USAFA — The silent assassins or the comeback kids.
Call them what you want, but it's the only way to describe Air force baseball's start to their season.
"I knew that we were good this year and I think with our start, we are starting to show other people how good we are," explained freshman catcher & right-handed pitcher Paul Skenes.
"When you go on the road and play teams like the caliber of LSU, Arizona and Wichita State, and you are able to knock some top teams off, it says something," added Air Force baseball head coach Mike Kazlausky. "Am I surprised by it? No, but you look at it as a whole, I think we have had a great start."
The Falcons are quietly off to a 12 & 9 start, playing all but one series on the road.
Air Force is led by a star freshman in Paul Skenes who has done it all. Not only on the mound but in the batter's box - leading the team with the lowest earned run average and runs batted in.
"From the hitting side to the pitching side, I am making sure I get work from both ways," explained the California native. "And just making sure the body feels good because I have done it all my life. It is just so much more demanding at the college level."
The way Air Force has been winning is even more unique- half a dozens of theirs games have been won in the 9th inning - the definition of clutch.
"Not a single guy has an ounce of quit in them," explained senior infielder Christian Gambale. "Not just on the baseball field, but in life here at the Academy."
It is that never-give-up mentality, that is developed at the Academy, that will hopefully lead to some more success.
"Everyone is playing the game like it is their last day and I think that has led to a lot of our success so far," added Gambale.
Air Force hits the road once again this week to play a three-game series against Fresno State.
