One of two schools to have a major revival of their baseball program from 2025 to 2026, the Air Force Falcons were not slated to do well this year. In fact, in the preseason poll voted on by coaches, the Falcons were picked to be dead last this year, only receiving 14 points and zero first place votes. While it’s crazy to think that now, when considering how the program did last year, it’s not a surprise Air Force was extremely doubted, which seemed to be confirmed after going 3-11 to start the year.
However, once conference play started, everything flipped on its head in a good way for the military prep program. They came out swinging, sweeping UNLV at home in a fireworks show of a series then going into Reno and taking two of three games from the Wolf Pack. In fact, Air Force only lost two conference series this year, being swept by San Diego State and losing 1-2 against Washington State, the two schools who played for the conference championship this year and the programs that eliminated the Falcons from the tournament. So it is safe to say that while a title was not won, this was a great one-year turnaround the likes of which have rarely been seen in the Mountain West.
Record: Air Force finished the season with a 26-27 overall record and a 15-9 conference record. The Falcons finished as the third seed in a tie with Washington State, and made it to the loser’s final game where they lost to San Diego State 8-11.
Highlight: Beating No. 7 Oregon State 9-6 on the road on May 15 – There were several Mountain West teams that took on ranked opponents this year, and Air Force not only took one of them on in No. 7 Oregon State, but was able to squeak out a win against one of the best teams in the nation this year. Air Force did allow the Beavers to take an early lead, giving up an RBI single and a solo shot in the first and second innings respectively. However, Air Force evened the score out and then some, putting up a four spot in the third inning. The Falcons did give up two more runs in the bottom of the third, making the game tied at four apiece early.
Air Force took control of the game from there, putting up two more runs in the fourth thanks to a throwing error by Oregon State, then sprinkled in runs in the fifth, seventh and ninth innings to bolster their advantage. The Falcons were not perfect, however, as they did give up two more runs off of a wild pitch in the fourth and an RBI single by designated hitter Bryson Glassco in the seventh, but outside of that, it was smooth sailing for the founding Mountain West member.
The Falcons’ win against Oregon State was the confidence boost they needed heading into the conference tournament. Getting your third win against a ranked opponent since 2024 when they won a series against then No. 15 Dallas Baptist University is a grand achievement, and shows what kind of team Air Force could be not only this year, but in seasons to come. That prowess was put on display in the conference tournament, as the Falcons were the closest returning Mountain West school to making the championship game.
Lowlight: Losing to San Diego State in the conference tournament 8-11 – Ultimately, when you come up just short of the finish line, it’s usually the lowest point regardless of the season you had. However, Air Force was in prime position to actually move past the Aztecs in the loser’s final early, as they started the scoring in the second with an RBI single by infielder Garrett Hutchins. Things continued to snowball in the Falcons’ favor, as they put up another four runs between the fourth and fifth innings (three in the fifth) while only giving up one run in the fourth to push the advantage up to 5-1 after five innings.
Air Force continued to lay it on in the sixth, scoring three more runs in the top of the sixth, extending the lead. However, this is where the game began to fall apart for the Falcons. San Diego State put up a five spot in the bottom of the sixth, shrinking the lead to two. Despite their best efforts, the Falcons were unable to stop the bleeding, giving up five more runs to gain their first lead of the game. Air Force was unable to answer back in the batter’s box, as their performance was stunted for the rest of the game.
To go from 12 outs away from advancing to championship Sunday against Wazzu to not being able to patch the holes of the ship before it sank is a catastrophic downfall within the same game, Air Force had moved away from their choppy regular season performances where only one side of the game was good, and seemingly had things under control. But once there was a good amount of pressure in a high-stress situation, everything crumbled, which left the Falcons looking for more with no opportunities left in the tank.
Key stat: 478 – The Air Force Falcons were one of the most productive teams in the batter’s box this year, as they scored 478 runs throughout their 55 games played this year. That’s an average of 8.69 runs per game, which is the tenth best average in the entire nation. UNLV was the only team in the Mountain West that was close to catching the Falcons, as they scored 470 runs in 55 games (8.54 runs per game). Offensive prowess bled throughout the conference this year, and the Falcons were one of the best examples of that in 2026.
Season grade: B+ – All in all, while the finish wasn’t what the Falcons expected, this was a great season for the second to worst program in 2025. Air Force had one of the most productive and explosive offensive efforts we’ve seen in the conference. But, like we’ve discussed all year long, the pitching performances the pitching staff had this year were inconsistent at best, putting more stress on the hitting than needed. Losing freshman of the year infielder Wyatt Hanoian to the transfer portal (especially considering how rough it is to transfer in or out) is a rough ordeal, but as I put in the final power rankings, if the coaching staff can develop their young players and get them even more talented, the conference should be on red alert next season.
