SOFTBALL

Wednesday 2/7 at Simpson, 12:00 pm (Livestats | Video Stream)
Saturday 2/10 vs. Lewis & Clark, 12:00 pm (Livestats | Video Stream)
 
Bushnell (0-5) returns to action this week, looking for their first win after a tough start to the season in Arizona. The Beacons lost three games by two runs or less.
 
SIMPSON: The Redhawks (0-3) started the season this weekend with three Saturday losses, falling twice to No. 24 Eastern Oregon and once to No. 2 Southern Oregon. Last season Simpson went 22-25 including an 11-15 mark in the California Pacific Conference to take fifth-place.
 
The Redhawks lead the all-time series with Bushnell, 31-6. After a 21 game losing streak, the Beacons have won three of the last four meetings.
 
LEWIS & CLARK: The Pioneers will begin their 2024 campaign against the Beacons this weekend. Last season the NCAA Division III school was 19-19 and went 11-16 in the Northwest Conference to take fifth place.
 
Bushnell holds a slim 11-10 lead in the all-time series with the Pioneers taking the last three games. In 2023, Lewis & Clark swept a double-header winning 4-3 and 10-0.
 

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

Friday 2/9 vs. Arizona Christian, 8:00 am
Friday 2/9 vs. Park-Gilbert, 10:00 am
Friday 2/9 vs. Ottawa, 2:00 pm
Saturday 2/10 vs. Benedictine-Mesa, 8:00 am
Saturday 2/10 vs. Park-Gilbert, 10:00 am
 
MEET THE BEACONS: With the 2024 beach volleyball season set to get underway, we sat down with third-year head coach Kim Elgarico to discuss the team. The full season preview will be released soon!
 
THIS WEEK: Bushnell hits the road for their first ever trip to Arizona as they compete in a tournament at Park University – Gilbert.  
 
The hosts, who Bushnell will play each day at 10:00 am, are the only team in the tournament against whom the Beacons have previously played. The Buccaneers, who are receiving votes in the preseason NAIA Coaches Poll, hold a 2-1 edge in the all-time series. Last year, Park-Gilbert went 6-10 on the season and were 2-4 in the California Pacific Conference.
 
Bushnell will open up the tournament against Arizona Christian who is also receiving votes in the NAIA coaches poll. The Firebirds were 7-15 last season and took fifth-place in the Golden State Athletic Conference.
 
Friday will close against No. 5 OUAZ. The Spirit were 16-8 last season and took second-place in the GSAC.
 
The Beacons will also take on Benedictine-Mesa on Saturday. The Redhawks were 0-12 last season including an 0-6 mark in the CalPac.
 

BASEBALL

Friday 2/9 at Simpson, 11:00 am (Livestats | Video Stream)
Saturday 2/10 at Simpson, 12:00 pm (Livestats | Video Stream)
 
The Beacons (1-2) head back to Northern California for another three-game series, this time taking on Simpson. The team went 1-2 against William Jessup last week, averaging five runs per game while getting two home runs apiece from Ethan Stacy and Albert Jennings.
 
SIMPSON: The Redhawks are 1-7 on the season but have dropped seven straight since their season-opening 7-4 victory over Eastern Oregon.
 
Simpson is 5-2 all-time against the Beacons, but Bushnell took two-of-three in the series last season.
 

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Friday 2/9 vs. Lewis-Clark State, 12 pm (Livestats | Video Stream)
Saturday 2/10 vs. Walla Walla, 7 pm (Livestats | Video Stream)
 
Bushnell (14-8, 10-6 CCC) is coming off a road sweep against Northwest and Evergreen. The Beacons are on a five-game winning streak, their longest of the season.
 
RECORDS AND MILESTONES: Junior post Libby Mathis is approaching the all-time single-season rebounding record, needing just 21 boards to pass Lindsey Shearer (280) and break a record which has stood for 12 years.
 
CONFERENCE OUTLOOK: There are only three weeks left in the regular season, and the top five teams have truly separated themselves from the rest of the pack. No. 7 Lewis-Clark State sits at the top of the standings at 15-1, with their lone loss coming from Bushnell. No. 24 Southern Oregon knocked off No. 22 Oregon Tech on Tuesday night to take over sole possession of second-place at 14-2. The Owls are third at 13-3
 
Bushnell is currently tied for fourth in the CCC with Eastern Oregon at 10-6 as they fight for a top-four finish and a home playoff game.
 
The Beacons are currently ranked ninth in the CCC in scoring, averaging 61.8 points per game. On the other end, Bushnell is ranked third defensively, allowing just 59.0 ppg, while holding opponents to a fourth-best 36.3% from the field. The Beacons are third in field goal percentage (.421), third in blocked shots (3.7 bpg) and third in defensive rebounds (27.5 rpg).  
 
