Baseball Hosts Missouri State in Final Regular-Season Series

Baseball 5/18/2022 2:58:00 PM

The Bradley baseball team aims to clinch a first-round bye in the MVC Tournament when it hosts Missouri State in the final series of the regular season. The teams open the three-game set on Thursday at 6 p.m.

ABOUT THE BRAVES
• Bradley owns an 18-26 record with a 9-9 mark in Missouri Valley Conference play.
• The Braves have won four of their last five conference series to move into fourth place in the Valley standings.
• Last weekend, the Braves took 2-of-3 at Valparaiso. Connor Manthey led BU by hitting .545 with three doubles and one home run. The Braves also clinched the series when Nick King and Troy Hickey combined on a five-hit shutout.

SERIES HISTORY
• In a series that dates back to 1982, Missouri State holds a 70-42 advantage over BU with a slight 23-22 edge in Peoria.
• The Braves have won five of the last seven in the series, while the schools are meeting for the first time at Dozer Park since 2018.

ABOUT THE BEARS
• Missouri State enters the weekend with a 24-24 overall record, winning 2-of-3 versus Illinois State last week.
• The Bears are 7-11 in the MVC standings, sitting in sixth place and two games back of a coveted top-four seed.
• Overall, Missouri State is second in the league with 7.4 runs per game this season, while owning an ERA of 5.28.

MVC TOURNAMENT SEEDING
• The Braves look to secure a top-four seed this weekend and an automatic spot in the double-elimination rounds of the MVC Tournament.
• Currently, Bradley can finish anywhere from third to sixth in the final MVC standings depending on the week's results.
• BU can clinch a bye in the tournament with two wins over Missouri State. Bradley can also earn a top-four seed with one win plus at least one Dallas Baptist victory over Indiana State.

WINNING VALLEY RECORD
• Bradley is not only playing for a top-four seed but looking to extend its winning ways in the Valley.
• With two wins this weekend, Bradley will clinch a winning record in four-straight Valley campaigns for the first time in school history.
• Not including its current run, Bradley has on three occasions posted a winning record in three-straight seasons; 1949-51, 1959-61 and 1967-69.

SENIOR DAY CEREMONY
• Prior to Saturday's home finale, Bradley will honor seven seniors who are set to play their final game at Dozer Park.
• Eli Campbell, Matt Hamilton, Troy Hickey, Grant Jausel, Nick King, Keaton Rice and Carl Valk are all set to be honored before the game.
• The seven players have combined to play in 374 games with 179 hits, 126 runs scored, 110 RBI, 381.0 innings pitching, 18 victories, four saves and 323 strikeouts on the mound.

KING TURNAROUND
• Senior Nick King has dominated opposing batters during the second half of the season.
• In his last seven appearances, King has posted a 4-0 record with a 1.00 earned run average. He was 0-3 with a 5.45 ERA in his first 11 appearances.
• In fact, prior to earning his first win of the season on April 9, King had gone more than two years without a win on the mound (Feb. 29, 2020) – losing seven-straight decisions.
• Overall, King is now 4-3 in 2022 with a 3.18 earned run average. He is fifth in the Valley in ERA and first in opposing batting average (.199).

DOUBLE TROUBLE
• A top catcher during his career at Bradley, Keaton Rice has added a little power to his game at the plate in 2022.
• Rice has a career-best 23 extra-base hits in 2022 (surpassing his previous high of 13 in 2019) along with a personal-best .514 slugging percentage.
• Rice and Missouri State's Drake Baldwin rank first in the MVC among catchers with 23 extra-base hits.
• In fact, with 18 doubles this season, Rice ranks first in the Valley and 13th nationally (first among catchers) with 0.45 doubles per game.

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