ESPORTS

Tuesday 2/14, Overwatch 2 vs Blinn College, 6:30 p.m. (Video Stream)
Wednesday 2/15, Valorant vs Alaska Fairbanks, 5:30 p.m. (Video Stream)
Saturday 2/18, Fortnite Regional Open #2, 12 p.m. (Video Stream)
 
The Bushnell Esports spring season continues as Overwatch 2 and Valorant play their second-round matches this week. Both squads fell in their season openers last week.
 
Fortnite, who is coming off a first-place finish in the first qualifier, will go for another win in the second qualifier on Saturday. Christian Velazquez and Ethan Slayden finished among the top-three in all three qualifiers in the fall before taking eighth in the Collegiate Championship.
 
Rocket League, who dropped their second-round match to Boise State on Monday, will have the week off before returning on Feb. 27.
 

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

Friday 2/17 vs. Southern Oregon (at Corban), 10:00 am
Saturday 2/18 vs. Northwest (at Corban), 12:00 pm
Saturday 2/18 vs. Southern Oregon (at Corban), 4:00 pm
 
The Beacons officially begin the 2023 on Friday and will get an early look at two "expansion" teams in the Cascade Collegiate Conference as they take on SOU and Northwest.
 
CLICK HERE to read the 2023 Season Preview.
 

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Friday 2/17 vs. Oregon Tech, 5:30 pm (Livestats | Video Stream)
Saturday 2/18 vs. Southern Oregon, 3:00 pm (Livestats | Video Stream)
 
The Beacons enter the weekend with a chance at earning themselves a home playoff game as they host Oregon Tech and (RV) Southern Oregon on Senior Weekend.
 
LAST WEEK: Bushnell (17-8, 14-6 CCC) wrapped up a tough road stretch with a weekend split, falling to No. 14 Eastern Oregon, 74-58, before defeating the College of Idaho, 78-75.
 
The Beacons held a 21-point third-quarter lead before the Yotes used a 25-4 run to tie it up in the fourth. Bushnell had to come up with big play after big play, including a potential game-saving block from Libby Mathis, to hold off C of I.
 
CCC OUTLOOK: Two teams in the CCC are ranked among the Top-25 in the NAIA, No. 10 Lewis-Clark State (19-1) and No. 14 Eastern Oregon (19-1), while Southern Oregon (16-4) is receiving votes. These teams make up the top three in the CCC standings. Bushnell (14-6) and Oregon Tech (14-6) are tied for the fourth spot and will play each other in the Morse Center on Friday.
 
With multiple playoff scenarios at play, Bushnell can secure fourth with wins over both OIT and SOU. There is a tiebreaker coin-flip scenario at play, and fifth place is the lowest the Beacons can finish. A fifth-place regular season finish would mean a road trip to Oregon Tech for the first round of the playoffs, while fourth would mean the Beacons host the playoff game with the Owls.
 
CCC RANKS: The Beacons ranks fourth in the conference in scoring, averaging 66.5 points per game. They rank fourth in field-goal percentage (.404) and sixth in three-point percentage (.313). Defensively, Bushnell ranks sixth in the CCC, allowing 61.3 points per contest.
 
Bella Pedrojetti leads the Beacons in scoring, averaging 12.4 points per game and ranks fifth in the conference in three-point shooting, making 36.5% of attempts on the season. Aspen Slifka ranks second on the team in scoring, averaging 11.3 points per game, and ranks among the top-10 in steals per game (5th – 2.1). Slifka is averaging 5.7 rebounds per contest.
 
Libby Mathis ranks second in the CCC in field-goal percentage, making 53.3% of her shots. The junior is averaging 8.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks (4th in CCC) per game. Kalina Rojas is averaging 7.8 points per game and leads the Beacons in rebounding, averaging 7.0 per game. Aly Mirabile is tied for second in the conference in assists per game at 3.8.
 
MILESTONE WATCH: Aspen Slifka moved into second on Bushnell's all-time scoring list with 1,264 points, passing Emily Gray (1,236). There is a wide margin between first and second as Morgan McKinney holds the top spot with 1,830 career points.  
 
OREGON TECH: The Owls (18-8, 14-6 CCC) are coming off a weekend split, defeating Walla Walla, 66-51, before falling to 10th-ranked Lewis-Clark State, 73-64. Oregon Tech and Bushnell have identical conferences wins and losses entering Friday's matchup.
 
