PEORIA, Ill. -- Bradley travels west for the second consecutive week and third time this season, playing in the Eller Media Stadium Classic Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Las Vegas, Nev. The Braves are traveling to Las Vegas for the first time since opening the 2008 season in a tournament hosted by UNLV and the second time in program history.
Tournament-play begins Friday morning, with Bradley (3-11 overall) taking on Kansas (14-1 overall) at 11 a.m. (CST) in the first game of the event. Friday's game against the Jayhawks is the third and final game of the year against a Big 12 Conference foe. The Braves won the last meeting with Kansas, topping KU 2-0 on Feb. 14, 2009 in Orlando, Fla.
Bradley takes on San Jose State (8-7 overall) Friday afternoon at 1:15 (CST) in the first meeting between the two teams. Saturday's action includes games against San Diego (2-3 overall) and tournament-host UNLV (7-6 overall). The Braves will be facing San Diego (11 a.m. CST) for the first time since the 2001 season opener and hold a 2-1 advantage in the series with the Toreros. Bradley dropped its only previous game against UNLV, falling to the Rebels during the 2008 trip to Las Vegas.
The Braves wrap up tournament play Sunday with a noon (CST) game against Troy (11-3 overall) in the second of three meetings this season with the Trojans. Troy edged Bradley 8-7 in nine innings when the teams met on Feb. 19 in Troy, Ala. The Braves will play Troy next week as well, opening the Bayer Cropscience Classic in Fresno, Calif., Friday, March 11 against the Trojans.
Senior Kate Singler (Witt, Ill./Nokomis/Heartland C.C.) brings a seven-game hit streak into Friday's tournament opener against Kansas and is hitting .435 (10-for-23) with three runs and three RBI during her recent streak. Singler is second on the team with a .395 batting average and has driven in a team-best 10 runs.
Junior Julie Sherman (Hickory Hills, Ill./Stagg) had a career-best seven-game hit streak snapped at last week's UTEP Invitational, but leads the team with a .450 batting average and has already matched her season hit total from 2010. Sherman has scored a team-high 11 runs and boasts a .465 on base percentage.
Senior Brittany Fairbairn (Lombard, Ill./Glenbard East/Kankakee C.C.) has drawn a team-leading eight base on balls and is hitting .308 this spring after having her junior year cut short by an injury. Fairbairn drew seven walks in 133 plate appearances last season and is the only Brave with more than four base on balls.
Live stats for all five of Bradley's games at the Eller Media Stadium Classic will be available at http://www.unlvrebels.com/sports/w-softbl/spec-rel/2011-eller-tourney.html
