Air Force Falcons take on the ORU Golden Eagles

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Jordan Sillence
  • 71st Flying Training Wing Public Affairs

VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Cadets from the U.S. Air Force Academy Falcons baseball team visited Vance Air Force Base to experience the pilot-training mission firsthand and play baseball with the Oral Roberts University Golden Eagles, from Tulsa, Oklahoma.

For these future officers, the visit gave them a glimpse into their futures as undergraduate pilot training students. 

“I can’t thank the town of Enid enough for allowing us to come out here and compete,” said Mike Kazlausky, the Falcon’s baseball head coach. 

The Falcons met the Golden Eagles at David Allen Memorial Ballpark in downtown Enid. The Silver Talon honor guard presented the colors during the national anthem and each of Vance’s flying training squadrons participated in a flyover to kick off the game.

The game went until late in the night, with each team digging in for the long haul while Airmen from Vance were among the crowds watching eagerly from the bleachers. Down on the field, both the Falcons and Golden Eagles cheered for their teammates throughout the game. 

“Wherever we go, we want to showcase what we do, we’re here to compete,” said Falcons player Cadet Cam Anstey. “But one day, when we take off our cleats, we’re going to be in combat boots and then we’re going to go just as hard in the cockpit or on the ground.”

When the Falcons scored the final run and took the game, 4-3, they met the Golden Eagles on the field to shake hands. After the formalities, the cadets celebrated in their dugout and even signed baseballs for the audience.

The next day, the Academy cadets received a tour of training facilities at Vance.

The cadets stopped at a simulator room where they were encouraged to experience a virtual cockpit and fly over the base they spent the day exploring. Following, they received an up-close look at the aircraft at Vance, where pilots shared their experience in pilot training.

The tour culminated with a few cadets receiving incentive rides in the T-38C Talon, a training aircraft used for pilot training here.