The Owls rank third in the CCC in scoring, averaging 69.3 points per game, are second in rebounding at 43.2 rebounds per game, and are the top free throw shooting team, making 75.9% of attempts. OIT is fourth defensively, allowing 60.8 points per game.
 
OIT is led by sophomore guard Olivia Sprague, who is averaging a conference-leading 17.5 points per game. Sprague ranks second from three (44.1%), second in free throw percentage (83.9%), second in steals per game (2.2) and first in assists per game (4.1). Maddyson Tull, is averaging 14 points (5th in CCC) and seven rebounds per game. The junior center leads the conference is field-goal percentage, shooting 54.1%.
 
Oregon Tech holds a 21-12 advantage in the all-time series. The Owls defeated the Beacons, 71-64, in Klamath Falls on Jan. 7. Slifka led all scorers with 22 points, while Sprague tallied 20 points for the Owls.
 
SOUTHERN OREGON: The Raiders (20-6, 16-4 CCC) dropped out of the NAIA poll after falling to No. 10 LC State, 77-67. SOU, who has won seven of its last eight, bounced back with a 80-53 win over Walla Walla.
 
SOU is fifth in the conference in points per game (64.2) but leads the conference defensively, giving up just 54.6 points per contest. The Raiders rank second in three-point shooting, making 32.7% on the year.
 
The Raiders are led by junior forward, Kami Walk, who is averaging 13.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. Walk posted a 24-point, 10-rebound double-double in her last time out. Brianna Phiakhamngon is recording 13.3 points per game, whjle Kalei Iwami sits at 9.7 per game.
 
Southern Oregon is 27-6 in the all-time series with Bushnell. The Raiders held the Beacons to their lowest scoring game of the season in the first-round win, 50-43.
 
 

MEN'S BASKETBALL

Friday 2/17 vs. Oregon Tech, 7:30 pm (Livestats | Video Stream)
Saturday 2/18 vs. Southern Oregon, 5:00 pm (Livestats | Video Stream)
 
The Beacons (11-15, 9-11 CCC) takes aim at the post-season as they close out the regular-season this weekend by playing host to Oregon Tech and Southern Oregon.  
 
LAST WEEK: The Beacons dropped both ends of a road double-header, falling at the buzzer to Eastern Oregon University on Friday, 76-74, and the dropping a 97-74 game at No. 1-ranked College of Idaho on Saturday.
 
CCC OUTLOOK: With eight teams set to qualify for the Cascade Collegiate Conference tournament, Bushnell is currently tied for seventh with Lewis-Clark State College at 9-11. The teams both hold a two-game lead over Multnomah with two games to play, meaning the Beacons need just one win OR one Multnomah loss this weekend to advance to the post-season.
 
CONFERENCE/NAIA RANKS: The Beacons are currently ranked fifth in the CCC in scoring (81.5 points per game) and ninth in defense (79.8 ppg allowed). Bushnell leads the conference in defensive three-point percentage as opponents are hitting just 31.3% of their deep shots. The Beacons remain No. 2 in the conference and third in the NAIA in free-throw percentage (.794).
 
Individually, Spencer Hoffman is sixth in the conference in scoring (16.5 ppg) while Stevie Schlabach is 8th (15.2). Hoffman is also second in rebounding (9.2 rpg) and third in field goal percentage (.606). 
 
OREGON TECH: The Owls (14-12, 11-9 CCC) have won six of their last seven games and have qualified for the CCC tournament, currently sitting alone in sixth-place.  
 
The Owls are second in the conference in scoring (82.8 ppg) and sixth in defense (74.9 ppg allowed). They are also No. 2 for field-goal percentage (.487) and second behind the Beacons allowing opponents to shoot just .326 from three-point range).
 
Five players average double-digits in scoring for Oregon Tech, led by Keegan Shivers at 13.8 ppg. Kody Bauman ranks second in the CCC for field goal percentage (.615) while Joey Potts is fourth (.588).
 
Oregon Tech won the meeting in Klamath Falls earlier this season, 104-61, for their seventh straight win in the series. The Owls lead 53-15 all-time.
 
