UBC Thunderbirds Return to Lewiston, Idaho for Cascade Collegiate Conference Baseball Championship
No. 24 UBC Opens Tournament Play Against College of Idaho on Friday
For the fifth consecutive season, the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds will compete for the Cascade Collegiate Conference baseball title, and for the third time in that stretch — including the second time in the last three years — Lewiston, Idaho will serve as the host city for the championship tournament.
The No. 24 UBC Thunderbirds (30-7, 36-13 overall) arrive in Lewiston as the tournament’s second seed, set to open double-elimination play against the third-seeded College of Idaho Yotes (20-17, 29-19) on Friday, May 1 at 2:30 p.m. at Harris Field. The host Lewis-Clark State Warriors claimed the top seed after sweeping their final regular-season series against Warner Pacific, edging out the Thunderbirds for the right to host the championship for a second straight year.
The T-Birds enter the tournament riding one of the hottest streaks in the conference, having won 11 of their final 12 regular-season games. Despite that surge, a loss to Bushnell last Saturday — combined with LC State’s sweep of Warner Pacific — kept UBC from claiming the conference title outright and hosting the tournament themselves.
Coach Pritchett on Returning to Harris Field
UBC head coach Chris Pritchett, who guided the Thunderbirds to their first-ever CCC title three seasons ago, expressed confidence in his team’s ability to perform in Lewiston despite the disappointing end to the regular season.
“We knew the path was tough to be able to finish it off and host, but it doesn’t take away anything from what our team’s done this season,” Pritchett said in remarks provided by UBC Communications. “Obviously we would have loved to have won the conference outright and hosted, that’s a lot of fun, but this is a lot to look forward to as well. LC is a place that we actually really enjoy playing at and we’re comfortable there, I think that’s a positive.”
Pritchett added that the competitive field entering the five-team tournament adds to the challenge — and the excitement. “When you get to a five-team tournament anything can happen and we’re seeing a couple of the teams that are really playing their best ball, so it’s going to be tough. I think the guys are excited, the coaching staff’s excited so we just want to get going.”
The Thunderbirds have demonstrated clear dominance over their Friday opponent during the regular season, sweeping all four games against the College of Idaho Yotes earlier in April at Tourmaline West Stadium by a combined margin of 32-10. UBC closed the regular season as the conference leader in hits (533) and RBI (378), while their pitching staff posted a CCC-best 9.76 strikeouts per nine innings.
Despite those strong numbers, Pritchett acknowledged his team has yet to put together a complete performance over a multi-day stretch. “When you get into this tournament, all those things have to be clicking,” he said. “No matter who wins this thing or moves on, they’re going to play good defence, they’re going to pitch, they’re going to hit and if any of those things don’t show up, it makes it really tough. We’re getting close, we still haven’t put everything together in a three or four day weekend but I think we’re expecting to play good baseball.”
Stakes: Conference Crown and NAIA Post-Season Berth
The winner of the Cascade Collegiate Conference tournament will earn not only the conference crown but also an automatic qualifier into the NAIA Baseball Championship Opening Round. With LC State hosting one of the ten regional tournaments in mid-May, two conference teams will have a pathway into the NAIA postseason — one through the tournament win and one through the host berth.
The double-elimination format provides some margin for error, but Pritchett made clear that falling into the losers’ bracket complicates matters significantly. A UBC win on Friday would advance them to Saturday’s late winners’ bracket game, while a loss to the Yotes would require them to win a must-play elimination game against the loser of Friday’s opening matchup between Bushnell and Oregon Tech.
Pritchett praised College of Idaho and head coach Humberger heading into the matchup. “We expect it to be a very competitive game and we’re just excited to get going.”
Lewiston has become a familiar and respected host for high-level collegiate baseball in the Lewis-Clark Valley. Harris Field is no stranger to competitive action — the area’s deep tradition in the sport is well-established at the NAIA level. Local fans interested in attending or watching remotely can stream the entire Cascade Collegiate Conference championship live on the Urban Edge Network.
Lewis-Clark State’s own trajectory in the tournament will be closely watched as well, given the Warriors’ status as top seed and host. For more on prep and collegiate sports in the region, see our recent coverage of the Lewiston High student earning runner-up honors at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival and Lapwai High School girls basketball on MaxPreps.
What Comes Next
First pitch for the UBC Thunderbirds’ Cascade Collegiate Conference tournament opener against the College of Idaho Yotes is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Friday, May 1 at Harris Field in Lewiston, Idaho. The championship tournament runs through the weekend in double-elimination format, with the conference final set for Sunday. The full tournament will be streamed on the Urban Edge Network. For additional Idaho sports and statewide news, visit Idaho News and the Idaho News Network.