Back in Action with Weekend Valley Series

After a week off due to a COVID pause, Bradley Baseball extends its longest home stand of the Dozer Park era by hosting Valparaiso this weekend

Josh Schwam

Bradley Pre-Series Notes

Bobby Parker, Associate AD for Communications Baseball 5/6/2021 4:05:00 PM

PEORIA, IL – After a week off from activity due to a COVID pause, Bradley Baseball returns to action this weekend by hosting Missouri Valley Conference rival Valparaiso in a four-game series at Dozer Park, a series that will make Bradley's home stand the longest of the Dozer Park era.

SERIES DETAILS
Valparaiso (11-23, 6-10 MVC) at Bradley (14-15, 6-5 MVC)
Peoria, IL | Dozer Park
Friday, May 7 - DH | 4:00 p.m. CT | ESPN3 Game 1 | ESPN3 Game 2 | Live Stats | Tickets
Saturday, May 8 | 1:00 p.m. CT | Live Stats | Tickets
Sunday,May 9 | 1:00 p.m. CT | ESPN3 | Live Stats | Tickets

SETTING THE SCENE
• Bradley Baseball returns to action after a week off for a pause due to a COVID positive test result within the team's Tier 1 personnel grouping.
The loss of the series at Indiana State due to the pause means this weekend's four-game series against Valparaiso will extend the previous 10-game home stand into the program's longest home stand since playing 15 consecutive games at the old Meinen Field (now Shea Stadium) April 11-25, 1984.
• Bradley had won five of its last six games before the pause and the Braves were coming off an explosive offensive series against Saint Louis, scoring 37 runs in the 2-games-to-1 series win.
• Bradley sports the top two hitters in The Valley - sophomore 1B Connor O'Brien leads the league with a .416 batting average and senior RF Dan Bolt is second with a .398 average.
• Valparaiso comes to Peoria winner of its last two MVC series, 3-games-to-1 at home against both Southern Illinois and Illinois State.

HOME STAND RESUMES FRIDAY
• What was scheduled to be Bradley's longest home stand since 1995 was reduced from 12 games to 10 by a combination of rain (Evansville series) and COVID (switch from a 4-game series versus Western Illinois to a 3-game set against Saint Louis).
• After last weekend's series at Indiana State was wiped out by COVID, the Braves now will continue their home stand by hosting Valparaiso for four games this weekend.
• By playing all four games against Valpo, Bradley would extend its home stand to 14 games, which would become the program's longest home stand since playing 15 consecutive games at the old Meinen Field (now Shea Stadium) April 11-25, 1984.
• Bradley had never played more than 10 consecutive home games during the Dozer Park era (2003-present).

SERIES NOTES
Games 32-35 | Bradley leads 18-13
• Bradley enters the weekend with an 18-13 all-time record against Valparaiso, including a 5-2 advantage since Valpo joined The Valley for the 2018 season.
• The Braves are 10-5 at home against Valparaiso, including a 4-3 record at Dozer Park.
• In Valparaiso's only previous trip to Peoria as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference, Bradley took 2-of-3 games May 3-5, 2019 at Dozer Park.

FIGHTING PEDIATRIC BRAIN CANCER
• For the seventh consecutive season, Bradley Baseball has joined the fight against pediatric brain cancer by raising awareness and funds for the Vs. Cancer Foundation.
• Bradley's 2021 effort is being spearheaded by senior OF Dan Bolt and senior 3B Brendan Dougherty.
• As of May 4, Bradley leads all NCAA Division I baseball teams by raising $23,694 on behalf of Vs. Cancer, pushing the program's seven-year fundraising total to more than $100,000
• In its annual sign of support to the children suffering through treatment, the Braves conducted their annual postgame head shave April 18.
• Bradley Baseball Vs. Cancer donation page: https://team.curethekids.org/team/346514.

RPI WATCH
• Having won five of its last six games, Bradley enters the weekend series against Valparaiso at No. 82 in the RPI.
• Bradley's RPI position is third in The Valley, trailing only Indiana State (19) and Dallas Baptist (69).
• The Braves suffered a potential hit to its RPI by having the Indiana State road series wiped out by its recent COVID pause, but Bradley is scheduled to visit DBU for four games next weekend.

MIDDLE OF THE ORDER 1-2 PUNCH
• The Nos. 3 and 4 hitters in the Bradley lineup, senior RF Dan Bolt and sophomore 1B Connor O'Brien, enter the weekend as the top two hitters in the MVC.
• Now with a full two weeks off to recover from a foot injury suffered in the Southern Illinois series finale April 18, O'Brien will enter the Valparaiso series atop the league batting average chart with a .416 average, which ranks 13th nationally.
• Bolt ranks second in The Valley with his .398 average and the two hold the top two spots in the league in hits per game and on-base percentage, while ranking first and third in slugging percentage.

UP NEXT
• Following this weekend's series versus Valparaiso, Bradley will play its final road games of the regular-season when the Braves visit Valley leader Dallas Baptist for a 4-game series next weekend in Dallas.
• The Braves will close out the regular-season by hosting I-74 rival Illinois State in what is currently set for a 3-game series at Dozer Park to accommodate the concurrent Peoria Chiefs home stand.
• Each game of the Illinois State series May 20-22 is scheduled for a noon start.

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Players Mentioned

#35 Dan Bolt: OF; 6' 1"; Senior; L/R

#26 Brendan Dougherty: IF; 6' 2"; Senior; L/R

#41 Connor O'Brien: 1B; 6' 1"; Sophomore; R/R

Players Mentioned

#35 Dan Bolt
: 6' 1"; Senior; L/R
: OF

#26 Brendan Dougherty
: 6' 2"; Senior; L/R
: IF

#41 Connor O'Brien
: 6' 1"; Sophomore; R/R
: 1B

Back in Action with Weekend Valley Series

After a week off due to a COVID pause, Bradley Baseball extends its longest home stand of the Dozer Park era by hosting Valparaiso this weekend

Players Mentioned

#35 Dan Bolt

#26 Brendan Dougherty

#41 Connor O'Brien

Players Mentioned

#35 Dan Bolt

#26 Brendan Dougherty

#41 Connor O'Brien