Weekend Walkup: Four Programs Battle In Conference, Others Take on Non-Conference Foes

Air Force infielder T. J Oster (middle) taking a ground ball during warm ups (Courtesy of @AF_Baseball X page) Each week, we here at Mountain West Connection will briefly preview every series going on in the conference, detailing how each team is going into the series and a key item to note that we feel will dictate the winner. Afterwards, if there are any non-conference series going on, we will go through each series similarly.

Conference Series Air Force (3-0) vs Nevada (3-0) With how the non-conference slate went for both programs, it is a pleasant surprise that the Wolf Pack and Falcons are battling it out to see who will sit atop of the Mountain West, especially since both teams enter undefeated in conference play. Last week, Nevada handled Fresno State on the road, suppressing the Bulldogs by outscoring their hosts 33-20. In two of the three games, the Wolf Pack held Fresno State to just four runs, allowing their bats to take a commanding lead.

Meanwhile, Air Force hosted the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels, which started off with the program hoisting a 16-5, eight inning win. From there, the Falcons lit up the sky with UNLV, scoring a combined 60 runs across the two games. However, Air Force was able to take care of business, completing the sweep in the double-header.

As one can see, this weekend’s battle for first place will come down to which program can control the other’s performance in the batter’s box. The Falcons come into this series with the worst team ERA overall with a 7. 43 (we won’t look at their conference averages just yet).