VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds (13-9, 7-6) have officially arrived at the halfway point of their season. Jennifer McKellar's club has impressed to this point and find themselves ranked fifth in the 11-team Cascade Collegiate Conference. A busy week for the 'Birds kicks off tomorrow at Collings Field when they play host to the Northwest Eagles (15-16, 7-10) for the first time this season.
Last weekend at home, the blue and gold faced a challenge both on and off the field. Not only did they have to navigate the #5 nationally ranked Southern Oregon Raiders, but they also had to navigate challenging weather which resulted in a pair of postponed games on Saturday afternoon. With six games slated for this week, McKellar is preaching a quick reset for her team.
"For us it's about getting back to what we do best and trying to get zoned in and focused on six wins this week and getting back to playing our game," said the first-year head coach.
We had a bit of anxiety and pressure surrounding us last weekend, so letting go of that, and embracing home field has been front of mind for sure."
Offensively, the 'Birds have received plenty of contributions from their young core of players.
Keona Nordquist enters the weekend with a team-leading .420 batting average. The second-year product of Pitt Meadows, BC also leads the blue and gold with 29 hits, a .476 on base percentage and is tied with
Kaitlyn Kim for the RBI lead (17).
On the pitching side of things,
Shae Sever and
Lindsay Bell have done most of the heavy lifting. The two have combined to throw 100 innings this season, with Sever yielding a team-leading 2.38 ERA and Bell appearing in a team-high 16 games on the mound.
This week a few key regulars could return to the lineup which further bolsters an offensive attack that Jennifer McKellar feels is ready to bust out. "By getting some experienced bats back into our lineup, it should have the effect of making everybody a little more comfortable playing their primary positions," claimed McKellar. "The expectation is that we go back to our roots, and get our bats hot again. This is the time of year where you want to see your offence starting to peek."
Before taking to the road for a weekend four-game set in Portland, the 'Birds must battle the Northwest Eagles at home twice starting tomorrow at 1:30 pm. The 'Birds and Eagles have already faced each other twice this season, with each team earning a victory back in early March.
"It presents a unique opportunity for us for us to look back at previous games against a familiar opponent to what worked well and what didn't," concluded McKellar. "The Eagles have a strong core of hitters in the middle of their order so our pitching will need to do their part. But the big thing for us is that we need to take advantage of our opportunities and hit our way to a victory."
Games are scheduled to take place tomorrow afternoon at Collings Field at 1:30 pm and 3:30 pm.
