Aztecs Gearing Up for MW Road Series at Air Force

SAN DIEGO – San Diego State jumps back into Mountain West play when it travels to the Front Range of the Rockies to face Air Force in a three-game series, April 6-7, at Erdle Field in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

In a recent weather-related schedule adjustment, the Aztecs and Falcons will square off in a doubleheader on Sunday, starting at 11 a.m. MT/10 a.m. PT before wrapping up the series on Monday with the same starting time.

Along with live stats, all three games will air live on the Mountain West Network with links to both platforms available on GoAztecs.com. In addition, fans can catch all the action on their TVs or smartphones by downloading the MW app.

After posting a home sweep of UNLV last weekend, SDSU (9-20, 5-4 MW) dropped a 9-6 decision to USC on Tuesday at Great Park in Irvine, California, the Trojans’ temporary home for the 2025 campaign.

Trailing by three, the Aztecs trimmed the deficit to 7-6 with a pair of runs in the eighth, only to see USC answer with two markers of their own in the bottom of the inning to help keep the Scarlet and Black at bay.

San Diego State was led by Nevan Noonan (4-for-5), who posted season highs of four hits and three RBIs, while Jonathan Smith finished with a 3-for-4 effort at the plate with a pair of runs driven in.

Previously, the Aztecs captured all three games against UNLV, winning by scores of 3-2, 5-3 and 3-1 to forge a three-way tie for third place in the Mountain West standings with Fresno State and San José State. As a result, SDSU completed its first sweep of the Rebels since 2018.

Aztec pitchers limited UNLV to a .191 team batting average after it entered the weekend with a .299 clip, which ranked second in the conference at the time. In addition, SDSU came through in the clutch, posting six RBIs with two outs during the series.

Meanwhile, Air Force (10-18, 3-6 MW) was idle during the midweek after dropping two of three games at New Mexico. The Falcons opened with a 7-4 setback and a 12-7 defeat before salvaging the series finale with a 7-1 triumph.

Air Force is one of four Mountain West teams San Diego State will face just once during the regular season along with Fresno State (home), New Mexico (home) and Nevada (road).

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
Sunday, April 6 (DH Game 1), SDSU: Marko Sipila, RHP (2-2) vs. AFA: Dylan Rogers, RHP (0-2)

Sunday, April 6 (DH Game 2), SDSU: Omar Serrano, RHP (2-3) vs. AFA: Cranz Smelcer, RHP (1-3)

Monday, April 7, SDSU: Garvey Rumary, LHP (1-3) vs. AFA: TBD

Marko Sipila and Omar Serrano are projected to make their eighth consecutive starts, while Garvey Rumary is pegged for his fifth straight start in a series finale and seventh of the year. All three hurlers were victorious in their respective starts against UNLV.

Serrano (7.0 IP) posted a career-high 10 strikeouts against the Rebels on March 29, which came on the heels of Sipila’s effort (8.0 IP) the previous night when he tied his collegiate best with nine punchouts, while Rumary (5.2 IP) completed the series with his first win of the year after giving up one run on five hits and one walk with five strikeouts.

SDSU IN MW RANKINGS
As of April 3, Aztec pitchers lead the Mountain West in strikeouts (253) and innings pitched (252.1) while ranking fourth in opposing batting average (.296) and fifth in ERA (6.78)

Offensively, SDSU is slotted second in the conference with 11 triples and ranks fifth with 48 doubles. In addition, the Scarlet and Black occupies the sixth position in hits (252) and on-base percentage (.356) while ranking seventh in batting average (.262) and eighth in runs scored (151) and RBIs (137).

Individually, Chris Canavan, Evan Miranda and Peyton Rodgers are tied for second in the MW with 14 games pitched, while Xavier Cardenas III shares the second spot with four saves. Additionally, Rodgers is tied for sixth with two saves of his own.

Elsewhere, Marko Sipila leads the league in innings pitched (41.2) and shares the fifth spot alongside Omar Serrano with 39 strikeouts. Sipila also ranks sixth in ERA (4.75) and shares the seventh spot in opposing batting average (.269).

Garvey Rumary also finds himself among the MW leaders, tying for sixth in fewest hits allowed (32) while ranking eighth in ERA (4.83).

In addition, Nevan Noonan occupies the top perch in the league with 12 doubles, while Evan Sipe (7) and Drew Rutter (5) own the top two places in sacrifice hits. Rutter also shares the second spot with four triples, followed by teammates Zane Kelly and Jake Jackson with three apiece.

