July 5, 2007
Complete 2007 Season Review in PDF Format
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Air Force Baseball - 2007 Season Wrap-Up
The 2007 Air Force baseball team finished the season with a 8-44 overall record and 0-23 regular-season Mountain West Conference mark for seventh place.
Hitting/Offense Notes
- Air Force batted .272 as a team in 2007, hitting 23 points higher than they did in 2006 (.249).
- Senior Karl Bolt led the team in batting average (.354), hits (68), home runs (8), doubles (16), RBI (47) and runs (34) and several other offensive categories.
- Junior Chay Derbigny was second on the team with a .301 batting average. Derbigny led the team with 16 stolen bases and three triples. He also finished second on the team with 32 runs and a .394 on base percentage.
- Senior Geno Salazar led the team with 25 walks and was second with 52 hits.
- Jason Griggs was the top sophomore hitter for the Falcons, batting .250 with 10 stolen bases.
- K.J. Randhawa and Matt Alexander were the top freshman hitters for the Falcons. Randhawa was third on the team with a .280 batting average. Alexander was second on the team with 37 RBI and 13 doubles.
Pitching Notes
- Air Force had a 8.36 team earned run average, it's lowest team total since 2002 (7.96).
- The Falcons lowered their team ERA by over two runs per game (10.69-to-8.36) from last year and nearly four runs per game from two years ago (12.18).
-Senior Mitch Brown led the Falcons with a 5.87 ERA to go with 49 strikeouts in 76.2 innings.
-Sophomore Jake Petro was second on the team with a 6.28 ERA with 40 strikeouts in 77.1 innings pitched. Petro led the team with three wins and one complete game.
-Freshman Alex Truesdale led the team with 79 innings pitched to go with 36 strikeouts.
-Sophomore Casey Allen was added to the Falcon rotation midway through the season, making seven starts and logging 40.2 innings.
-Freshman Michael Ruvolo led the Mountain West Conference with 16 conference appearances and was second with 33 overall appearances.
-Freshman David Miller and senior Joe Peterson were also significant contributors on the mound with Miller appearing in 19 games and Peterson with 16 relief appearances.
- The Falcons allowed the second-fewest walks amongst MWC teams, allowing 201.
Defensive Notes
- The Falcons had a .953 fielding percentage in 2007, the best fielding percentage since fielding .953 in 2003.
- K.J. Randhawa tied for fifth in the conference with 151 assists and Geno Salazar was ninth with 141.
- Karl Bolt was fourth in the MWC with 411 putouts and fifth with 439 chances.
- Air Force led the Mountain West with 28 double plays turned in conference games.
Marked Improvement In 2007
Despite an even younger team in 2007, the Falcon baseball team showed significant improvement from the 2006 season. Even with four freshmen regularly in the starting lineup, the Falcons' improved their team batting average 23 points (.249 to .272) from a year ago. The Falcons stole 78 bases this year, compared to 59 in 2006. The Falcon pitching was also much improved in 2007, with an earned-run average that is two runs per game lower (8.36-10.69) overall and over three runs fewer (10.97-14.07) in conference play. The Falcon pitchers allowed just 48 home runs in 2007 compared to 76 allowed in 2006, which was a 37 percent decline.
Bolt Fourth Falcon To Be Drafted
Recently graduated Air Force first baseman/outfielder Karl Bolt was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 15th round of the 2007 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft Friday. Bolt is the fourth Air Force Academy baseball player ever drafted in the 51-year history of the program.
A four-year letterwinner, Bolt was the 473rd selection in the draft. He joins Jeff Brown, Brad Fulk and Mike Thiessen as the lone four Falcons to ever be drafted.
Fulk was the second player taken overall by the Texas Rangers in the 1972 winter draft. Brown was drafted in 1975 and 1976. Thiessen went in the 42nd round to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2001 draft.
As a senior, Bolt led the Falcons in hitting (.349), hits (68), home runs (8), doubles (16), runs (34) and RBI (47). A first-team all-Mountain West Conference selection, Bolt was also selected as the team MVP for the second-consecutive season.
A native of Stockton, Calif., and a product of Lincoln HS, Bolt left his mark at the Academy, ranking amongst the top 10 all-time in several categories. A career .334 hitter, Bolt ranks fourth all-time in hits (232) and games played (200), seventh in home runs (33) and eighth in RBI (148). He also ranks fourth in walks (93) and hit by pitches (35) and fifth in total bases (390) and seventh in doubles (47).
Randhawa Bats .405 In MWC Play
Freshmen K.J. Randhawa batted .405 in Mountain West Conference play. Randhawa was the first Falcon to hit over .400 in conference play since Mike Thiessen batted 435 in 1999. Through the first 27 games of 2007, Randhawa had been hitting .183. But the rookie caught fire the rest of the way, hitting .367 over his final 21 games to raise his batting average 97 points to .280.
Ten Doubleheaders In 2007
Air Force played in ten doubleheaders in 2007. The Falcons went 4-16 in the twinbill games. The Falcons played seven doubleheaders in 2006 and nine in 2005.
