PEORIA, Ill. -- Bradley University will add five individuals from three sports to its Athletics Hall of Fame as part of the festivities surrounding the annual Alumni Weekend on campus Jan. 18-19. The five-person class will be featured during the Braves Club Gameday Luncheon Jan. 18 at the Michel Student Center and officially will be inducted into the Hall of Fame during halftime of the Jan. 19 men's basketball game versus Evansville at Carver Arena.
The Class of 2007-08 includes three former baseball stars, Mike Grace, Doug Robertson and Jacob Schaffer; as well as women's basketball standout Tammy Van Oppen and men's basketball sharpshooter Aaron Zobrist. A five-year Major League Baseball veteran, Grace will receive photo status in the Hall of Fame while the other four inductees will be honored with name plaques in the Hall of Fame, which is currently on display in the Robertson Memorial Fieldhouse foyer. In addition to the quintet to be enshrined next week, former Bradley men's basketball star Anthony Parker, who is in his second season with the NBA's Toronto Raptors, was selected for Hall-of-Fame membership, but his induction likely will be postponed until after his playing career has ended.
Tickets for Bradley's Braves Club Gameday Luncheons are $20 and may be purchased in advance by contacting the Braves Club Office at 309-677-2667. Tickets for the men's basketball game Jan. 19 versus Evansville range from $8-18 based on location and may be purchased in person at the Robertson Fieldhouse Box Office and the Carver Arena Box Office or online at www.BradleyBraves.com.
Mike Grace ? Baseball ? 1989-91 ? Joliet, Ill. ? Catholic H.S.
Following current Bradley pitching coach Mike Dunne, Mike Grace became the second starting pitcher in Bradley Baseball history to work his way up to the Major Leagues. Grace pitched for Bradley from 1989 to 1991, then was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies during the 1991 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft following his junior season. He quickly worked his way through the Phillies farm system and made his Major League debut for Philadelphia in 1995. Highlighted by a stellar 1996 season when he went 7-2 with a 3.49 ERA in 12 starts, Grace posted a 16-15 overall record with a 4.96 ERA in five Major League seasons, all with the Phillies.
Doug Robertson ? Baseball ? 1994-96 ? Riverton, Ill. ? Riverton H.S.
Robertson is one of the most accomplished players in Bradley Baseball history and is the program's most-recent All-American. As a junior during the 1996 campaign, Robertson earned All-America honors from the American Baseball Coaches Association (2nd Team), Collegiate Baseball (3rd Team) and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (3rd Team), while also being named the Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year.
During his 1996 All-American season, Robertson posted a 12-3 record on the mound with a career-best 3.06 ERA and 93 strikeouts. His 12 victories in 1996 remain the second-best single-season total in school history, trailing only his record 13 wins during his 1994 freshman campaign. Overall, Robertson ended his Bradley career with a 30-13 career pitching record and his 30 wins are the school record, six more than the second-best total, despite playing just three years. He is also second in school history with 25 career complete games in just 40 starts and he is sixth with 240 career strikeouts.
One of only three two-time, first-team All-MVC pitchers in Bradley Baseball history, Robertson was drafted by the Oakland Athletics following the 1996 season.
Jacob Schaffer ? Baseball ? 1995-97 ? Bloomington, Minn. ? Holy Angel H.S.
Jacob Schaffer also was a three-year member of the Bradley Baseball team from 1995 through 1997 and remains one of the top offensive players in the program's history. Joining Robertson on one of the winningest teams in program history, Schaffer helped the 1996 Braves to a 40-22 record. The shortstop set single-season school records for games played (62), at-bats (245), runs scored (71), hits (93), doubles (28) and total bases (155) during his sophomore campaign. He also won the team's Rod Thompson Award with a .380 battting average in 1996.
Although just a three-year player at Bradley, Schaffer owns the school career record wtih 65 doubles and he remains the only player in program history to finish with more than 60 two-baggers. He also ranks fourth with 222 career at-bats and fifth with 152 runs scored, both the most by a three-year player for the Braves.
Tammy Van Oppen ? Women's Basketball ? 1995-97 ? Peoria, Ill. ? Limestone H.S.
A local product, Van Oppen began her college career at the University of South Florida, but transferred to Bradley for her junior season in 1995-96 and proved to be one of the top players in Bradley Women's Basketball history. By scoring 763 points in 51 games as a Brave, Van Oppen ranks fifth in program history by averaging 15.0 points per game.
A tremendous all-around player, Van Oppen owns one of two triple-doubles in the program's history, recording 21 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists Dec. 31, 1996 versus Southern Illinios. She led the team in both scoring (14.3 ppg) and rebounding (7.1 rpg) during her junior year in 1995-96, then came back to lead the team in scoring (15.5 ppg), rebounding (6.5 rpg), assists (5.0 apg) and steals (2.9 spg) during her senior season in 1996-97. She joins Bradley Hall-of-Famer Val Wancket as the only players to lead the team in all four categories in a season in program history and she is one of three Braves to dish out as many as 140 assists in a season (141 in 1996-97).
Van Oppen was named first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference in 1996 and 1997 and she was named to the MVC All-Tournament Team in 1997 after leading the Braves to their first-ever MVC Tournament win, a 53-52 upset of Missouri State on the Bears' home court at the Hammons Student Center.
Aaron Zobrist ? Men's Basketball ? 1993-97 ? Metamora, Ill. ? Metamora H.S.
A member of the Bradley men's basketball team from 1993-94 through 1996-97, Aaron Zobrist is the top 3-point shooter in program history. He owns the school record with 233 career 3-point field goals and he is one of five players in school history with a career percentage better than .400 from behind the arc. Zobrist also owns the single-season record for 3-point field goals with 90 during the 1996-97 season and his .460 3-point field goal percentage during the 1994-95 season stood as the school record until current Brave Jeremy Crouch broke the mark by hitting an even 50 percent last season.
In addition to his 3-point prowess, Zobrist also stands as one of four players in program history to win an individual national statistical championship by leading the nation in free throw percentage (.906) during the 1996-97 season.
Currently 33rd on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,071 career points, Zobrist was the sixth man for the 1995-96 squad that won the Valley regular-season title and earned an at-large selection to the NCAA Tournament. During his four-year career, Zobrist helped the Braves to an 82-39 (.678) record, three National Invitation Tournament appearances and one NCAA Tournament.
