COMING UP: vs. No. 12 Lewis-Clark State (DH), Saturday, 12 p.m.; vs. No. 12 Lewis-Clark State, Sunday, 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 all Cascade Conference games will be broadcast live on the Urban Edge Network. This weekend, P.J. Safford will fill in for the Voice of the Hustlin' Owls, Mike Safford – who is with the men's basketball team at the NAIA Championships.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – LEWIS-CLARK STATE: The Hustlin' Owls open their home schedule against a perennial Northwest baseball power, as Lewis-Clark State makes the long trip to the Basin. The Warriors (14-3, 6-3 CCC), who had a 25-year streak of NAIA World Series appearances snapped in 2024, have rebounded this season, climbing to No. 12 in the latest NAIA Top-25 poll. Pitching has been the key for LC – leading the Cascade Conference and ranking No. 2 nationally with a 2.90 team ERA – led by left-hander Kason O'Neil (3-0 2.25 ERA) and right-handers Landon Webb (2-1 2.16 ERA), Jackson Cloud (3-0 3.18 ERA) and Evan Canfield (2-0 4.09 ERA). Offensively, the Warriors are hitting .309 as a team, paced by outfielders Bryce Johnson (.377 2 HR 20 RBI) and Brandon Nguyen (.350 3 HR 15 RBI), along with second baseman Izzy Madariaga (.352 3 HR 16 RBI). LC has dominated the all-time series, 84-14, but the Hustlin' Owls have posted a 7-5 regular-season mark against the Warriors since 2023.
 
CHAMPION SKIPPER RETURNS TO LC: LC State has a new skipper this season, but a familiar face, as Jeremiah Robbins returns to the dugout after an 8-year hiatus. Robbins, originally from the Umpqua Valley, led LC to three NAIA World Series titles from 2015-17 – before returning home to start the Umpqua CC program in Roseburg.
 
FINALLY, A HOME GAME: After playing their first 22 games away from Klamath, the Hustlin' Owls make their Bocchi Field debut on Saturday against LC State. OIT has had success at the diamond inside Steens Sports Park since moving from Kiger Stadium in 2022, combining for a 54-18 record at the facility, including a stellar 18-2 record at home in 2025.
 
TOUGH TRIP TO C OF I: The Owls had their chances last weekend at College of Idaho, but the host Coyotes used late inning magic on Sunday to steal a pair of victories to earn the series win. After the two teams split a Saturday doubleheader, Tech was unable to hold a 5-4 lead in the late innings of Sunday's Game 1, while the team was unable to score again after tying Game 2 at 3-3 in the fifth. OIT enters the new week with a 12-10 record and a 5-5 mark in CCC play.
 
RUNS EQUAL WINS: Scoring six runs in a game has been key to the Owls success, as Tech sits 12-2 in games where they have plated 6-or-more runs in a game. When OIT fails to score five runs, the club is 1-8 in 2026. Last year, the Owls were 3-7 when failing to score six runs, but 36-9 when tallying 6-or-more runs.
 
CHENEY QUALIFIES AGAIN: No. 2 starter Landon Cheney continued to be a steady force in the Owls rotation, and the right-hander pitched 5-or-more innings for the third time in four starts. The senior allowed just two earned runs in his victory at C of I, marking the fourth time in five starts this season he has allowed two earned runs or fewer.
 
FROM THE PEN: Marcos Ulloa-Ford continued his breakout 2026 season, earning his second save of the season in Game 2 at C of I. The redshirt freshman allowed just one run on two hits in three innings of work, dropping his ERA to 2.50 over 18 innings. Tech got three strong innings on Sunday from Caleb Randolph, allowing just one run on one hit, striking out four, while Josh Mejia fanned 5-of-7 batters he faced in relief on Sunday. Ryker Altizer had his best outing of 2026, striking out both batters he faced in Game 1 of the series.
 
SHARP EXTENDS HIT STREAK: Anchoring the Owls offensive attack was senior Andrew Sharp, who extended his hitting streak to a team-best nine games in the C of I series. Sharp was 5-for-13 in the set, including his team-leading seventh double, his second home run, while driving in five. The transfer is currently hitting .432 in Cascade Conference play.
 
