Air Force Academy

The Games: Air Force (8-1) travels to Wichita, Kan., for a three-game non-conference series against Wichita State, Feb. 17-18.

	Sat. 	Feb. 17	1 p.m.	Wichita State (DH)	Wichita, Kan.
	Sun.	Feb. 18	1 p.m. 	Wichita State	Wichita, Kan.

Pitching Stays Solid -- Defense Coming Around: The Falcons' pitching staff continues to be impressive this season. It posted a 3.66 ERA in the four games against VMI with 26 strikeouts and just 12 walks. VMI hit .286 in the series and had only six extra base hits, compared to 11 for Air Force. For the season, the pitching staff has a 3.42 ERA and 68 strikeouts with just 21 walks. The Falcon defense picked up its play against VMI, committing only seven errors in four games, compared to 19 in the first five games of the season.

Offense Stays Consistent: The Falcons batted .300 (36-120) against VMI with two home runs, nine doubles and 27 runs scored. Sophomores Brian LaBasco and Daniel Petro and freshman Price Paramore each had six hits in the series, and Paramore scored a team-high five runs. Senior Gerremy Goldsberry hit his fourth home run of the year, and had five RBI and four runs scored. Goldsberry has a 1.074 slugging percentage in nine games this season.

Best Start Since '86: Air Force's 8-1 start equals the 8-1 start of the 1986 team. The 1964 squad put together the best start in the program's history, beginning the season 10-1 en route to a 22-5 record.

Quick Recovery For Thiessen: Preseason All-American Mike Thiessen returned to the lineup against Iowa State two weeks ago after missing two games vs. Hastings College due to a separated shoulder suffered during football season. Thiessen was expected to miss two to five weeks for his recovery. He did not see many good pitches against VMI, going 3-for-8 with three RBI and eight walks. His 15-game hitting streak came to an end, however, in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader. Thiessen led the conference with a .414 batting average last year, when he was was a first-team all-conference and all-MWC Tournament choice.

Preseason All-American: Thiessen, who became the sixth player in AFA history to earn All-American honors (third-team baseball writers in 2000), was named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers of America preseason All-American second team for 2001.

Scouting the Opponent: Wichita State opens its season against Air Force. The Shockers were 44-21 overall last season and 24-8 to win the Missouri Valley Conference title for the 14th consecutive year. Wichita State is under the leadership of head coach Gene Stephenson, who is in his 24th season and has a career record of 1,268-381-3. Outfielder Justin McCarty is the top returning hitter. The left-handed hitter batted .347 with six doubles and 11 RBI last season. Pitcher Ben Keiter, who posted a 10-1 record with a 3.73 ERA in 16 starts is the top returning hurler. Keiter allowed 98 hits in 94 innings and had 69 strikeouts with 42 walks.

Series Records: Air Force and Wichita State have played only two times with the Shockers winning both games in 1998. Wichita State won by scores of 11-0 and 11-7.

About the Conference: Air Force embarks on its second season in the Mountain West Conference. The Falcons face Brigham Young, New Mexico, San Diego State, UNLV and Utah. The teams play a three-game series at each site for 30 conference games. Colorado State and Wyoming do not have baseball programs. New Mexico won the inaugural regular season championship last season while SDSU won the tournament championship. AFA placed sixth in the regular season and second in the tournament.

New Triples Record: Air Force set a new school record with six triples in the game against Hastings College, Jan. 26. Goldsberry and Derck Kasel each had two while Bowie Frost and Nelson Prouty each had one. The six triples broke the record of five set against Colorado College in 1993. The Falcons had only five triples as a team last season.

Consecutive .400 Seasons: With a .414 batting average last season, Thiessen became the first Falcon in 14 years and just the sixth in school history to have consecutive .400 seasons (among players averaging three or more at-bats per game). Thiessen led the conference in batting in 1999 and 2000. Thiessen is attempting to be the first player in the 44 years of Falcon baseball to have three straight .400 or better seasons. He would be the second player to have three .400 seasons in their career. Below is a list of the Falcons who had consecutive .400 seasons.

