Bradley Softball Heads to New Mexico to Kick Off Season

The opening weekend of the 42nd season in program history features a pair of games against nationally ranked (#20/24) Arkansas, along with contests against Nebraska, UTEP and tournament-host New Mexico State. 

Bradley (29-21 overall, 15-10 MVC in 2019) kicks off the season Friday afternoon with a 3 p.m. (CST) game against Arkansas, which finished 38-20 overall last spring and was 12-12 in the SEC.  The Braves have reached the NCAA Tournament each of the two previous seasons in which BU has faced Arkansas.
Friday’s action also includes a 5:30 p.m. (CST) game vs. tournament-host New Mexico State (33-22 overall, 12-6 WAC in 2019).  Bradley is 4-3 all-time against New Mexico State, including a 4-2 mark in games played in Las Cruces, N.M., after the teams split a pair of one-run games last year.  The Braves have averaged 7.00 runs per game in the seven previous meetings with the Aggies.

Saturday’s play gets underway with a 10:30 a.m. (CST) contest against Nebraska (21-31 overall, 9-14 Big 10 in 2019), which will mark the first meeting between the two teams since the Braves faced the Cornhuskers in an elimination game of the 2014 NCAA Tournament in Columbia, Mo.
Bradley has a rematch with Arkansas Saturday at 12:30 p.m. (CST), before wrapping up tournament play Sunday with a 12:30 p.m. (CST) outing against UTEP (17-33 overall, 10-14 Conference USA in 2019).  The Braves will face the Miners for the first time since 2011 in El Paso and Bradley won the only previous neutral site meeting vs. UTEP in Las Vegas during the 2008 season.

All five games of the Troy Cox Classic can be viewed through FloSoftball.com (subscription required) and BradleyBraves.com will provide links to live stats for each contest. 

New Mexico has been a common stop for Bradley lately, with the Braves playing in Las Cruces, N.M., for the third time in four years.  Bradley will venture to the Land of Enchantment for the sixth time overall with each of those taking place in the last 10 years.  The Braves are 13-12 all-time in games played in the state of New Mexico and 11-9 all-time in games played in Las Cruces.  Four of BU’s 11 wins in Las Cruces, N.M., have been against host New Mexico State.  Bradley is 7-7 in neutral games played in Las Cruces, N.M. 

The Braves are 19-22 all-time in season openers following a loss to Stanford to open the 2019 campaign.  Over the last 14 seasons Bradley is 8-6 in season openers.  Overall, the Braves are 12-16 when opening a season with a neutral site contest.  Bradley will be opening a season in a state other than Arizona or Illinois for the first time since 2010 and just the second time since the start of 12th-year head coach Amy Hayes tenure on The Hilltop in 2009.

Bradley will play a pair of games against a nationally ranked opponent in #20/24 Arkansas at the season-opening Troy Cox Classic, marking the third consecutive season and eighth time in the last 11 years the Braves will play at least one top-25 team during the opening weekend of the season.  The last win for Bradley against a nationally ranked opponent was a 2-1 victory at then 16th-ranked Louisiana during the 2017 season.  Under 12th-year head coach Amy Hayes, the Braves have played a total of 43 games against top-25 squads compared to a total of 22 such games in the 30 years prior to her arrival on The Hilltop for the 2009 season. 

With seven returning starters and a total of 14 returning letterwinners, Bradley returns a big percentage of its lineup from last year’s team which was one of the most powerful offensive teams in Missouri Valley Conference history.  BU’s returners combined for at least 80 percent of the team’s hits (83%), runs (83%), doubles (80%), triples (82%), home runs (90%) and RBI (87%) from a team which ranked among the top 25 in the nation in runs (22nd), home runs (8th) and slugging percentage (13th).  In fact, six returning players hit .300 or better and the group combined for 242 runs, which is more than all but three MVC teams scored last year and the returners slugged 61 home runs in 2019; two more than any other Valley squad last spring.  The Braves bring back three All-MVC performers in First-Team All-Valley picks Stacia Seeton and Kealia Wysocki along with Second-Team All-MVC performer Allison Apke, a Teutopolis High School graduate. Both Apke and Wysocki were Third-Team NFCA All-Mideast Region selections last year.  While the Braves did graduate a pair of pitchers that won at least eight games, Bradley does have three returning hurlers back which combined for 12 of last year’s 29 victories and the team’s lone save.

The Braves follow up the Troy Cox Classic by heading to Lake Elsinore, Calif., for the Golden State Classic Feb. 14-16 where Bradley will take on UC Davis, San Jose State, Army, Sacramento State and Hawaii.