Coming off a record-breaking 2024 campaign, the UBC Thunderbirds begin their 2025 Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) season in Eugene, Oregon with a pair of doubleheaders against the Bushnell Beacons starting on Saturday, March 1.

Last year, the T-Birds posted a 26-22 record (16-11 in conference play), before eliminating Carroll College from the CCC playoff tournament, but falling just short of the NAIA World Series Opening Round. After a taste of post-season success, and with the addition of five new recruits, the team is looking to take the next step in 2025.



"The team has put in so much work this year to build out our identity and be a more formidable offensive threat," said head coach Jennifer McKellar, who is in her second year leading the 'Birds. "It was exciting last year to see the success we had but no one here is satisfied. We have a lot of strengths in the circle with our pitching staff returning and it feels like this year our offense and defense will be pushing the envelope to be just as consistent on both sides of the ball. They are a united group who have a lot of passion for what we are doing and playing their role. I am expecting to see us have the opportunity to use our whole bench as we have a great combination of returning starters and younger players hungry for their opportunities. Our squad has big goals for this season but we will take it in stride, one game at a time."

The blue and gold showcased their potential earlier this month in Texas at the NAIA Southern Collegiate Sports Invitational. After dropping both their matchups on the opening day, they bounced back with three straight victories.

"Texas was a good pre-season start for us. It was very valuable for us to see two top 10 NAIA teams from outside our conference so early in the year to evaluate the impact of our off-season training and where we are at right now. We responded really well the last 2 days showing the growth of our offensive skills. The competition we saw is very comparable to our conference and that helps us see what it will take to be successful."



Bushnell (5-3) finished seventh in the CCC standings in 2024, short of making the post-season conference tournament. The Beacons managed one win in their only series against UBC last year which took place at Collings Field. This weekend marks the third year in a row that the two teams meet in the opening series of the conference.

"With any series, our expectation is to take it one pitch, one inning, one game at a time," added McKellar, when asked about the upcoming matchup. "With our goal of a longer postseason run, Bushnell is just the start to putting together a really strong CCC record and continuing to improve our game and what it will take for us to win no matter the opponent."

The 'Birds and Beacons are scheduled to start their series Saturday morning at 11:00 a.m., followed by a 1:00 p.m. rematch. The two teams then clash twice on Sunday at both 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. (non-conference).