The Bushnell basketball teams head south, softball and track head north, baseball debuts at home, and esports is in action for a busy week of Beacon Athletics.
 
BASEBALL
 
Friday 2/7 vs. Simpson (Calif.), 2:00 pm
Saturday 2/8 vs. Simpson (Calif.), 11:00 am
 
THIS WEEK: The Beacons will open up the 2025 season at home against Simpson University for a four-game set.  
 
SEASON PREVIEW: The 2025 Bushnell Baseball Season Preview Story will be published on Thursday! Check back in at Bushnellbeacons.com to read about the year ahead!
 
SIMPSON: The Redhawks are off to a 3-5 start to their season and went 1-3 in Salem against Corban University last weekend. After the Warriors took three straight run-rule victories, Simpson earned a run-rule win of their own in game for, 11-1 in five innings to avoid the sweep.
 
Simpson is coming off a 9-38 campaign in 2024. They went 4-20 in the California Pacific Conference and missed the CalPac tournament.
 
The Redhawks hold a 6-4 lead in the all-time series with Bushnell, but the Beacons have taken two-of-three in each of the last two seasons. This will be the first visit to Hamlin Sports Park for Simpson, who had hosted Bushnell the last three years.
 
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
 
Friday 2/7 at Southern Oregon, 5:30 pm
Saturday 2/8 at Oregon Tech, 3:00 pm
 
THIS WEEK: Bushnell continues the back half of the CCC schedule on the road, traveling to take on No. 4 Southern Oregon and No. 23 Oregon Tech
 
LAST WEEK: The Beacons split their home weekend, defeating The College of Idaho, 64-61 before falling to Eastern Oregon, 82-63. In the win over the Coyotes, Libby Mathis produced a dominant 17-point, 18-rebound effort, setting a personal best on the glass.
 
CONFERENCE OUTLOOK: No. 4 Southern Oregon University, one of three undefeated teams remaining in the NAIA, sits in first-place in the CCC, holding a two-game lead in the standings over No. 23 Oregon Tech. Both schools, along with No. 24 Lewis-Clark State, have qualified for the CCC tournament. Comfortably in the hunt for the playoffs are Eastern Oregon and The College of Idaho and fourth and fifth respectively.
 
Bushnell sits in sixth, tied with Corban. Both schools are now four games ahead of the field as the final five schools are all tied for eighth-place at 4-12.
 
The Beacons are eighth in the CCC in scoring (58.3 ppg) and seventh on defense (65.4 ppg allowed). Bushnell is fifth in the CCC in rebounding, averaging 38.4 boards per game, including 12.2 offensive rebounds per contest which ranks second.
 
With 14.0 points per game, Libby Mathis is currently fifth in the CCC in scoring. She is third in rebounding (9.3/g) and fourth for blocks (1.2/g). She leads the conference and is 18th in the NAIA in offensive rebounds, averaging 3.9 per game.
 
SOUTHERN OREGON: The Raiders are proving to be an unstoppable force and a front runner for the NAIA National Championship. They are 19-0 overall and 15-0 in the Cascade Conference. They have won all but five games by double-digits and four of those five closer wins came against teams ranked in the NAIA Top-25.
 
The Raiders are outscoring their opponents by a CCC-leading margin of 24.6 points per game. They are No. 1 in the conference in offense (78.7 ppg) and No. 2 in defense (54.1 ppg allowed). The Raiders are home to the CCC Player of the Year candidate Morgan Baird, averaging 15.2 points per game and hitting a conference-best 59.9% of her shots.
 
Southern Oregon is home to an unbelievable group of shooters. They shoot nearly 40% from beyond the arc as a team which leads the country. They also have a trio of three-point shooters who rank among the top-five in the conference, led by Bridgette McIntyre at 47.9%.
 
The Raiders are 31-6 all-time against the Beacons and have won seven straight in the series, including a 67-37 throttling in Eugene earlier this season in which they held the Beacons to just 22% shooting, the lowest in over 14 years.
 
OREGON TECH: The Owls bring a 17-4 record and 13-2 conference mark into the weekend, and victories in 11 of their last 12 games.
 
Oregon Tech is third in the CCC in scoring (75.8 ppg) and fourth in defense (58.3 ppg allowed) and they lead the conference in rebounds (46.6/game) and rebounding margin (+13.4). The Owls are led by Tatum Schmerbach (11.9 ppg) and Jozie Ramos (11.7 ppg).
 
The Owls are 26-12 all-time against the Beacons and have won six straight in the series, including a 62-49 win over the Beacons in Eugene earlier this season.
 
MEN'S BASKETBALL
 
Friday 2/7 at Oregon Tech, 7:30 pm
Saturday 2/8 at Southern Oregon, 5:00 pm
 
THIS WEEK: The Beacons hit the road to take on a pair of playoff teams as they fight to remain one themselves.
 
LAST WEEK: Bushnell split a weekend series as they lost to No. 4 College of Idaho before taking down Eastern Oregon University, 81-73, ending a three-game losing streak.
 
