PEORIA, Ill. – Bradley Baseball begins a five-game road trip on Tuesday when they face the Purdue Boilermakers at 6 p.m.
Bradley Braves Overview
Bradley enters the series hitting .241 as a team with 238 hits and 166 runs scored through 31 games. The Braves saw strong performances on both sides of the ball this past weekend against Evansville, as they went 24-for-98 with 12 runs scored.
Hayden Miller had a strong series, as he drew one walk, hit a double and a home run, drove in three runs, and scored once. Michael Quick was 4-for-12 with two RBI. Sohrab Rezaei recorded a hit in each of the three contests and scored once over the weekend.
Anthony Martinez played a limited role in the first two games, going 2-for-4 with a walk, a home run, two RBI, and a run scored. He started the second game of Saturday's doubleheader and went 2-for-4 with an RBI.
On the mound, Bradley has recorded 195 strikeouts in 249 innings. Lou Levy turned in an impressive start on Friday, pitching 4.1 innings while allowing one run on four hits and one walk and striking out two. Davis Webb came in relief and yielded one run over four innings while striking out two and earning his third win of the season. Joey Cirelli earned his second save, striking out one over 2/3 of an inning.
Gavin Thompson threw a scoreless inning on Saturday, striking out two while allowing one runner via an intentional walk.
Defensively, Bradley holds a .955 fielding percentage and has turned 19 double plays.
Purdue Boilermakers Overview
Purdue enters the matchup hitting .311 as a team with 331 hits and 251 runs scored over 31 games. The Boilermakers are 21-10 on the season and are coming off a series win over the University of Illinois. Purdue has been strong at home, going 9-4 compared to their 4-4 road record.
Sam Flores leads the team with a .400 batting average and a 1.148 OPS, which includes a team-leading eight home runs, a .680 slugging percentage, and 36 RBI. Aaron Manias is second on the team among qualified hitters with a .381 batting average and 1.145 OPS. He also has 12 extra-base hits, a team-leading .526 on-base percentage, and 14 walks and 14 hit-by-pitches.
On the mound, the Boilermakers carry a 5.34 ERA and have totaled 216 strikeouts on the season. Cole Van Assen leads the team among qualified pitchers with a 4.46 ERA. He has a 3-2 record with 34 strikeouts over 42.1 innings pitched. Zach Erdman has a 4.76 ERA and is a perfect 3-0 this season. He is tied for the team lead in strikeouts with 34 and has issued just 12 walks. Jake Kramer has been a strong closer for the Boilermakers, leading the team with five saves and a 3-3 record over 16 appearances.
Defensively, Purdue posts a .978 fielding percentage.
Matchup Outlook
The Braves will need to keep up with Purdue's strong offense in Tuesday's game. The Boilermakers' bats have been streaky recently, but they are capable of putting up big numbers at the plate, and the Braves will need to match that energy.
On the mound, Bradley is looking to build on the confidence and momentum created this past weekend. The Braves will look for quick innings and low pitch counts as they will have two days of rest before traveling to Valparaiso on Friday.
