2/14/2008 - Bruins' Season-Opening Trip to Texas Postponed by Travel Difficulties
NEWBERG, Ore. - Due to travel difficulties Thursday afternoon, the George Fox University season-opening baseball trip to Abilene, Texas, for a three-game series Feb. 15-16 at McMurry University has been postponed until Feb. 17-18.
Plans now call for the Bruins to fly to Dallas on Saturday morning, Feb. 16, and drive over to Abilene that afternoon. The teams will then play a doubleheader on Sunday, Feb. 17, at 1:00 p.m. Central time (11:00 a.m. Pacific), and a single game on Monday, Feb. 18, at 11:00 a.m. Central (9:00 a.m. Pacific).
According to Marty Hunter, whose inaugural game as the Bruins' new head coach will have to wait a couple of days, the team's Continental Air Lines flight developed a mechanical problem in one of the engines about three minutes into takeoff but had no trouble returning to the Portland International Airport.
"It took a long time trying to rebook a traveling party of 32, and knowing how bad the weather is supposed to be in Abilene this weekend, it is probably for the best that we aren't going until Saturday," said Hunter.
It was 76 in the northwest Texas city Thursday, but the forecast for Friday and Saturday predicted temperatures in the low 30's with ice. Sunday's and Monday's forecast is for party cloudy conditions and temperatures into the mid-50's.
McMurry is 1-2 after a three-game series at home with perennial power Chapman University. George Fox is coming off a 30-11 season. McMurry is also the pre-determined site for the 2008 NCAA Division III West Regional in May.
The Bruins will play their home opener Saturday, Feb. 23, at 12:00 noon against Concordia University-Portland.