In that win, Cory Johnson led the team with a double-double, scoring 14 points and 13 rebounds while Kaleb Burnett added 14 points with 12 in the second half, pulling down five big offensive rebounds to help Bushnell hold on.
 
MILESTONE WATCH: Last weekend, senior Luke Smith tied the Bushnell career record for three-point attempts, hitting the milestone owned by Jack Hackman with 458. Smith has made 152 of those and needs just 5 more treys to move into second-place on Bushnell's all-time three-pointer list.  
 
CONFERENCE OUTLOOK: With just one conference loss, No. 4-ranked College of Idaho is at the top of the standings, holding a 2.5-game lead over No. 24 Oregon Tech. In what is shaping up to be one of the most competitive years ever in the conference, a total of seven CCC schools are above .500.
 
The Beacons are alone in eighth-place in the CCC at 6-10, looking to maintain their position and their current one-game lead over Warner Pacific. Bushnell is seventh in the CCC in scoring, averaging 80 points per game, and they are ninth defensively, allowing 78.8 ppg. Cory Johnson leads the Beacons and is third in the CCC in scoring, averaging 16.2 points per game.
 
OREGON TECH: A perennial contender for the Cascade Conference crown, the Owls have clinched a spot in the CCC tournament, and have won 11 of their last 13 games. The do come into the weekend off an upset loss to Northwest, 80-78.
 
The Owls lead the conference in scoring, averaging 85.8 points per game and they are sixth defensively, allowing 75.1 points per game. Keegan Shivers leads the team and is 11th in the conference in scoring, averaging 14.7 points per game.
 
Oregon Tech owns a 57-16 record against the Beacons all-time, and have famously lost just two home games to Bushnell in the past 40 years. OIT defeated the Beacons in Eugene earlier this season, 90-74.
 
SOUTHERN OREGON: The Raiders (14-7, 9-6 CCC) are in fifth-place in the CCC with a comfortable change to qualify for the eight-team conference tournament. They have won six of their last seven games.     
 
SOU is sixth in the CCC in scoring, averaging 80.1 points per game, but they are No. 2 on defense, allowing just 70.1 ppg. They have the best three-point shooting defense in the conference, allowing opponents to hit just 29% of their shots from deep.
 
Elijah Jackson is 18th in the CCC in scoring, leading the Raiders with 12.5 points per game.
 
Southern Oregon holds a 36-28 advantage in the all-time series with the Beacons. The Raiders won in Eugene earlier this season, 71-64 despite 21 points from Cory Johnson.
 
SOFTBALL
 
Saturday 2/8 at Willamette, 12:00 pm
 
THIS WEEK: The Beacons open up the 2025 season on the road, visiting Willamette University.  
 
SEASON PREVIEW: The 2025 Bushnell Softball Season Preview Story will be published on Friday! Check back in at Bushnellbeacons.com to read about the year ahead!
 
WILLAMETTE: The Bearcats will also start their season this weekend against the Beacons. Last season the team went 17-23 and took fourth-place in the Northwest Conference.
 
Willamette is led by a pair of All-NWC returners in First-Team outfielder Emma Elliott and Second-Team infielder Desirae Hatfield. Last season Elliott hit .327 with 19 extra-base hits and 41 RBI.
 
Bushnell swept a home double header from Willamette last season, 9-1 and 4-2, claiming a five-inning run-rule victory in the opener. The Beacons are 5-3 against the Bearcats over the past four seasons.
 
INDOOR TRACK & FIELD
 
Saturday, February 8 at George Fox Indoor
 
LAST WEEK: Jermaine Schexnayder led the way for the Beacons with a limited number of participants in the UW Invitational. The sophomore earned Cascade Collegiate Conference Field Athlete of the Week honors as he was the top non-NAIA Division I athlete in both the Triple Jump and High Jump, setting school records in both events. He earned an NAIA National Qualification as well in the Triple Jump.
 
THIS WEEK: After weather made a planned trip to Reno, Nevada all but impossible for this weekend, the Beacons have pivoted and will instead compete at George Fox University in their Indoor Meet. Field events, 60m and 60m hurdles will be the only events contested in this meet.
 
ESPORTS
 
Monday, 2/3: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Teamfight Tactics, FC 25, 5:00 pm
Tuesday, 2/4: NBA 2K, Fortnite
Wednesday 2/5: Rocket League, College Football 25
Thursday 2/6: Madden
 
Bushnell Esports opens its third week of the spring season next week, beginning with an SSBU match against Texas Woman's University. Nathan Farris (33rd – Division B) and Zack Claunch (T-7th – Division A) play their third week of matches in TFT, looking to stay in the top half of the leaderboard.
 
Andrew Bennett is coming off a loss in FC 25, while Caden Hoerauf and Mason Monrroy continue play in their respective sport titles. Hoerauf plays CFB 25 and Madden, while Monrroy plays NBA 2K and CFB 25.
 
The Beacons had three teams in action last week in Fortnite, led by the duo of Nick McGowen and Farris. They finished 35th in week one. The top-50 teams advance to the playoffs.