The Basics
Game 9-11
Oral Roberts (3-5, 0-0) vs. Dallas Baptist (5-3, 0-0), Air Force (2-5, 0-0)
Dates: Feb. 26, 6:35 PM | Feb. 27, 2:05 PM | Feb. 28, 3:05 PM
Location: Horner Ballpark (Dallas, TX)
Live Stats: DBU Athletics | DBU Athletics | DBU Athletics
Video: ESPN+ | ESPN+ | ESPN+
 
TULSA, Oklahoma – The Oral Roberts baseball team continues its road stretch, traveling to Dallas, Texas, for two games against Dallas Baptist with a matchup against Air Force in between.
 
Fans can watch the action live on ESPN+ or follow updates on X at @ORUBASE..
 
Last Time Out:
The Golden Eagles are coming off a 13-1 loss at Missouri State on Tuesday. The lone ORU run came as the first of the game when freshman Austin Nicholson hit a single up the middle to score Edmunson.
 
Golden Eagles starting pitcher Luke Williams (0-1) was charged with the loss after throwing 1.1 innings, allowing six runs on four hits while striking out two batters.
 
Inside the Series: DBU
In a series dating back to 1977, this season will mark the 66th and 67th meetings between ORU and the Patriots. In 2025, the Golden Eagles took the first game of a three-game series in Tulsa, 7-6, as DBU won games two and three.
 
Inside the Series: Air Force
Friday's game will be the third matchup between ORU and Air Force, as the all-time series is tied 1-1. The two first met in 2022, with the Golden Eagles taking a 7-3 win. Last season, the Falcons won 9-3 in Colorado.
 
Scouting the Opponent: DBU
Dallas Baptist is currently 5-3 on the season, recently defeating UT Arlington, 6-1, after being swept by UT San Antonio.
 
Jake Bennett is currently leading the team in batting average (.400) and RBI (11) and ranks 17th nationally with four home runs. Cooper Neville's five stolen bases rank second in Conference USA.
 
On the mound, the Patriots are led by Jerrod Jenkins with 11 strikeouts over 8.0 innings. Jenkins is closely followed by Aiden VanDeHatert's 10 strikeouts over 4.2 innings.
 
Head coach Dan Heefner has built a 698-347-1 career record, all in 19 seasons at DBU.
 
Scouting the Opponent: Air Force
Air Force is currently 2-5 on the season, recently going 0-3 during Salute the Troops Weekend.
 
The Falcons are led by Ben Niednagel's .348 batting average. Tripp Garrish leads the team in hits, while Wyatt Hanolan has a team-best six RBI.
 
Air Force's pitching staff has struck out 51 batters. Gaines Estridge has a team-best 14 strikeouts, good for fourth in the Mountain West.
 
Mike Kazlausky is in his 16th season at the helm of the Falcons, building a 340-447 career record.
 
Player of the Week:
Senior outfielder Cooper Combs was named the first Kwik Star Summit League Peak Hitter of the Week on Tuesday, February 17.
 
Combs went 6-for-10 and hit safely in all three games of the season-opening series against Southern Illinois. The Fayetteville, Arkansas, native went 2-for-4 in the opener before finishing 1-for-3 with the game-tying run in game two.
 
In the series-clinching win, Combs went 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles, two RBI and two walks. He delivered a go-ahead RBI double in the fifth inning, then added an insurance run with an RBI single in the sixth.
 
1st Place = 1st Teamers:
ORU returns three Summit League First Team selections from 2025. Catcher Wailele Kane-Yates, right fielder Will Edmunson, and right-handed starter Easton Teel were each selected to the First Team for the first time in their careers.
 
League Award Winners:
RHP Easton Teel earned the 2025 Summit League Newcomer of the Year Award for his performance on the mound. His 2.95 ERA led the conference and ranked No. 36 nationally.
 
The freshman also led the league in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.60), wins (7), WHIP (1.09), and walks allowed per nine innings (1.64).
 
Tulsa Tanks:
ORU relied on the long ball last season, leading the league with 70 home runs. Wailele Kane-Yates led the team and ranked second in the Summit League with 12 home runs, closely followed by Martell Davis with 10. Cooper Combs and Will Edmunson added nine each, while Owen Coil and Ethan Fielder finished with seven apiece.
 
Crown the King:
Head Coach Ryan Folmar surpassed legendary coach Larry Cochell for first on the ORU Baseball program's all-time wins list with the Golden Eagles' walk-off victory against Northern Colorado on Sunday, May 11. The win marked No. 429 for Folmar as head coach at ORU. He also led the program to a College World Series appearance in 2023, one of two appearances in program history.
 
In addition, Folmar was named the 2025 Summit League Coach of the Year.


For the latest information on ORU Baseball, follow the Golden Eagles on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or go to www.ORUAthletics.com.