Last Week Recap
Bradley went 0-4 last week, wrapping up the regular-season series with a 9-2 loss at Northern Iowa, before suffering three straight losses to preseason Missouri Valley Conference favorite Creighton. Senior Janay Mitchell hit .556 for the week with two runs scored and four walks, but the Braves managed just nine runs in the four games.
Wichita State Series
Bradley plays the final road games of the regular-season when the Braves play a three-game weekend series at Wichita State Saturday and Sunday as the two teams battle to secure a spot in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament. The Shockers hold a 39-25 lead in the all-time series, but Bradley took two of three games from Wichita State in Peoria last year. BU is 4-2 in the last six games against the Shockers, with two of Bradley's four victories in that stretch coming in extra innings.
On The Internet
Fans can follow live stats of all Bradley home games on the official Bradley Athletics website (www.BradleyBraves.com). In addition all home contests will feature a free live audio steam also available at www.BradleyBraves.com and home games will also include a subscription based video stream.
About Bradley
Picked to finish eighth in the preseason Missouri Valley Conference poll, the Braves are coming off the first postseason appearance in program history after sweeping through last year's State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament to claim the first NCAA Tournament bid in school history. The Braves returned 15 of 20 letterwinners, including six starting position players and two pitchers from last year's squad which finished 26-28 overall and was sixth in the MVC at 12-12.
Bradley is 15-28 overall, with five of the losses coming to teams ranked in the top 25. The Braves have dropped five consecutive games after winning four of five in mid-April.
Senior Amanda Clack is hitting a team-best .326 on the year and also leads the team with an 8-7 record and 3.28 ERA in the circle. Clack also leads the team in hits (42), runs (19) and stolen bases (12). Senior Janay Mitchell has recorded a hit in 10 of the last 11 games and reached base safely in 13 consecutive contests. She is hitting .324 on the year, including a team-best .371 in Missouri Valley Conference play. Sophomore Jackie Roth boasts a .295 batting average and is hitting .319 in league play. Freshman Taylor Cox has drawn a team-best 23 walks and owns a team-leading .391 on base percentage. Junior Kate Singler is hitting .261 and ranks among the conference leaders with 25 RBI.
Head Coach
A former assistant coach at Bradley (1997), Amy Hayes returned to The Hilltop in July 2008 to take over the head coaching reigns of the Braves after a three-year run as head coach at Portland State. Now in her second season, Hayes has led the Braves to a 41-56 record (.423) mark in her time as head coach. In addition, to posting their best conference finish since the 1995 squad finished fifth in the MVC with a 10-10 league record, she led the Braves to their first MVC Tournament title and first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history in 2009. In her ninth year as a collegiate head coach, Hayes was head coach at Portland State for three years where she led the Vikings to a 92-81 (.532) record and the school's first-ever conference championship and NCAA Tournament appearance. She was head coach at Boston University from 2001-04 and guided the Terriers to a 121-95 (.560) mark, three America East Conference regular-season titles, two conference tournament titles and back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances. Hayes has a career record of 254-232 (.523) career coaching record and has taken teams to the NCAA Tournament four times.
Big Weekend
With five of the eight spots already locked up for the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament (May 13-15), this weekend's series between Wichita State and Bradley may go a long way in determining one of the final three spots in this year's field. Wichita State enters the three-game series in eighth place in the standings at 6-12 with the Braves following closely behind in ninth at 5-15. Evansville is two games ahead of BU in seventh place at 7-13. Illinois State, Southern Illinois, Creighton, Northern Iowa and Drake have secured spots in this year's field, while Missouri State can join them with two wins in its last six games.
Clack Notches 200th Strikeout
Senior Amanda Clack recorded the 200th strikeout of her career Sunday against Creighton, fanning six Bluejay hitters in 4.2 innings out of the bullpen. Clack is the 10th player in program history to reach 200 career strikeouts and is poised to climb up two more spots on the career punchout list. With 205 career strikeouts entering this weekend's series at Wichita State, she needs two more to pass Sandra Britt for ninth place and four more to catch Kim Rosenbohm for eighth on BU's career chart.
