PEORIA, Ill. - It may be hard to imagine playing baseball games during the harsh winter weather that has struck Central Illinois the past few weeks, but Bradley will open its 114th baseball season Friday when the Braves start a 3-game series at Alcorn State.
The Braves return 24 lettermen, including six starting position players and 13 pitchers, from the 2013 squad that finished 17-32 overall, while Alcorn State is coming off a 16-41 campaign in 2013. Bradley's lineup includes a pair of preseason All-Missouri Valley Conference selections: senior designated hitter Greg Partyka hit .309 last season wtih 16 doubles, three home runs and 33 runs batted in and third-year sophomore second baseman Chris Godinez took a medical hardship last season after playing just 11 games, but was a Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American in 2012 when he hit .320 in 41 games.
Series Breakdown
Games 1-3: Bradley at Alcorn State
Friday 2 p.m. | Saturday 2 p.m. | Sunday 1 p.m.
Audio Streaming: Friday and Sunday at www.wprl.org (click "Listen Live" link in the upper left corner)
Twitter Updates: @BRAVESSPORTS
Bradley Probable Pitching Rotation
Friday: John Nasshan, RHP, Sr., 2-8 with a 6.14 ERA in 2013
Saturday: Stephen Toma, RHP, Jr., 4-3 with a 5.48 ERA in 2013
Sunday: Elliot Ashbeck, RHP, So., 0-2 with a 6.10 ERA in 2013
Series History
First meeting
Bradley is 1-0 all-time against the current Southwestern Athletic Conference membership ... In its only previous game against a current SWAC member, the Braves earned an 11-1 win at Alabama State during the 1956 College World Series season.
Looking Ahead
Week 2 of the 2014 season will take the Braves to Little Rock, Ark., where the Braves will take on UALR in a 3-game series Feb. 21-23 ... Bradley is 5-2 all-time against the Trojans, including 4-1 in road games ... The teams most-recently split two games in Nashville, Tenn., Feb. 25-26, 2012.
