VANCOUVER – As the Cascade Collegiate Conference season winds down and the playoffs loom large, the UBC Thunderbirds are set to host the Carroll College Saints for their final home series featuring a rare Friday tripleheader at Collings Field.
A series win would clinch a berth in the upcoming conference tournament for UBC (21-13, 14-9) while the Saints (14-22, 10-13) enter their penultimate series of the regular season in a battle for one of the final spots.
"I think they'll be hungry to beat us," said UBC head coach Jenn McKellar of a Carroll team looking to rebound following a sweep at the hands of the No. 5 ranked Southern Oregon Raiders last weekend. "Being the only Canadian team we always expect that but now with some added playoff implications on the line. They've taken games off good teams already this year. They're coming in with some hunger and grit and really wanting to push themselves into the post-season. We also faced that with Corban this past weekend. Our girls are battle tested when it comes to that."
Coming off their busiest weekend of the spring having played seven games over three days, the T-Birds are certainly happy to be back north of the border for the final time this season. UBC suffered a series sweep against the host College of Idaho Friday and Saturday before turning the tables on Corban with three straight wins Sunday – a make-up series for a rainout in Vancouver two weeks back.
"To say I'm impressed with our athletes is an understatement," added McKellar. "They truly embody resiliency and 'no quit', and I think it just comes back to how much they believe in each other and knowing that there's only so much we can control. I'm so proud of them, they really, really have worked through a lot of setbacks and injuries and weather so this weekend truly embodies just how tough and resilient this group this."
One of the T-Birds' keys to success this season has been their depth and execution on the mound.
Shae Sever leads UBC with ten wins this season while sitting fifth in the conference with a 1.80 ERA. Along with fellow starters
Lindsay Bell and
Shelby Kempel, the T-Birds have a formidable rotation.
At the plate,
Mia Valcke and
Keona Nordquist are both in the conference top ten in batting average, helping the 'Birds to fourth in conference RBI this season.
"Everyone contributes, we don't rely solely on our seniors or our starters. Every player on the team has a role and they're ready to contribute when they're called upon. You can see that through three strong starting pitchers at any given point and we don't have any pitchers at 100 innings yet which is very rare. Even though our roster is small and we don't have a ton of depth in some of the infield positions you're seeing them show off their skills."
First pitch for Friday's tripleheader against the Saints is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. PT at Collings Field.
