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Baseball Pivots, Returning South for Series at Mercer

Originally scheduled to play at Jackson State, Bradley Baseball now set for weekend series at Mercer

Brendan Dougherty ground ball vs MacMurray 2019
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Bobby Parker, Associate AD for Communications Baseball 3/18/2021 8:58:00 AM
MACON, GA – Originally scheduled to visit Jackson State for a 3-game series this weekend, Mother Nature and COVID conspired to force a change of plans as Bradley Baseball (5-4) will head further east for a 3-game series Friday and Saturday against host Mercer (7-9) at OrthoGeorgia Park.  The teams will play a single game Friday, followed by a Saturday doubleheader.
 
SERIES SCHEDULE
Bradley (5-4) at Mercer (7-9) | Macon, GA | OrthoGeorgia Park
Friday, March 19 | 6 p.m. ET | Live Stats
Saturday, March 20 | DH Game 1 | 2 p.m. ET | Live Stats
Saturday, March 20 | DH Game 2 | 45 min after Game 1 | Live Stats
 
SERIES NOTES
Series Tied, 3-3
•  After the 2020 series was wiped out by the cancellation of the season due to COVID, Bradley and Mercer quickly found each other as replacements for opponents who were unable to play this weekend.
•  Bradley had been scheduled to visit Jackson State, but last month's severe winter storm continues to cause issues with the Jackson, MS water systems.
•  Mercer was scheduled to play a Southern Conference home series against Western Carolina, which has been postponed due to positive COVID-19 tests and quarantine requirements within WCU's program.
•  This weekend's series marks the third, 3-game set between the Braves and Bears in Macon since 2015.
•  Bradley won 2-of-3 games during its 2015 NCAA Regional season, while the Bears answered by taking 2-of-3 in 2017 to level the all-time series at 3-3.
•  Mercer Soccer head coach Brad Ruzzo is a former Bradley Soccer assistant/associate head coach (2000-07), while Bears senior GK JR DeRose is the son of Bradley Soccer head coach Jim DeRose.
 
OFFENSIVE OUTBURST
•  Bradley's offense came to life during its weekend series at Alabama State.
•  Powered by an 18-1 victory in Friday's opener, the Braves totaled 37 runs in the 3-game set by following with an 11-7 victory Saturday, before coming up short in a 9-8 setback Sunday.
•  The 37 runs scored against the Hornets represent the most the Braves have scored in three consecutive games against the same opponent since hitting Hawai'i-Hilo for 39 runs in games two (19-10), three (7-6) and four (13-0) of a 6-game series March 18-20, 2007.
•  Since suffering its second shutout in the first four games of the season March 4 at New Orleans, Bradley is averaging 10.4 runs per game in its last five games, while batting .318 with 15 doubles contributing to a .469 team slugging percentage.
 
BOLT PROVIDES JOLT
•  Fifth-year senior OF Dan Bolt has received plenty of preseason adulation, becoming the first preseason All-American (Collegiate Baseball 3rd Team) in program history, as well as the program's first preseason Valley Player of the Year by several college baseball media outlets.
•  During his breakout junior season in 2019, Bolt's 1.048 season OPS was Bradley's best since current New York Yankees OF Mike Tauchman posted a 1.110 during his 2013 Joe Carter MVC Player-of-the-Year season.
•  Bolt backed up his 2019 breakthrough by swatting seven home runs with 15 RBIs during Bradley's truncated, 10-game 2020 season.
•  And even more impressive than his truncated 2020 season stats, Bolt started the Alabama State series last weekend by reaching base safely in each of his first nine plate appearances, going 6-for-6 with two walks, a HBP, two 3-run HRs and a RBI double.
•  Bolt reached safely in all of his seven plate appearances in Friday's series opener (4-4, 2 BBs, HBP, HR).
 
ROOKIES UP THE MIDDLE
•  Bradley entered the season with a plethora of new faces up the middle.
•  A four-year starter at shortstop, Luke Shadid had started 151 of Bradley's 161 games from 2017-20, while brother Andy Shadid started 200 games in center field from 2016-19.
•  Freshman Ryan Vogel started nine of Bradley's 10 games during the abbreviated 2020 campaign and remains classified as a freshman during this 2021 season.
•  Bradley opened the 2021 season by starting freshmen at shortstop (TJ Manteufel) and second base (Jackson Chatterton) with re-freshman Vogel in center field.
•  The Braves also started freshman Logan Delgado behind the plate in the second game of the Feb. 26 DH versus Ball State, putting a freshman in all four spots up the middle on the first day of its 2021 season.

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Players Mentioned

Andy Shadid

#7 Andy Shadid

OF
5' 11"
Senior
R/R
Luke Shadid

#10 Luke Shadid

IF
5' 10"
Senior
R/R
Dan Bolt

#35 Dan Bolt

OF
6' 1"
Senior
L/R
Ryan Vogel

#1 Ryan Vogel

IF/OF
5' 10"
Freshman
R/R
Jackson Chatterton

#4 Jackson Chatterton

IF
6' 0"
Freshman
S/R
TJ Manteufel

#7 TJ Manteufel

IF
6' 1"
Freshman
R/R
Logan Delgado

#33 Logan Delgado

C
6' 0"
Freshman
L/R

Players Mentioned

Andy Shadid

#7 Andy Shadid

5' 11"
Senior
R/R
OF
Luke Shadid

#10 Luke Shadid

5' 10"
Senior
R/R
IF
Dan Bolt

#35 Dan Bolt

6' 1"
Senior
L/R
OF
Ryan Vogel

#1 Ryan Vogel

5' 10"
Freshman
R/R
IF/OF
Jackson Chatterton

#4 Jackson Chatterton

6' 0"
Freshman
S/R
IF
TJ Manteufel

#7 TJ Manteufel

6' 1"
Freshman
R/R
IF
Logan Delgado

#33 Logan Delgado

6' 0"
Freshman
L/R
C
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