Air Force baseball is set to play a series of games in Texas from February 27 to March 2. The Falcons, holding a 2-5 record, will compete against Oral Roberts (3-5), Dallas Baptist (5-3), and UT Arlington (2-6). Games will take place at Horner Ballpark and Clay Gould Ballpark, with live coverage available through StatBroadcast for stats and ESPN+ or WAC International for streaming.
Senior Tripp Garrish returns to the lineup, alternating between designated hitter and right field. Last season, he posted a .299 batting average and led the team with a .438 on-base percentage. So far this year, Garrish has scored six runs and collected nine hits, including his first home run of the season.
Ben Niednagel leads Falcon starters at the plate with a .348 average, an OPS of .986, an on-base percentage of .464, three sacrifice hits, eight total hits, and three RBIs.
The pitching staff brings experience back to the mound. Gaines Estridge has delivered strong performances in his first two outings this season. In the opening win over Penn State, he struck out four batters over six scoreless innings. Against Navy, despite taking a loss, Estridge recorded career highs with seven innings pitched and ten strikeouts.
Freshman Josh Holst holds the lowest ERA among Falcon starters at 2.70 across ten innings pitched. He allowed just one run while striking out five in his debut against Iowa.
Reliever Patrick Davidson led Air Force in wins and saves last season and made a successful appearance against Kansas State this year by retiring all three batters he faced. Other bullpen contributors include Davis Rhyne, Sam Hentges, and Bowen Brantingham.
Fifteen new players have joined Air Force for the 2026 season as true freshmen due to restrictions preventing participation in transfer portals or NIL deals. The roster additions include multiple pitchers as well as new position players such as outfielders Brooks Burdine—who has started seven games with six runs scored—and Wyatt Hanoian—who leads the team with six RBIs so far this year.
Oral Roberts enters after a loss to Missouri State but is led offensively by Cooper Combs (.357 average). On Friday afternoon they are expected to start Nathan Love on the mound against Air Force.
Dallas Baptist stands at 5-3 following their recent victory over UT Arlington. Key threats include Jake Bennett at bat and Jared Schaeffer on the mound Friday night; Ryan Broberg is slated to pitch Sunday’s game against Air Force.
UT Arlington opened its campaign with wins over ranked TCU and Lamar but currently holds a 2-6 record. Zach Mazoch leads their offense with an average above .400.
The Falcons’ historical records show limited meetings with these opponents: they have split previous matchups evenly with Oral Roberts; Dallas Baptist holds a narrow advantage in their series; it has been more than two decades since Air Force last played UT Arlington.
