Air Force Academy
University of Northern Colorado
Baseball Kicks Off Homestand Against Northern Colorado
4/7/2026 3:25:00 PM | Baseball
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo., - Air Force (11-15) will kick off their six game homestand against Northern Colorado (6-27), their second meeting of the season, at Erdle Field on Wednesday April 8 at 3 p.m. MT.
MEDIA
Live Stream – Mountain West Network
Live Stats – StatBroadcast
Twitter - @AF_Baseball
BASE ACCESS
New this year: Passes will now be issued monthly instead of requiring a separate submission for each event. This means ticket holders only need to complete the form once per month to gain access to all events during that time. Ticket holders can request a base pass using this link.
After registering, you will receive a message on our phone to present at the gate when entering the Academy. Fans must also present their game tickets at each venue. All tickets and credentialed attendees can enter through the North or South gate. North gate is recommended for access to athletic fields; while fans are encouraged to use the North and South gates for football games.
Note: When completing the information from the link, please use the information directly from your driver's license (Robert vs. Bob). Your ID must also be REAL ID compliant. Anyone under 18 will not be required to do a QR code.
PROBABLE STARTERS (OPS)
- Kayden Bradshaw, CF (.958)
- Ben Niednagel, SS (.911)
- Wyatt Hanoian, RF (1.040)
- Tripp Garrish, DH (.927)
- Luke Elmore, 1B (.817)
- T.J. Oster, 2B (.877)
- Brooks Burdine, LF (.869)
- Landon Boyd, 3B (.937)
- Van Klein, C (.627)
PITCHING MATCHUP (ERA)
RHP Cranz Smelcer (19.29) vs. LHP Lucas Stone (10.80)
AIR FORCE RANKED NATIONALLY
Stolen Bases - 9th (88)
- 61st Tripp Garrish (14)
Stolen Bases/Game - 8th (3.03)
Runs - 44th (251)
Scoring - 24th (8.7)
OB% - 54th (.408)
- 37th Wyatt Hanoian (.519)
BA - 56th (.296)
Doubles/Game - 22nd (2.24)
Sacrifice Bunts - 26th Ben Niednagel (6)
STARTING SLOT
Sophomore Cranz Smelcer is set to take his second start of the season after making just two appearances so far. With just 2.1 innings on the mound, Smelcer has struck out three of the 11 batters he has faced, but allowed five runs for a 19.29 ERA.
During opening weekend, he took a 1.1 inning start against Kansas State, throwing one strikeout and allowing four runs. In his most recent appearance at Baylor, Smelcer struck out a pair of Bears and gave up one run in one inning.
ENTER IN RELIEF
Weekend reliever Easton Miller has logged 12.1 innings on the mound with 13 Ks and just four runs for a reliever-best ERA of 2.92.
During the last meeting of the Falcons and the Bears, sophomore Tyler Russ made his collegiate debut in relief. He struck out the side to complete the run-rule win.
STANDOUT SOPHOMORE
Sophomore Kayden Bradshaw has earned the starting spot in 25 games of 27 he has played this season and been a cateogry leader for the team. The outfielder posts a team-best batting average of .354 with 31 runs scored, 34 hits, and 21 RBIs while stealing 12 bases.
In game three against UNLV, Bradshaw completed the feat of hitting for the cycle. He went 4-for-4 to score five runs, bat in two, and record a single, double, triple, and a homer.
He followed that performance with another great one in the Monday win over St. Thomas, going a perfect 4-for-4 again with four runs scored, a double, and an inside the park home run.
During the series at Nevada, he drove in six runs off five hits.
HANOIAN STAYS HOT
Wyatt Hanoian has started all 28 games he has played in and boasts the second-highest team average at .344 with 27 runs, 33 hits, and 29 RBIs under his belt. The freshman leads the team in on-base percentage (.519) as he draws the most hit by pitches and second-most walks for the Falcons' longest current reached base streak of 18 games.
In the second matchup with DBU, he recorded three hits and batted in four runs. Over the UNLV series, Hanoian drove in seven runs and scored six. At Nevada as the designated hitter, Hanoian accounted for five RBIs and four runs. At Tarleton State, he batted a team-high .357 with five hits and a trio of RBIs over the three-game series.
ALL-TIME VERSUS NORTHERN COLORADO
The Wednesday matchup marks the 188th game between the two programs, that Northern Colorado leads 107-81. After the Bears won all four games played during the 2025 season, Air Force took their first meeting of 2026 in dominant fashion. The Falcons delivered a season-best offensive performance, totaling 18 hits, six doubles, and eight stolen bases while the pitching staff combined for 10 strikeouts in the 18-6 run-rule victory on March 31.
A LOOK AT THE BEARS
The Bears currently have a losing streak of six and are coming off a trio of losses after being swept by Summit League opponent Oral Roberts (3-1, 3-2, 3-2) in Oklahoma. Overall, the Bears are 6-27 with a conference record of 4-7.
Offensively, Northern Colorado is led by Logan Pruski with a .331 batting average, 17 RBIs, and 41 hits.
The Falcons will see LHP Lucas Stone on the mound. The sophomore holds an ERA of 10.80 with 23 runs allowed and 12 strikeouts in 16.2 innings. The Bears total a team ERA of 9.93 and have been outscored by opponents 312-169.
