have marked on OB% of .383.
-Dean Toigo represents the Rebels at #1 in: hits (81), RBIs (71), and home runs (16) in the league stats.
Smelcer Saturday
-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 (17) for an Air Force pitcher and has a team second-best 36 Ks, along with an overall ERA of 7.71 across 51.1 IP.
-In MW play, Smelcer holds an ERA of 6.21 with 16 strikeouts, and 26 earned runs off 47 hits allowed, in 37.2 innings, the most conference innings pitched by a Falcon.
-Most recently, the freshman threw four innings in his start against New Mexico. He collected three Ks and allowed five earned runs.
-Smelcer took the game two start at Washington State and threw seven scoreless innings (7.2 total) with only two earned runs allowed.
-The righty started game two against Nevada, where he recorded one K in four IP.
-At Fresno State, Smelcer picked up a new career-high 6.2 innings pitched and logged a pair of strikeouts while giving up five runs.
-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 five full innings with three strikeouts and three earned runs allowed.
-The RHP closed game two at New Mexico during the first series between the two teams, 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.
-His collegiate debut came against No. 10 Florida, where he went 0.2 innings with one K and five runs allowed.
Dilly Day
-Typically, Ethan Dillinger serves as a middle reliever but he earned the starting Sunday slot for AF.
-Over 33.2 innings pitched, the lefty has collected four starts in 14 total appearances and a record of 1-2.
-Dillinger marks an ERA of 5.88 with a third team best 35 strikeouts for a batting average against of .321.
-In MW play, the sophomore has logged a 7.23 ERA with 23 Ks in 23.2 innings pitched.
-Last time up against UNLV, Dillinger threw in both games one and three. In the first game, he threw 2.2 innings with a pair of strikeouts and three runs allowed. Game three saw him go two innings with one K and one hit.
-In his latest appearance in the game three win against New Mexico, Dillinger tied his career-high five innings, struck out a career-high six batters, and earned his first career win.
-The lefty took a start in game three at Washington State, where he went 3.1 innings on the hill, struck out three Cougars, and allowed six runs.
-Dillinger went a career-high five innings in the rubber match against Nevada. He struck out three and allowed just a pair of runs off five hits.
Zapp Leading the Pack
-Walker Zapp returned to the lineup after making 50 starts of 51 games played in 2024.
-The junior is batting in the top three of the lineup with AVG: .346, slugging .600, 1.033 OPS, 18 doubles, four triples, seven homers and 42 RBIs.
-In conference play, the junior is batting .324 and slugging .595 with eight doubles, two triples, six homers, and 25 RBIs.
- Zapp has posted 12 multi-RBI games and has logged a team high 22 multi-hit games.
-Last time out against UNLV, the junior picked up three hits and three RBIs and scored one run.
-In the latest series against New Mexico, he notched seven hits, scored seven runs, and batted in five runs, with four coming in game one.
-Zapp picked up a pair of both hits and runs scored in the game two 10-3 win at Washington State.
-The catcher marked eight hits in the series against Nevada, highlighted by a double in each game and a home run for a trio of RBIs and six runs scored.
-In the series win over UNLV, Zapp tallied a trio of hits with three RBIs and a pair of homers.
-Against San Diego State, Zapp collected four hits, five RBIs, scored four runs, and stole two bases.
-In the pair of midweek wins against Wright State and Dayton, Zapp scored four runs and recorded two RBIs.
-Across the MW series against Washington State, the junior accounted for four RBIs, a pair of homers, and three runs scored.
-Against South Dakota State, Zapp finished at a perfect 3-for-3 with a trio of runs scored and two RBIs.
-Against Army in game one, the catcher led off the bottom of the 11th frame with a double down the left line to reach base and ultimately scored the walk-off run for a 9-8 Falcon victory.
-In game one against Navy, Zapp earned an RBI for sending the winning run across the plate in the top of the ninth, 3-2.
-He knocked one out of the park for his first home run of 2025 at No. 15 Vanderbilt.
-Behind the plate, Zapp has marked 321 put outs on 366 chances, with 34 assists for a fielding percentage of .970.
-Zapp has recorded a perfect fielding percentage in the past five games.
-He has caught 11 runners stealing, four of which were in the series at CBU.
Players Mentioned
IF
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LHP
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OF
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OF
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IF
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IF
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UT/RHP
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RHP
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OF/RHP
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/ BaseballFalcons close home season with a walk off win
Sunday, May 10
Falcons close home season with a walk off win
Sunday, May 10
Falcons drop game two to Washington State
Saturday, May 09
Falcons drop the first game of the series against Washington State
Friday, May 08
