Friday, February 27
Dallas, TX
1 p.m. MT
Air Force Academy
vs
Oral Roberts University
Falcons Face Trio of Opponents in Texas this Weekend
2/26/2026 2:47:00 PM | Baseball
DALLAS, TX., - Air Force baseball (2-5) will spend the weekend in the Lonestar State with games against Oral Roberts (3-5), Dallas Baptist (5-3), and UT Arlington (2-6) from Feb. 27-Mar. 2.
MEDIA
Live Stats – StatBroadcast
Live Stream – ESPN+ ( at DBU) | WAC International (at UTA)
SCHEDULE
Fri. February 27 | vs. Oral Roberts | 2 p.m. CT/1 p.m. MT | Horner Ballpark
Fri. February 27 | at Dallas Baptist | 6:30 p.m. CT/5:30 p.m. MT | Horner Ballpark
Sun. March 1 | at Dallas Baptist | 1 p.m. CT/12 p.m. MT | Horner Ballpark
Mon. March 2 | at UT Arlington | 2 p.m. CT/1 p.m. MT | Clay Gould Ballpark
PROBABLE STARTERS (OPS)
1. L/L Tripp Garrish, DH (.877)
2. S/R Wyatt Hanoian, 3B (.786)
3. R/R Walker Zapp, C (.277)
4. R/R Christian Taylor, LF (.526)
5. L/L Brooks Burdine, RF (.867)
6. R/R Luke Elmore, 1B (.583)
7. R/R Kayden Bradshaw, CF (.751)
8. L/R Ben Niednagel, SS (.986)
9. R/R T.J. Oster, 2B (.784)
SENIOR STARTERS
Tripp Garrish is back in the lineup, rotating between the designated hitter and right field positions. Last season, the Belmont, Calif., native went .299 with a team-best OBP of .438 after being the only Falcon to start every game. So far this season, Garrish has managed to score six runs and log nine hits, including the first homer of the season, and a trio of RBIs.
Ben Niednagel is leading the Falcon starters at the plate with an average of .348, a .986 OPS, an on-base percentage of .464 and three sacrifice hits, along with eight hits and three RBIs.
ON THE MOUND
Air Force returns a steady pitching staff, looking for their experience to help out on the mound.
Friday night guy Gaines Estridge has posted a pair of career outings in his first two outings of the season. In the opening 15-3 win over Penn State, the righty threw four strikeouts and allowed no runs in six innings. He came back stronger against Navy and despite earning the loss, Estridge recorded a couple of career highs with seven innings on the bump and ten strikeouts.
Freshman starter Josh Holst currently holds the lowest ERA for the Falcon starters at 2.70 over ten innings pitched. In his collegiate debut against Iowa, he took a standout start, allowing just one run and striking out five batters in 5.1 innings. Against Army, the lefty allowed a pair of earned runs with four Ks in 4.1 IP.
Reliever Patrick Davidson led the team in wins (5) and saves (3) in 2025 and will be looked to for some swings and misses. In his lone appearance of 2026, the righty closed against Kansas State with a three up, three down frame. Davis Rhyne, Sam Hentges and Bowen Brantingham will also add experience to the bullpen rotation.
NEW SEASON, NEW FACES
The Falcons welcome 15 newcomers to the team heading into the 2026 season. Unlike many other baseball programs, Air Force cannot participate in the transfer portal or NIL, thus the newest Birds are all true freshman.
Among the new guys, there are three outfielders, two infielders, one catcher, five RHPs, three RHPs, and one of both a utility player and catcher.
Other freshmen pitchers who made their debuts in Arizona were Trey Rutledge and Aiden Poe.
RHP Jordan Watkins is expected to be a strong addition to the pitching staff. His fastball and change up will leave a batter waiting as he throws for straight Ks.
At the plate, Wyatt Hanoian sits at .261 with four runs, six hits, and a team-high six RBIs under his belt.
Outfielder Brooks Burdine is batting .294 and started seven of the six games he has played. The C4C has scored six of Air Force's runs and has been a reliable-reach base guy with an OB% of .455, also logging the most stolen bases (3-3).
A LOOK AT ORAL ROBERTS
The Golden Eagles are coming off a 13-1 loss to Missouri State and currently sit at 3-5 on the 2026 season. ORU has totaled 29 runs so far and are led offensively by Cooper Combs with a BA of .357, four RBIs, and ten hits. On the mound, Air Force will see Nathan Love (0-1) who sits at a 8.22 ERA and seven strikeouts across 7.2 IP.
The two programs have faced each other just two times, with a split 1-1 record. In their most recent meeting at Erdle Field on Apr. 14, 2025, Air Force took the game in a 9-3 win, posting 13 hits and eight RBIs. Their first matchup in 2022 was an ORU win, 7-3.
A LOOK AT DALLAS BAPTIST
The Patriots hold a winning record so far this season at 5-3 and are coming off a 6-1 win over UT Arlington. All three of their losses came from UTSA (8-12, 8-10, 3-6). At the plate, Jake Bennett will pose as a threat with his 10 hits, 13 runs, four homers, and 11 RBIs. On the mound, Air Force will face Jared Schaeffer (1-0) on Friday, who holds an ERA of 4.32 and eight strikeouts in 8.1 innings. On Sunday, the Falcons will see Ryan Broberg (0-1), posting a 20.25 ERA and six earned runs allowed in 2.2 innings pitched.
The Falcons and the Patriots have played 13 games against each other, with a narrow 6-7 record between the two, with DBU leading. Their first meeting was in 2018 and the most recent was a Falcon 10-6 win in 2024.
A LOOK AT UT ARLINGTON
The Mavericks opened the season with a 2-6 record, with wins over #7 TCU (11-8) and Lamar (10-2). Most recently, they fell to DBU, 6-1. Zach Mazoch leads offensively with an average of .412, 14 hits, and six RBIs.
