The Matchup
The UBC Thunderbirds (15-9, 21-19) are preparing to close out a 16-game home stand with their final series at Thunderbird Park this season hosting the Corban Warriors (11-9, 22-17) for a pair of doubleheaders Saturday and Sunday, April 14 and 15.
It marks a critical point of the season for the 'Birds who currently hold down one of two NAIA West Grouping playoff spots with Corban trailing two games behind but with four games in hand. A series win for either side this weekend would be massive when it comes to securing one of those coveted post-season berths.
Life at Thunderbird Park has been good for the 'Birds who are 11-2 at home. They'll be looking to add to that win total and reverse their fortunes from earlier in the season when they dropped three of four against Corban in Keizer, Oregon. A Thunderbirds series win would all but guarantee a playoff berth for UBC.
First pitch for Saturday's doubleheader is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. PT while Sunday's pair will get underway at 11:00 a.m. PT, all at Thunderbird Park.
Last Action
The 'Birds split last weekend's four-game series against Lewis-Clark State. After winning the series opener, UBC saw their 10-game win streak snapped by dropping the next two. The 'Birds rebounded with a 2-1 win in the finale on Sunday.
Corban is coming off a four-game series split against the Oregon Tech Hustlin' Owls in Klamath Falls. The Warriors have won just twice in their last eight games having previously suffered a series sweep against Lewis-Clark.
By the Numbers
27 – The 'Birds have hit a total of 27 home runs so far this season, the second most in the NAIA West behind only LC State.
Mitch Robinson leads UBC with five long balls while
Anthony Cusati has hit four over the wall including a two-run shot last Sunday.
.250 – UBC's pitching staff has limited the opposition to a .250 batting average, the best out of any team in the conference.
Players to Watch
Braeden Allemann (#41, C/RHP) – The senior utility man for the Thunderbirds got his first ever start on the mound last Sunday and went five innings allowing just one run on two hits with a whopping nine strikeouts to win the conference's Pitcher of the Week award. The Surrey native has amassed 18 strikeouts over his last 10 innings pitched.
Mitch Robinson (#44, 3B/OF) – Robinson leads the 'Birds with a .331 batting average, 33 RBI, and a .415 on base percentage. A constant at third base, Robinson's defensive play has also been strong sitting second on the team in assists per game.
Coach's Take
A series win for the 'Birds and they all but guarantee themselves a post-season berth, something UBC head coach
Chris Pritchett says won't be easy against an upstart Corban team.
"We're up against a veteran pitching staff with a lot of senior starters that have had success in this league so we'll have to definitely be on our game especially with our at bats," said Pritchett who has seen a big improvement in his team's confidence and results since last facing the Warriors. "It was definitely a low point in our season, if anything I think we've learned from that. I think that's inspired people to go on the run we've been on lately."
Along with some solid pitching performances, the 'Birds have been improving at the plate and proving to be a deep team with no easy outs.
"They're making it difficult on the pitcher, their quality of at bats has improved," said Pritchett. "That makes it tough for a pitcher to navigate one through nine rather than just a few guys. Some of the guys aren't putting up big numbers but they're making productive outs or wearing them down, not making it easy on them and that has a cumulative effect down the line. We'll have to keep that going."
