California Baptist University
Air Force
BASE Preview: CBU Set to Host Air Force at Totman for First Time
3/6/2025 10:35:00 AM | Baseball
RIVERSIDE--- California Baptist returns to Totman Stadium for another weekend series, this time against Air Force, and will be looking to get back on track with a few wins over the Falcons. CBU and AF both enter the weekend 4-9 after dropping their midweek games earlier this week.
THE LANCERS AT A GLANCE
California Baptist continued its eight-game skid after falling to Loyola Marymount University on Tuesday evening in a close game that came down to the final wire. CBU was not able to complete the comeback after tying the game and will now turn its attention to this weekend for a chance to right its sails.
Ryan Kim continues to dominate at the plate for the Lancers, leading the squad with a .347 batting average and 17 hits. The senior designated hitter is all about extra bases, posting four home runs and four doubles so far this season. Just behind Kim is Bubba Rocha, a transfer junior slashing .324 with 12 hits and four doubles. California Baptist currently has the eighth most doubles as a team in the country, with nine players owning two or more this season. Both Jake Brown and Nicholas Dumesnil lead the team with six apiece.
From the mound, the CBU pitching staff currently holds a 5.11 team ERA, as Cody New checks in with a 1.88 ERA. The sophomore left-hander dominated against Utah last weekend and totaled 11 punchouts across five innings of work against the Power 4 squad. Along with Ryne Palmer, Noah Smith, and Cameron Teper, his efforts led the Lancers to a new CBU Division I record for most strikeouts in a single game at 18. New and Julian Orozco have both posted 19 strikeouts on the season thus far, putting the Lancers in the top 40 for most strikeouts per nine innings in the NCAA.
SERIES INFORMATION
Opponent: Air Force
Dates/Times: Friday, March 7th (6:00 p.m. PST); Saturday, March 8th (2:00 p.m. PST); Sunday, March 9th (12:00 a.m. PST)
Location: Riverside, CA
Video: ESPN+: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
Live Stats: Statbroadcast: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
SERIES NOTES
This will be the Falcons and Lancer's second series against each other after AF took its home series 2-1 back in 2022. The Falcons started that weekend strong with an 11-5 win over the Lancers before CBU dominated the second game of the series with a 21-4 win. Air Force ultimately secured the weekend victory with an 18-7 win on Sunday to cap off the competitive weekend.
THE FALCONS AT A GLANCE
Air Force is also looking to get back on track after posting a three-game losing streak with losses against Texas Christian University and Army. The Falcons have been run-ruled in their last three games and four times this season while also posting a 0-7 record during all away games.
The Falcons have struggled to come alive on the offensive side, with just one batter hitting over .300 for the squad. Walker Zapp enters the weekend with a .356 batting average and 16 hits, tallying six doubles and 11 RBI. Zach Peters isn't too far off the mark, treading a .297 batting average on 11 hits and 16 total bases.
On the pitching side, Air Force seems to have spread their pitching out across 14 Falcons. The squad is sporting a 7.65 ERA, and their most consistent pitching staff have ERAs of over 6.00. AF Head Coach Mike Kazlausky has most often reached for Gaines Estridge and Dylan Rogers as starters for his squad. Estridge enters the weekend with an 8.49 ERA behind 11.2 innings pitched and 10 strikeouts on the board, while Rogers owns a 6.00 ERA on 15 innings pitched paired with 15 strikeouts.
Tickets for the weekend games can be purchased here!
