Softball Travels To South Carolina For Charleston Classic

Softball 2/19/2020 10:00:00 AM

PEORIA, Ill. -- Bradley Softball has won four of its last six heading into its lightest weekend of the non-conference schedule with the Braves slated to play four games at the Charleston Classic, which is being co-hosted by College of Charleston and Charleston Southern, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Making its first trip to the state of South Carolina since 1999, Bradley (5-5 overall) opens the three-day even Thursday at tournament co-host College of Charleston (2-6 overall) in a 4 p.m. (CST) contest. Friday's action shifts to Charleston Southern, where the Braves will face North Carolina A&T (1-5 overall) at 9 a.m. (CST), before an 11:15 a.m. (CST) matchup with Appalachian State (7-2 overall). Bradley returns to College of Charleston's Patriots Point Field Saturday for an 11:15 a.m. (CST) outing against first-time opponent Virginia Tech (7-3 overall) to close out the weekend.

BradleyBraves.com will provide links to live stats for all four games of the Charleston Classic.

Bradley will make its first trip to the state of South Carolina since opening the 1999 season with 11 games in Charleston, S.C. and Rock Hill, S.C., in the only previous trip to the Palmetto State. Overall, the Braves own a 7-4 record in games played in South Carolina, which includes a 3-2 mark in neutral site contests.

Owning a combined 4-0 record against this weekend's opponents, BU swept a double header at College of Charleston during the 1999 trip to South Carolina, winning 2-1 and 5-0. The only previous game against North Carolina A&T was also during the 1999 trip to South Carolina, with the Braves posting a 9-1 victory in Rock Hill, S.C. Bradley posted a 3-0 win over Appalachian State in 2006 in Tallahassee, Fla., in the only previous meeting between the two teams.

Bradley has won four of its last six games and is 5-5 on the season through the first two weekends of the 2020 campaign. The 5-5 start matches last year's record through 10 games when the Braves went on to post their highest overall win total since 2004. The last time Bradley started a season better than 5-5 was 2010 (6-4). Last year's team, which finished fourth in the MVC and tied a school record for league wins (15), was 5-9 through the 14 games.

After going 1-for-9 at the plate over the first four games of the season, senior Kealia Wysocki has collected hits in six consecutive games and is hitting .556 with a double, one home run, five runs scored and 11 RBI during her hit streak. Wysocki has scored or driven in 15 of Bradley's 39 runs (41 percent) over that stretch. Junior Stacia Seeton is also starting to heat up after a slow start. Seeton was 2-for-8 over the first four games, but has gone 8-for-16 (.500) with three runs, two doubles, two homers, four walks and seven RBI over the last six games.

Sophomore Grace French picked up a pair of victories at the Golden State Classic, highlighted by the win vs. Sacramento State in which she carried a two-hit shutout bid into the seventh inning. In her eight career starts, French owns a 5-2 record with a 1.88 ERA, compared to a 3-2 record with a 3.23 ERA in her 12 career outings out of the bullpen. She has been even better away from home, going 5-1 with a 1.20 ERA in her seven career starts at road or neutral site locations vs. a 2.90 ERA and 1-2 record in her relief efforts away from home. French owns a 2.14 career ERA against non-conference opponents compared to a 3.23 career ERA vs. Missouri Valley Conference teams.

Junior Taise Thompson drew five walks during last week's Golden State Classic and owns a team-best seven base on balls so far this spring. Boasting a team-high .640 on base percentage, Thompson has drawn over one-third of Bradley's walks on the year. Last year, Thompson drew just six walks in MVC play and had a total of 10 walk on the year.

Bradley follows up this week's trip to South Carolina with the team's second venture to California for the Gaucho Classic in Santa Barbara, Calif., Feb. 28 through March 1 where the Braves will play a pair of games against both tournament-host UC Santa Barbara and Portland State in addition to a single game against Saint Peter's.

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