Sports

Air Force Slugger Salutes While Rounding The Bases After Crushing A 523-Foot Bomb

#College Baseball
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An image of a group of baseballs.

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The Air Force baseball team showcased its power over the weekend in a series against Moutain West Conference foe UNLV. In a Saturday matchup with the Rebels, the Falcons racked up 17 runs on 12 extra base hits.

Of those 12 extra baggers, four left the yard, and of those four home runs, two travelled over 500 feet before touching down. That spectacular display had college baseball fans talking on social media.

The most impressive of the bunch was a towering shot to right field off the bat of designated hitter Jay Thomason. The lefty smacked a pitch from UNLV reliever Noah Mattera well past the outfield fence.

Check out the moonshot below.

That mesmerizing drive put the Falcons up 10-0 in the fifth inning of play as the rout was on. According to Air Force’s data and analytics team, the homer sailed 523 feet while coming off the bat at over 106 MPH.

It was Thomason’s ninth home run of the year, and he aptly saluted upon rounding third base to celebrate with his teammates.

Fans were quick to comment on that rocket shot, posting reactions on social media.

College baseball personality Stephen Schoch said, “We’ve got guys at Air Force hitting 523-ft home runs. This is who I want protecting our country.”

Others shared that sentiment. One fan wrote, “He sent that into orbit,” while another commented, “That’s 1/10th of a mile.”

The Falcons weren’t done, though.

Later in the game, Air Force first baseman Charlie Jones cranked a 506-foot home run to add insult to UNLV’s injury. That shot left the bat at just under 104 MPH and completely cleared the batter’s eye in center field.

When all was said and done, Air Force won the game 17-5. Unfortunately, they’d lose the series despite scoring 32 runs on the weekend. UNLV won the opener, 10-8, before taking the finale, 21-7.

Air Force is now 11-18 on the season.