The Matchup

The UBC Thunderbirds (26-10, 16-7) carry a five-game win streak into their final home series of the regular season hosting Oregon Tech (16-25, 11-15) Saturday, April 22nd and Sunday, April 23rd at Thunderbird Park.

With wins in 10 of their last 12, the T-Birds have hit their stride at just the right time and are looking for redemption after dropping three of four games against the Owls in Klamath Falls last month.



Currently two games up on Lewis-Clark State for the best record in the NAIA West Grouping, another solid weekend for the 'Birds would do well for UBC's bid to host the conference championship tournament.

Oregon Tech head coach Matt Miles enters the series with the potential for a milestone achievement now just one win shy of 200 in his NAIA career.

First pitch in Saturday's series opener is set for 1:00 p.m. PT with the second half of the double header scheduled for 3:45 p.m. PT. Sunday's start times are 11:00 a.m. PT and 1:45 p.m. PT.
 

Last Action

The T-Birds are coming off their first series sweep of the season taking all four games against the Corban Warriors in Keizer, Oregon over the weekend. The 'Birds outscored the Warriors by a combined 21-7 margin while also earning the season series victory.

#UBC #baseball completes the sweep of Corban. #GoBirdsGo

RECAP by @JefftheSarge: https://t.co/xKUToOczGN

PHOTOS by: Doug Pfeiler pic.twitter.com/omZlsZagRI

— UBC Thunderbirds (@ubctbirds) April 16, 2017

Since earning the series win over UBC at home last month, the Owls have hit a rough patch winning just one of their last eight games. Oregon Tech dropped a four game series to College of Idaho on the road last weekend. The Owls earned a 6-1 win in the second half of Saturday's double header but lost the other three by a 16-4 margin.
 

By the Numbers

5.97 – UBC has scored an average of 5.97 runs per game overall, more than a full run and a half more than the Owls with 4.39. The 'Birds have hit double digit runs on four separate occasions, most recently on Sunday with an 11-1 win over Corban.



6.83 – Put simply, UBC's pitching is stingy. With a conference best average of 6.83 hits allowed per game, the 'Birds also have a leading 2.94 ERA, nearly a full run better than the next best mark.                
 

Players to Watch

John Whaley (#26, OF) – The outfielder went 5-for-9 at the plate last weekend against Corban including a two RBI effort in the series finale. The Oakville, Ontario native is now batting .263 on the season.



Mitch Robinson (#19, 3B) – Robinson had another impressive series in Corban batting .500 with five RBI and scoring five times. The third baseman's .375 season average leads the entire NAIA West Grouping.
 

Coach's Take

There's no doubt the 'Birds are rolling but UBC head coach Chris Pritchett says there's still room for improvement while continuing to work towards their end goal.
"Last weekend we were able to get a good result but we did make some uncharacteristic errors so we'll continue to try to improve as a group," said Pritchett.

"We got room for improvement and the guys know that and we continue to strive for excellence. We're trying to win games and host our conference tournament with a chance to go to the post-season and realize our goal of going to the World Series."

Pritchett says the 'Birds' disappointing road series against the Owls last month was a turning point in UBC's season, and now there's another chance to prove themselves against an opponent that gave his team trouble.
 
"We turned a corner after we played this Oregon Tech team last time and realized we weren't playing clean enough, especially defensively," added Pritchett.
"I think we learned from that and have improved and now there's a chance to prove we are better than what we showed down there."