AIR FORCE ACADEMY — It wasn’t exactly an inspired-looking Utah baseball team that huddled with caps pulled low as they entered the Air Force baseball field for batting practice before last week’s conference series.
At more than 7,000 feet and no more than a long throw from center field away from the foothills of the Rampart Range, the academy is not typical baseball country. A chilling wind raked Falcon Field. The low clouds were menacing. It was May 8, but it might as well have been Dec. 8.
Air Force’s players already had escaped to the warmth of their 2-year-old team house, which is down the first-base line and includes three batting cages. On this day, it could have been a shelter house as the Falcons were taking extra swings to prepare for a four-game series.
With his five-year plan about to expire, coach Mike Hutcheon made a big leap this season, ending a 55-game conference losing streak and picking up wins against quality Division I programs.
“Our players see themselves as underdogs,” Hutcheon said. “They accept the challenge, and they fight until the game is over. But they also understand that baseball games aren’t as important as building $100 million airplanes.”
Hutcheon, who took over in 2004, is zeroed in on making the Falcons contenders, though their last winning season was in 1995.
“It’s a work in progress,” Hutcheon said. “We knew we had to have patience. We had to change attitudes. This isn’t a club team; it’s not an intramural team. We’re a varsity team, and we’re here to win and work hard every day.”
Hutcheon believes there is precedent at Air Force to show it can be done. He talks of Fisher DeBerry’s tenure in football and how he turned a depleted program into a winner. And there’s Joe Scott, who put the men’s basketball program on the national map.
Before Hutcheon’s arrival, Air Force baseball had limped along under the burden of eight consecutive losing seasons, providing little notice that it was the only Division I baseball program in the state. Colorado, Colorado State and Denver had cut their baseball programs. Northern Colorado was in the midst of rebuilding its program to Division I status.
Air Force (16-32) hasn’t halted the losing but with three games to go has posted its most victories since going 27-28 six years ago.
“We’re making progress, but it’s a step at a time,” Hutcheon said. “We’re winning some of the close games, and we’ve beaten some prominent opponents.”
The Falcons have victories over Mississippi State, Ohio State and BYU.The players perk up when talking about Addison Gentry’s grand slam that beat BYU to end the conference losing streak. Four of their victories this season were on game-winning runs produced by Gentry.
Athletic director Hans Mueh isn’t keeping score. He has patience.
“We’re playing baseball here and not because of some rule that was have so many sports in our program,” Mueh said, noting that Air Force has 27 sports for men and women. “Baseball has great tradition here. We’ve gone through some tough times, but we’re playing better.”
Mueh, who played soccer at the academy when he was a cadet, knows the present day baseball players at Air Force face tougher schedules than in the early years when they played an independent schedule.
Air Force players don’t go unnoticed. Former AFA outfielder/first baseman Karl Bolt was drafted in the 15th round by the Philadelphia Phillies last June. Bolt is playing for the Lakewood BlueClaws of the Single-A South Atlantic League.
Mike Thiessen, who played football and baseball, was the last Falcon drafted before Bolt, going in the 42nd round in 2001. Thiessen, who is now on the academy’s football staff, was the first player drafted from the program since Jeff Brown in 1974.
“When our players are able to get that recognition, it’s great for our program,” Hutcheon said. “They almost become ambassadors, just like David Robinson did for Navy in basketball and Chad Hennings did or us in football.”
Hutcheon still has a young team, consisting of mostly freshman and sophomores. But senior Chay Derbigny makes his mark as the conference leader in stolen bases with 30.
“The reason we have sports here is to build a competitive edge,” Derbigny said. “When you’re a pilot, you’re competing as well.”
Derbigny has made it through some tough times because of his love to play baseball. He was cut from his high school team as a junior and was cut from the Air Force team as a freshman after briefly trying football at the Prep School. “I love baseball and that’s why I go through all the obstacles here to play it,” Derbigny said.
Irv Moss: 303 954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
