Peoria, Ill. - Bradley Baseball returns home to face the SIUE Cougars on Tuesday at 6 p.m. The Braves are coming off their best weekend of the season, sweeping Illinois State on the road after the series had to be relocated due to the weather forecast in Peoria.

Bradley Braves Overview

The Braves (8-27) swept the Illinois State Redbirds over the weekend. Across the three games, Bradley hit 18 extra-base hits, seven of which were homers. Timmy O'Brien showcased his power, hitting a home run in each of the three games. He raised his season total to 14 and leads the team with a .613 slugging percentage. He also had 10 RBI over the weekend, increasing his team-leading total to 36. His performance over the past week earned him MVC Player of the Week honors.

Bobby Atkinson had another great weekend to propel his season OPS to 1.050. He now leads the team in doubles with 12, batting average with .341, and on-base percentage with .455. Over the weekend, he went 7-for-10 with three walks, two doubles, and a home run. 

On the mound, Bradley's pitching staff struggled to hold leads throughout the weekend but persevered and gave their team a chance to win when it mattered most. Jack Stellano had a solid outing a game three, the second half of a doubleheader, tossing five innings, allowing one run on four hits while walking two and striking out four to earn his second win of the season.

SIUE Cougars Overview

The Cougars (17-21) have been up and down recently, going 5-5 in their last 10 games. In their most recent game, SIUE defeated Southern Indiana 11-5 to win the weekend series after splitting the first two games. Mack Mitchell currently leads the team in home runs with 11 and in OPS with .979.

On the mound, Liam McKillop has been a solid reliever for the Cougars, posting a 3.00 ERA with a 1.15 WHIP. He has allowed just three home runs in 33 innings pitched while holding his opponents to a .191 batting average in his 17 relief appearances. He has a perfect 2-0 record while also recording two saves on the season.

Matchup Outlook

The Braves need to continue to build momentum as they head into the second half of the conference season, and they will need their pitching to be reliable if they want to see improvement as a team. The offense has been doing their part to give the team a chance to win, and if the pitching can figure things out sooner rather than later, this team could compete with the best.