Normal, Ill. - Bradley Baseball will travel to Normal, Illinois, to face the Illinois State Redbirds in an effort to beat the weather. The two teams will also be playing in a doubleheader on Saturday to avoid the rain that is in the forecast for Sunday.

Bradley Braves Overview

The Braves (5-27) are coming off a loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes, who rallied back from a 4-0 deficit to win the game. Timmy O'Brien has been on fire recently, hitting his ninth and tenth home runs of the season last week to be named the Busey Bank Scholar-Athlete of the Week.

Bobby Atkinson continues to impress, raising his batting average to .310 and his OPS to an outstanding .960, which ranks first on the team. He also leads the Braves in doubles with 10 while slugging .543.

On the mound, the pitching continues to improve week by week. In his last outing, Reece Clapp threw 1 ⅓ scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and striking out two. He has become one of the more reliable arms out of the bullpen in the recent weeks.

Illinois State Overview

Illinois State (18-16) had a rough nonconference season, but has been on fire in Valley play, going 9-3 to begin their conference season. Daniel Pacella has been a key to their success. He has started in all 34 of their games and posts a .407 batting average with a 1.244 OPS. He also has not made an error in left field all season. 

On the mound, Tyrelle Chadwick has been a solid starter for the Redbirds, posting a 3.80 ERA and a 2-1 record. He isn't known for striking out many hitters as he has 19 through 42 ⅔ innings pitched, but he has held opponents to a .234 batting average.

Matchup Outlook

The Braves need to keep the Redbirds from generating any momentum, as they have won their last four games heading into this matchup. If Illinois State can generate some momentum at the plate, they will be very difficult to stop this weekend.