Most Stolen Bases Since 2002
Air Force stole 78 bases in 2007, the most since swiping 98 in 2002. The Falcons averaged 1.50 stolen bases per game which ranked second in the MWC only to BYU. The Falcons stole 78 bases in 117 attempts, good for an 66.7 percent success rate. Against TCU alone, the Falcons stole 15 bases in 17 attempts in six games. The team's season high is seven stolen bases in a game done against Kansas Wesleyan. Junior Chay Derbigny led the team with 16 stolen bases. Senior Karl Bolt and sophomore Jason Griggs also reached double-digits with 10 stolen bases and freshman Shea Hall had nine swipes.
Ruvolo Ties Appearance Record
Freshman Michael Ruvolo led the Falcons and finished second in the Mountain West Conference with 33 pitching appearances. The 33 appearances tied the school record set originally by Keith Umlauf in 1994 and 95. Ruvolo appeared in 16 of the 23 MWC games for the Falcons. The freshman right-hander from Lake Arrowhead, Calif., appeared in 63.5 percent of the team's games. His 32 appearances and 16 conference appearances are both MWC freshman records.
Freshmen Make Immediate Impact
Featuring one of the youngest, if not the youngest, team in the nation, Air Force relied heavily on its freshman class in 2007. In 52 games this season, the Falcons started five-or-more freshmen 34 times and started six, nine times. Against Akron, the Falcons went with seven freshmen in the starting lineup. Freshmen Matt Alexander (OF) played in 51 games for the Falcons and finished second on the team with with 13 doubles and 37 RBI. Ben Ausbun (3B) started 38 games at third and K.J. Randhawa (SS) had 45 starts, 43 at short. Alex Truesdale (RHP) led the team with 79 innings pitched and was third on the team with 36 strikeouts. Addison Gentry started 40 games and was third on the team with 11 doubles. Daniel Walker started 24 games and had seven stolen bases and Shea Hall started 22 games and had nine stolen bases.
Falcon Honors
Casey Allen:
- MWC Academic All-Conference
Ben Ausbun:
- Service Academies Spring Classic All-Tournament
Karl Bolt:
- First-Team All-Mountain West Conference, DH
- Team MVP
Tyler McBride:
- MWC Academic All-Conference
Josh Meents:
- MWC Academic All-Conference
Joe Peterson:
- MWC Academic All-Conference
Jake Petro :
- MWC Pitcher of the Week, 4/2/2007
K.J. Randhawa:
- Ping!Baseball All-Freshmen Team, honorable mention
Falcons Say Farewell To Four Seniors
The Falcons graduate four seniors off the 2007 team. Seniors Karl Bolt, Mitch Brown, Joe Peterson and Geno Salazar comprise the graduating class of 2007.
Karl Bolt - Karl Bolt leaves the Academy as one of the hop hitters in Falcon baseball history. The team MVP in 2006 and 2007, Bolt was recently selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 15th round of the 2007 MLB Amataeur Draft. Bolt led the team this year in batting average (.354), hits (68), doubles (16), homers (8) and RBI (47). A four-year starter, Bolt appeared in 200 career games and ranks amongs the AFA Top 10 in several categories, including homeruns, hit-by-pitches, hits, at-bats and games played.
Mitch Brown - The Falcons' top pitcher the last two years. Brown leaves the Academy with 79 career appearances, ranking third all-time at AFA. Brown led the team in ERA each of the last two years including a 5.87 mark in 2007. As a junior, Brown opened the season by tossing a one-hit, 11 strikeout win over York College. Brown struck out 49 batters in 76.2 innings pitched in 2007. He leaves the Academy with 157 strikeouts in 242.1 innings pitched.
Joe Peterson - A key setup man, Joe Peterson appeared in 16 games as a relief pitcher for the Falcons in 2007. After taking several years off to pursue a religious mission, Peterson returned to the team this year and provided clutch relief for the Falcons. Peterson began his Falcon career as a catcher in 2002 and 2003. Peterson pitched in 21.2 innings, striking out 14. He did not allow an earned run in eight relief appearances and gave up two-or-less runs in 13 of 16 appearances.
Geno Salazar - A four-year starter, Salazar provided a steady presence at shortstop and second base for the Falcons. Salazar had a stellar senior season, batting .280 and finishing second on the team with six home runs 52 hits. Salazar played a solid second base for the Falcons in 2007, fielding .957 and ranking ninth in the conference with 141 assists. Salazar leaves the Academy having played in 184 games and racking up 174 hits, 12 homers, 103 runs scored and 88 RBI.
Who's Back
The Falcons are slated to return 22 players off the 2007 squad. The Falcons will return eight regular starters, all three of their starting pitchers, top middle reliever and closer. Returning position starters include Chay Derbigny (OF), K.J. Randhawa (SS), Matt Alexander (OF), Jason Griggs (IF), Addison Gentry (OF/1B), Ben Ausbun (IF), Josh Meents (C), Shea Hall (OF). Outfielders Daniel Walker and Tyler McBride also saw significant action in 2007 and will be in the mix for starting slots in 2008. The starting rotation, comprised of Texas-natives, Casey Allen, Jake Petro and Alex Truesdale all return, as does top reliever Michael Ruvolo and closer David Miller.
