Softball Closes Regular Season With Home Series Against UNI

Josh Schwam

Softball 5/6/2022 10:00:00 AM

PEORIA, Ill. -- Bradley Softball closes out the regular season schedule at home against league-leading Northern Iowa, with the Panthers and Braves playing a three-game series at Petersen Hotels Field at the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex Saturday and Sunday.

After splitting a four-game Missouri Valley Conference road swing last weekend, Bradley (24-23 overall, 12-12 MVC) enters the weekend series against Northern Iowa (29-12 overall, 20-1 MVC) sixth in the league standings, but just one-half game out of a tie for fourth and two games back of third-place. The Panthers wrapped up the MVC regular-season title last weekend and have won 15 consecutive league games entering the weekend series.

Saturday's noon doubleheader, which will be available on ESPN3, will be Alumni Day with Bradley Softball alumni in attendance recognized prior to the series opener.

Sunday is Senior Day with Bradley's five seniors (Grace French, Lucy Mead, Camryn Monteer, Samantha Smith and Keeler van Breusegen) recognized before the noon series finale.

Bradley and Northern Iowa split a doubleheader at Petersen Hotels Field in 2018 in the only games played at the facility in the series and have split the last eight games played in Peoria. Northern Iowa owns a slim 25-18 advantage in the all-time series in games played in Peoria.

Fighting to move up in the final MVC standings, Bradley can finish as high as third and needs either one win or the series between Indiana State and Evansville to not result in a sweep in order to lock up a top six seed for next week's Valley Tournament.

Bradley has played a league-low 11 home games to date entering the final home series of the year, and excluding the shortened 2020 season the Braves will have their fewest home games (14) since going 3-10 in the first year at Petersen Hotels Field at the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex in 2017. Bradley has won the final home series of the regular season each of the last three seasons the Braves have had home contests and will finish out conference play at home for the fourth time in the last five seasons.

Bradley will close out the home portion of the schedule against Northern Iowa for the first time since 2014 (Bradley won series 2-1) and the Braves will face the Panthers in the final series of the regular season for the first dating back to 1998 (doubleheader in Peoria). Bradley is 22-14 under Head Coach Amy Hayes in the final home series of the season, which includes a 9-3 mark in the last home game of the year.

Bradley enters the final weekend of the regular season with a 12-12 record in MVC play after splitting four Valley road contests last week. The Braves have a league-best 18 wins away from home (seven road & 11 neutral) and only Northern Iowa (9) and Southern Illinois (9) have more league road victories this spring. In fact, Bradley won six MVC road contests for the first time since 2019 and sixth time in program history (2019, 2014, 2002, 1994 & 1986). The Braves have at least 12 league wins for the sixth time in the last eight years a Valley schedule was played with only Southern Illinois (eight) and Northern Iowa (seven) having more seasons with 12 or more league wins over that stretch.

Bradley has turned a MVC-leading 19 double plays this season and the Braves turned a rare triple play during the series finale at Missouri State Sunday. In fact, Bradley has 19 double plays in a season for the sixth time in program history and the Braves have their most twin killings since turning 22 double plays in 2018. Four of the six seasons Bradley has had 19 or more double plays have come under Head Coach Amy Hayes (22 - 2018, 24 - 2014 & 19 - 2012). The only other seasons with 19 or more double plays were 2005 (21) and 2004 (20). This year's squad ranks second in the MVC and 48th nationally with a .970 fielding percentage. Bradley has just one error in its last seven outings and has a league-best .979 fielding percentage in Valley play.

Freshman Abbott Badgley is now one of five freshmen in school history to score 20 or more runs and drive in at least 25. In addition, Badgley is now the 12th Bradley frosh with 40 or more hits in a season. She currently owns a season-best eight-game hit streak, going 13-for-21 (.619) at the plate over that stretch and is hitting a team-best .367 on the year.

Monteer has also had a late-season surge, hitting .426 over the last 14 contests and has collected multiple hits in seven of those 14 outings. Her 17 stolen bases, which rank fourth in the MVC, are the most by a Brave since 2017.

The Braves will return to Springfield, Mo., next week for the 2022 MVC Championship, which will be held May 11-14 at Missouri State's Killian Stadium.

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