South Dakota
Falcons Return Home to Host Midweek Against South Dakota State – Air Force Academy Athletics
Schedule
Weds: vs. South Dakota State, 2:00 p.m. MT
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Live Stream: Mountain West Network
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Twitter: @AF_Baseball
Erdle Field
With the anticipation of great crowds during the 2025 Air Force baseball season, fans are encouraged to bring a folding chair to enjoy the game from the third base line, and other areas around Erdle Field, when the first base bleachers reach capacity.
Base Access
The U.S. Air Force Academy processes to access the installation continue to affect athletic events. While the installation remains open, if you do not have a DoD ID card you will need to obtain a pass to enter the base. Ticket holders wishing to attend can request a base pass by using this link for each game. Once you register, you will receive a message with a QR code on your phone to present at the gate when entering the Academy. Fans will present game tickets when entering each venue. All ticketed/credentialed attendees will need to enter through the North Gate only to get to the Cadet Field House.
Series History
-The first meeting of the two programs took place in 1959, ending with a win for Air Force, 11-9.
-The two teams have played 20 games, with the Falcons holding a winning 13-7 record.
-The last meeting was a three-game series in 2020, with Air Force winning the series, 2-1.
– In game three of the latest series, on March 8, 2020, the Birds defeated the Jacks, 6-5 at USAFA.
-Across the 20 matchups, AF has outscored South Dakota State, 163-145.
Pitching Probables (2025 Stats)
Weds: RHP Cranz Smelcer (19.64 ERA, 0-3) vs. RHP Dylan Richey (First Appearance, 0-0)
Projected Lineup (2025 OPS)
1. R/R, Chase Spencer, CF (.457 OPS)
2. R/R, Alex Adams, 3B (.658 OPS)
3. R/R, Walker Zapp, C (1.000 OPS)
4. L/L, Tripp Garrish, DH (.913 OPS)
5. R/R, Christian Taylor, LF (.582 OPS)
6. R/R, Zach Peters, RF (.874 OPS)
7. L/R, Ben Niednagel, SS (.578 OPS)
8. R/R, Cam Anstey, 1B (.639 OPS)
9. R/R, T.J. Oster, 2B (.471 OPS)
First Start for Smelcer
–Cranz Smelcer is looking to take his first start for the Falcons.
-So far this season, the right-handed pitcher has made six appearances out of the bullpen.
-Across 7.1 relief innings pitched, Smelcer has allowed 16 runs off 11 hits.
-The freshman has tallied eight strikeouts and issued seven walks.
-His collegiate debut came against No. 10 Florida, where he went 0.2 innings with one K and five runs allowed.
-He threw a career-high 2.1 innings at No. 14 Vanderbilt and gave up a pair of runs.
-In game one against Navy, Smelcer gave up no runs and struck out one batter in 0.2 innings.
-His career-high four Ks came in the second midweek game at TCU, he went three up, three down with a trio of strikeouts in the fifth.
-In high school, Smelcer was the Apex High School baseball MVP and named First Team All-Conference and All-Region during his senior year.
Reliable Reliever
–Patrick Davidson earned his first pair of career wins against Navy and Army.
-The first win came in game one against Navy.
-The sophomore entered in relief and threw the final 1.1 innings, defending the 3-2 lead for the Falcons.
-He notched one strikeout and gave up no hits.
-Against Army, the righty took the call from the bullpen in the top of the ninth.
-He threw the final 2.2 outs into the 11th and allowed no runs, no hits, and notched a career-high four Ks.
-His defense enabled the Falcon offense to end the game with a walk-off single in the bottom of the 11th inning.
-Davidson has appeared in five games in relief, and allowed just three runs off four hits.
-Over the last three times he has taken the bump (against Navy, Army, and TCU), the righty has not given up a run or a hit in six innings pitched.
-The reliever currently holds an ERA of 3.12 with seven strikeouts and four hits across 8.2 innings pitched, along with a batting average against for Air Force, at .154.
First Pitch
-The pair of Josh Shropshire and Marcus Downing made their collegiate debuts at California Baptist.
