The Matchup

The UBC Thunderbirds (19-12, 25-22) enter the California Pacific Conference championship as the number two seed when they kick things off Sunday, May 6 at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Arizona.

The 'Birds face the number three seed and host Benedictine University-Mesa Redhawks (24-6, 39-16) to begin the tournament in what's expected to be extreme heat with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees.



Neither team is familiar with the other at all as Sunday's game marks the first ever meeting between the two programs.

The T-Birds are looking for a berth to the opening round of the NAIA championship for the second time in three years.

First pitch for the 'Birds' tournament opening game is set for 12:30 p.m. PT on Sunday.
 

Last Action

The 'Birds lost their final series of the regular season last weekend against the Oregon Tech Owls in Klamath Falls. After dropping the series opener 5-3 on Saturday, UBC won a 14-13 barnburner on Sunday in a game that saw 42 combined hits. The 'Birds then dropped their regular season finale by a 9-2 score.



The Redhawks enter the tournament having won six straight conference games and seven in a row overall. Benedictine-Mesa swept their final series of the season last weekend at Marymount California.
 

By the Numbers

9.34 – Thanks to a combined 38 hits last weekend, the T-Birds are now averaging 9.34 hits per game.

.256 – Pitching has been perhaps the strongest component of the 'Birds all season long holding the opposition to a .256 batting average, the second lowest in the conference.
 

Players to Watch

Kyle McComb (#3, SS) – The senior shortstop tied a team record with six hits in last Saturday's 14-13 UBC victory. McComb finished the weekend 7-for-8 and earned conference Player of the Week honours.

@MuscleMLKCAN's T-Bird of the Week: Senior short stop Kyle McComb tied a single-game program record with his six hits in UBC's 14-13 win over the Oregon Tech Hustlin' Owls in Game 1 of their Sunday doubleheader. #GoBirdsGo pic.twitter.com/OJmzNVbPHC

— UBC Thunderbirds (@ubctbirds) May 1, 2018

Mitch Robinson (#44, 3B/OF) – Robinson finished the regular season in a familiar position, leading the 'Birds with a .345 batting average. The senior from Surrey went 4-for-7 with four RBI in last Saturday's win.
 

Coach's Take

The Redhawks are a bit of a mystery to the 'Birds which can make preparation for their opponent more difficult. But UBC head coach Chris Pritchett says it also forces them to focus on playing the way they need to in order to have success.

"We know we have to play well regardless but it will be a little bit of feeling them out," said Pritchett. "I expect a really good game. We're ready, we're swinging the bats really well. It's going to be really warm which will be a factor as well but I think the guys are excited."



The 'Birds had a rough start to the season but turned a big corner once they finally opened up the new Thunderbird Park. Pritchett likes the way his team is playing and believes their resilience will be a big benefit.

"We're better than we were at the beginning of February for sure. I think any time that we've gone through adversity through the season we've learned from it and from all those times we've got better. We've been on a pretty good trajectory and getting better so I'm thinking positive and expect good things but it's baseball, you don't know what way the ball's going to bounce."