PEORIA, Ill. – Bradley Baseball returns home for a midweek matchup against the Eastern Illinois Panthers on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Bradley Braves Overview
Bradley enters the matchup hitting .246 as a team with 348 hits and 224 runs scored through 44 games.
Sohrab Rezaei continues to be a strong leadoff hitter for the Braves, reaching base in each of his past 26 games. On the season, he ranks second on the team and sixth in the conference with a .439 on-base percentage and leads the MVC in walks with 33. River Lindsey enters this game on a four-game hitting streak. This past weekend, he had a hit-by-pitch, an RBI, and two runs scored.
Landon Lowe continues to be elite offensively, extending his on-base streak to 28 games over the weekend after going 5-for-12 with a homer, a double, a walk, two RBI, and three runs scored. He ranks second in the conference in batting average at .376, and he is tied for the lead in doubles in the MVC with 16.
On the mound, Bradley has recorded 287 strikeouts over 356 innings. Brady Appel had a strong outing Friday, pitching 2.1 innings and allowing one run on three walks while striking out two. Robert Sanford also had a strong showing on Saturday, throwing five scoreless innings while yielding three hits and two walks with five strikeouts.
Davis Webb finished the game on Saturday, throwing three innings while giving up just one run on three hits and two walks and striking out five.
Defensively, Bradley holds a .958 fielding percentage and has turned 29 double plays.
Eastern Illinois Panthers Overview
Eastern Illinois enters the matchup hitting .294 as a team with 386 hits and 306 runs scored over 39 games. The Panthers are 24-15 and 12-6 in conference this season. They have won three of their last four heading into their midweek game against the Braves.
Mike O'Conor leads the team offensively, posting 1.149 OPS with a .743 slugging percentage. He leads the team with 11 home runs and a .345 batting average. James Love is the second offensive threat, leading the team in doubles with 16 while posting a 1.054 OPS and a .333 batting average. He also leads the team among qualified hitters with a .476 on-base percentage.
Quade Peters has a .330 batting average with a .429 on-base percentage. He is a perfect 6-for-6 in stolen base attempts and has 15 walks to just 14 strikeouts on the year.
On the mound, the Panthers are led by Bryce Riggs, who posts a 2.86 ERA and a .89 WHIP. He has a 6-1 record with two complete games on the season. He has excellent control, striking out 63 over 66 innings while walking just 22. He has held opponents to a .162 batting average.
Defensively, Eastern Illinois posts a .964 fielding percentage.