	Mike Thiessen	1999 (.424)	2000 (.414) 	2001 (.333 currently)	
	Eric Pharris	1983 (.430)	1985 (.434)	1986 (.476) 
	John Johnson	1981 (.407)	1982 (.491)
	Jeff Brown	1974 (.400)	1975 (.419)
	Dick Smithwick	1969 (.442)	1970 (.441)
	Bruce Huneke	1963 (.438) 	1964 (.402)

Fisher Coming Off of Banner Season: Erik Fisher completed one of the best seasons recently by a Falcon pitcher. The right-hander from Riverside, Calif., finished the year with a 5.33 ERA, the best by a starter since Jon Mosier posted a 5.31 ERA in 1989. Fisher shattered the school record for innings pitched in a season. His 104.2 innings broke the previous record of 98 set by Pete Bracci in 1964. Fisher's 85 strikeouts tied as the third most in school history and the most since Bob Wright had 85 in 1982. He is off to another good start this season with a 1-0 record and a 2.25 ERA. He defeated Hastings College in the season opener and pitched seven strong innings in the 6-4 win over Iowa State. He added eight innings of six-hit ball against VMI but did not figure in the decision. In 20 innings this year, Fisher has recorded 22 strikeouts and allowed only three walks.

The Coach: Reed Peters (UNLV, 1992) is in his second season as the Falcons' head coach and his third season overall with Air Force. He came to the Academy as an assistant coach in the fall of 1998. His career and Air Force record is 31-35. His first career victory came against Iowa State, Feb. 6, 2000. Peters' coaching career began at his alma mater, UNLV, where he was an assistant coach from 1990-94. The Denver native was the head coach at Colby Community College (Kansas) from 1995-98. He led the Trojans to a 123-80 record for a .600 winning percentage. He led the team to a regional championship and two regional runner-ups. After serving as the acting head coach during the season, Peters was named the head coach May 17, 2000.

Thiessen's Assault of the Record Book: Last season, Thiessen broke the school records for hitting streak (33), doubles in a season (28), doubles in a career (59), hits in a season (91) and at-bats in a season (220). Some of the records were absolutely shattered. The previous records were: hitting streak (29 in 1980), doubles in a season (21 in 1990), doubles in a career (56 in 1991), hits (86 in 1988) and at-bats (215 in 1998). Thiessen is within reach of several Falcon career records. His career batting average of .383 (239-624) is the third best ever by a player with more than 500 at-bats. The list is below:

	Career Stats	Current Rank	Needs for Record	School Record
	61  doubles	1st		-			--
	200 runs	2nd		14			213, Mike Kazlausky, 1991
	115 walks	2nd		2			116, Mike Kazlausky, 1991	
	239 hits	2nd		5			243, Vern Mullis, 1994
	394 total bases	3rd		61			454, Vern Mullis, 1994
	624 at bats	3rd		23			646, Vern Mullis, 1994
	35 stolen bases	7th		43			77, Jim Best, 1980
	26 home runs	13th		21			46, Steve Saleck, 1980

Last Week: Air Force won three games of a four-game series against Virginia Military Institute at the New York Yankees spring training facility in Tampa, Fla. The Falcons claimed a come from behind 4-3 victory on Friday and a 6-1 win on Sunday, sandwiching a doubleheader split on Saturday (W, 15-7; L, 2-7).

Friday vs. VMI: Sophomore Derck Kasel drove in the winning run with a one-out, pinch-hit single in the bottom of the ninth inning, scoring pinch runner Brad Bashore. The Falcons trailed 3-1 entering the bottom of the eighth inning, and had only two hits off three Keydet pitchers. Adam Howes led off the eighth with a double to left field, and came around to score when Brian LaBasco doubled to left center. LaBasco went to third on an infield hit by Mike Thiessen, then scored to tie the game on a sacrifice fly by Gerremy Goldsberry. Daniel Petro led off the ninth with a single and was replaced on the base paths by Bashore. Bashore advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Brock Schnute, then went to third on a wild pitch to set up Kasel's heroics. Erik Fisher pitched eight strong innings for the Falcons, scattering six hits and striking out seven. David Diehl came in to pitch a perfect ninth inning and gain his first win of the season.

Saturday vs. VMI (Game 1): Air Force jumped out to a quick lead in game one with three runs in the top of the first. With one out, LaBasco singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Thiessen knocked in LaBasco with a single, extending his hitting streak to 15, then advanced to second on a walk to Goldsberry. After a single by Kasel loaded the bases, Thiessen and Goldsberry each scored on a wild pitch from VMI starter Matt Liffick. The Falcons held their 3-0 lead until VMI tied the game in the bottom of the fourth with three runs on three hits off Falcon hurler Matt Kaercher. Air Force regained the lead for good, however, by exploding for six runs in the top of the fifth. Thiessen led off the inning with his first home run of the season, and Price Paramore knocked in two runs with a pinch hit single to center field. LaBasco added an RBI single, and Thiessen and Goldsberry both walked with the bases loaded to give the Falcons a comfortable 9-3 lead. VMI scored one in the bottom of the fifth to cut the lead to 9-4, but the Falcons put up three runs in each of the sixth and seventh innings. Paramore knocked in two more runs with a double in the sixth, while Petro and Schnute added RBI singles in the seventh. Paramore knocked in a career-high four RBI in the game, and Kaercher improved to 2-0 this season.

