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Bradley Baseball Notebook -- April 21, 2008

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Bradley University Baseball 4/21/2008 3:30:00 PM

Bradley Baseball Notebook ? April 21, 2008

 

Overall Record:  17-19

MVC Record:  8-7

 

Last Week's Results

April 15:  at Wisconsin-Milwaukee  L 3-4
           at Wisconsin-Milwaukee  L 2-4
April 19:  *MISSOURI STATE         L 2-12
           *MISSOURI STATE         W 9-6
April 20:  *MISSOURI STATE         L 6-12

 

This Week's Schedule

Tuesday    at Western Illinois   3:30 p.m.
Wednesday  EASTERN ILLINOIS      6:00 p.m.
Friday     CHICAGO STATE         1:00 p.m.
Saturday   CHICAGO STATE (DH)   11:00 a.m.
Sunday     CHICAGO STATE         4:00 p.m.

 

Six Non-Conference Games

?       Facing the bye week in its Missouri Valley Conference schedule, Bradley will play six non-conference games this week, all against in-state opponents.

?       The Braves will visit Western Illinois for a 3:30 p.m. game Tuesday, then will host Eastern Illinois in a 6 p.m. game Wednesday at O'Brien Field.

?       Bradley also will host Chicago State in a four-game weekend set, beginning with a 1 p.m. contest Friday at O'Brien Field.

 

No Change In Standings

?       This past weekend's results around The Valley produced virtually no change in the league standings.

?       Despite losing 2-of-3 games to Missouri State, Bradley remains tied with Creighton in fourth place in the league standings, three wins ahead of sixth-place Indiana State.

?       Since The Valley adopted its current 24-game league schedule in 2005, sixth and final qualifier for the State Farm MVC Tournament has not yet had more than 11 conference wins.

?       Following its bye weekend this week, Bradley will have nine Valley games remaining at eighth-place Illinois State (May 2-4), at home versus first-place UNI (May 9-11) and at nationally-ranked Wichita State (May 15-17).

 

Altbach Excels In MVC Bullpen

?       Sophomore right-hander Brad Altbach has played a direct role in 11 of Bradley's 21 Missouri Valley Conference victories during his two years.

?       Including a relief win in Saturday's 9-6 victory against Missouri State, the 2007 MVC Freshman of the Year is 6-2 with five saves in 18 career Valley appearances.

?       As a Valley reliever, Altbach is 6-0 with five saves in his brief career, including a 3-0 mark this season since going back to the bullpen for the Southern Illinois series.

 

Brewer Responds To Shift

?       Junior Dan Brewer got off to a slow start at the plate this year while playing third base, but has heated up at the plate since making the shift to centerfield, where he was a Cape Cod League All-Star last summer.

?       After hitting just .167 (5-30) in his 11 games at third base, Brewer is now hitting .395 in the 24 games he has started in centerfield, highlighted by his 5-for-5 effort in Saturday's 9-6 win against Missouri State.

?       More notably, Brewer is hitting .414 in The Valley and he has scored at least one run in 14 of Bradley's 15 Valley games, easily pacing the league with 24 runs scored in conference play.

 

Luttrell Is Valley RBI Leader

?       A big reason Brewer leads The Valley in runs scored in conference play is that junior right fielder Colby Luttrell has become an RBI machine in league play.

?       Batting right behind Brewer in the lineup, Luttrell leads The Valley with 23 runs batted in through Bradley's first 15 league games.

 

Fritz Making Impression

?       Sophomore second baseman Matt Fritz, a transfer from NCAA Division III DePauw University, is making quite an impression in his first year with the Braves.

?       Fritz is now batting .360 for the season, including .372 in Bradley's 15 Valley games.

?       In addition to his work at the plate, Fritz has excelled in the field, highlighted by a pair of diving stops in the hole in Sunday's game versus Missouri State.

 

Winning In State

?       Bradley should be confident as it prepares for its six games against in-state opponents this week.

?       Including a 5-1 record so far this season, Bradley is 16-3 against teams from the state of Illinois the past two seasons.

 

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Players Mentioned

Dan Brewer

#8 Dan Brewer

SS
6' 0"
Freshman
Colby Luttrell

#28 Colby Luttrell

OF
5' 11"
Freshman
Brad Altbach

#24 Brad Altbach

RHP
6' 2"
Freshman
Matt Fritz

#20 Matt Fritz

INF
5' 11"
Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Dan Brewer

#8 Dan Brewer

6' 0"
Freshman
SS
Colby Luttrell

#28 Colby Luttrell

5' 11"
Freshman
OF
Brad Altbach

#24 Brad Altbach

6' 2"
Freshman
RHP
Matt Fritz

#20 Matt Fritz

5' 11"
Sophomore
INF