Softball Set For Plainsman Invite

Josh Schwam

Softball 2/23/2022 11:00:00 AM

PEORIA, Ill. -- Fresh off a 3-1 performance at last weekend's Roar City Invite in Nashville, Tenn., Bradley Softball heads to Auburn, Ala., for this weekend's Plainsman Invite in the first trip to the state of Alabama for the Braves since 2015.

Bradley (4-5 overall) won three of four games in Nashville last weekend, splitting a pair of contests against defending MAC champion Miami (OH) in addition to picking up victories against Tennessee State and IUPUI, with the Braves outscoring their opponents 28-14 in the three contests.

This week's action begins with Bradley playing the first of two contests against first-time opponent Delaware State (0-3 overall), with the squads playing Friday at 11:30 a.m.

The Braves face Syracuse (8-2 overall) at 5 p.m. to wrap up Friday's competition. Bradley is 2-1 in three previous meetings with Syracuse with Friday night's game marking the first contest between the two squads since Bradley posted a 6-5 victory in Orlando, Fla., in 2014. All three games in the series have been played at neutral sites.

The Braves return to Jane B. Moore Field Saturday for an 11:30 a.m. matchup with ULM (10-2 overall). The Warhawks won both previous matchups with Bradley, edging the Braves 4-3 in eight innings in Memphis during the 2018 season in the last tilt between the two programs.

Bradley's first game of the season against a nationally ranked opponent concludes Saturday's action, with the Braves facing 21st-ranked Auburn (9-1 overall) at 5 p.m. in the first meeting between the two squads.

The weekend wraps up Sunday morning with a 9 a.m. rematch with Delaware State.

BradleyBraves.com will provide links to live stats for all five games at the Plainsman Invitational. Saturday's game against tournament-host Auburn will be available on SEC Network+.

Bradley will be making its first trip to the state of Alabama since 2015 and third overall trip to the Cotton State. The Braves are 5-3 all-time in games played in Alabama after going 2-2 in 2015 at the San Dollar Classic in Gulf Shores. Bradley's other trip to Alabama came in 2011, when the Braves were 3-1 at the Troy Classic.

Saturday's outing against #21 Auburn will mark Bradley's first contest against a nationally ranked opponent since Feb. 22, 2020 (#24 Virginia Tech) and the Braves are looking for their first win against a ranked foe dating back to a season-opening win against #20 Arkansas on Feb. 7, 2020. Overall, the Braves have collected five wins against nationally ranked teams under 14th-year head coach Amy Hayes vs. just one victory over a nationally-ranked opponent prior to her arrival. Bradley has played a total of 46 games against top-25 squads during Hayes' tenure compared to a total of 22 such games the 30 years prior to her arrival on The Hilltop for the 2009 campaign.

Senior Samantha Smith entered last week's Roar City Invitational 4-for-16 on the year and had hit two career home runs, but went 6-for-13 (.462) with seven runs, one double, two homers and five RBI to help Bradley to a 3-1 record. Smith put the Braves ahead for good in Friday's 8-7 victory over defending MAC champion Miami (OH) with a two-out, two-run homer in the sixth for her first home run since Feb. 15, 2020. She has scored a team-best nine runs this season, which is a career high and is hitting .345 on the year. Smith went 4-for-4 with a double, homer, three runs and three RBI to highlight last week's win over Tennessee State.

The Braves follow up this weekend's trip to Alabama with another visit to a SEC campus. Bradley heads to Columbia, Mo., for the Mizzou Classic March 4-6, where the Braves will play a pair of games against 2021 NCAA Tournament Super Regional qualifier Missouri in addition to three contests against NCAA Division I newcomer St. Thomas, which reached the 2021 NCAA Division III College World Series.

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Players Mentioned

#12 Samantha Smith: OF/C; 5' 6"; Senior; R/R

Players Mentioned

#12 Samantha Smith
: 5' 6"; Senior; R/R
: OF/C

Softball Set For Plainsman Invite

Players Mentioned

#12 Samantha Smith

Players Mentioned

#12 Samantha Smith