Saturday vs. VMI (Game 2): In Saturday's second game, VMI pounded 14 hits off Falcon starter Johnny Koegel (1-1) and two relievers to hand Air Force its first loss of the season, 7-2. AFA mustered only five hits, all singles, against Keydet pitchers Willie Lyles and John Sloan. VMI took command of the game in the top of the fourth inning with four runs on only three hits. Koegel retired the first two batters with ease, then gave up two consecutive walks. Three singles and an error later, the Falcons were down 5-1 and never threatened the rest of the game. Thiessen went 0-for-1 with two walks to halt his hitting streak.

Sunday vs. VMI: Air Force rebounded Sunday behind the pitching of Mike Tufte. He scattered four hits in seven innings as the Falcons won handily, 6-1. Tufte, 3-0 this season, threw a very efficient game, striking out five while allowing no walks. He allowed a three-ball count to only two Keydet batters. Bashore and Kiwedin Cornell each pitched an inning to close out the game. The Falcons put a run on the board in the top of the first inning and never looked back. Howes led off the game with a single and stole second. He advanced to third on a fielder's choice by LaBasco, and scored on a fielder's choice by Goldsberry. Goldsberry struck again in the fifth with a two-run home run to left center field off Keydet pitcher Phil Hendrix. It was Goldsberry's lone hit of the four game series. He did have five RBI and four runs scored, however. Air Force added a run in the sixth with a sacrifice fly by Howes, scoring Josh Phifer. The Falcons suffered a scare in the bottom of the seventh inning when VMI's Jason Annis drilled a one hopper back to the mound. The ball glanced off Tufte's glove and struck him in the left ear, then ricocheted right to first base where Howes recorded the putout. After laying on the ground for several minutes, Tufte stayed in the game and retired the final two batters of the inning before leaving the game for good. LaBasco, Paramore and Petro each posted six hits in the series for the Falcons. Thiessen had his 15-game hitting streak snapped in Saturday's second game and walked eight times in the series, while Goldsberry was given a free pass six times. Falcon pitching continued to be impressive, recording 26 strikeouts and only 12 walks in the series, and posting a 3.66 ERA.

On Deck: Following the Wichita State series, Air Force travels to Millington, Tenn., for the annual Service Academies Spring Classic, Feb. 23-25. The Falcons will play Army and Navy on Feb. 23 at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., respectively, then battle Memphis on the 24th at 4 p.m. The consolation and championship games are set for Feb. 25.

Player Notes

Erik Fisher -- C2C (Jr.), P, Riverside, Calif.
Off to a good start this season as he earned the win over Hastings in the season opener... Went five innings and gave up just one unearned one on five hits with seven strikeouts and no walks... Followed with a strong seven-inning performance against Iowa State, allowing three runs on six hits and striking out eight, but did not figure in the decision... Threw eight innings in the first game against VMI, allowing six hits and striking out seven, but did not figure in the decision... He is 1-0 with an impressive 2.25 ERA with 22 strikeouts and just three walks this season... Had one of the best seasons in many years for an Air Force pitcher last year... 6-8 record, a 5.33 ERA, five complete games and a shutout... Broke the school record with 104.2 innings pitched last season... School-record 21.1 scoreless inning streak... Led the team with 85 strikeouts, the third most in AFA history... Named the MWC Pitcher of the Week twice.

Gerremy Goldsberry -- C1C (Sr.), OF, Omaha, Neb.
Started the 2001 season with a bang... Hit .667 (4-for-6) with five runs scored, two triples and an RBI in two games against Hastings College... Then hit .636 (7-for-11) in three games against ISU with three home runs, nine RBI and five runs scored... Currently hitting .444 with a 1.074 slugging percentage (27 at bats, 29 total bases)... Hit his fourth home run of the season in the series finale against VMI, and leads the team with 15 RBI... He had five home runs entering the 2001 campaign ... Second on the team with a .392 batting average last season... Second on the team with 48 RBI and was fourth with five home runs... Eight RBI against Panhandle last season tie as the fourth most in school history.