Looking Ahead To 2008
The Air Force baseball 2008 schedule looks to be a promising and challenging 53-game slate. Under the adoption of new NCAA legislation, the 2008 season begins the second-to-last weekend of February, three weeks later than usual for the Falcons. Air Force opens the season Feb. 22-24 at the 2008 Service Academies Spring Classic in Millington, Tenn. The Falcons then head to Starkville, Miss., for a three-game set, Feb. 30-March 2, against Mississippi State and college baseball coaching legend Ron Polk. Also on the non-conference slate are: York College, Appalachian State, Kansas Wesleyan, South Dakota State, Colorado Christian, Charleston Southern, Savannah State, Colorado School of Mines, Metro State, Northern Colorado and Utah Valley State. The Falcons Open MWC play with a three-game set, March 20-22 at BYU and conclude the season with nine straight conference home games ending May 18 against UNLV. The 2008 MWC Baseball Championships takes place May, 21-24, in Fort Worth, Texas, and will be hosted by TCU.
Additional Notes
• The Falcons scored 10 runs in the first inning against Colorado Christian on April 17, the first time it has scored double-digit runs in an inning since scoring 11 against Harvard on March 6, 2004.
• It's rare enough for a team to play a two-site doubleheader any time, but the Falcons have already done so twice this year. Air Force played Navy in Millington, Tenn., during the morning of Feb. 23 and then, due to weather concerns for the next day, decided to play a second game in Memphis, Tenn., later that day. This past Friday, March 2, the Falcons took on Lewis-Clark State in Lewiston, Idaho at 2 p.m. and then traveled 40 minutes across the Washington border to take on Washington State in Pullman, Wash., at 7 p.m.
• The Falcons 5-4 win against Kansas Wesleyan took just one hour and 18 minutes to play. The Falcons played the doubleheader that day (14 innings total) in a combined three hours and 26 minutes.
• The three game series sweep of Kansas Wesleyan was the Falcons' first in four years. The Falcons last swept a three-game series against Hastings College in 2003.
• The Falcons stole seven bases against Kansas Wesleyan in the first game of the series.
Season Standing Notes
• Petro Named MWC Pitcher Of The Week - For his effort against Hawaii Hilo, sophomore right-hander Jake Petro was named Mountain West Conference Pitcher and Player of the Week on April 2. This is the second career weekly award for Petro.
Petro, a San Antonio, Texas, product, tallied his third win of the season with complete game shutout in Air Force's 7-0 victory at Hawai'i-Hilo last Saturday. The win snapped the Falcons' 13-game losing streak. In seven innings of work, he scattered four hits while striking out three batters. Petro allowed just one base runner to get past second base in the game. The shutout was the first for Air Force in 58 games, dating back to the 2006 season. He also tossed three scoreless innings in relief in the first game of the series. On the week, Petro hurled 10.0 innings of scoreless ball, striking out six, walking three and giving up just seven hits.
• Bolt Hits For Cycle - Falcon senior Karl Bolt hit for the Cycle last Wednesday against Colorado Christian. In addition, the senior drove in four runs and scored three. It was the first cycle performance by a Falcon since Tony Shockley accomplished the feat on March 27, 2003 against Hawai'i. Bolt singled in the fourth, doubled in the sixth and hit a two-run homer in the eighth. The Stockton, Calif., native capped the day off by smacking a triple to the right-center gap.
• Ausbun Named To All-Tournament Team - Freshman third baseman Ben Ausbun was named to the 2007 Service Academies Spring Classic All-Tournament team. The Puyallup, Wash., native batted .455 in the three games (5-for-11), scoring two runs and driving in one. Ausbun had three hits combined in the two games against Navy and also had a pair of hits against Akron.
• Bolt Brothers Battle In Millington - When Air Force took on Navy at the Service Academies Springs Classic at USA Stadium in Millington, Tenn., brothers Karl and Kendall Bolt faced each other for the first time. Karl, a senior outfielder at Air Force and Kendall, a freshman shortstop at Navy, are both products of Lincoln HS in Stockton, Calif. Kendall got the better of the brothers, as Navy took both games of the series with Kendall scoring the go-ahead run in the first game.
• Falcon Brotherhood - Falcon sophomore right-hander Jake Petro is the second Petro to play for the Falcons. Older brother, Dan Petro, played for the Falcons from 2000-03 and was an all-conference catcher in `03.
• Falcons Tabbed 7th in MWC Preseason Poll -The Air Force Falcon baseball team was tabbed to finish seventh in the Mountain West Conference as voted by the seven head coaches and select media. TCU, the defending conference champion, was selected to finish first, followed by San Diego State in second and BYU in third. UNLV followed up in fourth, New Mexico in fifth and Utah in sixth.
• Closing in on 500 - The Falcons are one win away from 500 wins all-time at Falcon Field. Air Force is 499-388 all-time at Falcon Field.
