It's been six long weeks that may feel like much longer, but the UBC Thunderbirds (15-8, 20-16) are finally back home as they head into the stretch drive of the season, hosting the Oregon Tech Hustlin' Owls (5-19, 11-32) for a pair of doubleheaders Friday and Saturday, April 20 and 21 at Tourmaline West Stadium.
After a red hot start to the NAIA season, the T-Birds have hit a bit of a bumpy road through the heart of the campaign registering just a pair of wins over their last eight games. But that stretch comes on the heels of a nine-game win streak. Injuries and an intense road schedule in the midst of final exams made for a brutal combination, but the 'Birds know they'll be better for it having battled through.
Now back at home where UBC has never lost a series, the T-Birds are gearing up for the final two weeks of NAIA West action as they look to punch their ticket to the conference playoffs. UBC has a 5.5 game cushion with the possibility of clinching a post-season berth this weekend.
The Owls, meanwhile, need to scratch and claw their way into hopes of a playoff appearance, currently 7.5 games back of the Corban Warriors who currently hold down the final berth.
First pitch for Saturday's doubleheader at Tourmaline West Stadium is 1:00 p.m. PT with Sunday's double bill scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m. PT.
Last Action
The T-Birds took the final contest of a three-game series against the Corban Warriors last Saturday by way of a 2-0 shutout victory, powered by the first career start for third-year pitcher
Barry Caine who earned his second win of the season allowing just one hit with six strikeouts through six and a third innings.
Oregon Tech split a four-game set against Corban two weekends ago before dropping a pair of non-conference contests to the Simpson University Red Hawks, all at home. The Owls head to Vancouver fresh, coming off a bye weekend.
Players to Watch
Noah Or (#17, C) – The freshman catcher put up a combined five hits and three runs over the weekend. Nine of Or's 26 hits have been for extra bases, boasting a season slugging percentage of .380.
Jaxon Valcke (#24, IF/OF) – It's been a tremendous season for the sophomore utility fielder as he leads the T-Birds with a .306 batting average. Valcke is also tops on the team in hits (38), RBI (28), and slugging percentage (.540).
Coach's Take
With just two weeks left in regular season play, the 'Birds are sure happy to be back home for the final two series while taking nothing for granted even with their current position in the NAIA West.
"It's gotten pretty close in the race with us, College of Idaho and Corban," said UBC head coach
Chris Pritchett who's looking to get his team into the conference championship tournament for a second straight season. "It'll be better for the guys who are dealing with finals as well, their routines have been thrown off a bit. No excuses, but I think it will help now being at home, we can kind of regulate their routine a little bit more."
UBC swept the Owls in Klamath Falls last month, but the 'Birds aren't expecting anything other than a resilient, desperate opponent this weekend.
"They can hit and they got a couple pitchers that really baffled us for a while," added Pritchett. "Their record is not indicative of how good they are. They're always better in the second half and I expect these to be tough games on the weekend."