Adam Howes -- C3C (So.), 1B, Phoenix, Ariz.
Batting .344 (11-for-32) after nine games this season... Leads the team with five doubles and has one triple... Second on the club with 18 total bases (.563 slugging percentage)... Committed only one error in 32 defensive chances against VMI... One of three Falcons to play every inning in four-. game series against the Keydets... Went 3-for-6 in two games against Hastings College... Produced a double, a triple and three RBI in 12-8 win over Iowa State... Hit .281 with nine RBI and two stolen bases last season as a freshman... Started seven games at second base, two at shortstop and two at designated hitter... Four of his nine RBI came with two outs... In his first career game, went 2-for-5 with three runs scored against Iowa State... Best conference game of the 2000 season came in the win over BYU as he went 2-for-3 with four RBI.

Matt Kaercher -- C2C (Jr.), P, Billings, Mont.
Pitched a gem in the first game against Iowa State, allowing two runs on three hits with nine strikeouts in a complete game, seven inning effort... Also pitched well in his first start of the season against Hastings but did not receive a decision... Threw four innings against the Broncos and gave up four runs, one earned, on four hits with five strikeouts... Won his second game of the season against VMI, allowing four runs on nine hits and striking out four in five innings... Outstanding 1.69 ERA in 16 innings pitched this season... Named to the all-tournament team at the Service Academies Classic for the second straight year last season... Led the Falcons to a win over Army, pitching six innings and giving up one unearned run on five hits with four strikeouts and no walks... Named the MWC Pitcher of the Week on March 7.

Mike Thiessen -- C1C (Sr.), CF, Modesto, Calif.
Preseason second-team All-American... Hitting .333 this season with one home run, 10 walks and three stolen bases... Returned to the lineup earlier after recovering from a shoulder injury... Had his 15-game hitting streak snapped in the third game against VMI... Went 3-for-8 at the plate with four runs scored and eight walks against the Keydets... Hit his first home run of the season and the 26th of his career in the second game against VMI... Third-team All-American as a junior in center field... Just the sixth Falcon to ever earn All-American honors... First-team all-MWC selection... Also named to the MWC all-tournament team... Broke school records for hitting streak (33), doubles in a season (28), doubles in a career (59), hits (91) and at-bats in a season (220)... Broke a 19-year-old school record with a 33-game hitting streak that ended early last season... Led the team and the MWC with a .414 batting average... Hit .398 in conference games, the best average on the team, and fifth best in the MWC... Air Force's starting quarterback in every game this past fall... Broke school records for passing yards and touchdowns in the option era... Also led the team in rushing and touchdowns... Mountain West Conference co-offensive player of the year... First-team all-MWC... Named the Offensive MVP in Air Force's win over Fresno State in the Silicon Valley Classic bowl game... Nearly became the first player in school history to rush for 100 yards and pass for 200 yards... Finished the game with 204 yards passing and 99 yards rushing... Threw for two TDs and ran for two (all in the first half).

Mike Tufte -- C1C (Sr.), RHP, Highlands Ranch, Colo.
Is a perfect 3-0 this season with a 3.68 ERA, 12 strikeouts and has not allowed a walk this season... Has allowed opponents just a .258 batting average... Pitched a great game against VMI in the series finale, allowing four hits and striking out five in seven innings... Pitched five innings giving up five earned runs on eight hits with four strikeouts and no walks... Earned his first win of the season in the second game against Hastings College... Came out of the bullpen to get the Falcons out of a jam in the fifth inning... Allowed one earned run in two and two-thirds innings with three strikeouts and no walks... Named to the MWC all-tournament team last season... Pitched a complete-game victory over Utah to propel the Falcon into the championship game... Finished the season with a 4-8 record and a 7.66 ERA.

Additional Player Notes: Sophomores Brian LaBasco and Daniel Petro and freshman Price Paramore each had six hits against VMI... Paramore hit .600 with four RBI and five runs scored... He produced a career-high four RBI coming off the bench in the second game of the series (15-7 win)... Paramore is batting .444 (12-for-27) this season and has a .593 slugging percentage... LaBasco is hitting .400 (12-for-30) this season with six RBI and seven runs scored... He was 6-for-11 in the first three games of the VMI series before going 0-for-5 in the finale... Sophomore designated hitter Derck Kasel drove in the winning run with a pinch-hit single in the bottom of the ninth inning in the series' first game... He led the team with seven pinch hits last season, and hit .500 (2-for-4) with five runs scored and four walks in the season opening series against Hastings... He had two triples in the first game, helping the Falcons set a school record with six in one game... Senior David Diehl pitched a perfect ninth inning in the first game against VMI to earn his first win of the season... Diehl and senior Kiwedin Cornell each have a save this season... Diehl threw three scoreless innings to close out the third game against Iowa State... He scattered two hits and struck out three... Cornell cleaned up the second game against ISU, pitching a perfect ninth inning with two strikeouts.