LA GRANDE, Ore. – And just like that, Mountaineers Baseball is back on the road. Eastern Oregon heads north to Canada this weekend for its first ever match-up against British Columbia since the team's reinstatement.

OPPONENT
British Columbia Thunderbirds (14-19, 2-6 CCC)

WHERE
Vancouver, B.C., Canada - Tourmaline West Stadium

WHEN
Saturday-Sunday, April 2-3
Saturday, April 2 - 1 & 4 p.m.
Sunday, April 3 - 11 a.m. & 2 p.m.

First Pitch
• Eastern (9-24, 2-6 CCC) is coming off its home debut last weekend where the team split with Bushnell, 2-2.
• The Mountaineers also picked up their first conference wins of the year in last weekend's series.
• For EOU, the team is no stranger to playing away from home as the team was on the road for eight straight weeks to start the 2022 season.
• Following the four-game road swing, the Mounties will return home next weekend to face Lewis-Clark State in a four-game league series.

How to Watch/Follow
• Live video coverage for this weekend's series can be found on the EOU Baseball schedule page and by clicking the respective link above. The broadcast will be produced by UBC and is free to view. 
• Live stats coverage for this weekend can be accessed by clicking the respective link above and by going to the EOU Baseball schedule page.
• All home games this year will be webcast on the Mountie Sports Network at www.eousports.com/watch. All EOU home games will be Pay-Per-View and can be purchased for $7.95 per game or $11.95 for a day pass of doubleheaders. Fans can also purchase an Eastern Oregon All-Access pass to watch all 2021-22 EOU home sporting events for $100.
• Livestreams for all home games will begin 15 minutes prior to first pitch.
• Live stats coverage for EOU Baseball games this season can be accessed at www.eousports.com/livestats.

Story Lines
• This weekend's match-up will be the first between the two squads since EOU was reinstated.
• EOU is coming off its first conference series wins and series split from last weekend.
• The Mounties are currently on a two-game winning streak entering the weekend.
• This is EOU's first road series in Canada since the program was reinstated.

Quick Hits
Last Time Out
• The Mountaineers split their home opening weekend, going 2-2 against Bushnell.
• The Beacons took day one by final scores of 5-1 and 6-4, before bouncing back on day two.
• The Mounties won day two by finals of 8-2 and 16-13.
• Elliott Marks was crucial in the wins, hitting two home runs, while Nick Jennings fanned eight batters in the game one win.

Series History vs. British Columbia
• Between 2000-2006, UBC owned a 29-6 record against EOU.
• The two squads did not play in 2021 as UBC opted out due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• In true road games between 2000-06, EOU is 3-14 against the T-Birds.

Longest Road Trip Ever…
• The Mountaineers played 29 straight games away from home to start the 2022 season.
• EOU's games this weekend will be the second to last on the road for 2022.
• Eastern will only play at home two more times this season.

Batter Up!
• EOU has tallied five or more hits in 24 of their 33 games played this season.
• Eastern had a season best 19 hits in the win over Oklahoma Panhandle State.
• Against Bushnell, EOU tallied 16 hits in the finale which is the most at home this season.
• Hector Carreon leads the bats with a .307 average in 25 games played.
• Carreon also has a team leading three home runs.
• Elliott Marks and Matt Garcia are currently on a five-game hitting streak, respectively.

It's Not Stealing If You Don't Get Caught
• Entering the weekend, EOU is currently 29-42 on stolen base attempts.
• Austin Gerding leads the way in stolen bases with seven on 10 attempts in 20 starts.
• Garret Kollar is second in stolen bases with five on seven attempts.

Doing Work on the Mound
• The Mountaineers have racked up six more strikeouts in 18 games this year.
• Eastern racked up a season best 15 strikeouts in game two if their series against Bushnell
• Davis Brown now leads the pitching staff in strikeouts with 34 in nine games played.
• Jaydon Yancey is now second in total strikeouts with 32 in eight games played.
• Nick Jennings is climbing up the ranks and is third in strikeouts with 26 in five games played.

Stat Leaders (As of April 1)
• The Mountaineers are fourth in the CCC in fielding percentage at .956
• Elliott Marks ranks ninth in the league in batting average at .371.
• Matt Garcia is third in triples hit with four. He is 10th in RBI with 29.
• McKlane Elgin is tied for fourth in triples hit with three.
• Davis Brown is seventh in the league in innings pitched at 42.1.
• Jaydon Yancey ranks 10th in the conference in ERA at 4.70. He is fourth in innings pitched at 46.0.

Scouting the Thunderbirds
• UBC enters the weekend with a 14-19 overall record and is 2-6 in league play. They are currently on a four-game losing streak, but own a 6-2 record at home.
• The 'Birds bat .276 as a team and have tallied 297 hits on the year. They have hit 26 home runs to go along with 182 RBI and 206 runs scored.
• On the mound, UBC has a 7.59 team ERA. They have fanned 229 batters and hold batters to a .298 average. They have surrendered 20 home runs this season.
• Defensively, the 'Birds sport a .958 fielding percentage. They have committed 46 errors and turned 17 double plays.
• Ty Penner leads the bats with a .412 average, He has a team best 36 RBI to go along with 30 runs scored. He also leads the team in homers with 10.
• Noah Or is second in batting with a .328 average. He has 22 RBI and scored 15 runs to go along with six doubles. He is second in total hits with 41.
• Second in runs scored is Mike Fitzsimmons with 29. He is batting .250 with a team best 12 doubles and three triples. He is also second in RBI with 23.
• Ryan Beitel leads the pitching staff with 40 strikeouts and has pitched the most innings at 40.0. He is 2-2 and has a 6.53 ERA.
• Shane Laforest is second in strikeouts with 35. He has appeared in nine games and is 3-3 with a 6.41 ERA in 39.1 innings.
• Brett Corbeth has the most game appearances with 10. He is 0-5 on the year with 23 strikeouts in 35.1 innings of work.

Up Next
• Following the four-game road trip. EOU will return home next weekend to face CCC leader Lewis-Clark State College for four games. The series will run April 8-10. Day one action will be a single game with first pitch at 3 p.m.

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