Individually, senior guard Aspen Slifka is second in scoring in conference action, averaging 20.3 points per game, and she is eighth in steals at 2.1 per game. Slifka is also the team's second-leading rebounder at 5.8 rebounds per game.  Libby Mathis is eighth in scoring in the CCC (16.1 ppg), first in rebounding (13.1 rpg), first in field-goal percentage (.579), and second in blocks (1.9 bpg). Aly Mirabile is currently leading the conference in assists (4.4 apg) while all five Bushnell starters rank in the top-ten in the CCC for minutes played.
 
LEWIS-CLARK STATE: The Warriors (19-2, 15-1 CCC) are sitting at the top of the standings in the CCC. They are coming off a tough 63-59 win against Eastern Oregon at home.
 
LC State is currently second in offense, scoring 76.3 points per game. The Warriors are also second defensively in the CCC, allowing opponents to score 58.4 points per game. They are first in field-goal percentage (.465), second in field-goal percentage defense (.355), first in three-point percentage (.349), first in assists (18.3 assists per game), and first in steals (11.6 spg).
 
The Warriors are led by senior guard Callie Stevens, who is a two-time Cascade Conference Player of the Year. Stevens is currently fifth in the CCC in scoring (17.1 ppg), eighth in field-goal percentage (.480), eleventh in assists (3.1 apg), and second in three-pointers per game (3.0). Alongside her is junior guard Ellie Sander, who is twelfth in scoring (14.3 ppg), third in FG% (.525), second in assists (4.0 apg), fifth in steals (2.3 spg), and fourth in three-point percentage (.404).
 
Bushnell handed Lewis-Clark State their only conference loss in their last matchup on December 16 in Lewiston. Aspen Slifka had 30 points in the Beacons' 67-56 win over No. 7 LC State.
 
WALLA WALLA: The Wolves (7-14, 4-12 CCC) are coming off an 0-2 weekend against Eastern Oregon and College of Idaho. Walla Walla is ranked tenth in the CCC, two games behind eighth place.
 
Walla Walla is eighth in offense in the CCC, scoring 61.8 points per game. The Wolves are also the eighth-ranked defense in the conference, allowing their opponents to score 66.2 points per contest. The Wolves are tenth in field-goal percentage (.364), ninth in three-point percentage (.265), and eleventh in rebounding margin, getting outrebounded by an average of nearly four rebounds per game. They are also tenth in field-goal percentage defense, allowing their opponent to shoot 41.9% from the field.
 
The Wolves are led by junior forward Chariah Daniels, who is averaging an eleventh-best 14.8 points per game in conference action. Daniels is also second in the CCC in rebounding at 9.6 rebounds per game. Their backcourt is led by fifth-year senior guard Jaliyah Casem, who is 13th in the CCC in scoring (13.8 ppg) and ninth in three-pointers made (1.9 per game).
 
Back in December, the Beacons lost their first matchup against the Wolves on the road. Despite Aspen Slifka's dominant 29-point performance, the Beacons lost to Walla Walla 73-57.
 
 

MEN'S BASKETBALL

Friday 2/9 vs. Lewis-Clark State, 2 pm (Livestats | Video Stream)
Saturday 2/10 vs. Walla Walla, 9 pm (Livestats | Video Stream)
 
After a weekend sweep against Northwest and Evergreen on the road, the Beacons (13-9, 10-6 CCC) take on Lewis-Clark State and Walla Walla in the Morse Event Center.
 
NAIA PLAYER OF THE WEEK: For the second time in his career, Spencer Hoffman has been named the NAIA National Player of the Week. He averaged 28 points and 16.5 rebounds per game over the weekend while shooting 76% from the field.
 
In the win over Northwest, Hoffman played 39 minutes, scoring 26 points on 13-for-16 shooting, adding 12 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season.
 
Hoffman nearly had complete double-doubles in each half against Evergreen, posting 16 points and nine rebounds over the first 20 minutes along with 14 points and 12 rebounds in the final frame. It was the second 30/20 game in school history and first in six years. His 21 rebounds were a career-high and just two shy of the Beacon single-game record.
 
2000-POINT WATCH: Fifth-year senior Stevie Schlabach is quickly approaching the 2,000-point milestone in his career. Only two Beacons have ever reached this mark, which was last achieved by Bushnell's all-time leading scorer Mat Sand in 1991. Schlabach is sitting at 1,900 career points, making him just 100 points shy of becoming the only Beacon to reach the 2,000-point mark in over three decades.
 
