PEORIA, Ill. -- Bradley Softball will be home for the second consecutive weekend, hosting defending Missouri Valley Conference regular-season champion Wichita State in a three-game series Saturday and Sunday at Petersen Hotels Field at the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex.
 
The Braves (18-18 overall, 4-5 MVC) and Shockers (20-13 overall, 6-3 MVC) will play a doubleheader Saturday starting at 11 a.m. and conclude the series Sunday with a single game also at 11 a.m.  Bradley is tied with Evansville for sixth in the Valley standings at 4-5 after taking the series finale from Missouri State last Sunday, while Wichita State is currently in a four-way tie for second in the Valley standings two games ahead of the Braves at 6-3.
 
All three games of the series will be available on ESPN3 as part of The Valley On ESPN3 and can be viewed through WatchESPN.com and the WatchESPN app.  In addition, BradleyBraves.com will provide links to live stats for all three contests.  For ticket information visit - http://www.bubraves.com/sports/2017/3/27/bradley-softball-ticket-information.aspx?id=972
 
Wichita State won both games against Bradley last season, but the Braves have won at least one game from the Shockers in five of the last six years and Bradley is 6-8 against Wichita State over the last five seasons. 
 
Bradley has had a lot of success at home during the month of April lately, with the Braves owning a winning home record in April in each of the last three seasons.  In fact, Bradley is 20-15 at home in April over the last three seasons after playing a total of 33 home contests in April between 2009 and 2013.  The Braves have tallied seven home wins in April each of the last two seasons, marking the most home victories in April since the 2000 season (9-7). 
 
Senior Kelly Kapp has reached base in all but two games this season and has had multiple hits in six of nine MVC contests.  She enters the weekend 19th in Valley history with 212 hits and needs just four to move up two spots in the record books into 17th.  Kapp is also closing in on the top 20 in Valley history in runs scored.  Her 119 career runs rank third in school history and she is five short of breaking into the top 20 in league history.  In addition, Kapp's 57 hits are just four from pushing her season total among the top 10 season marks at Bradley. 
 
Junior Maria Schroeder had a six-game hit streak snapped Tuesday at SIU Edwardsville, but is hitting .429 in MVC play and driven 11 of her league-best 36 RBI in conference action.  With one-third of the regular-season schedule remaining, Schroeder already has a career-high 36 RBI and is now seventh in school history with 95 career RBI.  She has scored or drove in 40 percent of Bradley's runs in the last 25 outings, driving in 21 runs in the last 17 contests. 
 
The Braves will open a five-game MVC road swing with a three-game series at Northern Iowa April 14 & 15.  Bradley will face the Panthers in a noon doubleheader next Friday in Cedar Falls, Iowa, to open the series.