May 4, 2011
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Air Force (17-28, 2-12) vs. New Mexico (13-32, 7-11)
Schedule
Friday, May 6 (12 p.m.)
Saturday, May 7 (12 p.m.)
Sunday, May 8 (12 p.m.)***
Isotopes Park - Albuquerque, N.M.
***Lobo Field - Albuquerque, N.M.
Live Stats:
gametracker for all three games.
Internet Broadcast:
golobos.com/allaccess or 1017theteam.com
The Coaches:
AF: Maj. Mike Kazlausky (USAFA 1991) First year as a head coach.
New Mexico: Ray Birmingham (New Mexico St., 1978) is 122-99 in his 4th year at UNM and 175-176 in 7th year overall.
Last Time Out:
AF - Went 0-4 hosting Utah last weekend.
New Mexico - Went 0-3 at UNLV over the weekend.
Series History:
New Mexico leads, 109-40
Last Meeting:
- New Mexico won both games last year. Friday and Saturday's were snowouts.
Final Road Trip For Falcon Baseball At New Mexico
Air Force baseball plays its last road series of the year at New Mexico this weekend, May 6-8. The first two games will be played at Isotopes Park and the final game will be played at Lobo Field, both in Albuquerque. Live broadcast and stats will be available for all three games.
Scouting The New Mexico
New Mexico is 13-32 on the season after going 0-3 at UNLV over the weekend.
- The Lobos are batting .262, have an ERA of 6.02 and are fielding .964.
- Fr. 3B D.J. Peterson leads the team with four homers and 35 RBIs to go with a .315 average.
- Jr. LHP Rudy Jaramillo (3-6, 5.07), Fr. RHP Jake Mccasland (1-5, 5.79) and Sr. RHP Richard Olson (2-5, 6.16) and are slated to start vs. AFA.
Series History vs. New Mexico
- Air Force and New Mexico have played each other 149 times.
- The Lobos lead the series 109-40 and have won the last 17 meetings in the series.
- The two teams first met on May 2, 1957 where the Falcons defeated UNM, 8-7, in ten innings at the Academy.
Air Force-UNM Connections
- New Mexico has three players on its roster from Colorado.
So. IF Alex Albritton (Aurora - Grandview HS
Jr. OF Luke Campbell (Arvada - Arvada West HS)
So. 1B/RHP Jacob Nelson (Lakewood - Wheatridge HS)
Air Force Jr. 1B/RHP Vince Capra is also an Arvada native and attended Arvada West.
Last year vs. UNM
- The Falcons lost to New Mexico 14-2 and 6-0 in a pair of games at the Academy last year. Both games were played Sunday due to snow on Friday and Saturday.
- The Falcons batted .188, had a 10.00 ERA and fielded .989 vs. UNM.
- Blair Roberts was Air Force's top hitter last year vs. UNM, batting .375 (3-for-8).
- Kincaid Koehler and Sean Carley started vs. UNM last year.
Recapping Utah Series
- The Falcons went 0-4 vs. Utah last weekend.
- Air Force dropped a continuation game 13-10 Friday then dropped the second game, 19-10. On Saturday, AFA lost 10-6 and 6-1.
- The Falcons batted .301, had a 9.51 ERA and fielded .940 on the weekend.
- Matt Thorne was Air Force's top hitter, batting .643 (9-for-14) with five runs scored.
- Patrick Lobo hit .462 and Parker Mayo batted .417.
- Mayo also hit a pair of homers and drove in five runs in a game two Friday.
- Lefthander Ben Bertelson was AFA's top pitcher, allowing two earned runs in six innings pitched.
- Stephen Colangelo also pitched well for the Falcons, tossing three scoreless innings in relief, to go with five strikeouts.
Fourth-Most Div. I Wins In School History
Air Force baseball's 17 wins this season are the fourth most vs. Div. I opponents in a season. The 17 wins are the second-most by a first-year coach at Air Force in this Maj. Mike Kazlausky's first year.
Lowest Team ERA Since 1979
Ten of 11 returning pitchers that have pitched in 2011 have improved upon their previous season's ERA. AFA's ERA is 5.71 after 45 games, an improvement of over five fewer runs per game from the 11.23 ERA after 45 games in 2010. That ERA is currently the lowest at the Academy since the 1979 team's 4.32 ERA.
Abrecht With Fastest Start By AF Pitcher Since 1995
Junior right-hander Evan Abrecht got off to a hot start, winning his first five outings. Abrecht is the first pitcher to start the season 5-0 in his first five starts at Air Force since Dave Lyons won nine straight to start the 1995 season. Abrecht is 5-6 on the season and is second on the team with 42 strikeouts in 66.0 innings and is third with a 7.36 ERA.
Carley Lowest ERA Since 1983
Sophomore right-hander Sean Carley's 3.75 earned-run average is lowest ERA by a starter at Air Force since Bob Wright posted a 3.58 ERA in 1983. Carley leads the Falcons with 57 strikeouts in 74.1 innings pitched.
