Peoria, Ill. -- The Bradley Baseball team heads south this weekend to begin their 2023 campaign against Louisiana-Monroe. 

GAME INFORMATION
Location: Monroe, Louisiana
Venue: Lou St. Amant Field
Game Times: Friday (6 p.m.), Saturday (6 p.m.), Sunday (1 p.m.)
Live Stats: bubrav.es/3YzU0Qt

ABOUT THE BRAVES

The Bradley Braves return for their 102nd baseball season on Friday evening when they take on the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks. 

Head coach of the Braves, Elvis Dominguez returns for his 15th season.

The Braves finished with a record of 20-29 a season ago. It was a season filled with injuries in 2022, especially in the pitching department. Bradley is excited to see what can happen with a healthy roster this year. 

ABOUT THE WARHAWKS

ULM finished with a record of 20-35-1 last season. The Warhawks were managed by head coach Michael Federico who enters his fifth season at ULM. 

There will be many new faces for the Warhawks this season. ULM does not return their top five hitters from a season ago. 

PRESEASON AWARDS

Bradley was picked to finish fifth by the Missouri Valley Conference in the preseason poll. First baseman Connor O'Brien was tabbed as a member of the Preseason All-Valley Team. 

Bradley was also picked to finish fifth in the D1Baseball Preseason Poll. Multiple Braves were also featured as upcoming draft prospects and impact freshmen. 

O'Brien was also listed as the 37th-best first baseman in the country by D1Baseball. 

PLAYERS TO WATCH

For Bradley, O'Brien will be the biggest name to watch this year. The senior slugger is coming off a season with a batting average of .392. O'Brien led the team in hits, doubles, batting average and slugging percentage. 

Ryan Vogel and Carson Husmann will roam the outfield but should also have a great year at the plate. Vogel was one of three Braves to have a batting average over .300 (.312). Husmann led the team in home runs and RBIs last season.