Jackson tied a program record with two triples against Seton Hall on Feb. 14, becoming the first SDSU player to accomplish the feat since James Guerrero against New Mexico on April 9, 2005.

AZTEC NOTEBOOK
Despite missing the last eight games, CJ Moran still holds the team’s longest current hitting streak at nine games and is tied for the No. 1 spot on the squad with multiple RBIs on five occasions alongside Finley Bates and Nevan Noonan.

During his nine-game hitting streak from March 4-18, Moran is batting .500 (16-for-32) with three doubles, seven RBIs and nine runs scored, raising his season average from .262 to .365.

For the season, Moran is hitting .365 batting average with a .456 on-base percentage.

Noonan leads the Aztecs with multiple hits in 11 games, followed by Arambula with nine. Noonan and Arambula are the only two players to start all 29 games for the Scarlet and Black this season.

Over his last 11 games, Noonan is hitting .425 (17-40) with six doubles, one triple, nine RBIs and four runs scored, raising his season batting average from .254 to .315 in that span.

In addition, Arambula is lone Aztec to start every contest at one position (third base), while Bates (leadoff) leads the team with 27 games played in the same spot in the batting order.

Last month, Arambula garnered Mountain West Freshman of the Week accolades after leading the Scarlet and Black to a doubleheader sweep of SJSU on March 15, when he batted a combined .571 (4-for-7) with two homers, eight RBIs and four runs scored.

The Aztecs are 8-0 this season when leading after seven innings and 8-1 when outhitting the opposition. SDSU is also 7-1 this year when limiting opponents to five runs or fewer.

San Diego State has emerged victorious in 82 of its last 128 games dating back to 2019 when hitting a home run, including a 4-2 mark this year, a 14-13 ledger during the 2024 campaign and a 14-12 record in 2023.

Since 2019, the Aztecs are 77-62 in their last 139 games when striking out 10 or more batters. SDSU pitchers fanned 17 hitters in its season opener against Seton Hall at the MLB Desert Invitational.

The Aztecs are 174-66 over the last seven-plus seasons when scoring five or more runs, including a stellar 38-6 record during the 2017 campaign.

Against Nebraska on Feb. 16, the Aztecs employed 21 players on the night, including five true freshmen who were making their first career appearances (Evan Escobar, Cody Liscio, Dillon Marrisett, Alito McBean, Hank Tripaldi). Tripaldi singled in his first collegiate at-bat with a grounder through the right side in the eighth.

In all, 16 of SDSU’s 17 true freshmen have seen action this season.

Escobar has started nine games at shortstop, notching his first two collegiate RBIs on March 25 against UC Riverside, while Tripaldi made his first career start at Washington State on March 22.  Previously, McBean earned his initial career start on the mound in the Aztecs’ home opener against Seattle on Feb. 20.

In addition, Xavier Farnum made his first collegiate start at USC on April 1, finishing with one hit, one walk and a run scored.

SERIES RECORD VS. AIR FORCE
The Aztecs maintain a sizable 122-41 lead against the Falcons in the all-time series that dates back to 1961.

Air Force is one of five programs SDSU has recorded over 100 victories against. The other four are New Mexico (134), Fresno State (113), UNLV (105) and Utah (104).

The Aztecs are 68-15 vs. the Falcons in San Diego, 47-25 in Colorado and 7-1 at a neutral site.

SDSU posted a 1-5 record against Air Force during the 2024 campaign, logging an 8-4 triumph on Senior Day last May, highlighted by Jake Jackson’s seventh-inning grand slam.

Earlier last season in mid-March, the Aztecs suffered a three-game sweep at the hands of the Falcons in a series that was played at Rawlings Field on the campus of Colorado State University, Pueblo due to heavy snowfall at the USAF Academy.

Among Aztec returners, Finley Bates hit .400 (10-25) in six games against Air Force last season, contributing two doubles while scoring four runs.

In addition, Omar Serrano absorbed hard-luck losses in a pair of starts vs. the Falcons in 2024, allowing a combined five runs (three earned) on 13 hits with 14 strikeouts against only four walks in 11.0 innings.

FALCONS AT A GLANCE
Air Force (10-18, 3-6 MW) is currently slotted eighth in the MW after dropping two of three games at New Mexico last weekend. The Falcons avoided a sweep with a 7-1 triumph in the series finale following a 7-4 loss in the opener and a 12-7 defeat in game two.

With the results, Air Force slipped to 5-16 in road/neutral contests this season while maintaining a 5-2 mark at home.

Prior to the 2025 campaign, the Falcons were picked to finish seventh in the MW preseason coaches poll.

