PEORIA, Ill. -- After heading to the Southwest each of the first two weeks of the 2017 season, Bradley Softball will head south this weekend to take part in the Mardi Gras Classic in Lafayette, La., as the Braves play in the Bayou State for the first time since 2010.
 
Bradley is coming off a 3-2 weekend at the Troy Cox Classic in Las Cruces, N.M., which included wins over tournament-host New Mexico State and an impressive 18-8 victory over Oregon State for the first loss of the season for the Beavers. 
 
The Braves (4-6 overall) will open the weekend Friday at 6 p.m. against Bowling Green (6-3 overall) looking to improve on a 4-3 series lead after topping the Falcons 9-8 last year in Kennesaw, Ga.  Friday's action also includes an 8 p.m. matchup with Mississippi Valley State (1-8 overall) in the first game between the two programs since Bradley took a pair from the Delta Devils at the 2014 Razorback Invite in Fayetteville, Ark.
 
On Saturday, the Braves will face a pair of first-time opponents in Maryland (1-8 overall) and Dartmouth (27-15 in 2016).  Bradley will face Maryland, which topped then #1 Florida last weekend in Gainesville, Fla., Saturday at 12:45 p.m.  Dartmouth will be opening its 2017 season this weekend and will face the Braves Saturday at 5:15 p.m.
 
A pair of familiar faces will be in the opposite dugout Sunday when Bradley wraps up the weekend with an 11:15 a.m. game against 16th-ranked Louisiana-Lafayette (6-3 overall).  Ragin' Cajun assistant coaches Chris Malveaux and his wife Kate (Singler) both have connections to The Hilltop with Chris serving as associate head coach for the Braves from 2012-15 and Kate spending a year as a volunteer assistant coach for Bradley after hitting 12 homers and driving in 54 runs in her two seasons at BU.
 
Through 10 games, Bradley is hitting .293 as a team and the Braves pace the Missouri Valley Conference in runs (59), doubles (14) and stolen bases (15).  Bradley owns a .341 team batting average with runners in scoring position.
 
Senior Caitlyn McCarron (Dallas, Ore./Dallas) had just 39 at bats in 2016, but has emerged as one of the top hitters on the team this season.  In fact, McCarron leads the MVC with a .577 batting average after going 8-for-15 with three doubles, five runs and six RBI last weekend in Las Cruces, N.M.  She is hitting a blistering .667 (8-for-12) with runners on base and her overall batting average ranked 20th in the nation through games of Feb. 20. 
 
Part of the reason McCarron has had so many opportunities with runners on base has been fellow senior Kelly Kapp (Freeburg, Ill./Gibault Catholic), who hit .500 last weekend (10-for-20) with eight stolen bases.  Kapp has more stolen bases than all but one MVC team (Southern Illinois) this season with 12 and is nearly halfway to her season total from 2016.  Her 12 stolen bases are tied for the fourth most in the nation through Sunday and her 69 career steals rank sixth all-time in MVC history. 
 
In addition to the production by McCarron, Bradley's lineup has been bolstered by the hitting of sophomores Stephanie Campos (Bloomingdale, Ill./Glenbard North) and Megan Mahaffy (Crystal Lake, Ill./Crystal Lake Central).  The pair has both slugged three home runs after combining for one extra-base hit in 2016.  The three homers by Campos are two short of her overall hit total for the entire 2016 season, while four of Mahaffy's six hits this spring have gone for extra bases. 
 
Following the weekend trip to Louisiana, Bradley will travel to Knoxville, Tenn., for the Tennessee Invitational March 3-5, where the Braves will face Ohio, Southeastern Louisiana, Delaware, Jacksonville State and tournament-host Tennessee in the second matchup this season against the Volunteers.