After a busy weekend featuring two series on the road, the UBC Thunderbirds (6-6, 9-11) are glad to be back north of the border as they host the University of Providence Argonauts (3-9, 3-12) for a pair of doubleheaders Friday and Saturday, March 29 and 30 at Softball City in Surrey.
It's a welcome return home for the T-Birds after dropping seven of their last eight games with the hope the familiarity of home field will help get them back to what was a very strong start to the campaign.
This weekend marks just the second home series of the season for the 'Birds after taking two of three against Eastern Oregon.
First pitch for Friday's doubleheader is set for 1:30 p.m. PT in South Surrey with Saturday's double beginning at 11:00 a.m. PT.
Last Action
UBC played a whopping seven games last weekend, six of them conference action. The 'Birds suffered a three game series sweep at the College of Idaho and also dropped a non-conference matchup with the 'Yotes Saturday afternoon. The T-Birds then split a Sunday doubleheader against Northwest Christian before losing the series finale Monday.
The Argonauts also enter the weekend hungry to get back in the win column having dropped five in a row including a series sweep loss to the Corban Warriors. During their current slide, Providence has been outscored by a combined 51-2.
Players to Watch
Mia Valcke (#16, OF/SS) – It's been quite the rookie season so far for the Ontario native who had six hits over the weekend to get up to 23 on the season, tops on the Thunderbirds. Valcke's .426 batting average is good for sixth best in the entire conference.
Jordan Britten-Yung (#3, C) – The junior catcher secured a hit in all three games against Northwest Christian over the weekend, bumping up her season batting average to an impressive .342. She also finished the series with four RBI.
Coach's Take
Following a challenging week of less than ideal results and significant injuries, the 'Birds are looking to approach this weekend's series with a light attitude.
"I think it's just important for the girls to get back to playing the game and enjoying the game," said UBC head coach
Gord Collings. "We've talked about that since we got back, about celebrating the positives and the things that we do well. The passion is still there, they want to play and want to do well, but sometimes they're squeezing a little too tight, trying too hard. It's easy to say, but we need to just relax and go out there, be who we are and enjoy the game."
Providence has had a challenging past couple weeks as well and as a result, this series could end up being pivotal.
"They're gritty, their record doesn't reflect what they can do on the field," said Collings. "They're well coached and they're going to be looking to do well against us. We're both in that group of six teams vying for the last playoff spots, so they'll be looking like we will to have a winning weekend."