Colangelo Closing Games For Falcons
Sophomore Stephen Colangelo is cementing his role as Air Force's closer. The right-hander sports a 3.19 ERA to go with six saves in 24 appearances. Colangelo leads the MWC in appearances and games finished (22) and is third in saves.
Falcons Getting Solid Starting Pitching
Air Force starting pitchers are off its best start in nearly a decade. The Falcon starting pitchers currently sport a 5.24 ERA, having struck out 160 in 243.2 innings. At this same point last year, the Falcons starters had a 11.75 ERA and had struck out 121 in 183 innings.
Relievers Pitching Well Too
The Air Force relief pitching corps has shown improvement as a group from 2010. Air Force has relievers with ERA's below 6.23. Last year, Air Force's lowest ERA for a reliever was 7.20.
Falcons On Pace To Set Fielding Record
Air Force is fielding .959 so far this season. That is currently the highest fielding percentage in school history. The Falcons set a school record last season with a .958 fielding percentage.
Falcons Solid At Home
Air Force is 8-6 at home games this year, which is on pace for its best home season since going 17-5 at home in 2002. Conversely, Air Force is 3-14 on the road. The Falcons are 6-8 in neutral-site games.
Falcons Recently Helped Host Event At Coors Field For Military Families
In conjunction with the Colorado Rockies, the United States Air Force Academy Baseball Team help host "Joining Forces with the Rockies: Celebrating Military Families" at Coors Field this Wednesday evening, April 13. The event allowed families from military bases around Colorado to take part in a baseball clinic and social at Coors Field, all while being honored for their service to the country and the sacrifices they make. The families enjoyed a special viewing of the Rockies at Mets game on the Rockies jumbo screens. Kids were allowed to take part in the interactive features on Coors Field's concourse.
As part of the event, United States First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden spoke to the families to thank and honor them for their service and sacrifice. Both Mrs. Obama and Dr. Biden also participated in the activities with the families. Additionally, other local government and military personnel attended the event to provide support and give their thanks.
The clinic was run by Colorado Rockies staff members and the USAFA Baseball Team. The event ran from 6:00-9:00 p.m.
During the event, national multi-platinum recording artist Jessica Simpson sang God Bless America.
Seniors Get Assignments
All five Air Force basball seniors have received their first assignments upon graduation in June.
Nathan Carter - Pilot training, Columbus AFB, Miss.
Parker Mayo - Pilot training, Laughlin AFB, Texas
Jon McMahon - UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) Pilot training, Randolf AFB, Texas.
Brad Pingel - Space & Missiles, Vandenberg AFB, Calif.
Vai Schierholtz - Acquisitions - Los Angeles, AFB, Calif.
First Win Over Pac 10 School Since 1990
Air Force's 16-10 win over Washington was its first win over a Pac-10 conference school since 1990, a span of 21 years. The last team Air Force defeated from the Pac was none other than Washington at the Seattle Kingdome.
Coach Kaz In First Year As Head Coach
Maj. Mike Kazlausky makes his head coaching debut for the Falcons vs. Missouri State. Coach "Kaz" is the first Academy grad/player to be the head coach at Air Force. Kazlausky, a 1991 grad, is Air Force baseball's first military coach since Capt. Jim Hanley in 1988.
Carter Named Team Captain For 2011
Senior outfielder Nathan Carter is the team captain for the 2011 season. A three-year starter, Carter is Air Force's leader amongst returners with 203 career hits, 172 runs, 25 homers and 107 RBIs. His 32 career triples is first all-time at Air Force and 12 more than the next closest player.
Falcons With MLB Ties
Air Force features a pair of seniors that have family ties to Major League Baseball. Seniors Nathan Carter and Vai Schierholtz have older brothers on MLB rosters. Carter's brother, Chris, was an outfielder for the New York Mets last year and is now with the Tampa Bay Rays. Schierholtz's brother, Nate, is an outfielder for the 2010 World Series Champion San Francisco Giants. Carter and Schierholtz both hail from the East Bay region of Northern California and attended high schools just 10 miles apart from each other (Carter - De La Salle HS in Concord and Schierholtz - San Ramon Valley HS in Danville).
All Div. I Slate
Air Force's 2011 schedule is entirely vs. Div. I baseball teams for only the second time ever in the programs' 54 year history. The other season was 2005.
Tall Pitching
Air Force features nine pitchers that stand 6-foot-3 or taller, including six that are at least 6-foot-4. Junior right-hander Vince Capra is Air Force's tallest player at 6-foot-6.
Conference Realignment On the Horizon
Air Force will play final conference games vs. Utah and BYU in 2011. Utah will join the Pac 10 (to become the Pac 12) and BYU will join the West Coast Conference (independent in football) in 2011-12. There will be just five baseball programs in the MWC in 2011-12. In 2012-13, the Mountain West will become a six team league, with the additions of Fresno State and Nevada and the departure of TCU to the Big East Conference.
Up Next
Air Force plays host to UNLV May 13-15.
