The UBC Thunderbirds (6-2, 10-6) have roared out of the gate and they'll look to keep their hot start to the NAIA West season going this weekend when they face the Corban Warriors (2-2, 6-13) for a four-game series starting Friday, March 6
th in Keizer, Oregon.
It's a meeting of two familiar foes who have developed a fierce rivalry, especially over the past several seasons. The results of this weekend series are also likely to play a big role in determining who advances to the post-season come the end of April.
Last year the Warriors were the only NAIA West opponent to win their season series over the Thunderbirds as Corban took two of three games at home over UBC.
The T-Birds enter this weekend on a roll having swept the Oregon Tech Owls at home following a conference season opening split at Lewis-Clark State.
As for the Warriors, they'll be well rested as they're coming off an early season bye week.
First pitch Friday is set for 6:00 p.m. PT at Volcanoes Stadium. Saturday's doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. while the series finale will go Sunday at 11:00 a.m.
Last Action
UBC swept the Oregon Tech Owls in their home opening series at Tourmaline West Stadium last weekend. The 'Birds outscored the Owls by a 30-10 margin and extended their home regular season win streak to nine games dating back to last season.
The Warriors opened their NAIA West season with a four-game series split with the College of Idaho. Corban had a bye last weekend while this series with UBC will serve as their final home games until the middle of April.
Players to Watch
Barry Caine (#10, RHP) – Caine earned the conference's Red Lion Pitcher of the Week award thanks to an outstanding effort against the Owls on Sunday. The senior picked up his first win of the season allowing just one run on five hits through seven full innings while striking out a career-high 11.
Ty Penner (#3, IF) – The sophomore infielder had a massive weekend against the Owls with a combined eight hits and six RBI while scoring four times. Penner's 13 RBI on the season leads the T-Birds while he's bumped his batting average up to .255.
Coach's Take
It's been a strong first two weeks to the conference season for the 'Birds, but they know this weekend may very well be their biggest test yet.
"This team is tough, Corban is probably the toughest pitching staff we'll see in our conference," said UBC head coach
Chris Pritchett. "They're terrific at base running, we'll really need to be on our game. It'll be a challenge, I think the weather's supposed to be a little sketchy so we just have to get ready to play. We have to finish ahead of these guys if we want to get to the post-season."
Last weekend saw some excellent results for the T-Birds in all facets of the game. But despite the strong performance overall, nobody is content.
"It's early in the season but it's a quick sprint to the end so we know how every game is important," Pritchett emphasized while predicting a much tighter series this time around where runs may be much harder to come by. "You're not going to blow anyone out so all those little things become more important, all those things that maybe we didn't have to do last weekend. We'll really have to be on our game for sure."