Mitchell's Hit Streak Comes To An End
Senior Janay Mitchell had a career-best eight-game hit streak come to an end with an 0-for-1 effort in the series opener against Creighton. Mitchell, who did draw two walks in the game, raised her batting average from .293 to .314 during the hit streak and boasted a .367 batting average with six runs and six RBI during her hit streak. The eight-game hit streak ties junior Brittany Fairbairn for the longest of the year and is the longest hitting streak since Clack hit safely in nine consecutive games last year.
Bean Ball
Junior Kate Singler was hit by two pitches in the weekend series against Creighton and has now been hit by a pitch a team-leading seven times. Singler's seven hit by pitches is the second highest season total in school history behind Christine Cooney's eight hit by pitch in 2007. A junior college transfer, Singler is already tied for fourth on the BU career list for hit by pitch. Senior Lauren Meister is second on the career chart, having been hit by 14 pitches in her near four years on The Hilltop.
Hit Parade
Senior Amanda Clack leads Bradley with 42 hits and a .326 batting average on the season. Clack's 42 hits on the year are the most for a BU player since Joanna Pettit and Molly Bergeson each finished the 2006 season with 43 hits. Trish Kowalewski was the last Bradley player to collect more than 43 hits in a season, tallying 47 hits in 2005. Clack ranks ninth in school history with 528 career at bats and needs six hits to move into a tie for 10th on Bradley's career list. She is 11th in school history with 63 RBI, needing one run driven in to move into a tie for 10th.
Off And Running
Bradley has 48 stolen bases on the season with the senior duo of Amanda Clack (12 steals) and Janay Mitchell (11 steals) leading the way on the base paths. Bradley has two players with 10 or more steals in the same season for the first time since 2004. Mitchell ranks fifth all-time at BU with 36 career stolen bases, while Clack is 11th all-time with 23 steals. BU's 48 stolen bases are the most for the team since swiping a then Missouri Valley Conference record 99 bases in 2000. Bradley's 48 stolen bases is tied for the eighth best season total in program history.
Winning In Extras
Despite the 10-inning loss at Indiana State in the series finale, Bradley is 2-1 in extra-inning games this season and the Braves have had a quite a bit of success in extra-inning contests over the last few seasons. The extra-inning loss snapped a three-game win streak for BU in extra-inning games. Bradley is 14-4 (.778) in extra-inning games since the start of the 2007 season.
Taking Charge
Junior Katie Dennis has emerged as one of Bradley's top pitchers, posting a 3-3 record with a 2.14 ERA in her last seven appearances. Dennis has earned the starting nod in five of Bradley's last 10 contests, where she has pitched 36.0 innings of the last 70.1 for the BU pitching staff. In addition, she has earned three of Bradley's four wins in that time, while limiting hitters to a .266 batting average.
Home Sweet Home
Following this weekend's trip to Wichita State, Bradley will conclude the regular season at home against I-74 rival Illinois State May 8 & 9. The Braves will play the final series of the regular season at home for the third year in a row and fifth time in the last six years.
In A Pinch
Sophomore Alison Kresl has emerged as Bradley's top pinch hitter, boasting a .313 batting average (5-for-16) when used in that role. Kresl's five pinch hits are the most by a Bradley player since Jessie Musgrove finished the 2005 season with a .412 batting average as a pinch hitter (7-for-17).
Walk This Way
Freshman Taylor Cox has drawn a team-best 23 base on balls this season. The 23 walks rank as the fourth best season total in school history and is near double the next best individual total on the team (12 walks by Kate Singler). Cox has nine base on balls in the last 12 games and leads the team with 12 free passes in Missouri Valley Conference play to go along with a .431 on base percentage against league foes. The Bradley season record for walks is 25 and the school mark for walks by a freshman is 24.
Setting The Table
Freshman Taylor Cox has taken over as Bradley's leadoff hitter, appearing in that role in each of the last 14 games. Cox has done a good job reaching base, getting on 44 percent of the time when leading off an inning on the year. In Missouri Valley Conference play she has reached base 50 percent of the time when opening an inning and has reached 46 percent since taking over as BU's leadoff hitter.