SOUTHERN OREGON: The Raiders (18-8, 14-6 CCC) are one of three teams currently tied for second in the CCC and have gotten there by winning six straight and ten of their last 12 games. Their only losses since the start of January were to C of I, Oregon Tech, and Bushnell.
 
The Raiders are third in the CCC in scoring, averaging 82.3 points per game, and third defensively, allowing 71.2 ppg. They hold opponents to just .424 shooting, the second best clip in conference, and they are the top assisting team in the CCC with 17.8 per game.
 
Atmar Mundu leads the offense and is fourth in the CCC in scoring, averaging 16.8 ppg. Will Graves is the best free-throw shooter in the CCC and ranks fifth in the NAIA at 90.8%.
 
On January 6, Trevon Richmond scored the final eight points for the Beacons and hit the game-winning jumper with five seconds to play as Bushnell defeated Southern Oregon, 67-66. Saturday will be the 61st all-time meeting between the schools with the Raiders holding a 32-28 lead. Bushnell has now won two of three. 
 

BASEBALL

Friday 2/17 at Simpson, 11:00 am (Game One Livestats | Game Two Livestats | Video Stream)
Saturday 2/18 at Simpson, 11:00 am (Livestats | Video Stream)
 
Bushnell (2-1) travels back to California for a three-game series with Simpson University. Due to Simpson's field being unavailable, the teams will play at Shasta College in Redding. Originally scheduled for four games, the teams will play a double-header on Friday followed by a single game on Saturday.
 
LAST WEEK: The Beacons opened year two with a series win over Jessup University, a series in which they were swept a year ago. Bushnell split the day one contests, winning the opener 4-3, before falling 10-3 in the seven-inning second game. The Beacons used a four-run seventh and three-run eighth to secure a 10-3 victory in game three.
 
Newcomer Cade Crist led Bushnell offensively, hitting .417 (5-12) in the series. Dylan Carson went 3-for-5 with three RBIs to lead the Beacons in game three. Ethan Stacy had a strong series, batting .333 with four hits to start off his Bushnell career. Jordan Wilson and Jameson Hussey are also off to a .333 start.
 
Colby Knutzen and Jahshua Yacapin earned pitching wins in the series. Knutzen allowed just three hits, pitching 2.1 scoreless innings to finish off Friday's season opener.
 
SIMPSON: The Red Hawks (4-6) took three of four games off Menlo College in their last time out following being swept in a three-game series with Holy Names University.
 
Senituli Taufaherna leads the Red Hawks offensively, who are batting .261 as a team. Taufaherna is hitting .394, starting the year with 13 hits through eight games played. Connor Caporale and Eric Winchester have three starts apiece on the mound. Caporale holds a 3.07 ERA and 16 strikeouts through 14.2 innings pitched.  
 
Simpson was the first opponent for Bushnell last season in what was a rocky start for the Beacons. The Red Hawks scored 10+ runs in all four games, sweeping the series.
 

SOFTBALL

Saturday 2/18 vs. Pacific (Exhibition), 11:00 am (Livestats | Video Stream)
 
The Beacons close out the non-conference portion of the schedule on Saturday, taking on Pacific University for an exhibition double-header.
 
LAST WEEK: The Beacons went 3-5 last week, with the highlight coming on Wednesday with a 5-2 victory over No. 21-ranked Jessup University. It was the Beacon's first win over an NAIA Top-25 team since 2019.
 
CCC RANKINGS: The Beacons are currently eighth in the CCC for batting average (.246) and eighth for ERA (4.47), with both numbers well ahead of where they were at this point in 2022. Madison Steelman has had a strong start to the season offensively, hitting .387. She has seven extra-base hits and ranks second in the conference for home runs (2) and total bases (25).
 
Sam Silver leads in the circle where she currently ranks third in the conference in strikeouts (21).
 
PACIFIC: The Boxers have gotten off to a 1-4 start to the season. They started the year with a pair of blowouts at home to Eastern Oregon before going 1-2 on a recent road trip to Southern California.
 
Rylee Patton leads the Boxers offense, hitting .429 with six hits in four games played. Only three PU hitters are averaging over .167. Mia Barrozo has started three of the team's five games and is 0-2 with a 3.57 ERA. She has 14 strikeouts in 17.2 innings.
 
The teams will resume a long standing history with their first head-to-head meeting since 2016. Bushnell won that last game, but the Boxers are 20-3 in the all-time series, dating back to 2003.