Update: April 20 | 4:35 p.m
NORMAL, Ill. – Due to snow sweeping across the Midwest all day on Tuesday, and projected warmer temperatures later this week, Bradley Softball's previously scheduled doubleheader at I-74 rival Illinois State has been moved from Wednesday to Thursday. First pitch between the Braves and the Redbirds will remain at 3 p.m.
At this time, attendance is limited to player pass list only and not open to the general public.
---
PEORIA, Ill. – After playing nine of the first 15 Missouri Valley Conference games at home, Bradley Softball hits the road for the next five contests with the Braves facing I-74 rival Illinois State Wednesday in Normal, Ill., in a doubleheader before a weekend series at Northern Iowa Saturday and Sunday.
Bradley (15-13 overall, 8-7 MVC) will play its next six games against the top two teams in the Missouri Valley Conference standings as the Braves sandwich a three-game series (April 21 & 27) against first-place Illinois State (23-6 overall, 9-2 MVC) around the weekend series vs. second-place Northern Iowa (21-14 overall, 11-4 MVC).
Both games of Wednesday's 3 p.m. twinbill at Illinois State's Marian Kneer Stadium will be available on ESPN+. All three games of the series at Northern Iowa can be viewed on ESPN3 with the teams kicking off the set Saturday with a noon doubleheader in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and wrapping up the series Sunday with a single game at 11 a.m. BradleyBraves.com will provide links to live stats for all five road games on the slate this week.
Each of Bradley's last six games have been decided by two runs or less and the Braves have had half of their 28 games feature a final margin of two runs or fewer. Owning an 11-3 record in games with a margin of two runs or less this year, Bradley is 5-3 in league play in those contests. The Braves were 11-10 in games decided by two or less runs in 2019 which marks the team's highest win total in such games dating back to 2014 (12-15). Bradley's highest win total under 13th-year Head Coach Amy Hayes in games with a final margin of two or less came in her first season with the Braves in 2009 (18-13).
Bradley enters this week's five-game road swing with a league-low 10 true road games and this weekend's series at Northern Iowa will mark BU's first games outside the state of Illinois since wrapping up the non-conference portion of the schedule with a game at East Tennessee State on March 14. The Braves' last MVC road win outside the state of Illinois came at Northern Iowa on April 19, 2019 in the series opener in Cedar Falls. Of course, Bradley has only played two Valley games outside the Land of Lincoln during that stretch. The Braves are 7-2 at home in MVC play to match the team's highest conference win total since posting a 10-6 home mark in conference action in 2015.
Taise Thompson has been stellar out of the bullpen this season and the pitcher/utility player came out of the bullpen to pick up a victory in the series opener against Indiana State. In seven relief appearances in MVC play, Thompson has yet to give up an earned run. In fact, she is 1-0 with a save and a perfect 0.00 ERA in 8.2 innings out of the bullpen against Valley opponents. Thompson has held conference foes to a .172 batting average. Her save against Loyola back on April 11 was her second of the year and Bradley's seventh save overall to match the school season record for saves (7) set in 2016. Overall, Thompson is 1-0 with two saves and 1.50 ERA in 14 relief outings.
Bradley will follow up the weekend series at Northern Iowa with a single game against Illinois State on Tuesday, April 27 (3 p.m.) at Petersen Hotels Field at the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex to wrap up the three-game series with the Redbirds.
