After battling heavy rain in their first weekend of Cascade Collegiate Conference play, a new test emerges for the UBC Thunderbirds in week two as they square off against the No. 7 nationally-ranked Lewis-Clark State Warriors.
The four games will take place across three days, with one on Friday, February 28th, two on Saturday, March 1st, and one on Sunday, March 2nd. All will be at Tourmaline West Stadium as the 'Birds open the conference season with an eight-game homestand for the first time since 2019.
"I thought it was really competitive," said Thunderbirds head coach
Chris Pritchett, about his team's series sweep over Eastern Oregon last week. "It was a really good test and it was great to be at home…it gave us a lot to see where we're at and a lot we need to work on this week. Anytime you win four games in this conference, it's not easy."
Second-year pitcher
Will Anderson earned CCC Pitcher of the Week honours for his fantastic start in the third game of last week's series, a 7-3 UBC win. While not credited with the victory, Anderson gave up just one earned run in 6.2 innings of work while striking out 12 batters, doubling his previous career-high.
On the other side, Lewis-Clark State enters this series with the reigning CCC Player of the Week, first baseman Charlie Updegrave. The Oregon native lit up College of Idaho on the road last weekend, batting .700 with seven hits including a homerun, two doubles and four RBIs.
The Warriors are consistently one of the top contenders in the CCC, and a team the Thunderbirds know they need to stack up against if they are to be a top contender themselves.
"We really enjoy playing Lewis-Clark State, because you know that the game has to be played correctly, and there's not a lot of room for error," said Pritchett. "It really does, I think, bring out the best in our guys, and I know they're looking forward to that challenge…another good test to see where we're at."
The T-Birds were swept by the Warriors in the regular season last year, but the blue and gold got the last laugh as they ended Lewis-Clark State's season in the NAIA Baseball Championship Opening Round.
This time around, an experienced UBC team aims to make a statement early in the season. The bats were certainly alive in the four games last weekend, as the 'Birds scored 10 or more runs in the three of them.
Jonny McGill has been the most consistent hitter through the first month of play, hitting .368 with five extra-base hits and five RBIs in twelve games.
Trent Lenihan already has five homeruns after hitting 10 in the entirety of last season. First-year
Stephen Waters stole the show last Sunday by hitting a go-ahead grand slam as a pinch hitter in the first game of the day, helping earn himself a starting spot in the second half of the doubleheader.
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"We've just got to keep focused on what we're doing," remarked Pritchett. "It's early in the year, all these conference games are really important…this is a really good opportunity early on to be in a good spot moving forward."
First pitch of the opening game of this weekend's series is at 2:00 p.m. (PT) on Friday. That's followed by a doubleheader at 1:00 and 4:00 p.m. (PT) on Saturday and a final game at 11:00 a.m. (PT) on Sunday.
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