@BradleyBaseball Opens Spring Break Trip at Mercer

The Braves continue their season-opening, 18-game road swing with a 3-game series against the Bears

Luke Mangeiri greeted in dugout after scoring the 1st ru

Dave Wegiel, Pinola Photo

Game Notes (PDF)

Bobby Parker, Associate AD for Communications Baseball 3/9/2017 2:11:00 PM

MACON, GA – Bradley Baseball will continue its season-opening, 18-game road swing by kicking off its spring break trip with a 3-game weekend series at Southern Conference member Mercer. The two teams are meeting for a 3-game series at OrthoGeorgia Park for the second time in three seasons.

SERIES SCHEDULE
Bradley Braves (3-6) at Mercer Bears (11-3)
Macon, GA | OrthoGeorgia Park
Friday: 5:00 p.m. CT | Listen Live | Live Stats
Saturday: 1:00 p.m. CT | Listen Live | Live Stats
Sunday: 12:00 p.m. CT | Listen Live | Live Stats
Tickets: $8 or $10 | Buy Online

PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday: Allan Beer (Jr., RHP, 0-2, 6.43 ERA) vs. Ryan Askew (Sr., RHP, 2-0, 1.42 ERA)
Saturday: Ben Olson (So., LHP, 1-1, 4.96 ERA) vs. Austin Cox (So., LHP, 1-1, 6.17 ERA)
Sunday: Eric Scheuermann (Sr., RHP, 0-2, 7.91 ERA) vs. Kevin Coulter (So., RHP, 1-0, 8.16 ERA)

SERIES HISTORY
Games 4-6
Overall: Bradley leads, 2-1
at Mercer: Bradley leads, 2-1
Bradley Head Coach Elvis Dominguez vs. Mercer: 2-1
Mercer Head Coach Craig Gibson vs. Bradley: 1-2
Most Recent: 2015 - Bradley won 2-of-3 games March 13-15, 2015 at Mercer
Current Streak: Bradley W1

THE OPENING PITCH
• Bradley will continue its season-opening, 18-game road swing with a fourth consecutive 3-game series this weekend at Mercer.
• Since taking 2-of-3 in the opening series Feb. 17-19 at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, the Braves have dropped five of their last six, including all three games last weekend at Sam Houston State.
• The series at Mercer starts Bradley's annual spring break trip, which will continue with five more games next week in the Sunshine State.
• The seven host opponents that make up Bradley's first 17 NCAA Division I games have combined for a 56-35 (.615) record through Wednesday's action, including a 28-5 (.848) collective home record for the three teams the Braves are visiting during their spring break trip.
• In the only previous meetings between the two teams, Bradley took 2-of-3 games at Mercer March 13-15, 2015, a series victory that played a large role in the Braves eventually earning an at-large bid to the 2015 NCAA Louisville Regional.

4 YEARS AWAY FROM HOME
• Since the start of the 2014 season, Bradley ranks second in the Missouri Valley Conference by accumulating 66 wins away from home.
• Bradley's 66 road (37) and neutral (29) wins away from home the last four seasons represent 71.7 percent of the team's 92 total wins the last four years.
• Bradley is scheduled to play at least 32 games away from home this season, including the first 18 to start the season.

TOUGH START
• Not only is Bradley playing its first 18 games of the season away from home, but the seven NCAA Division I teams the Braves will face in 17 of those 18 games have combined for a 56-35 (.615) record through Wednesday's action.
• Bradley will visit four more Division I teams before opening its home schedule March 24.
• The next four teams to host the Braves, beginning Friday at Mercer, have combined for 38-14 (.731) overall record, highlighted by a collective 28-5 (.848) home record.

RETURNING TO MACON
• In the first-ever meetings between the Bradley and Mercer baseball teams, the Braves took 2-of-3 games in Macon March 13-15, 2015.
• All of the six Bradley pitchers to appear in that series, who combined for a 3.12 ERA in the series, have either been drafted, graduated or both.
• Six of the 12 position players to appear in the series are still with the Braves, although junior RHP Allan Beer now pitches exclusively and senior OF Evan Gruener is not expected to play due to injury.
Returning Players - 2015 Series Stats
Evan Gruener, LF - .385 (5-13), 2 2B
Spencer Gaa, 3B - .273 (3-11), 1 2B
Carson Weber, RF - .091 (1-11), 1 SH
Allan Beer, 2B - .500 (1-2)
Ian Kristan, DH/C - .333 (2-6), 1 1B, 1 HR
Zach Fairchild, C - .000 (0-1)

FAMILY TIES
• Freshman SS Luke Shadid becomes the fifth member of the extended Shadid family to play baseball at Bradley.
• Luke Shadid is the younger brother of Bradley sophomore CF Andy Shadid, who was a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American last season.
• A cousin of Andy and Luke's father, DJ, Jim Shadid still owns Bradley single-season (30 in 1977) and career (85) stolen base records.
• DJ Shadid played at Bradley in 1984 and Jim's brother, George Shadid, also played for the Braves from 1978-80.
• Andy and Luke's cousin, David Shadid, is a sophomore runner on the Bradley men's track team and owns the school records in both the indoor 200 meters and 400 meters.
And on the topic of family ties:
• Sophomore IF Christian Dominguez is the son of Bradley Baseball head coach Elvis Dominguez.
• Sophomores LHP Jacob Hurst and IF Luke Mangieri are cousins (mothers are sisters).
• Senior RHP Nathan Stong is twin brothers with 2016 Bradley Baseball graduate LHP Brent Stong.
• Senior OF Spencer Gaa is the son of Rick Gaa, Bradley University's Director of Athletic Development.

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