Four Braves Earn All-Valley Honors

Softball 5/11/2022 8:31:00 AM

ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- For the first time since 2016 and third time in program history, Bradley Softball had four All-Missouri Valley Conference selections with senior utility Lucy Mead taking home first-team honors and fellow seniors Grace French, Camryn Monteer and Samantha Smith each earning second-team recognition, according to an announcement by the league office Wednesday morning.

Monteer is a repeat selection for the Braves, garnering Second-Team All-MVC honors for the second consecutive year, while French, Mead and Smith were first-time all-league honorees. The four All-Valley selections are the most since Bradley boasted four Second-Team All-MVC performers in 2016 and marked the third time in program history the Braves had four all-conference picks with the 1994 squad boasting a school-record five honorees. Only MVC regular-season champion Northern Iowa (6) and Drake (5) had more all-conference picks than Bradley's four.

In addition to the all-conference recognition, French was also named to the MVC's All-Defensive team.

Bradley's first First-Team All-MVC pick since 2019 when Stacia Seeton and Kealia Wysocki both earned the honor, Mead boasted a career-best, 14-game hit streak during Valley play and ranked fifth in the league with a .383 batting average in conference action. She had 10 multi-hit games this spring and currently ranks second on the team with a .339 average, while stealing 15 bases.

Mead, who missed nine games with an injury in 2022, owned a .405 average with two outs this spring and collected hits in 18 of the final 20 games of the season as she closed the year hitting .438 (28-for-64) over that stretch. Splitting time between the outfield and second base this season, she currently ranks sixth in Bradley history with 39 career stolen bases and her 102 career runs scored also rank sixth in program history. Mead's 14-game hit streak is tied for the fourth longest in Bradley history.

French is the second player in program history with four or more homers and collect 10 or more wins a season. She is second on the squad in runs (30), doubles (10), homers (4) and RBI (26), while leading the Braves with a 3.32 ERA and owns a 10-10 overall record in the circle. French is Bradley's first pitcher to win 10 games in a season dating back to 2015 and tossed the first no-hitter for the Braves since 2007, doing so in early March against St. Thomas.

At the plate, French boasts a team-best 11 multiple-RBI games and had a career-best reached base streak of 18 consecutive games. In league play, French was 8-5 with a 3.44 ERA and scored a team-best 16 runs in Valley play while hitting .284. She was named MVC Player of the Week on April 5 after hitting .571 with three doubles and one homer at the plate, in addition to going 2-1 with a 3.05 ERA in four outings. French is currently ninth in Bradley history with 29 career victories.

Monteer had a late-season surge and enters this week's MVC Tournament riding a career-best 10-game hit streak. Hitting .323 on the year, she led the Braves with 17 stolen bases and 22 walks as she had the most steals at Bradley since 2017. Monteer has reached base safely in 20 consecutive games entering the Valley Tournament for the longest streak by a Brave since Allison Apke had a 21-game stretch in 2019.

Collecting hits in 16 of the last 17 games with eight multi-hit efforts during that span, Monteer is 24-for-55 (.436) with 10 runs and six walks over that stretch. She has started all but one game for the Braves over the past two seasons. This year she is hitting a team-best .409 with two outs and .364 with runners in scoring position.

Smith leads the Braves in doubles (13), runs (34) and RBI (28), while hitting .300 on the year. Her 13 doubles, which rank third in the MVC this season, are the most for the Braves dating back to 2017 and she is looking to become the first individual to lead the squad in both runs and hits since Alyson Clemente in 2014. Smith is tied for the team lead with 13 RBI in Valley play and hit .289 in league action.

Boasting 12 multi-hit games this season, she earned a spot on the All-Tournament team at the Plainsman Invitational and also took home MVC Player of the Week honors that same week after going 8-for-16 with two doubles, six runs and four RBI in five games at the tournament hosted by Auburn.

Bradley opens play at the 2022 MVC Tournament Thursday with an 11 a.m. second-round contest in Springfield, Mo., against the winner of Wednesday's 11 a.m. opening-round game between #8 Loyola and #9 Evansville.

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