VANCOUVER – It's been a long 10 months but the UBC Thunderbirds are now just hours away from returning to competitive baseball at Tourmaline West Stadium, hosting the College of Idaho Yotes for their home opening series starting Friday, March 8.
The T-Birds (11-8) have already been in full swing for a good month now with their annual California pre-conference trip behind them and everyone champing at the bit to get underway at their own park.
"I think there's a certain excitement. When we first started the season down south, there was a lot of energy but every game's been on the road," said UBC head coach
Chris Pritchett, now in his ninth season with the 'Birds. "I think there's something special about coming out and having your home fans and your family out to watch you play and to be in your park that you're comfortable with. So we're really excited to open up this Friday."
A solid start to the year including three wins in as many games over No. 11 Hope International certainly helped a veteran team get some solid early traction to their season.
"We want to play the best teams. We think we're one of those teams as well and we want to go out and prove it," added Pritchett. "Last weekend was rough but we're ready to get back on the field and prove that we have a good club."
The first series this season against a Cascade Collegiate Conference team last weekend was indeed a bit rough with the No. 3 ranked Lewis-Clark State Warriors sweeping the four-game set. The 'Birds know they weren't at their best but they also know they are more than capable of bouncing back with a resounding response.
"They are a really good team and I think our group realized we got to play our best baseball to beat a team like that. We can't make mistakes and expect to win. That's what it'll take at the end of the season so those are valuable lessons. Of course we'd like to learn them with a few more 'Ws' over the weekend so that's painful, but the group's in good spirits. We're ready to move forward and I'm excited about the coming series."
Despite losing some key veterans to graduation in the likes of
Noah Or,
Mike Fitzsimmons and
Brandon Hupe to name a few, the T-Birds boast one of their most experienced rosters in a number of years.
Junior first baseman
Trent Lenihan has been lights out at the plate so far in 2024, currently sitting second in the CCC with a .434 batting average and an astounding OPS of 1.231.
Sophomore starting pitcher
Ryan Heppner already has three wins to his credit while boasting a 3.97 ERA, fourth best in the conference.
But numbers aside, it's the valuable veteran leadership Pritchett is counting on to help lead the program to what's hoped could be their first NAIA World Series appearance since 2006.
"I think there's a good leadership group this year, some guys have stepped up. So when you take things like last week when things don't go as well, they're going to be out there riling the guys up and moving forward. We're taking that experience and we're just trying to harness this thing and move it all in the right direction. There's a lot of excitement and buy-in to what we're doing and how we're doing it so we're excited about this season."
First pitch at home in 2024 is set for 6:00 p.m. Friday night at Tourmaline West Stadium. Saturday features a doubleheader against the Yotes with game one beginning at 1:00 p.m. Sunday's series finale is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. Attendance is free and the
games will also be streamed live.
