COMING UP: at The Master's, Thursday, 2 p.m.; at The Master's (DH), Friday, 11 a.m.; at The Master's, Saturday, 11 a.m.

COMPLETE WEEKLY MEDIA NOTEBOOK
 
GAME DAY INFORMATION: Live Stats of all games will be available through OIT's SIDEARM Stats Portal, while the 4-game series at The Master's will be carried on the GSAC Sports Network.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – THE MASTER'S: The Owls make the 6-hour drive to the Los Angeles metro, set to play NAIA foe The Master's in a 4-game series. The Mustangs (4-6) are coming off a 31-20 season, with the 2026 squad splitting a doubleheader with Westcliff, splitting a 4-game series with Bushnell and dropped 3-of-4 to William Carey. TMU is averaging 6.8 runs a game and has a .296 team batting average, led by All-America right fielder Ty Beck (.425 5 HR 9 RBI). Outfielders Zach Jenkins (.452 0 HR 5 RBI) and Mikey Murr (.270 2 HR 11 RBI), shortstop Isaiah Morales (.358 1 HR 7 RBI) and designated hitter Jack Drew (.333 1 HR 8 RBI) are all tough outs. On the mound, Gage Webster (3-0 0.00) has not given up a run in 15 innings, with Manuel Herrera (0-0 2.00 ERA) and James Coker (1-1 2.38 ERA) key to the Mustangs success. The two teams have met eight previous times, with the Mustangs winning 7-of-8 games.
 
BEST STARTS TO A SEASON: OIT opened the season in Arizona, finishing the first half of the 10-day road trip with a 5-1 mark – the second-best start to a season in program history. The 2015 Hustlin' Owls team won their first six games before a loss, with the 2026 team surpassing the 2022 club that opened with a 4-1 record.
 
KEY ARC WINS: Bookending a 19-1 rout of Nelson AIC from the National Christian College Athletic Association, Tech earned series wins against Ottawa and Benedictine Mesa. The Owls took 2-of-3 from an OUAZ that previously won a series against UBC, while sweeping a Tuesday doubleheader at BenU. With both teams among the top clubs in the West ARC (comprising the Cascade, Great Southwest and Great Plains conferences) – it could be a key factor for OIT later in the year.
 
SWINGING THE BAT: Tech found their rhythm at the plate quickly in Arizona, hitting .333 over the six games – including a .326 clip with runners in scoring position – while averaging 9.8 runs per contest. The Owls had 9-or-more hits in every game (11-or-more hits in 5-of-6 games) and scored 10-plus runs in each of the final three contests.
 
TRANSFERS MAKE IMMEDIATE IMPACT: The Owls brought in a quality mix of freshmen and transfers to replace a large senior class – with the transfer recruits paying bid dividends in Arizona. Cal Poly transfer Nick Gimino recorded a hit in all six games (going 11-for-22) with two doubles and six RBI, while San Diego State transfer Logan Pontecorvo hit .346 with two doubles, a triple, a home run and eight RBI. Western Oregon transfer Dylan Edwards was 7-for-19 with six runs scored, while Everett CC transfer Cal Pickhardt hitting .435 (10-for-23) with two doubles and seven RBI – hitting safely in each of the six games, while leading the club with six stolen bases.
 
STEALS RECORD TIED: In the series finale vs. OUAZ, the Hustlin' Owls combined for 10 stolen bases in the victory – the most stolen bases in a game for an OIT club since the 2012 season (vs. La Sierra). Cal Pickhardt led the way with five stolen bases, tying the single-game school record first established by Kai Fong in 2017.
 
RETURNERS THRIVE IN ARIZONA: Veteran players also had success in the first half of the road trip, as seniors Jacob Cook and Michael O'Daniel, along with sophomore Logan Macy, each were instrumental in the Owls wins. Cook leads the team with a .619 on-base percentage – going 6-for-13 at the plate with seven RBI, while also drawing seven walks. O'Daniel hit .348 in the six games, adding two doubles, two triples and five RBI, Macy hitting .308 with a homer, two doubles and five RBI.
 
PITCHERS HAVE SOLID STAY IN THE DESERT: It wasn't just the bats that had success for the Hustlin' Owls in Arizona, the OIT pitching staff did their part in the six games – combining for a 4.04 ERA. In each of the five victories, Tech pitchers recorded three walks or fewer, with the team allowing four earned runs or fewer in five of the six games. The group used the strikeout to their advantage, recording 10-or-more strikeouts in three of the contests.
 
QUALITY STARTS: The Owls received three quality starts in Arizona, as Noah Loew, Aiden Lundquist and Landon Cheney each earned victories. Loew secured the series win at OUAZ, throwing five strong innings, allowing just one earned run on five hits, striking out four. Lundquist made a splash in his OIT debut, throwing five shutout innings in the win over Nelson, allowing six hits and striking out six. Cheney bounced back from a tough outing at OUAZ to handcuff Benedictine Mesa, throwing six innings, allowing an unearned run on seven hits and tied a career-high with six strikeouts.
 
FROM THE PEN: The Tech bullpen was dominant in the six games in the desert – combining for a 2.42 ERA in 26 innings of work. Caleb Randolph led the way, throwing five shutout innings spanning a pair of appearances – allowing three hits and striking out a seven, without a walk. Aiden McAuliffe threw three shutout innings in his Owls debut vs. Nelson, allowing three hits and fanning three, while both Enrique Perez and Marcos Ulloa-Ford had two quality outings – Perez allowing one run on two hits in four innings, including a win over Benedictine Mesa, with Ulloa-Ford throwing three-plus innings, allowing a run and striking out five, claiming a win over OUAZ.
 
FLASHING THE LEATHER: Defense was key in the six games, as the Owls posted a .975 fielding percentage. Tech committed just five errors in Arizona, while the team capitalized on 16 opponent miscues.
 
PRESEASON RANKINGS: The Hustlin' Owls were selected a close fourth out of eight teams in the Cascade Conference Preseason Poll, released in October. Tech earned 43 voter points from the eight coaches, just behind Bushnell (45) – with British Columbia (60) and Lewis-Clark State (59) taking the top spots. UBC opens the season ranked No. 10 in the NAIA Top-25 poll, with LC at No. 21.
 
AROUND THE CONFERENCE: Six of the eight teams in the league were in action last week, including LC State opening their schedule with a doubleheader sweep of Whitworth, with both Eastern Oregon (at Park Gilbert) and Bushnell (at The Master's) splitting 4-game sets, Corban dropped 3-of-4 at Simpson and British Columbia lost two games at OUAZ before defeating Nelson. This week, six teams take the diamond, as LC State hosts Texas A&M Texarkana, College of Idaho hosts Pacific, Bushnell hosts Saint Martin's, EOU is at Linfield, with Whitman traveling to Warner Pacific.
 
RECORD BOOK: Currently, two players rank among the Top-25 in the OIT career record book. Kaden Melzer No. 8 in saves (4) and Landon Cheney is No. 16 in wins (16) and No. 20 in pitching appearances (41).
 
NEXT WEEK: The Hustlin' Owls are set to open Cascade Conference play at home (weather permitting), hosting Corban in a 4-game series. All CCC games in 2026 will be streamed live on the Urban Edge Network.