Coming Through In The Clutch
Sophomore Jackie Roth ranks third on the team with 14 RBI, but she has driven in the bulk of her runs in the clutch. Roth is second on the squad with 10 two-out RBI with four of her last five RBI coming with two outs. Senior Amanda Clack has also been a big bat with two outs, knocking in nine of her 10 RBI on the year with two outs.
Going Yard
Senior Janay Mitchell belted her first home run of the season with a solo homer in the series finale against Southern Illinois. The home run was the third of Mitchell's career, but first for the speedy outfielder since April 29, 2007. Mitchell homered in back to back games of a series against Indiana State as a freshman but had played in 113 games between the second and third home runs of her career.
Clack Climbs On To Doubles List
Senior Amanda Clack ripped the 24th double of her career in the second game of the series against Southern Illinois. Clack moved into sole possession of 10th place on Bradley's career doubles list with the two-batter against the Salukis. She needs three doubles to move up two spots on the doubles list.
On A Tear
Senior Janay Mitchell has been heating up after getting a slow start to the year. After opening the season 2-for-14 (.143) with one run scored and one stolen base in the first nine games of the season, Mitchell is .351 (34-for-97) with 16 runs scored, 11 RBI, nine stolen bases and a .417 on base percentage in the last 31 games.
Enjoying Conference Play
Freshman Taylor Cox entered Missouri Valley Conference play with a .234 batting average, but has hit .305 against conference opponents (18-for-59). Cox has 12 runs scored and eight RBI in 20 league games. On the season, she leads the team with 23 base on balls and a .391 on base percentage while ranking fifth on the squad with a .265 batting average.
Driving Them In
Junior Kate Singler has driven in a team-best 25 runs this season. She needs just four RBI to break into Bradley's top 10 season totals. Fellow junior college transfer Brittany Fairbairn is second on the squad with 18 RBI.
Getting Ahead
Bradley is 7-8 on the year when scoring in the first inning and the Braves are 12-9 when they are first team to score. The Braves had won 11 consecutive games when leading after five innings, prior to Creighton's 7-3 come-from-behind win in the series opener. BU is 14-3 when leading after four innings compared to a 1-20 mark when the Braves trail after four innings.
Home Win Streak Snapped
Bradley's loss to Evansville in the conference opener for both teams snapped a 10-game home win streak for the Braves and a six-game win streak at Laura Bradley Park for BU. The 10-game home win streak included victories against six different MVC opponents. Bradley won the series finale against Drake on April 18 to start the win streak, before sweeping a doubleheader against Indiana State (4/29) and a three-game set from Missouri State to conclude the regular season (5/2 & 5/3). The Braves won four games in three days to win the State Farm MVC Tournament title at the EastSide Centre in East Peoria.
Success In The Valley
Senior Janay Mitchell has opened Missouri Valley Conference play strong, owning a .371 batting average in league action. Success in conference play is nothing new for Mitchell however. In 74 career games against non-conference opponents, Mitchell owns a .254 batting average (46-181) with 27 runs, five doubles and two triples. In 79 contests against Missouri Valley Conference schools, Mitchell is 69-for-216 (.319) with 36 runs, 11 doubles, two triples and all three of her career home runs.
Up Next
Bradley closes out the regular season May 8 & 9 with a three-game series against I-74 rival Illinois State at Laura Bradley Park. The Redbirds hold a 49-16 lead in the all-time series after ISU took two of three games in Peoria last season. Bradley's 2-0, eight-inning win in last year's series finale snapped a seven-game Illinois State win streak in the series.
Ranked Foes
Bradley has played five games against ranked teams this season and the Braves have a total of 11 games against ranked foes over the last two seasons. The five games against ranked teams is the fourth most in a season in program history. The school record for games against top 25 teams is eight (2005). Five of Bradley's 23 losses this season have come at the hands of teams ranked in the top 25.
Big First Hit
Senior Megan O'Malley recorded her first career hit earlier this season against third-ranked Missouri. Used primarily as a pinch runner her first two season, O'Malley was appearing in her 42nd game at Bradley; but it was only the 23rd at bat of her career when she delivered a two-out, pinch-hit double. She later scored on a Missouri error for Bradley's only run of the game against the 2009 College World Series participants. O'Malley is 2-for-4 on the year as a pinch hitter.
