University of St. Thomas Athletics
Air Force
Tommies and Falcons set for Monday matchup
3/15/2026 5:00:00 PM | Baseball
St. Thomas and Air Force meet for first time since 2023
ST. PAUL, MINN.- After opening Summit League play at Northern Colorado, the Tommies will head to Air Force to play a lone game against the Falcons.
Monday's game (March 16) will be at Erdle Field, USAFA, CO at 2 p.m. CT. To gain access to the base fans must visit Installation access improvements for intercollegiate athletic events - Air Force Academy Athletics.
Be sure to follow along for live stats through links found at tommiesports.com/sports/baseball/schedule – and on Twitter @TommieBase and Instagram at @TommieBaseball.
History between the two squads
The Tommies and Falcons have only me once before, back in 2023. Air Force took that game 18-3.
Last time out
St. Thomas split the Summit League opening series 1-1 against the Northern Colorado Bears. The two squads played a double-header, and the Tommies took game one 8-5 before falling 9-4 in game two.
Summit League Preseason Poll
The St. Thomas baseball team was selected to finish second (tied with Omaha) in the 2026 Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll that was released on Wednesday.
Oral Roberts was picked to finish first with 24 points and four first place votes, Omaha was also picked to finish second with 19 points and 2 first place votes. The reigning regular season champions St. Thomas was also picked to finish second with 19 points.
Senior duo of Joe Roder and Max Skilbeck were selected as the St. Thomas players to watch.
Roder, a senior infielder from New Prague, Minn. made 49 appearances and 48 starts, recorded a .303 batting average with a team high of 16 doubles and 53 RBI, along with five home run. Roder was named an All-Summit League honorable mention in 2025 after leading all Summit League players with 11 doubles and 35 RBI in league play.
Skilbeck, a right-handed pitcher out of Minneapolis, Minn. Appeared in 17 games out of the bullpen, fanning 36 in 25.1 innings of work. Skilbeck tallied a team high five saves in Summit League action.
2026 Roster
The Tommies welcomed 17 newcomers to the 2026 roster and return 24 letterwinners from last season.
Leader of the pack
Head Coach Chris Olean enters his 17th season at the helm of the Tommie baseball program in 2026. Olean has totaled a 414-256-1 overall record (338-148-1 in NCAA Division III) since being named head coach prior to the 2010 season.
Olean is a three-time NCAA DIII Region Coach of the Year and closed out its DIII era by winning championships in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) and region en route to a national runner-up finish and 37-10 record.
During the last 12 DIII seasons, the Purple won eight MIAC Championships, capped by third-place national finishes in both 2012 and 2014, in addition to the runner-up finish in 2021.
Olean mentored seven DIII All-American pitchers. He was voted MIAC and Midwest Region Coach of the Year in 2012, 2013, and 2021. In addition, Olean works with the Tommie pitching staff, which was a perennial top-10 group in DIII baseball.
Follow Along
Any and all information pertaining to the St. Thomas baseball team can be found at tommiesports.com and on Twitter @TommieBase and Instagram at @TommieBaseball.
