Strike 3: Unless you know someone who’s suiting up, college baseball is pretty much an afterthought in this part of the country. With only two Division I teams in the state – and neither are in Boulder or Fort Collins – it’s easy to see why interest is mild.

Still, in recent years, the Air Force Falcons baseball program, under the leadership of head coach Mike Kazlausky, has begun to make a name for itself.

Most of the notoriety has come from the powerful right arm of current Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes, who while he ended his college career at LSU, began it as a Falcon. Skenes played outfield, pitched and even caught for AFA in 2021 and 2022, earning All-America honors twice as a two-way player. Skenes hit .410 as a freshman, good for 14th in the country. He became a full time pitcher at LSU and is now a national star. Skenes has never forgotten – nor is shy in telling anyone – about the important start he got in Colorado Springs.

But before Skenes arrived at the Academy, Coach Kaz had another star pitcher who is currently and quietly becoming one of the best relief pitchers in the American League. Griffin Jax pitched for three seasons as a Falcon, piling up honors such as Mountain West Co-Player of the Year before becoming a third-round draft pick of the Minnesota Twins. As a junior, Jax went 9-2 and posted a school record 2.05 ERA, with 90 strikeouts and just 10 walks. When he made his big league debut in 2021, Jax became the first Academy graduate to play in the Major Leagues. Last season was his best to date, going 5-5 with 10 saves and a sterling 2.03 ERA for the Twins. His immediate future – which includes Jax maintaining the rank of Captain in the Air Force Reserve – is very bright.

Unlike Skenes, Jax is a Colorado high school product, starring for Hall of Fame coach Mark Johnson at Cherry Creek.

Speaking of bright futures, there’s now another Colorado high school product turned Air Force Falcon to keep tabs on. The newest to don the sky blue for AFA is Easton Miller, a flame throwing product of Fossil Ridge High in Fort Collins where he was last spring’s Prep Baseball Report Colorado Player of the Year. In his first 8 2/3 collegiate innings, Miller has a 3.12 ERA and seven strikeouts. A very solid start to what should be an outstanding collegiate career. And unlike Skenes, Miller isn’t likely to be hitting the transfer portal before his time at the Academy is over. He comes from a military family, which has produced eight military members to date. Flying jets is said to be part of his future plans.

And there’s one more thing for both Jax and Miller to strive for: Someday, someway, they could join an exclusive club of guys who played high school, college and professional baseball in Colorado. At this moment, yours truly (Northglenn High, CSU and the Colorado Rockies) remains the only member. For reference, Kyle Freeland went to Evansville University and Lucas Gilbreath attended the University of Minnesota.

It would take some maneuvering by our hometown Rockies to someday nab Jax in a trade or as a free agent, and of course Miller won’t be draft eligible for three seasons. But the idea of landing even more guys – pitchers most specifically – who played amateur baseball in the high altitude and are used to these conditions should be something the local big league team strives for. And if they have the discipline and work ethic required to succeed at the Academy, that would be even better.

In the meantime, it will be fun to watch Jax and Miller continuing to fly high.