Records Watch
Seniors Amanda Clack and Jacqueline Vitale both rank among Bradley's career leaders in home runs. Clack is 11th in school history with 11 career home runs, while Vitale is tied for fourth in program history with 13 career dingers. Bradley's season leader in hits (42) and runs (19), Clack needs one RBI to move into a tie with former teammate Elizabeth Wilson for 10th on the career RBI chart.
Putting It In Neutral
Bradley is 8-7 in neutral site games this season and is now 14-12 over the last two years when playing at a neutral site. The Braves are a combined 23-15 (.605) at neutral sites since the start of the 2007 season.
Clack Wins Pair Of Scholar-Athlete Honors
Senior Amanda Clack earned a pair of scholar-athlete of the week honors as she was named Prairie Farms Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Week and Bradley Country Financial Scholar-Athlete of the Week for the week of March 9. Clack hit .500 with two doubles, six runs and one RBI at the plate, while posting a 3-0 record and a 0.67 ERA during play at the Under Armour Invitational in Clearwater, Fla.
Louisiana Classics All-Tournament Honors
Three Bradley players earned all-tournament honors at the 24th annual Louisiana Classics. Headlining the group was junior transfer Kate Singler who led the Braves with a .429 batting average during the opening weekend. Singler also led the Braves in runs (5), RBI (5), slugging percentage (.714) and on base percentage (.500) in the opening weekend. Freshman Taylor Cox joined Singler on the all-tournament team. Cox started four of five games and was 4-for-11 (.364) with three runs scored and two stolen bases. Fellow freshman Brandi Ore also earned all-tournament honors. Ore was 1-0 in three appearances with 0.00 ERA in nine innings of work. She tossed a complete-game, three-hit shutout against Bryant in her first career outing and also pitched two innings of scoreless relief in two appearances against 23rd-ranked Louisiana-Lafayette.
Troy Cox Classic All-Tournament Honors
Senior Amanda Clack and junior Kate Singler were both named to the all-tournament team at the Troy Cox Classic in Las Cruces, N.M. Clack hit .400 with six RBI and two runs scored, while also going 2-0 with a save and 1.70 ERA. Singler also hit .400 and clubbed three home runs and finished with seven RBI in five games. She boasted a 1.00 slugging percentage and .471 on base percentage in five games.
Julie Sherman Named BU Scholar-Athlete of the Week
Sophomore Julie Sherman was named the Bradley Country Financial Scholar-Athlete of the Week after helping Bradley to a 3-2 record at the season-opening Louisiana Classics. Sherman started three of four games and hit .300 with one run scored and three RBI during the first five games of the season. A psychology major, Sherman owns a 3.26 cumulative grade point average.
Mitchell Named Lowe's Senior CLASS Candidate
Senior outfielder Janay Mitchell is one of 30 national candidates and one of two candidates from the Missouri Valley Conference for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. Mitchell has led Bradley in batting average each of the last two years and is the Braves active career leader in stolen bases and sacrifice hits. An international business major, she owns a 3.55 cumulative grade point average and serves as President of the Braves Council.
Vitale Earns Preseason Honor
Senior designated player/utility player Jacqueline Vitale was selected to the preseason All-Missouri Valley Conference team for the second time in her career. She also earned the honor following her freshman season, but missed the season due to injury. Last year, Vitale was third on the team with a .252 batting average and was second with six home runs, 21 RBI and a .441 slugging percentage. She drove in 10 runs in the final 11 games and hit a solo home run in the championship game of the NCAA Tournament. She is tied for fourth all-time with 13 career home runs and needs four dingers to break the career mark.
Braves Picked Eighth In Preseason Poll
Coming off a sixth-place finish in last year's regular-season Missouri Valley Conference race, Bradley was picked to finish eighth in the preseason coaches' poll. The Braves sixth place finish in 2009 was the best since placing fifth in 1995 and Bradley matched a school-record with 12 conference wins. Creighton received eight of 10 first-place votes and is the preseason favorite. Southern Illinois garnered one first-place vote and was second behind the Bluejays 97 points with 85. The Braves received 33 points in the poll to finish three points behind seventh-place Missouri State (36). Indiana State was in ninth place at 21 points and Evansville rounded out the poll in 10th place at 17 points.
