VANCOUVER - The Thunderbirds went 4-0 in their home-opening series last weekend against Concordia, and they will look to continue that streak at Thunderbird Park this weekend when they host the College of Idaho, who sit tied with UBC at 6-2 in conference play.
GAME TIMES
Saturday, March 23
12 p.m. - College of Idaho at UBC (doubleheader)
Sunday, March 24
11 a.m. - College of Idaho at UBC (doubleheader)
UBC Thunderbirds (12-8 overall, 6-2 conference)
Last Week: W 14-2, W 4-3, W 9-2, W 9-7 vs Concordia
The bats were out in force for the 'Birds at their first home series of the season.The 'Birds were hitting right around the .300 mark as a team heading into that series, and managed to lift it all the way up to .310 after pummeling just about everyone they saw on the Cavs' pitching staff.
Andrew Firth and
Tyson Popoff continued to lead the hit parade with ten and nine, respectively, in that series. Firth now has a batting average of .422. The T-Birds' senior third baseman has started all 20 games for the team this year and has been a consistent run-producer at the top of the lineup with 15 RBI. Popoff is the leadoff man and is hitting .431. He's also boasting an impressive .516 on-base percentage.
UBC also got great offensive performances from the bottom half of the lineup against Concordia. Backup catcher
Brody Hawkins had a great weekend to boost his average up to .324, just one point off starting catcher and team RBI leader
Greg Densem's average. That gives the 'Birds two great options behind the dish, allowing coach
Terry McKaig to have confidence in starting Hawkins to give Densem a rest or use him as a designated hitter.
But things weren't so easy on the mound for the 'Birds last week. For the most part they were able to avoid big innings, but too many walks and hit batters gave the Cavs a lot of extra baserunners, and better hitting teams will turn those into extra runs.
Alex Graham continues to be the team's most effective starter, thanks largely to his success in limiting those free passes. He's walked just four batters in 22 innings this season, posting a 2.08 ERA.
College of Idaho Coyotes (15-9 overall, 6-2 conference)
Last Week: W 4-1, W 5-2, W 4-2, W 5-4 vs Puget Sound (non-conference)
After splitting their last conference series with Corban College two weeks ago, the Idaho Coyotes swept through a low-scoring non-conference series with Puget Sound at home last week. This week's series at UBC will be just their second out-of-state road trip since their early February non-conference California tour, so the Coyotes are relatively untested conference title, they away from familiar grounds. But as one of UBC's biggest rivals and a major contender for the conference title, you can bet the 'Yotes will be up for this key series.
Jesse Dodd is the big bat in the lineup, hitting .422 with a .622 slugging percentage and 24 RBIs. He's a free swinger who isn't likely to walk or strike out much, so the UBC fielders will need to be on their toes when he's at the dish. Jarel Lewis' average is down a bit from last season, when he was one of the top hitters on the team, and he is one of the few Coyotes who will walk even less than Dodd, hurting his on-base percentage. But he still hits .320 and can be an occasional threat on the basepaths, with six steals in as many attempts this year.
On the mound, the Coyotes sport several dangerous starters capable of long outings. Ryan Eddy is setting the pace so far, with a 5-1 record in six starts thanks to his 1.48 ERA. His strikeout-to-walk ratio is nearly 3-1 and opponents are hitting just over .200 against him. Taylor Nicholson and Parker Vernon have nearly identical numbers, combining for a 7-2 record in 10 starts with ERAs hovering right around 2.50.
Michael Garza has been effective both as a starter and out of the pen, posting a 2.08 ERA in 21.2 innings, but walks have been an issue for for him, as he's issuing a free pass about every two innings. That could be something for the 'Birds to jump on, as they have been a patient team at the plate this year, averaging almost five walks per game.
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