VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds softball team opens Cascade Collegiate Conference play this weekend, as it hosts the Northwest Christian (Ore.) Beacons at Softball City in Surrey, B.C.
 
The teams will play doubleheaders Friday (1:30 p.m.) and Saturday (11 a.m.), with the series finale a non-conference matchup.
 
Both teams have played challenging schedules leading up to this weekend. 
 
UBC (1-6) opened the 2020 campaign with a split at NCAA Division II Western Washington before embarking on a five-game tour of Hawaii. The Thunderbirds dropped doubleheaders at Hawaii Pacific and Chaminade (both NCAA Div. II) before falling at NCAA Div. I Hawaii. 
 

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It's that time of year again! ?? This Friday, @ubcsoftball will have their home opener at Softball City against Northwest Christian. Back to back games will be at 1:30PM and 3:30PM. Come out and cheer on your 'Birds as they take on the 2020 season! Gothunderbirds.ca/softball #GoBirdsGo

A post shared by UBC Thunderbirds (@ubctbirds) on Feb 24, 2020 at 10:07am PST

 
The end of the 2019 season saw the graduation of Claire Eccles, Shaelyn Ogilvie, Michaela Moore, and Sierra Sherritt from the program. Head coach Gord Collings brought in a strong recruiting class to increase the depth at all positions. 
 
Northwest Christian comes into the weekend with a record of 3-13. The Beacons have played six games against teams ranked in the NAIA Top 25, going 1-5.
 
Last year, UBC and NCU faced off three times in Eugene, Ore., with the Beacons taking two wins.
 

Last Action

The 'Birds' last outing was a 15-10 loss at Hawaii on Wednesday, Feb. 18 that capped off their road trip west. Cassa Courtney went 3-for-3 at the plate, driving in three runs, while Shelby Kempel had two hits in two at-bats. 

Northwest Christian hosted NAIA No. 1 Southern Oregon at home last weekend, falling in all four games. 
 

 

Players to Watch

Mia Valcke (#16, OF/SS) – With eight hits in 19 at-bats for a .421 average, Valcke is one of UBC's top hitters. The second-year star leads the roster in home runs (1) and runs batted in (5). On Feb. 17, Valcke was named the Cascade Collegiate Conference's Red Lion Softball Player of the Week.
 
Shelby Kempel (#17, P) – Kempel has worked the most innings (15.1) of any UBC pitcher so far this season. The second-year player from Waterloo, Ont., is 1-1 with an earned run average of 3.20. On Feb. 17, Kempel was named the Cascade Collegiate Conference's Red Lion Softball Pitcher of the Week. She has also been effective at the plate for UBC, recording five hits in eight at-bats.