-Both freshmen threw one full inning.
-Downing closed for the Falcons in the game two, 13-5, loss for Air Force.
-He recorded two looking strikeouts and did not allow any runs or hits.
-Shropshire got the call from the bullpen in game one, a 10-3 Falcon loss.
-He marked a trio of Ks but saw one unearned run score off a single hit.
He’s a Catch
–Walker Zapp returned to the lineup after making 50 starts of 51 games played in 2024.
-The junior is batting a multitude of team-bests: AVG: .379, slugging .603, 1.000 OPS, 22 hits, six doubles, two triples, and 12 RBIs.
-Zapp is currently on a six-game hit streak, recording at least one hit in every game since Army on March 3.
-He leads the team in extra base hits, boasting nine with six doubles, two triples, and a home run.
-In game one at California Baptist, Zapp batted 3-for-5.
-The junior batted 2-for-4 in game one at TCU, with a pair of RBI singles.
-Zapp marked critical ABs in wins against Navy and Army.
-In game one against Navy, Zapp earned an RBI for sending the winning run across the plate in the top of the ninth, 3-2.
-Against Army in game one, the catcher led off the bottom of the 11th frame with a double down the left line to reach base, and ultimately scored the walk-off run for a 9-8 Falcon victory.
-He knocked one out of the park for his first home run of 2025 at No. 15 Vanderbilt.
-Behind the plate, Zapp has marked 116 put outs on 136 chances, with 16 assists for a fielding percentage of .971.
-He has caught six runners stealing, four of which were in the series at CBU.
-The catcher combined with the second baseman, T.J. Oster to throw out a pair of Lancers stealing in the bottom of the third in game three at California Baptist.
Senior Leader
– Zach Peters is currently batting second-best for the Falcons at .304 and holds a team-third nine RBIs.
-Peters has already notched at least one of every extra-base hit, with three doubles, a triple, and a home run.
-He notched his second career homer in game two at CBU, to help the Falcons hang on to the 4-2 lead they had in the fourth inning.
-The outfielder markes an on-base percentage of .396, the second best for Air Force.
-On the base path, Peters is 2-for-2 in stolen bags.
– Across the Army series, the senior collected 7 hits, with four in game two for a new career high.
-In the same game, Peters tallied two doubles, a triple, and three RBIs, helping to propel AF to a 14-7 victory.
Double A
–Alex Adams has secured a start in all 16 of Air Force’s games, thus far.
-The freshman is batting .288 third-best of the Falcons with one double out of 17 hits.
-He accounts for five RBIs, seeing two against No. 10 Florida, one against Navy, and a pair at California Baptist.
-Defensively, Adams began his season with Air Force at first base but made the switch to protect third.
-Adams holds a fielding percentage of .964 with 34 put outs, 20 assists, and five double plays.
-Over the last four games, Adams holds a perfect fielding percentage.
-He marked a season-high nine put outs in the third game of the CBU series.
-On the base path, Adams accounts for a team-high five stolen bags this season.
ON DECK
The Falcons gear up to host Washington State for Mountain West play from Mar. 14 – 16. Game one is slated for a 2:00 p.m. MT first pitch.
South Dakota
SD Lottery Powerball, Lotto America winning numbers for July 6, 2026
The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at July 6, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from July 6 drawing
17-44-63-66-67, Powerball: 04, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from July 6 drawing
12-16-19-21-23, Star Ball: 10, ASB: 03
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from July 6 drawing
02-08-32-54-56, Bonus: 03
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize
- Prizes of $100 or less: Can be claimed at any South Dakota Lottery retailer.
- Prizes of $101 or more: Must be claimed from the Lottery. By mail, send a claim form and a signed winning ticket to the Lottery at 711 E. Wells Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501.
- Any jackpot-winning ticket for Dakota Cash or Lotto America, top prize-winning ticket for Lucky for Life, or for the second prizes for Powerball and Mega Millions must be presented in person at a Lottery office. A jackpot-winning Powerball or Mega Millions ticket must be presented in person at the Lottery office in Pierre.
