COMING UP: at Ottawa (Ariz.) (DH), Friday, 11 a.m. (MST); at Ottawa (Ariz.), Saturday, 12 p.m. (MST): at Nelson AIC, Saturday, 7 p.m. (MST); at Benedictine Mesa (DH), Tuesday, 11 a.m. (MST).

COMPLETE WEEKLY MEDIA NOTEBOOK
 
GAME DAY INFORMATION: Game 1 and Game 3 of the OUAZ series will be played at Surprise Stadium (Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers Spring Training Stadium in Surprise), with Game 2 played on the Field 6 on the Royals side of the complex. The Nelson AIC game will be played at Cortez High School in Phoenix, while the BenU doubleheader to be played at Gene Autry Park in Mesa. Live Stats of all games will be available through OIT's SIDEARM Stats Portal, while any live streams will be linked to the OIT Baseball Homepage.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – OUAZ: The Owls open the new season at Ottawa University of Arizona, as the Spirit (5-3), out of the Great Southwest Athletic Conference are coming off a 31-20 season. OUAZ opened 2026 with a series sweep of Bethesda, before dropping 3-of-4 to a Top-25 Johnson (Tenn.) squad – with the club averaging seven runs per game and recording a .286 team batting average, with the pitching staff boasting a solid 3.04 ERA. It is a new-look Spirit team, as only outfielder Matthew Carter (.200 4 RBI) returns from the everyday lineup, along with No. 1 starter Micah Del Rio (1-1 3.27 ERA), who led the staff with seven wins. Freshman third baseman Camden Knutson (.414 0 HR 7 RBI) has had a quick start to the season, along with second baseman Isaiah Nava (.400 0 HR 5 RBI) and shortstop Trevor Lesperance (.400 0 HR 7 RBI). On the mound, lefty Winston Roberts (1-0 0.87 ERA) and righty Brandon Enders (0-0 0.00 ERA) have been solid in their first season at OUAZ. It is the first meeting between the two schools.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – NELSON AIC: Tech will play a single game Saturday under the lights against Nelson American Indian College in Phoenix. The school is a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association, and is the only private, regionally accredited Christian college that serves primarily Native American students. The Warriors (2-5) finished last season 10-29 and are coming off a series loss to Westcliff – with the team hitting .273 and averaging 5.7 runs a game, but allowing opposing batters to hit at a .311 clip. Two-way player Matthew Schultz (.308 1 HR 5 RBI; 0-1 4.50 ERA) leads the way, along with outfielder Brandon Ramirez (.542 0 HR 1 RBI), infielder Ethan Gustafson (.400 2 HR 9 RBI) and designated hitter Gannon Aguilar (.292 1 HR 11 RBI). Pitchers Nathan Simmons (1-0 2.45 ERA) and Eli Arsenault (1-1 2.70 ERA) anchor the pitching staff. It marks the first time OIT and Nelson AIC have met on the diamond.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – BENEDICTINE MESA: After two off days, the Owls will close out the Arizona portion of their trip with a date at Benedictine Mesa. The Redhawks (3-3) are coming off a down season, going 14-32 in 2025 – with the new team earning wins over Justice, Evangel and Corban, before nationally-ranked Taylor swept a 3-game series. BenU has struggled at the plate, hitting just .214 on the year, while pitchers have combined for a 9.94 ERA. Returning infielders Ben Schnurman (.222 2 HR 6 RBI) and Oliver Davies (.455 1 HR 4 RBI) were joined by transfer outfielder Javier Rochin (.375 2 HR 9 RBI) to lead the offense, while on the mound, returners Bridger Erickson (1-1 11.57 ERA) and Cody Campbell (1-1 10.00 ERA) combined for seven wins last year, with senior Bobby Romitti (0-0 1.29 ERA) off to a quality start. It is the first meeting between Tech and BenU.
 
OWLS TO OPEN SEASON IN ARIZONA: For the first time since the 2005 season, the Hustlin' Owls will not start the season in California – instead heading to Arizona to begin a 10-day, 10-game exodus away from the Klamath Basin. OIT will begin with six games in the Phoenix metro – a new collegiate sports hotbed, as five Great Southwest Athletic Conference teams (Embry-Riddle, Benedictine Mesa, Arizona Christian, Park Gilbert, OUAZ) call the area home, along with two National Christian College Athletic Association teams (Nelson AIC, Justice). It is the second trip to the desert for Tech, as the Owls played four games in Phoenix during the 2022 season, going 1-3 against various opponents.
 
SEASON OPENERS: Since the 1979 season, the Owls are 11-26 in their season opening game – winning back-to-back games during the 2006-07 and 2017-18 seasons. From 1979-86, Tech began the year exclusively against NCAA Division I competition, including a 6-5 victory over Oregon State in 1986. Last year, the Owls opened the season with a 9-1 victory over Westcliff in California.
 
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: Five of the eight teams in the CCC have opened their schedules, including UBC, who are 2-2 on a 2-week, 9-game trek to Arizona. College of Idaho swept Park Gilbert in a 4-game series, Bushnell took 3-of-4 from Simpson, while Warner Pacific won 2-of-3 at Corban after Corban dropped three games in in Arizona. Three teams open their season this week – LC State hosts Whitworth, Eastern Oregon travels to Park Gilbert, with Tech playing games in Arizona. In addition, Bushnell plays a key Western ARC series at The Master's, with Corban at Simpson.
 
A LOOK BACK TO 2025: It was a whirlwind season for the Owls, which started in August of 2024 when skipper Jacob Garsez resigned to take the head job at Division II Sonoma State (a program that has since been eliminated by the university). Longtime pitching coach, Ricky Walker, took over the reins and ran with it – battling through 24-straight road games to open the year, including series sweeps at Simpson and Corban – beginning the season, 16-8. Following a back-to-back gauntlet of games vs. UBC (which advanced to the NAIA World Series) and LC State, the Owls returned home and began an unprecedented run – winning 14-straight games, finishing the year 18-2 at Steen Sports Park. Tech finished third in the CCC Tournament and fourth in the NAIA Opening Round Lewiston Bracket – their first-ever trip to the NAIA Championships. The club scored 10-or-more runs a school-record 23 times – including a 17-game stretch where they scored 8-or-more runs in each contest – with only three of their 16 losses coming by five runs or more. Tyler Horner was named CCC Player of the Year for a second-straight season, hitting .399 with 13 homers and 66 RBI, while Patrick Barry (.392 41 RBI) and Julien Jones (.358 15 HR 55 RBI) earned All-CCC honors, as did Tim Williams (8-1 3.24 ERA), the CCC's Pitcher of the Year.
 
SEASON PREVIEW: Click Here for the 2026 OIT Baseball Preview.
 
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. 21 in appearances (39) and No. 22 in wins (9).
 
NEXT WEEK: The Owls continue their week-long trip, heading to California for a 4-game series at The Master's, Feb. 12-14. Weather permitting, OIT is set to open the home season Feb. 21-22 vs. Corban.