CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Bradley Baseball continues their road trip on Wednesday as they take on the University of Illinois at 6 p.m.
Bradley Braves Overview
Bradley enters the matchup hitting .253 as a team, with 393 hits and 252 runs scored through 48 games.
Luke Skinner had a phenomenal series against Belmont, going 6-for-12 with two walks, a hit-by-pitch, four RBI, and three runs scored. Michael Quick recorded two multi-hit games this past weekend, going 5-for-13 with a walk, two RBI, four runs scored, and a stolen base.
Landon Lowe has been the Braves' best player offensively, going 4-for-12 this past weekend with a double, a home run, a walk, four RBI, and three runs scored. On the season, he ranks second in the MVC with a .370 batting average. During conference play, he leads all MVC hitters with a .423 batting average and a .526 on-base percentage.
On the mound, Bradley has recorded 324 strikeouts over 390.2 innings. Joey Cirelli has made three strong relief appearances over the past week. In his last three outings, he has pitched 6.2 innings, allowing three runs, two earned, on seven hits, while walking two and striking out six.
Ryan Schaffnit earned the win on Friday, pitching 3.1 scoreless innings while yielding one hit and two walks with five strikeouts.
Defensively, Bradley holds a .957 fielding percentage and has turned 31 double plays.
The Fighting Illini Overview
Illinois enters the midweek matchup hitting .263 as a team, with 408 hits and 314 runs scored across 46 games. The Fighting Illini are 23-23 with a 10-14 conference record this season. They are coming off a win on Sunday against Iowa but dropped the first two games of the weekend series to the Hawkeyes.
AJ Putty leads the team offensively, posting a .317 batting average, 46 RBI, and a .913 OPS. He is tied for the team lead with 21 extra-base hits, which include eight home runs. Colin Jennings has also been a strong contributor, leading the team with a .924 OPS, 12 home runs, and a .533 slugging percentage.
Nick Groves has been consistent at getting on base. He posts a .310 batting average, a .445 on-base percentage, and 35 walks.
On the mound, Illinois is led by Regan Hall, who has started 12 games for the Fighting Illini and posts a 5.70 ERA. He has recorded 60 strikeouts compared to just 14 walks and has a 6-5 record on the season. Aidan Finn has also been a strong contributor, totaling 42 strikeouts compared to just nine walks while recording a 2.86 ERA with a 0.91 WHIP.
Defensively, Illinois posts a .977 fielding percentage.
