UBC punches ticket to NAIA World Series
The UBC Thunderbirds, shown celebrating here, have advanced to the NAIA World Series. Photo: Tom Dos Anjos, William Carey Crusaders
May 14, 2025
By Jake McGrail
UBC Communications
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – It could not have been scripted any better.
A pair of high-octane wins to put the team in pole position to win their NAIA Opening Round tournament. A gritty, extra-innings contest in what turned out to be their longest game of the season to this point. And at the end, the clutch plays that fired the UBC Thunderbirds into the NAIA World Series for the first time since 2006.
It's a milestone moment, not just for the players but also for Chris Pritchett, now in his 10th season as head coach of the program and a veteran of seven Opening Round tournaments.
"It feels really good," said Pritchett in his on-field interview after the game. "We've been on the doorstep a couple of times before with this group, we've been together with a lot of these guys for five years now and I wanted this so badly for them. I'm just really excited."
"I mean, that game could have been over two or three times . . . no one batted an eye, they just kept scrapping. That's a hell of a team over there, there were four good teams in this tournament so that means even more to move on."
The game was a rematch against the Indiana Southeast Grenadiers, who had kept their season alive with a win earlier in the afternoon against Oklahoma Wesleyan. The Grenadiers had a score to settle after the T-Birds' blowout win over them the previous day, and this game was anything but a blowout.
However, despite the nervy moments, the 'Birds kept their cool and pulled out a 7-4 win with a massive 11th inning.
"Honestly I think we're at our most calm when we're under pressure," said Mitchell Middlemiss (Chilliwack, B.C.), who was named the Hattiesburg Opening Round Player of the Tournament. "Pressure is a privilege for us, and we practice in these types of situations all the time so when the game and lights are on we're ready for that. Coach Pritch has prepared us all year – for the last four years honestly – for this moment right now, and we're not done yet . . . it's just amazing to see what we can do when it all comes together."
Middlemiss totalled eight hits, seven RBIs and four runs scored over the three games this week. UBC's hitting leader in the final game was Trent Lenihan (White Rock, B.C.) who was 3-for-6 at the plate and proved pivotal in the final inning. Five different pitchers saw action for the 'Birds with Ryan Beitel (Surrey, B.C.) making a rare relief appearance at the end to earn the save.
In contrast to the fireworks later in the game, the T-Birds started out slow offensively. They tallied just two hits across the first four innings, and went down 1-0 before they started to get things going in the fifth.
Middlemiss scored UBC's first run of the game, followed on the basepaths by Kyle Yip (Calgary, Alta.) as both players crossed the plate on an Aidan Rose (Calgary, Alta.) double. The lead was extended when Lenihan capitalized on a fielding error to score the following inning, although the Grenadiers soon hit right back with three unanswered including a two-run double from Hazel Martinez.
Down 4-3 in the eighth, the Thunderbirds again were able to take advantage of some miscues from the Grenadiers. Starting at first base, pinch-runner Jackson Boomer (Vancouver, B.C.) reached second on a ground out, before then taking third on a wild pitch and scoring right after due to a fielding error from the IU Southeast shortstop.
That sent the game into extras, where both teams certainly had their chances. First, Jaden Lamothe (Langley, B.C.) was tagged out at home by a fantastic throw from Grenadiers' left fielder Ethan Burdette in the top of the 10th. Then the Grenadiers loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom half of the inning, but couldn't get the walk-off win.
Then it was UBC's turn to load the bases, this time with no outs in the top of the 11th. They took full advantage, first when Kaden Zarowny (Strathmore, Alta.) scored on a wild pitch before Lenihan laced a single to score another run immediately afterwards. Lamothe added an RBI single of his own to all of a sudden give the T-Birds some breathing room.
What followed was a 1-2-3 finish to the game, as Beitel struck out the final two batters to spark scenes of jubilation on the field.
"I never feel like we're out of a game," reflected Pritchett. "If something goes wrong there's team camaraderie and there's captains who will keep everything together, and there's a lot of pride in watching them work right now."
"We just are so close and connected," added Middlemiss, mirroring those sentiments. "We always say love wins, and we truly love each other at the end of the day, and we'll take a bullet for each other."
The 'Birds have at least two more games to go this season, as after surviving and thriving at the Cascade Collegiate Conference Championship and the NAIA Opening Round, there's one more double elimination tournament left.
That's the NAIA World Series, which kicks off on Friday, May 23 in Lewiston, Idaho.