Softball Hosts Petersen Hotels Invite To Open 2018 Season

Softball 2/6/2018 11:00:00 AM

PEORIA, Ill. -- Bradley Softball will open a season at home for the first time since 2009 and just the fourth time in program history, hosting the 2018 Petersen Hotels Invitational inside the dome at the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex, Thursday through Sunday.

Joining Bradley in the field will be 12-time Women's College World Series participant and 2009 NCAA National Champion Washington, which is ranked as high as fourth in the preseason polls, along with Miami (Ohio), Saint Louis and Western Illinois.

The four-day event begins Thursday night with Bradley taking Saint Louis in a 6 p.m. All-session tournament tickets are $20 for adults (ages 13 and over) and $10 for youth (ages 7-12) with children six and under free. Single day passes are $7 for adults and $4 for youth.

For a full tournament schedule or links to live stats visit the 2018 Petersen Hotels Invitational Tournament Central page.

The Braves will be celebrating National Girls and Women in Sports Day during Saturday's action with select members of the tournament squads signing autographs from 3:30 - 4 p.m. following that day's games.

Bradley previously opened the 2006, 2007 and 2009 seasons with home tournaments, owning a 10-2 record in those season-opening events and the Braves are 14-2 all-time when hosting an indoor tournament. All-time, Bradley is 26-5 when hosting a tournament at home, including the 1986 Gateway Conference Championship and 2009 Missouri Valley Conference Championship.

The 2018 season will mark the 40th season of competition for Bradley Softball with the Braves owning an 18-21 record in season openers. Over the last 12 seasons, Bradley is 7-5 in season-opening contests, including a perfect 3-0 record all-time when starting a season at home.

Bradley is 21-18 in home openers, which includes a 14-10 record when starting the home schedule against a non-conference opponent. The two games this weekend against Washington will mark the first home games in program history against a ranked team. Washington will be the highest ranked opponent Bradley has faced since taking on then fourth-ranked Oregon on March 1, 2014 in Orlando, Fla. Under head coach Amy Hayes, who is one win short of 400 for her career, the Braves have played a total of 35 games against top-25 teams compared to a total of 22 such games prior to her arrival on The Hilltop.

The Braves return a bulk of the lineup from last year's team which boasted one of the best slugging percentages in program history. Highlighting a group of 12 returning letterwinners is NFCA Third-Team All-Mideast Region selection Maria Schroeder, who was third on the team with a .319 average. She is sixth in both career runs and RBI at Bradley and she scored or drove in 30 percent of the team's runs last spring.

One of three seniors on the roster, Elizabeth Leonard has started all but six games in her career and hit .295 in MVC play last season. Leonard hit .318 with 11 runs, 13 RBI and five stolen bases over the final 36 games of 2017.

Following the Petersen Hotels Invitational, Bradley will head to Las Vegas, Nev., for the first time since 2011 for the Marucci Desert Classic Feb. 16-18, where the Braves will play four of five games against teams from the Mountain West Conference in tournament-host UNLV, Nevada, San Jose State and Utah State in addition to a game against Cal State-Northridge.

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Players Mentioned

#5 Elizabeth Leonard: INF; 5' 9"; Senior; L/R

#17 Maria Schroeder: UTL/C; 5' 6"; Senior; R/R

Players Mentioned

#5 Elizabeth Leonard
: 5' 9"; Senior; L/R
: INF

#17 Maria Schroeder
: 5' 6"; Senior; R/R
: UTL/C

Softball Hosts Petersen Hotels Invite To Open 2018 Season

Players Mentioned

#5 Elizabeth Leonard

#17 Maria Schroeder

Players Mentioned

#5 Elizabeth Leonard

#17 Maria Schroeder