Braves Aim to Continue Strong MVC Play at Evansville

Baseball 4/28/2022 5:00:00 PM

The Bradley baseball team aims for its third-straight conferences-series win with a three-game set at Evansville, starting on Friday night.

ABOUT THE BRAVES
• Bradley owns an 13-21 record with a 5-4 mark in Missouri Valley Conference play – just one game back in the league standings.
• BU has won its last two MVC series, taking 2-of-3 versus No. 16 Dallas Baptist before also winning two at rival Illinois State.
• While the Braves have been led by their offense for much of the season (6.4 runs per game), BU now also owns the top ERA in Valley games only this season (3.32)

SERIES HISTORY
• Bradley and Evansville have played on 102 previous occasions with the Purple Aces holding a 58-44 lead.
• The Purple Aces won 2-of-3 games last season at Dozer Park with BU winning the second game of the series.
• The schools last met at Evansville in 2018 with Bradley sweeping a three-game series.

ABOUT THE PURPLE ACES
• Evansville enters the weekend with a 21-18 record and is tied for first in the Valley with a 6-3 league mark.
• The Purple Aces have won five of their last six MVC games – sweeping Missouri State before taking 2-of-3 over Indiana State.
• Overall, Evansville is scoring 7.0 runs per game, while allowing 6.1.

VALLEY PITCHING
• The short-handed Bradley pitching staff has been at its best during Valley play through nine games as it has solidified its weekend rotation.
• The Braves have cut their earned run average by more than half during conference play – pitching to a 3.32 ERA versus Valley teams compared to 7.48 in non-conference.
• Overall, Bradley leads all Valley teams during league play with its 3.32 earned run average and .218 batting average against.

ONE-TWO PUNCH PART ONE
• The key starters for the Bradley pitching staff have been freshman Jacob Kisting and senior Matt Hamilton.
• When Kisting or Hamilton starts for BU on the mound, Bradley is a combined 10-7 compared to 3-14 when somebody else starts.
• Overall, BU is 7-3 with Kisting on the mound with a 3-4 mark with Hamilton starting (3-1 since he was first stretched out to pitch 5.0 innings on April 3).

TOP FOUR-MAN UNIT
• Overall, Bradley has consistently relied on four pitchers during league play when you add the team's top pitchers in relief appearances.
• BU's four pitchers averaging at least 1.0 inning per game in MVC play – Taylor Catton, Matt Hamilton, Jacob Kisting and Nick King – have combined for a 2.82 earned run average in 63.2 innings of work.
• In fact, all 10 rank in the top 10 during conference play in ERA – Catton is fifth at 2.08, Kisting is seventh at 2.75, Hamilton is ninth at 2.87 and King is 10th at 3.45.
• BU's remaining pitchers have combined for a 5.52 ERA but in just 14.2 innings (in nine games).

ONE-TWO PUNCH PART TWO
• On the offensive end, the Braves have been led by the top two hitters in the lineup in Ryan Vogel and Connor O'Brien.
• The duo has directly accounted for 40.3 percent of the team's scoring this season – either scoring or driving in 87 of the team's 216 runs.
• O'Brien and Vogel rank first and second on the team in batting average, runs scored and on-base percentage.

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