PEORIA, Ill. -- Sophomore pitcher
Julie Kestas (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central) has been named the Bradley COUNTRY Financial Scholar-Athlete of the Week after tossing a one-hit shutout Sunday against Wichita State.
Kestas posted a 1-1 record with a 1.62 ERA in two appearances in the weekend series against Wichita State. In the series finale, Kestas came one out away from the first perfect game by a Bradley pitcher since the 1994 season as she kept the top hitting team in the MVC in check with a complete game one-hit shutout in a 1-0 victory for the Braves. She struck out five and allowed just one base runner (a two-out single in the top of the seventh) in the first complete game shutout of her career as Bradley posted the first shutout of Wichita State by a MVC opponent since 2014. In 8.2 innings of work over the weekend, Kestas held the Shockers to a .156 batting average and allowed just two extra-base hits. A spots communication major, Kestas owns a 3.23 cumulative grade point average.
Each week, a Bradley student-athlete is selected as the COUNTRY Financial Scholar-Athlete of the Week. The individual chosen must be at least a sophomore in class standing and boast a minimum 3.0 cumulative grade point average, while displaying a level of athletic excellence.
Kestas and the Bradley Softball team will open a three-game series at Northern Iowa Friday with a noon doubleheader against the Panthers in Cedar Falls, Iowa.