Softball Hosts Drake For Weekend Series

Softball 3/22/2019 9:29:00 AM

PEORIA, Ill. -- Fresh off an 8-1 midweek victory at Missouri, Bradley Softball hosts defending Missouri Valley Conference champion and preseason league favorite Drake for a weekend series with the Braves and Bulldogs playing a noon doubleheader Saturday at Petersen Hotels Field at the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex and wrapping up the set Sunday with a single game at 11 a.m.

Bradley (14-11 overall, 2-1 MVC) has won seven of its last eight games heading into the series against Drake (14-13 overall, 2-1 MVC) after Wednesday's win at Missouri. Drake, which played the toughest non-conference schedule in the nation according to Monday's NCAA RPI report, took two of three games at Southern Illinois last weekend to open league play.

All three games of the series will be available on ESPN3 and BradleyBraves.com will provide links to live stats for each contest.

Drake owns a 61-30-1 advantage in the all-time series after sweeping the three-game series last year. The Braves are 14-23-1 all-time in home games against the Bulldogs. Drake has won nine consecutive games in the series dating back to a 4-3 Bradley win at Laura Bradley Park on April 26, 2015 when the Braves took the series 2-1.

Wednesday's game at Missouri marked the halfway point of the regular-season schedule for the Braves. Bradley's 8-1 victory improved the Braves to 14-11 on the year to mark the team's best record through 25 games since 2017. In fact, Bradley has boasted a winning record through 25 games just three times in the last 12 years counting this season, with the 2017 & 2013 squads both boasting 14-11 records at that point.

Bradley's 8-1 win at Missouri, which was ranked 40th in the first NCAA RPI report released Monday, improved the Braves to 12-10 in non-conference games this season. With only one non-conference game on the schedule left (at SIU Edwardsville - April 3), Bradley is guaranteed to have a winning record against regular-season non-conference opponents for the first time since 2017 (14-13) and just the third time in the last 12 years. The 2013 squad was 15-12 in non-conference action.

Bradley hit three home runs in Wednesday's victory at Missouri with junior Kealia Wysocki hitting her league-leading eight home run. The big hit of the game may have been sophomore Jillian Navarro's three-run homer in the fourth, however. Navarro, who is tied for second on the team with six dingers, has hit three home runs in the last five games. In fact, over her last six games she is 5-for-11 (.455) with three homers, four walks, five runs and six RBI. This season she has 10 hits in 33 at bats (.303) with one triple, six homers and boasts a league-leading .909 slugging percentage.

Freshman Lucy Mead has taken over the spot at the top of the Bradley lineup and the shortstop is hitting a team-best .373 at the halfway point of the regular season. While she has reached base 35 percent of the time she has led off an inning, Mead has been even better with runners on owning a .414 average with runners on base. She also owns the team's top batting average with runners in scoring position. A .364 hitter in the first inning this season, Mead has been even better late in games; owning a .474 average (18-for-38) with 13 runs and 11 RBI from the fourth inning on.

Fellow freshman Grace French had a complete game effort in Wednesday's victory at Missouri and is now tied for the team lead with senior Megan Mahaffy with four victories on the year (4-2). Mead, who owns a team-best 1.24 ERA in 11 appearances, has also seen more time in the Bradley lineup. In the month of March, French is 3-1 with a 0.88 ERA in 16.0 innings of work (four appearances). Over the last eight games, French has collected hits in six contests and owns a .429 average (9-for-21) during that stretch after opening the season 0-for-9.

Bradley follows up the weekend home series against Drake with a three-game series at Loyola March 30 & 31 in Chicago, to kick off a stretch in which the Braves play 12 of 15 on the road.

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