The Matchup
The UBC Thunderbirds (15-5, 5-2) are back on the road this weekend for a four-game series against Oregon Tech (7-13, 4-6) featuring a pair of double-headers Saturday, March 18 and Sunday, March 19.
Having won both series so far this season in conference play, the T-Birds sit in fourth place in the Cal Pac/Cascade/Frontier conference with a .714 win percentage while the Owls find themselves three spots back in seventh.
UBC has boasted a red-hot offence early in the season sitting second in the conference in hits per game with 9.95 while leading the pack with 6.29 RBI per game. Not to be outdone, the T-Birds' pitching staff has been strong with a collective 3.02 ERA which also leads the conference.
First pitch for Saturday's double-header is set for 1:00 p.m. PT with game two scheduled to begin at 3:45 p.m. PT. Play on Sunday features the same start times. All games will be played at Kiger Stadium in Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Last Action
UBC took three of four games against the Corban Warriors in last weekend's home opening series. The 'Birds won both games Friday by a single run taking the second half of the double-header 2-1 in 14 innings. UBC then split Saturday's double earning a 13-5 win followed by a 4-2 loss in the series finale.
The Owls dropped three of four games in their home opening series to the visiting College of Idaho Yotes. After losing 6-2 to open the series Sunday afternoon, Oregon Tech earned an 8-4 win in the second half of the double-header before dropping both games Monday by a combined 17-4 margin.
By the Numbers
.
463 – UBC has a conference best .463 slugging percentage overall, averaging a whopping 2.33 doubles per game.
.203 – UBC's pitching has kept opposition batters to a conference low .203 average allowing 5.95 hits per game on average, nearly four hits fewer than Oregon Tech's 9.50.
Players to Watch
Mitch Robinson (#19, 3B) – Going 7-for-15 with five RBI, two runs and two stolen bases last weekend against the Warriors, the Surrey native was named NAIA player of the week. The third year third baseman is batting .433 on the season averaging a conference leading 1.38 RBI per game.
Vinny Martin (#40, 1B) – The fourth year first baseman also had a five RBI series against Corban and has registered at least one hit in 11 straight games overall. Martin is batting .323 with 18 RBI in 15 games.
Coach's Take
After enjoying last weekend at home, UBC head coach
Chris Pritchett says the length of this road trip combined with a compressed schedule will make for some added stress but it's nothing many players haven't experienced before.
"The kids are pushed in the classroom and then they get on a bus for 12 hours and play four games in less than 24 hours so it's a grind but a lot of these guys have done it before and they know what to expect," said Pritchett.
"The physical part of it and the mental part of it is going to be a challenge for sure. But these guys work really, really hard and they'll push through whatever they need to."
While wins are always important, Pritchett emphasizes the need to focus on the learning process especially at this point in the season.
"We don't go down to win four games, we go down for the process and to do it right," Pritchett said. "Even though we dropped that last game we did the right things, we just couldn't cash in. I expect and hope we continue that same formula (against Oregon Tech) and that will equal more wins than losses when we take that approach."