It has been 24 years since the Falcons and the Mavericks have met, as their one and only matchup was in 2002, a 2-0 UTA win.
MEDIA
Live Stats – StatBroadcast
Live Stream – ESPN+ ( at DBU) | WAC International (at UTA)
SCHEDULE
Fri. February 27 | vs. Oral Roberts | 2 p.m. CT/1 p.m. MT | Horner Ballpark
Fri. February 27 | at Dallas Baptist | 6:30 p.m. CT/5:30 p.m. MT | Horner Ballpark
Sun. March 1 | at Dallas Baptist | 1 p.m. CT/12 p.m. MT | Horner Ballpark
Mon. March 2 | at UT Arlington | 2 p.m. CT/1 p.m. MT | Clay Gould Ballpark
PROBABLE STARTERS (OPS)
1. L/L Tripp Garrish, DH (.877)
2. S/R Wyatt Hanoian, 3B (.786)
3. R/R Walker Zapp, C (.277)
4. R/R Christian Taylor, LF (.526)
5. L/L Brooks Burdine, RF (.867)
6. R/R Luke Elmore, 1B (.583)
7. R/R Kayden Bradshaw, CF (.751)
8. L/R Ben Niednagel, SS (.986)
9. R/R T.J. Oster, 2B (.784)
SENIOR STARTERS
Tripp Garrish is back in the lineup, rotating between the designated hitter and right field positions. Last season, the Belmont, Calif., native went .299 with a team-best OBP of .438 after being the only Falcon to start every game. So far this season, Garrish has managed to score six runs and log nine hits, including the first homer of the season, and a trio of RBIs.
Ben Niednagel is leading the Falcon starters at the plate with an average of .348, a .986 OPS, an on-base percentage of .464 and three sacrifice hits, along with eight hits and three RBIs.
ON THE MOUND
Air Force returns a steady pitching staff, looking for their experience to help out on the mound.
Friday night guy Gaines Estridge has posted a pair of career outings in his first two outings of the season. In the opening 15-3 win over Penn State, the righty threw four strikeouts and allowed no runs in six innings. He came back stronger against Navy and despite earning the loss, Estridge recorded a couple of career highs with seven innings on the bump and ten strikeouts.
Freshman starter Josh Holst currently holds the lowest ERA for the Falcon starters at 2.70 over ten innings pitched. In his collegiate debut against Iowa, he took a standout start, allowing just one run and striking out five batters in 5.1 innings. Against Army, the lefty allowed a pair of earned runs with four Ks in 4.1 IP.
Reliever Patrick Davidson led the team in wins (5) and saves (3) in 2025 and will be looked to for some swings and misses. In his lone appearance of 2026, the righty closed against Kansas State with a three up, three down frame. Davis Rhyne, Sam Hentges and Bowen Brantingham will also add experience to the bullpen rotation.
NEW SEASON, NEW FACES
The Falcons welcome 15 newcomers to the team heading into the 2026 season. Unlike many other baseball programs, Air Force cannot participate in the transfer portal or NIL, thus the newest Birds are all true freshman.
Among the new guys, there are three outfielders, two infielders, one catcher, five RHPs, three RHPs, and one of both a utility player and catcher.
Other freshmen pitchers who made their debuts in Arizona were Trey Rutledge and Aiden Poe.
RHP Jordan Watkins is expected to be a strong addition to the pitching staff. His fastball and change up will leave a batter waiting as he throws for straight Ks.
At the plate, Wyatt Hanoian sits at .261 with four runs, six hits, and a team-high six RBIs under his belt.
Outfielder Brooks Burdine is batting .294 and started seven of the six games he has played. The C4C has scored six of Air Force's runs and has been a reliable-reach base guy with an OB% of .455, also logging the most stolen bases (3-3).
A LOOK AT ORAL ROBERTS
The Golden Eagles are coming off a 13-1 loss to Missouri State and currently sit at 3-5 on the 2026 season. ORU has totaled 29 runs so far and are led offensively by Cooper Combs with a BA of .357, four RBIs, and ten hits. On the mound, Air Force will see Nathan Love (0-1) who sits at a 8.22 ERA and seven strikeouts across 7.2 IP.
The two programs have faced each other just two times, with a split 1-1 record. In their most recent meeting at Erdle Field on Apr. 14, 2025, Air Force took the game in a 9-3 win, posting 13 hits and eight RBIs. Their first matchup in 2022 was an ORU win, 7-3.
A LOOK AT DALLAS BAPTIST
The Patriots hold a winning record so far this season at 5-3 and are coming off a 6-1 win over UT Arlington. All three of their losses came from UTSA (8-12, 8-10, 3-6). At the plate, Jake Bennett will pose as a threat with his 10 hits, 13 runs, four homers, and 11 RBIs. On the mound, Air Force will face Jared Schaeffer (1-0) on Friday, who holds an ERA of 4.32 and eight strikeouts in 8.1 innings. On Sunday, the Falcons will see Ryan Broberg (0-1), posting a 20.25 ERA and six earned runs allowed in 2.2 innings pitched.
The Falcons and the Patriots have played 13 games against each other, with a narrow 6-7 record between the two, with DBU leading. Their first meeting was in 2018 and the most recent was a Falcon 10-6 win in 2024.
A LOOK AT UT ARLINGTON
The Mavericks opened the season with a 2-6 record, with wins over #7 TCU (11-8) and Lamar (10-2). Most recently, they fell to DBU, 6-1. Zach Mazoch leads offensively with an average of .412, 14 hits, and six RBIs.
It has been 24 years since the Falcons and the Mavericks have met, as their one and only matchup was in 2002, a 2-0 UTA win.
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