The UBC Thunderbirds are set for an incredibly busy stretch that will see them play 16 games over the next 16 days, starting by visiting the Eastern Oregon Mountaineers for a four game series Friday and Saturday, March 6^th and 7^th, in La Grande, Oregon.

Following the road trip down south, the 'Birds will be right back at it Tuesday in Surrey when they host the Northwest University Eagles. The Providence Argos will then pay a visit to Softball City the following weekend.

All told, it's a busy and very impactful portion of the Cascade Collegiate Conference season for the T-Birds as the next two weeks could go a long way to determining their playoff fate come the end of April.



The T-Birds and Mountaineers split their four game series in Surrey last year with UBC taking two of the three conference battles. In fact, the 'Birds and Eastern Oregon have alternated wins over their last eight meetings dating back two years, including two games in the 2018 conference championship tournament where the Mountaineers ended the 'Birds' season.

First pitch for Friday's doubleheader with Eastern Oregon is set for 12:00 p.m. PT. The final conference game of the weekend is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. Saturday with a non-conference battle to follow.
 

Last Action

The T-Birds opened up conference play with a series win at home last weekend over the Northwest Christian Beacons. Shelby Kempel kicked off the season in style hitting a walk off grand slam in the series opener. UBC got a strong, complete game performance on the mound from Megan Hendrickson in the first half of Saturday's doubleheader but the T-Birds dropped the series finale.

?? SB | @UBCSoftball takes the 7-3 win over @GoBEACONS in game 1 of their home opening series. Due to rain, game 2 today has been postponed. The teams will play at 2pm and 4pm on Saturday. #GoBirdsGo pic.twitter.com/b85ItW89KS

— UBC Thunderbirds / @UBCTBirds (@ubctbirds) February 29, 2020

 
Eastern Oregon was swept by the host Southern Oregon Raiders last weekend. The Mountaineers were outscored by a combined 33-5 in the three conference games.

 

Players to Watch

Shelby Kempel (#17, P/OF) – Not only did Kempel hit the sensational walk off grand slam Friday but she also picked up the win on the mound having pitched the final four and two thirds innings with no earned runs on just two hits along with three strikeouts.



Cassa Courtney (#18, OF) – The senior outfielder leads the Thunderbirds with 13 hits this season, five of them coming against the Beacons last weekend. The Surrey product also has six RBI along with a team-leading .724 slugging percentage along with a .448 batting average.