VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds will look to earn a spot in the Cascade Collegiate Conference softball Championship Tournament, presented by U.S. Bank, as they honour their senior players and close out the 2019 regular season with a four-game series against the 17th-ranked Corban (Ore.) Warriors in Surrey, B.C.
 
The teams will play a pair of doubleheaders with Friday's set starting at 1:30 p.m., and Saturday's first game at 11 a.m. PT at Softball City.
 
UBC comes into the weekend with a 12-21 record and an 8-15 mark in CCC play. The Thunderbirds are in the sixth place – the final playoff spot – in the league standings. UBC is one game behind Carroll (Mont.), after losing two to the Saints last weekend in Helena, Mont. A third conference game was started and then suspended with the T-Birds up 3-0. It will be completed if necessary.
 
UBC is a game and a half up on Eastern Oregon and Providence (Mont.) and two and half games ahead of Northwest Christian (Ore.). Northwest (Wash.) rounds out the group of teams chasing UBC, and is three and a half games behind.
 
This weekend, the rest of the CCC league slate has Carroll at Providence; No. 10 Oregon Tech at Eastern Oregon; Northwest Christian at Northwest; and No. 4 Southern Oregon at College of Idaho.
 
After the two games on Saturday, the UBC softball program will honour and recognize its four senior players: Claire Eccles, Michaela Moore, Shaelyn Ogilvie, and Sierra Sherritt.
 

 

Last Action

UBC lost twice on Friday at Carroll, by scores of 6-1 and 6-3. The teams started the third game of the series but it was suspended with the 'Birds ahead 3-0. The fourth contest of the weekend, a non-conference game, was cancelled.
 
The Warriors swept four home games from last place Northwest, but three of the wins were by a run, and the other was a 2-0 outcome in the series opener.
 

Players to Watch

Claire Eccles (#21, OF) – With four triples, the senior outfielder is one away from tying the school's single-season record held by Alana Westerhof (2013). She's also tied with Westerhof atop the program records list for career triples with seven.
 
Sierra Sherritt (#2, OF) – The senior outfielder has been impressive at the plate recently, going 7-of-13 with three walks, in her last five games, to provide an offensive spark for UBC in the lineup. Sherritt needs one more triple to tie the Thunderbird career record (seven).
 

 

Coach's Take

Seven of UBC's last nine games have been against NAIA Top-25 teams, and the Thunderbirds will wind up the season with four more this weekend.
 
"It's going to be challenging, there's no question about that," said UBC head coach Gord Collings. "It's going to be tough to beat this team, they're a very good team, they're in the playoffs already and are fighting for position at the top. But some positive things in the last couple weeks the way our girls have played, I'm encouraged by the things we can bring, I just hope they can execute, that'll be the key. They know what they have to do, they just have to trust themselves and go out and do it."
 
He says there will be long-term benefits to earning a post-season berth.
 
"If we have some good games and are able to make the playoffs, I think that's going to carry us," said Collings. "The experience of getting to the playoffs would be huge for our young team and the benefit that they gain from that they don't realize until the following year that they'd played these top teams, they've been able to go out there and compete and do well, I think that will add a lot to how we do next year as well as how we finish this year."
 

No matter the results, the team's four seniors, Eccles, Moore, Ogilvie, and Sherritt will be celebrated for their time as Thunderbirds.
 
"It's always a challenging weekend for me," remarked Collings. "There's four of them and they've all made contributions to the team, the two that started in particular, Shae and Claire, it's going to be challenging to see them go. I can't believe where the four years went, but they've made huge contributions to the team both on and off the field. It's going to be hard to say goodbye but I know they'll do well and I wish them well.
 
"I think it's important that the other players recognize that the careers are coming to an end and that they can go out and play not only with them but for their seniors. I think they recognize how important it is to them to do well and finish off their careers on a positive note."

- with files from Jeff Sargeant (UBC Communications)