ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Heading to the familiar confines of historic Grainger Stadium, the Navy baseball team (0-3) is set to face service academy rival Air Force (0-5) in a three-game series this weekend as part of the 2025 Freedom Classic in Kinston, N.C.
 
Friday's series opener is slated for a 2 p.m. start, while first pitch on Saturday is also set for 2 p.m. and Sunday's series finale is scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m.
 
February Finds
Brock Murtha has posted a .354 career batting average (23-for-65) in the month of February … Murtha hit .385 (10-for-26) in eight games last February with four doubles and four steals, while February 2023 also saw Murtha bat .385 (10-for-26) across seven games with 10 singles … Despite a .200 average (5-for-26) last February, Andrew Manning made the most of his chances with three extra-base hits, seven RBI and six runs scored in seven starts … Tyler Grenn has tallied a 3.00 ERA over six career appearances (three starts) in the month of February, allowing just six earned runs in 18 innings while punching out seven batters … Ryan Bibb was terrific last February with a 1.59 ERA across two appearances, striking out seven in 5.2 innings.
 
Weekend Warriors
In Navy's weekend series last season, Brock Murtha paced the team with a .359 batting average and .481 on-base percentage, recording 17 extra-base hits and 17 steals … Jack Killelea also hit .300 during the Mids' 2024 weekend series, scoring 15 runs in 26 appearances (17 starts) … Landon Kruer totaled a 2.65 ERA across 34 innings during weekend series, notching all nine of his saves across 17 appearances and racking up 32 strikeouts … Brady Bendik notched a 6-2 record and 4.20 ERA on the weekends, pitching 64.1 innings over 13 appearances … Ryan Bibb was right behind Bendik, posting a 4.24 ERA in eight appearances with 20 strikeouts in 23.1 weekend frames.
 
The Rookie Movement
Navy had seven freshmen see the field in its season-opening series at Richmond, including Owen Peterson starting all three games in left field … On the mound, righty Kody Clancy threw 3.1 scoreless innings on relief on Friday, while southpaws Spencer Stephens and Mikey Plummer making their debuts out of the bullpen on Saturday, with Stephens allowing one earned run over 3.1 frames of work and Plummer going 1.1 innings with one unearned run allowed … Mason Ceccarelli earned a pair of starts in right field on opening day, while Ty DePerno started on game behind the plate on Friday and Noah Ditas notched a RBI single in his pinch-hit at-bat on Saturday.
 
Navy Notables vs. Air Force
Brock Murtha has tallied a .316 batting average (6-for-19) in six career games against Air Force, recording two runs scored, a double and four walks … Landon Kruer holds a 1.80 ERA through three appearances all-time against Air Force, tallying seven strikeouts and allowing just one run on two hits over five innings.
 
Scouting Air Force
The Falcons opened the season with a grueling stretch of five games in five days against SEC competition, getting swept in a three-game series at No. 10 Florida before suffering a pair of close mid-week losses at No. 15 Vanderbilt … Walker Zapp is hitting .308 (4-for-13) on the young season, including smashing his first homer of the year at Vanderbilt, while Luke Elmore has gone 4-for-14 (.286) with a triple … Dylan Rogers, Gaines Estridge and John Mitchell got the opening weekend starts for the Falcons on the mound, while Easton Miller paces the team with seven innings pitched already, posting a 2.57 ERA and four strikeouts over two appearances … Air Force was picked seventh in the Mountain West's preseason coaches poll, while returning All-MW Second Teamer Chase Spencer was named to the Preseason All-Mountain West Team … Last season saw the Falcons go 27-28 with an program-record-matching 18-12 conference mark.
 
Series History
Air Force holds a slim 33-32 lead in the all-time series against Navy, claiming the last four games in the series … Despite Air Force sweeping the 2024 Freedom Classic, Navy took two of three from the Falcons at the 2022 and 2023 Freedom Classics and swept a three-game set from Air Force in Annapolis in 2020 after the series was moved due to weather … The Mids are 29-33 in neutral-site contests against the Falcons.
 
Freedom Classic History
For the 13th time in series history, Navy and Air Force will meet in Kinston … The Mids are 17-20 all-time in Kinston against the Falcons … Navy has won six of the 12 Freedom Classic series, with the 2013 Freedom Classic being a four-game set that was split by Navy and Air Force … Neither side had swept the weekend at the Freedom Classic until Air Force won all three games in 2024 … Last year's Freedom Classic saw the Falcons take the Friday game, 7-1, despite two-hit performances from Brock Murtha and Logan Keller, while Air Force earned the series win with a 10-0 one-hit shutout of the Mids on Saturday … Sunday's game saw Brock Murtha rack up three hits and had a possible go-ahead homer fall just short of the centerfield wall in the ninth, as Air Force completed the sweep with a 4-2 victory.
 
Up Next
Navy will host Manhattan on Tuesday, Feb. 25 in the Mids' home opener. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. from Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium.