For the second straight year, the UBC Thunderbirds are off to the California Pacific Conference championship tournament looking to once again get back to the NAIA World Series. And for the second straight year, the 'Birds open the tournament against Benedictine-Mesa as they battle the host Redhawks on Sunday, May 5^th at 12:30 p.m. PT.

Winners of five in a row to close out the NAIA regular season, the T-Birds enter the tournament as the third seed, avoiding a two games in one day scenario, provided they keep winning in the double knockout format.



It's a familiar field in Mesa, Arizona with the same five teams from the 2018 championship back for another go. Last year the 'Birds lost their tournament opener to the Redhawks but rallied off three straight wins to advance to the championship final while earning a berth to the first round of the NAIA World Series.

First pitch Sunday at Hohokam Stadium is set for 12:30 p.m. PT. The winner will advance to a semifinal game on Monday while the loser will have to play again Monday night in an elimination contest.
 

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Week 12 Player Spotlight is 2nd year infielder @nolanweger_. The @ubckin student recorded a hit in each game of the @ubctbirds sweep over the 'Yotes including a solo HR for the team's only run in a 1-0 victory ?? ? ??: @bobfridimages | #ubcbaseball #gobirdsgo

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Last Action

The T-Birds will head to Arizona with a strong degree of confidence after sweeping the College of Idaho 'Yotes in the final series of the season. The 'Birds outscored the 'Yotes by a 20-4 margin while playing some of their best baseball in all aspects with stellar pitching, solid hitting, and crisp fielding.
 

Players to Watch

Nolan Weger (#5, IF) – The sophomore infielder put up five hits, including two homers, with five RBI while scoring three runs over the weekend. Weger finished the regular season with a team-leading .307 batting average while tied for the lead in hits with 46.
 

A pair of 3rd year pitchers led the 'Birds with 5 wins each. @Windy_16 finished the year with a 5-3 record, while @barrycaine10 only started 1 game this year but picked up 4 wins in relief. pic.twitter.com/Ua6uPbOHvy

— UBC Baseball (@ubc_baseball) May 2, 2019

Barry Caine (#10, RHP) – Picking up his third save of the season against C of I, the junior reliever closed out the regular season with a 2.31 ERA while holding the opposition to a conference leading batting average of just .168. The Surrey product pitched over 46 combined innings racking up 50 strikeouts and five wins to go along with his three saves.
 

Coach's Take

By entering the championship as the number three seed, the T-Birds avoid a slightly more difficult path, but will still face stiff competition right off the hop.

"To stay in the winners bracket in these tournaments is huge, nothing guarantees you anything but I think we worked hard and deserve to be in that 2-3 game," said UBC head coach Chris Pritchett who guided his team to the tournament final in 2018 despite losing their opening game. "Last year we were able to pull off a little bit of a miracle and get to the final but it's definitely not the way you want to do it."



This year's conference championship features the same five teams which competed in 2018, providing a little bit of familiarity.

"There's a little bit of feel there but they're in the same boat we are, we have a lot of new faces so there's a little bit of feeling each other out and you really just have to play to your strengths," added Pritchett who stressed the need for his pitchers to keep up their recent strong performances. "Antelope Valley and Benedictine-Mesa have phenomenal offensive numbers so there will be more quality hitters we'll have to navigate through. They'll have to be on top of their game and that puts pressure on defence not to give any extra outs away."