Peoria, Ill. -- Bradley Baseball is set to host the Valparaiso Beacons this coming weekend which will be the Mitch Janssen tribute weekend and their annual shaving of heads for the Pediatric Brain Cancer Foundation.
Series Information
Location: Dozer Park - Peoria, Ill.
Opponent: Valparaiso Beacons
Date: 4/14-4/16
Game Times: Fri. 6 p.m. | Sat. 2 p.m. | Sun. 1 p.m.
Mitch Janssen Tribute
The Bradley Braves will honor former student-athlete and teammate Mitch Janssen this weekend at Dozer Park. Janssen was a 2019 graduate of Bradley University who tragically passed in 2020.
During the series, a commemorative baseball will be used that honors Mitch (which will be available for purchase) and a first pitch will be thrown out by the Janssen family.
Janssen was a standout athlete from nearby Princeville, Illinois when he decided to come to Bradley University and join the baseball team. As a pitcher, Janssen totaled 55 career appearances in a Bradley uniform. He was named All-Missouri Valley Conference 2nd Team in 2019 as a starting pitcher.
In his career at Bradley, Janssen tallied a record of 12-8 with a 4.34 ERA in 38 starts. He was honored with the Bradley Baseball Mike Dunne Award in 2019 for being the top pitcher on the team with a 4-2 record in 15 starts, boasting a 2.06 ERA with one complete game shutout.
While also starring on the baseball diamond, Janssen was a star in the sky. Janssen was a licensed pilot who had become the youngest pilot in the world certified to fly the Embraer Phenom 100 multi-engine jet at 20 years old. Janssen tragically passed away in 2020 in a plane crash.
Sunday #VsCancer Fundraiser
For the last seven seasons, Bradley Baseball has taken part in fundraising for Vs Cancer which is a foundation for Pediatric Brain Cancer. For their efforts a season ago, Bradley Baseball was named the #1 team in total money raised for the organization and presented with a commemorative bat.
To date, Bradley Baseball has raised over $110,000 throughout the eight years and over $15,000 this season alone. In part of the fundraising, the entire team and baseball staff will be shaving their heads at the conclusion of Sunday's game against Valparaiso.
For more information visit the
Vs. Cancer website.