When are the South Dakota Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
- Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Dakota Cash: 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Dakota editor. You can send feedback using this form.
South Dakota
South Dakota native lived near Iranian missile & drone attacks
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South Dakota
Water hampers growth near Sioux Falls but solution near
The existing water treatment plant for the Minnehaha Community Water Corp. on June 9, 2026, south of Dell Rapids, S.D. (Photo: Bart Pfankuch / South Dakota News Watch)
DELL RAPIDS, S.D. – Scott Buss can only imagine what this town north of Sioux Falls might have looked like – and how many jobs and taxes would have been generated – if there wasn’t a local shortage of available water.
Buss, executive director of the Minnehaha Community Water Corp., sat in the conference room of the rural water system based in Dell Rapids recently and ticked off the industrial and agricultural projects turned away due to a lack of water.
After hitting its limit on how much water it can provide a few years ago, the rural system has had to turn away proposed projects valued at hundreds of millions of dollars that offered an untold number of new jobs, he said.
The rejected projects include the Agropur Cheese plant that eventually opened in Lake Norden. A few proposed hog farms and dairy expansions in northern Minnehaha County were also stalled, Buss said.
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Other proposals, most of which never came to fruition in South Dakota, included the $1.5 billion Gevo corn-based jet fuel plant, the $5oo million Wholestone Farms hog processing plant and a data center that at some point all eyed the Dell Rapids area for development.
“All the water rights are spoken for between Dell Rapids and Sioux Falls, so there was no more water to be had in Minnehaha County,” Buss told News Watch in an interview in June. “With all the (residential) development that was coming in, we realized that our well capacity and our treatment capacity was limiting our ability to take on new high water-use customers.”
Buss and the nonprofit corporation’s board of directors aren’t waiting around to potentially miss out on more opportunities.
In a unique arrangement, the corporation is partnering with the neighboring Big Sioux Community Water System to the north on a $170 million expansion project called Shared Resources. The expansion, started three years ago, will use new wells into the Big Sioux Aquifer to generate 8 million gallons of water more per day starting this fall.
“It’s going to be a huge and great benefit for Big Sioux and Minnehaha water,” said Jodi Johanson, director of the Big Sioux system based in Egan. “This project is going to make sure that down the road we have enough water for the future.”
2 systems get stronger together
The Minnehaha water corporation is still able to bring on new residential and retail customers who consume part of the 9.2 million gallons of treated water it can provide on a daily basis.
The system was formed by a group of farmers and landowners in the 1970s but sought a reliable way of providing more and cleaner water to residents of Minnehaha County outside of Sioux Falls who relied exclusively on individual wells. The system started with about 1,200 customers but has grown to more than 5,500 now in seven cities, mostly north of the Sioux Falls metro area.
Given the limits on water from the aquifer, and balancing the water needs of consistent housing and retail growth in northern Minnehaha County, the water system had to say no to developments that request 1 million or more gallons of water per day, Buss said. A million gallons per day is equivalent to the water consumption of about 4,300 homes, he said.
Billions needed to keep South Dakota taps flowing
South Dakota water systems will increasingly turn to the Missouri River to provide water for future population, agricultural and industrial growth. But plans will require billions of dollars and decades of construction to keep taps flowing freely.
As with other rural water systems in South Dakota, the aquifers the systems rely on for their water are either running low or are legally tapped out, or both.
In the case of Minnehaha water corporation, the Big Sioux River Aquifer has gotten drier, but state law is also preventing it from taking more water from the aquifer.
In 1996, the state Water Management Board allocated water rights, or withdrawal limits, to systems that take groundwater from the aquifer, Buss said.
Those limits have now been reached, meaning that Minnehaha water cannot take any more than the 7 million gallons per day it is drawing now.
The system also receives about 2 million gallons per day from the Lewis & Clark Regional Water System, making its daily maximum capacity of about 9.2 million gallons per day, which it sometimes reaches, especially during spring planting season or hot summer months.
Directly to the north, the Big Sioux Community Water System produces up to 2 million gallons per day for about 2,400 customers in Moody and Lake counties as well as some in Brookings County and in western Minnesota, Johanson said.