Individually, Air Force is led by catcher Walker Zapp, who is batting .337 with four homers, 24 RBIs and 21 runs scored. The Falcon junior ranks fifth in the conference in slugging percentage (.604) while tying for sixth in RBIs (24) and sharing the seventh spot in doubles (9). He also has three triples to his credit, which is tied for third entering the weekend.

In addition, freshman infielder Alex Adams (.296) leads the Mountain West with 10 stolen bases in 13 attempts, while senior utility Zach Peters is hitting .302 with two homers, seven doubles, 18 RBIs and 21 runs scored.

Elsewhere, junior Tripp Garrish (.247) tops the league with 24 walks, which ranks 84th nationally, and shares the team lead with four home runs.

As a team, Air Force is slotted third in the MW in walks (116) but ranks sixth in both on-base percentage (.358) and slugging percentage (.392) while occupying the basement in batting average (.254).

The Falcons are projected to start Dylan Rogers (0-2, 8.90, 28 Ks) in the opener of Sunday’s twin-bill, while fellow right-hander Cranz Smelcer (1-3, 10.50 ERA, 21 Ks) is expected to get the call in the nightcap, with Monday’s starter to be determined.

Rogers pitched 5 1/3 innings in his last start against New Mexico on March 28 but did not factor in the decision after yielding five runs on seven hits and two walks with five strikeouts.

In 2024, Rogers was victorious in both starts against San Diego State, allowing a combined three runs (two earned) on 13 hits and no walks with 13 strikeouts in 14.0 innings.

Smelcer pitched three scoreless innings of relief in his last outing at New Mexico on March 29, when he offset two walks with three strikeouts. The Air Force freshman picked up his first career victory in a start against South Dakota State on March 12, when he fanned a season-high six batters while giving up one unearned run on three hits and no walks in four innings of a 15-2 run-rule triumph.

Collectively, the Falcons are slotted fourth in the conference with 8.6 strikeouts per nine innings and rank sixth with a 7.44 team ERA and seventh with 11.34 hits allowed per nine innings.

AZTECS IN MLB DRAFT
Since 1965, San Diego State has had 227 student-athletes chosen in the MLB First-Year Player Draft, including 31 selections since 2015.

Former Aztec center fielder Cole Carrigg was taken by the Colorado Rockies as a catcher in the Competitive Balance "B" Round with the 65th overall pick of the 2023 MLB First-Year Player Draft; pitcher TJ Fondtain was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 14th round (423rd overall), while fellow hurler Kelena Sauer went to the Toronto Blue Jays shortly thereafter in the 15th round (454th overall).

With its selections, SDSU has had multiple players picked in six of the last eight years and nine of the last 12.

In 2022, former Aztec right-hander Troy Melton was chosen by the Detroit Tigers in the fourth round with the 117th selection overall.

The previous year, in 2021, SDSU had five individuals drafted by MLB organizations: Mike Jarvis and Wyatt Hendrie (Pirates), Matt Rudick (Mets), Jaden Fein (Nationals) and Michael Paredes (Twins).

LOCAL HEROES
San Diego State sports eight players on its current roster who are alumni of San Diego County high schools, including Xavier Farnum (Christian), Trevor Fox (St. Augustine); Jake Jackson (Madison); Nevan Noonan (Francis Parker); Peyton Rodgers (Torrey Pines); Eli Selga (Cathedral Catholic); Connor Shaw (Westview); and Evan Sipe (San Marcos).

MW TO HOST 2025 BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP IN MESA, ARIZONA
The Mountain West, in partnership with the Arizona Sport and Entertainment Commission, will host the Credit 1 Baseball Championship, May 21-24 at Sloan Park in Mesa, Arizona. The agreement marks the first time the MW baseball tournament will be held on a neutral field and in the state of Arizona.

“Hosting the baseball championship in a first-class venue like Sloan Park is a tremendous opportunity for the Mountain West, our baseball student-athletes and our fan base,” said MW Commissioner Gloria Nevarez.

The six-team double elimination format begins on Wednesday, May 21, with the No. 3 seed facing the No. 6 seed. The second game will feature the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds.

On Thursday, May 22, the top two seeded teams square off with the winners from Wednesday. The winners of Thursday’s first two contests advance to Friday, while the losing teams battle in elimination games. The MW champion will be crowned on Saturday, May 24, earning the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Ticket information for the 2025 Credit Union 1 Mountain West Baseball Championship will be available later this month.

UP NEXT
Following its Colorado excursion, San Diego State returns to open a four-game homestand, starting Tuesday, April 8, when it plays host to California Baptist at 6 p.m. PT.