SMITH TAKES ADVANTAGE OF CHANCE: With typical designated hitter Logan Pontecorvo missing the C of I series, OIT turned to freshman Thomas Smith in a pinch – with the 2-way player capitalizing on his opportunity. Smith was 3-for-8 in the series with six RBI, driving in four runs in the Owls 14-4 victory on Saturday. The three hits were the first hits of his collegiate career.
 
MORE WITH THE BATS: Logan Macy continued his solid start to 2026, going 7-for-16 in Idaho, scoring five runs, with the sophomore ranking second on the club with nine multi-hit games. JoJo Roman was inserted into the top of the line up and got on base – going 6-for-12 in the series with five runs scored, while Quinn Mickelson had the best doubleheader of his season, going 5-for-8 in Sunday's twinbill at C of I.
 
AROUND THE CONFERENCE: British Columbia was the lone team to sweep games last week, claiming four victories at Warner Pacific, while Corban grabbed 3-of-4 from Eastern Oregon, C of I took 3-of-4 from OIT, and LC State won 2-of-3 at home vs. Bushnell. This week, the league moves to 4-game conference series – as the eight teams will meet each other once over the final seven weeks. Along with LC heading to Tech, Corban travels to UBC, Bushnell is off to C of I, with Warner Pacific playing host to Eastern Oregon.
 
CCC TEAM LEADERS: Batting Average – Bushnell .316, LC State .309, College of Idaho .308, Oregon Tech .299, Corban .290; Runs Per Game – College of Idaho 9.2, LC State 8.7, UBC 8.3, Bushnell 7.7, Oregon Tech 7.6; Home Runs – Bushnell 27, UBC 19, Eastern Oregon 19, College of Idaho 16, Warner Pacific/LC State 15; Stolen Bases – Corban 60, Oregon Tech 55, College of Idaho 55, UBC 47, Bushnell 38; ERA – LC State 2.90, UBC 3.26, College of Idaho 4.73, Oregon Tech 5.40, Bushnell 5.65; Fielding Percentage –Eastern Oregon .972, Oregon Tech .967, UBC .967, Bushnell .963, Warner Pacific .962.
 
CCC INDIVIDUAL LEADERS: Batting Average – Austin Moon (CI) .436, Peyton Rickard (CRB) .419, Albert Jennings (BU) .412, Andrew Sharp (OIT) .405, Cody Guy (CI) .400; Runs Scored – Chase Elliott (CRB) 25, Jace Nagler (EOU) 23, Kyle Yip (UBC) 22, James Hull (CI) 22, Logan Macy (OIT) 21; Hits – Peyton Rickard (CRB) 36, Albert Jennings (BU) 33, David Krahn (UBC) 32, Andrew Sharp (OIT), 31, Nate Stevens (BU) 31, Sean Shaffer (CRB) 31, Chase Elliott (CRB) 31; Home Runs – Dylan Carson (BU) 10, Nate Stevens (BU) 7, Jace Nagler (EOU) 6, Mitchell Thoma-Britt (WPU) 5, 4 players tied with 4; RBI – Dylan Carson (BU) 29, Isaac Bateman (CRB) 25, Nate Stevens (BU) 23, Albert Jennings (BU) 23, David Krahn (UBC) 22; Stolen Bases – Chase Elliott (CRB) 14, Jace Nagler (EOU) 11, Sean Shaffer (CRB) 11, Danny Womack (BU) 9, Isaac Bateman (CRB) 9, Logan Macy (OIT) 9; ERA – James Brock (UBC) 2.00, Landon Webb (LCSC) 2.16, Kason O'Neil (LCSC) 2.25, Will Anderson (UBC) 2.35, Heath Sasser-Gunson (CI) 3.10; Pitching Strikeouts – Kai Keamo (BU) 42, James Brock (UBC) 35, Will Anderson (UBC) 34, Easton Corey (EOU) 27, Evan Canfield (LCSC) 25, Daniel Orfaly (UBC) 25.
 
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 sits at No. 13 in wins (11) and No. 14 in pitching appearances (45).
 
NEXT WEEK: Tech returns to the road next week, playing a Friday-Saturday series in Springfield against Bushnell – with the March 20 doubleheader at 2 p.m. and the March 21 twinbill at 11 a.m.