NAIA title route goes through regional host UBC

Bigger-picture history sides with the UBC Thunderbirds this weekend. A smaller window into the past favours the Oregon Tech Hustlin’ Owls.

The T-Birds and those hustlers from Klamath Falls, Ore., are part of the three-team NAIA West Grouping baseball tournament, along with the Idaho Coyotes, that will take place Saturday and Sunday at Thunderbird Park on the UBC campus. The winner advances to an NAIA opening-round tournament at one of nine possible sites May 15-18, with hopes of getting through to the NAIA World Series May 26-June 2 in Lewiston, Idaho.

UBC (31-14) is the top seed this weekend and has had considerably more success overall in 2017 than either Idaho (21-28) or Oregon Tech (18-27). The Hustlin’ Owls did beat the T-Birds, though, in their season series, winning five of eight, including both ends of a doubleheader at Thunderbird Park on April 23.

The T-Birds finished off the regular season last weekend in Caldwell, Idaho, winning three of four from the Coyotes. They took six of eight from the Coyotes this year.

“We’re a little banged up,” TBirds coach Chris Pritchett said earlier this week. “I’m hoping that everyone is healthy by the weekend and we’ll be monitoring the workload this week. With that in mind, I think if we swing the bat, I really like our chances. At end of the series last week, we were doing that and I hope that carries over.”

The T-Birds, who are 15-6 this season at Thunderbird Park compared to 16-8 on the road, open action Saturday with a 1 p.m. game against Idaho. They then play Oregon Tech at 4 p.m. Idaho and Oregon Tech start the day with a 10 a.m. tilt.

The championship round is Sunday.

Looking to get off to a good start, Pritchett said ace Connor Noble will get the call against Idaho Saturday. The senior right-hander from Vancouver went 7-1 in the regular season, with 2.02 earnedrun average in 11 appearances, including 10 starts. He struck out 56 and walked 13 in 711/3 innings.

He had mixed results against Idaho, scattering seven hits over seven scoreless innings in a March 24 start, but then giving up nine hits and five earned runs in five innings out of the bullpen in a March 26 encounter.

The reigning national champion Lewis-Clark State Warriors are part of the five-team league as well, but they aren’t taking part in these playoffs since they have an automatic berth as World Series hosts.