Bradley Softball Closes Non-Conference Slate At SIU Edwardsville

Madison Schwindenhammer

Softball 4/2/2019 2:15:00 PM

PEORIA, Ill. -- Bradley Softball puts a six-game road win streak on the line when the Braves close out the non-conference portion of the 2019 schedule Wednesday with a 4 p.m. game at in-state foe SIU Edwardsville.

The teams have played at least once in each of the last seven years and nine of the last 10 seasons heading into Wednesday afternoon's game at Cougar Field, which will mark the final non-conference game of the year for Bradley (17-13 overall).

After earning the team's first three-game conference road sweep since 2015, the Braves are 7-2 on the road the year and have won six consecutive road games dating back to a loss to then seventh-ranked Tennessee on Feb. 24. Wednesday's game will mark the home opener for SIU Edwardsville (9-14 overall).

BradleyBraves.com will provide a link to live stats for Wednesday's matchup with the Cougars.

The Braves are 12-10 in non-conference action this year after picking up an 8-1 win at Missouri back on March 20. 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. The Braves have played the 71^st toughest non-conference schedule through March 31 and were 74^th in the latest RPI.

Bradley scored 28 runs in a three-game sweep of Loyola in the first MVC road series of the season for the Braves. The last time Bradley swept a three-game Valley series was 2016 when the Braves swept a three-game home series from Loyola. In addition, Bradley swept a three-game MVC road series for the first time since taking all three games of a series at Evansville to wrap up the 2015 regular-season schedule.

Bradley finished the month of March with a 10-4 record, marking the most victories for the Braves in March since 2014 when BU was 10-8. Over the last six seasons, Bradley has just two other years in which it reached 15 overall wins before the end of March. The Braves own a 17-13 record through 30 games, marking the team's best record through 30 games since 2013 (18-12). Bradley averaged 7.57 runs per game in March and owned a .321 team batting average, while the pitchers combined for a 2.80 ERA and held opponents to a .274 average during that same stretch.

After scoring a total of two runs in the final three games at the Tennessee Invitational, Bradley has scored 11 or more runs in five of the last 16 contests following Sunday's 12-5 victory at Loyola. Currently averaging a conference-best 6.3 runs per game, Bradley has scored 11 or more runs seven times and the Braves have 15 outings with seven or more runs. In fact, Bradley has averaged 6.88 runs per game in Valley play and scored at least six runs in six of eight league games. Bradley's seven games with 10 or more runs ties the school season record of seven set in 2015.

Sophomore Stacia Seeton had a big day Monday in the doubleheader to wrap up the series at Loyola, going 3-for-4 at the plate with two homers, five walks, five runs and six RBI. In fact, she drew four walks in Monday's first game to mark just the fifth time since 2000 a Bradley hitter drew four base on balls in a contest and first since Kendall Duffy on March 19, 2016. For the series, Seeton went 5-for-8 (.625) with a double, two home runs, five walks, a stolen base, six runs and seven RBI. She scored or drove in 11 of Bradley's 28 runs (39 percent) in the series.

Junior Allison Apke hit a solo home run to help highlight Sunday's 12-5 victory at Loyola and broke the Bradley career home run record in the process. Apke, who is tied for third in the MVC with seven homers this spring, smashed the 22nd home run of her Bradley career to break a tie for the school record at 21 homers between her, fellow junior Kealia Wysocki and Alyson Clemente (2012-16).

The Braves have belted a conference-best 46 homers this season to tie the school season record for home runs in a season. Bradley is six home runs short of pushing its season total among the top 15 in MVC history. Bradley is one of nine teams in the country to have four players with seven or more homers through games of April 1 with seven of those teams in this week's USA Today/NFCA Top 25. Joining the Braves on that list are #3 Florida State, #4 Alabama, #9 Arizona, #10 Louisiana, #12 Georgia, #13 Auburn, #21 Arizona State and Georgia Tech.

The Braves follow up the midweek game at SIU Edwardsville with a three-game weekend home series against Missouri State, which gets underway Saturday with a noon doubleheader at Petersen Hotels Field at the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex.

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Players Mentioned

#16 Allison Apke: IF; 5' 6"; Junior; R/R

#13 Stacia Seeton: OF; 5' 9"; Sophomore; R/R

#19 Kealia Wysocki: C/U; 5' 9"; Junior; R/R

Players Mentioned

#16 Allison Apke
: 5' 6"; Junior; R/R
: IF

#13 Stacia Seeton
: 5' 9"; Sophomore; R/R
: OF

#19 Kealia Wysocki
: 5' 9"; Junior; R/R
: C/U

Bradley Softball Closes Non-Conference Slate At SIU Edwardsville

Players Mentioned

#16 Allison Apke

#13 Stacia Seeton

#19 Kealia Wysocki

Players Mentioned

#16 Allison Apke

#13 Stacia Seeton

#19 Kealia Wysocki