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 March 2, 2026
The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at March 2, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from March 2 drawing
02-17-18-38-62, Powerball: 20, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from March 2 drawing
03-08-17-24-34, Star Ball: 06, ASB: 02
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 2 drawing
28-41-42-50-55, Bonus: 02
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
How South Dakota officials have reacted to ‘massive’ US attack on Iran
Hegseth on Iran: ‘This is not Iraq. This is not endless.’
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said operations on Iran won’t be “endless” like Iraq.
South Dakota’s Congressional leaders are praising President Donald Trump for his action of joining Israel for a missile-launched attack this weekend in Iran, with the intent to target and dismantle Iran’s nuclear capabilities and demand regime change.
“Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people,” Trump said Saturday, Feb. 28, calling the strikes, “a massive and ongoing operation.”
Trump has since faced scrutiny for a lack of clarity about the timeline and overall goals of the war, and acting without the direct approval of Congress, which has the power to officially declare war for the U.S. Lawmakers are also in heated debate about whether the Trump’s decision may violate the Constitution, with Democrats calling for a war powers resolution vote to stop the effort, according to multiple military outlets.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, was directly targeted, a Middle Eastern official told USA TODAY. Khamenei was killed in the attacks on Feb. 28, according to Israeli sources who told USA TODAY, CNN and Reuters. He was 86 and had led Iran since 1989.
Iran retaliated with drone and missile strikes, hitting American and Israeli targets, including a U.S. Naval base in Bahrain. Iran said its enemies would be “decisively defeated.”
At least four Americans and an estimated 200 other individuals have been killed, and an estimated 700 injured as of March 2.
President Trump said he expects more to come.
Here’s what South Dakota Congressional leaders, along with former South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who now sits at the helm of the Department of Homeland Security as secretary, have to say about what has been named by the administration as Operation Epic Fury.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune
“For years, Iran’s relentless nuclear ambitions, its expanded ballistic missile inventory and its unwavering support for terror groups in the region have posed a clear and unacceptable threat to U.S. servicemembers, citizens in the region, and many of our allies,” said Thune, a Republican, the morning of Feb. 28 in a comment from his office.
“Despite the dogged efforts of the president and his administration, the Iranian regime has refused the diplomatic off-ramps that would peacefully resolve these national security concerns. I commend President Trump for taking action to thwart these threats,” Thune said, thanking Secretary Rubio for providing updates on these issues throughout the week.
“I look forward to administration officials briefing all senators about these military operations,” he said. “I commend the bravery of the servicemembers carrying out these operations and pray for the safety of those in harm’s way.”
U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds
Rounds, a Republican, said Trump took “the right course of action” when handling the strike.
Rounds later congratulated the United States military and Trump on the death of the Iranian leader, stating the moment “offers a path for a more peaceful Middle East.”
U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson
Johnson, a Republican and the lone U.S. representative for South Dakota, stated the Iranian regime “is full of theocratic thugs and is the world’s largest state sponsor of terror.” He said Trump had given multiple opportunities to change direction.
“I’m praying for the safety of America’s servicemembers, and our allies involved in Operation Epic Fury,” Johnson stated on social media.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem
Noem, who left her governorship after she was appointed secretary at the beginning of Trump’s current term, took to social media as well, stating she was actively monitoring any potential threats against America.
“I am in direct coordination with our federal intelligence and law enforcement partners,” she said.
South Dakota
SD Lottery Millionaire for Life winning numbers for March 1, 2026
The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at March 1, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 1 drawing
10-11-12-35-56, Bonus: 04
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.
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