The system still has room within its water rights to draw more water, making it an attractive partner for Minnehaha water.
Though Big Sioux Community Water System has not turned away any large projects, it needs more water to serve a boom in residential growth in the region, Johanson said.
In the area around Lake Madison, near Madison, developers are considering projects that could someday bring 500 new homes and a new nine-hole golf course, she said.
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The system also serves a number of dairies that use significant water and provides water to the Dakota Ethanol plant in Wentworth, which is undergoing an expansion. Farmers in the region are also using greater quantities of water to deliver chemicals onto their land, Johanson said.
“This is our first expansion,” she said. “We’re looking forward and we’re trying to find the solution before we face a problem.”
Federal government and customers pay the way
The biggest Shared Resources ticket item is a new $80 million water treatment plant that is nearly completed on 240th Street a few miles north of Dell Rapids.
A 20-inch pipeline from the plant to the east will end at a 1.5 million gallon water tower, and a 24-inch pipeline to the west will terminate at a ground-level storage tank with a 4 million gallon capacity.
Six new wells will draw the water, and the storage tanks will provide both pressure and the ability to adapt to changing demands without service interruption, Buss said.
As with most modern water projects, the costs will be shared by government and end users. The systems are funding the project with $49 million in grants from the Biden-era American Rescue Plan Act and $121 million in low-interest loans from South Dakota’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.
The two systems are sharing the cost of the project loans commensurate with how much water they will receive, meaning Minnehaha will pay 65% of the costs for its 5 million gallons per day while Big Sioux will kick in 35% for its 3 million gallons more per day.
Minnehaha water is assuming $87 million in new debt and Big Sioux will take on $42 million in new debt, Buss said.
The average residential consumer in both systems that uses about 7,000 gallons per month will see their bill rise to $135 a month, roughly double the cost in 2020.
“It’s a big project, and it’s a good example of how two systems can work together to have some economies of scale,” Buss said.
Ratepayers will see a significant increase in their monthly water bills. The average residential consumer in both systems that uses about 7,000 gallons per month will see their bill rise to $135 a month, roughly double the cost in 2020, Buss said.
A big project, but even more water needed
But both systems view the Shared Resources project as a temporary fix and both are looking toward proposed projects that will tap the Missouri River for more water in the future.
Buss said his system has applied for 10 million gallons more water per day from Lewis & Clark, which has two expansion efforts planned.
Minnehaha water has simultaneously applied to receive 10 million gallons per day from the proposed Dakota Mainstem Regional Water System, a potentially $10 billion project to carry Missouri River water to more than 50 communities and organizations across eastern South Dakota and parts of Minnesota and Iowa.
The dual application effort is to make sure Minnehaha water can rely on taking in more water from at least one of the two systems as they come online, Buss said.
Johanson said Big Sioux has also signed on to accept water from Dakota Mainstem, even if it takes 20 to 40 years for the water to begin flowing.
To ensure that steady supply of high-quality drinking water, four major projects are in progress to take more water from the Missouri River – including WEB Water in the northeast, Lewis & Clark and the proposed Dakota Mainstem in the southeast as well as the proposed Western Dakota Regional Water System in western South Dakota and the Black Hills.

The projects are part of a wide-scale increase in water service capacity now underway in South Dakota, where water managers of several systems are implementing plans to serve the state for the next 40 to 50 years.
Regional rural water systems such as Minnehaha and Big Sioux are critical components of those projects because they provide water to communities and individual customers at the end of the delivery system.
Alicia Deschepper, zoning administrator for Moody County, said the water system expansions should allow for more growth to occur in Moody and Minnehaha counties, which are seeing new single-family housing developed at a rapid rate.
“I think it will be a great thing for our county and hopefully enable us to bring in more bigger businesses as well as more homes,” Deschepper said.
South Dakota News Watch is an independent nonprofit. Read, donate and subscribe for free at sdnewswatch.org. Contact content director Bart Pfankuch: 605-937-9398/bart.pfankuch@sdnewswatch.org.
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