The Matchup
The UBC Thunderbirds (1-9, 0-3) are set for their Cascade Collegiate Conference home-opening series this weekend hosting the Oregon Tech Hustlin' Owls (12-6, 3-3) for a pair of double-headers Saturday, March 18 and Sunday, March 19 at Softball City in Surrey.
It will be the first game action in two weeks for UBC after last weekend's series against Carroll (Mont.) was postponed due to unsavory weather in Helena, Mont.
It's a welcome return for the Thunderbirds who are searching for their first conference win of the season while playing on home soil for the first time since last April.
First pitch Saturday is set for 1:30 p.m. PT with the second half of the double header beginning at 3:30 p.m. PT. Sunday's final conference game with the Owls begins at 11 a.m. PT followed up by a non-conference matchup starting at 1 p.m. PT.
Last Action
The T-Birds opened conference play on the road two weekends ago suffering a sweep by the Corban Warriors. The series opener was a tight, low-scoring affair with UBC falling 3-2 but the Warriors followed that up with a pair of dominant 8-0 and 13-3 wins. The weekend wrapped up with a non-conference tilt, which Corban also won by a 9-1 margin.
Oregon Tech lost last weekend's series against the College of Idaho Yotes after dropped both halves of a Friday doubleheader. Saturday was a different story as the Owls earned an 8-0 shut out win in the series finale while also picking up a 3-0 non-CCC win to close out the weekend.
By the Numbers
.306 – Despite a rough start to the season the Thunderbirds are performing well at the plate with a collective .306 batting average.
7.90 – The T-Birds are averaging 7.90 hits per game overall but are averaging just 3.40 runs per game. UBC will look to get some more timely hitting while cutting down on the number of runners stranded.
Players to Watch
Hillary Strelau (#17, OF) – The fourth-year outfielder sits second in the conference with a whopping .467 batting average. Through nine overall games so far this season, the Richmond native has 14 hits with two RBI and is a perfect 6-for-6 on stolen base attempts.
Lexie Brenneis (#12, C/3B) – The Surrey native leads the Thunderbirds with eight RBI in just six games overall. The third-year utility player is batting .286 with six hits including a home run.
Coach's Take
After an unscheduled week off due to snow in Montana and nearly a year since playing at home, UBC head coach
Gord Collings is looking forward to familiar surroundings.
"I know the players are very anxious to get a home game," said Collings, now in his fourth season with the Thunderbirds. "They've been working really hard in the off-season so to get home to play in front of fans and family and friends it's going to be a big lift for them, we're looking forward to it."
Along with a slow start, the 'Birds have been dealing with some injury issues but Collings is positive the results will come.
"Despite our record and despite some of the stats our pitchers are coming along," said Collings. "Hillary (Strelau) has played well for us and has stepped up big time to catch when our three catchers were out. She's been taking charge as a leader and doing a very good job."
