PEORIA, Ill. -- The Bradley softball team has opened the 2013 season with 26 games away from home and will have to wait another week before playing its first home games of the spring with Wednesday's announcement that the weekend series against Wichita State has been moved from Peoria to Edwardsville, Ill.
Poor field conditions and cold temperatures have forced the teams to move the series south to Edwardsville, Ill., where Bradley and Wichita State will play a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday on the campus of SIU Edwardsville. Sunday's scheduled game between the Braves and Shockers has been cancelled. Cold and wet conditions in the Midwest have forced the cancellation of four of BU's last five scheduled games, including last weekend's Missouri Valley Conference opening series at Illinois State.
Bradley (15-11 overall, 0-0 MVC) has won five true road games after Tuesday's 1-0, eight-inning win at Illinois-Chicago as the Braves matched their road win total from the entire 2012 season. Overall, Bradley has 15 wins away from home matching the squad's road and neutral site win total from last spring. One more win away from home would give BU its best road and neutral site win total since combining for 11 road and nine neutral site victories in 2004.
The Wichita State (11-14 overall, 2-1 MVC) series was scheduled to be the home opener for Bradley and kick off a season long, six-game home stand for the Braves. With the shortened series moved to Edwardsville, BU will open the home slate Friday, March 29 with a 2 p.m. doubleheader against Indiana State. The March 29 home opener would be the latest home opener for Bradley since playing the first home game of the 1996 season on April 3.
Saturday's doubleheader will mark the latest conference opener for Bradley since 2001 when the Braves faced the Shockers on March 24, 2001 after also having a scheduled three-game series at Illinois State cancelled because of weather.
Six of Bradley's 15 victories this season have been decided by two runs of less and the Braves are a perfect 4-0 in one-run contests this spring. BU is 6-2 in games which feature a final margin of two runs or fewer, after going 11-13 in those same contests last year.
Following Saturday's doubleheader, Bradley will play 11 of the final 22 regular-season games at Laura Bradley Park beginning with next weekend's Indiana State series.