CONFERENCE OUTLOOK: Leading the way in the CCC is No. 3 College of Idaho, alone in first place at 15-1. Lewis-Clark State (receiving votes) is a game behind while No. 23 Oregon Tech sits in third. The Beacons are currently tied for fifth in the CCC with Southern Oregon University and will have the opportunity to clinch a post-season berth this weekend.
 
The Beacons continue to lead the conference in scoring, averaging 89.6 ppg. That average goes up to more than 91 points per game in CCC contests. The Beacons are ninth defensively, allowing 84.5 ppg. Bushnell is No. 1 for three-point shooting (.401), free-throw shooting (.765), and No. 2 for overall field goal shooting (.489). The Beacons are also second in the conference in rebounds (39.3/g), third in assists (16.7/g), and fourth in blocks (3.1/g).
 
Individually, Stevie Schlabach ranks eighth in the conference in scoring (15.6 ppg) while Kaden Sand is tenth (14.4 ppg). After his monster 33-rebound weekend, Spencer Hoffman now leads the CCC with 9.7 rebounds per game while sitting fifth for field goal percentage (.586).
 
LEWIS-CLARK STATE: The Warriors (16-6, 14-2 CCC) are currently in second-place in the CCC, one game out of first place. They recently had a six-game winning streak snapped by No. 3 College of Idaho, but the Yotes are the only team to beat LC State since November.  
 
The Warriors are currently fifth in the CCC in scoring (80.7 ppg) and third in defense (70.4 ppg allowed). Jaedon Bradley leads the team in scoring, averaging 14.1 points per game which ranks 11th in the conference. Quentin Raynor is just 24th (11.8 ppg) but leads the CCC in three-pointers made with 57.
 
The Beacons are still looking for their first ever win against LC State, who come in holding an 8-0 advantage all-time. The Warriors won in Lewiston earlier this season, 88-63. It was Bushnell's lowest point total in conference play.
 
WALLA WALLA: The Wolves come into the weekend with a 5-16 record and a 4-12 mark in Cascade Conference play. At one point Walla Walla had a ten-game losing streak but have since won two of their last five games.
 
WWU struggles on both ends of the floor, ranked 11th in the CCC in scoring (72.8 ppg) and 12th in defense (89.5 ppg allowed). Soren Dalen leads the offense with 15.9 points per game and is second in the conference in rebounding with 9.4 rebounds per contest while shooting 52.6% from the field.
 
Bushnell won the first meeting between the schools back in December, 112-94 with what was the highest point total of their season. The Beacons hold a 17-3 lead in the all-time and have won 13 of the last 14 meetings.
 

INDOOR TRACK & FIELD

Friday-Saturday 2/9 – 2/10 at Whitworth Invitational (Livestats)
 
LAST WEEK: Bushnell had one of their most successful indoor meets of all-time last weekend at the Riverfront Invitational with multiple personal records and four new school records as the teams competed for the first time at The Podium, a new premiere indoor track facility in Spokane, Washington.
 
For the women, Kaitlin Cook claimed her second school record of the season, toppling the 3000m mark with a run of 11:29.28. She also landed a PR in the 800m with the second-fastest time in school history (2:30.54).
 
On the men's side, new school records were set by freshman Jermaine Schexnayder in the high jump (1.93m/6'4") and the triple jump (14.27m/46'10"), freshman Maxwell Al-Rubaie in the shot put (10.29m/33'9.25") and by the Distance Medley Relay team of Logan Gant, Isaac Bodley, Wyatt Pepiot, and Sayer Pescosolido.
 
THIS WEEK: Bushnell will return to The Podium for the Whitworth Invitational which is set to close out the 2024 Indoor Track & Field regular season. The Indoor record book is set to expand even more this week as Beacons will compete for the first time ever in the women's mile, men's 4x800m relay, and the men's weight throw.
 

ESPORTS

Tuesday 2/6 vs UT Dallas, 5:45 p.m. (Video Stream)
Saturday 2/10 Fortnite Qualifier #1, 12 p.m. (Video Stream)
 
LAST WEEK: Bushnell Rocket League opened the spring season with a win over Colorado College, 4-1. After falling in game one, the trio of Isaac Wagner, Cole Vamos and Kyle Foss won the next three to take the match. The Tigers had won both prior matchups in the fall.
 
The Beacons take on UT Dallas in the second round of the regular season.
 
The Fortnite spring season gets underway this weekend with the first of three qualifiers. Last semester in the tradition build format, the duo of Christian Velazquez and Ethan Slayden finished fifth in the collegiate championship.