Illinois State and Missouri State both play non-conference opponents this weekend, and Creighton hosts Indiana State. Below we preview the other baseball action in the Valley.
Southern Illinois (11-14; 1-2 MVC) vs. Bradley (6-13; 0-3 MVC)
INPUT STADIUM, Carbondale, IL
- 1:00 p.m. Friday (Bradley, SIU vs. Cooper, BU)
- 2:00 p.m. Saturday (Forer, SIU vs. Bircher, BU)
- 1:00 p.m. Sunday (Hoelscher, SIU vs. Booden, BU)
After suffering a sweep at the hands of Wichita State, the Braves and their roster full of freshmen again hit the road for their second consecutive Valley series away from Peoria. Former Creighton star and current Bradley skipper Elvis Dominguez has his hands full with a youthful roster, but they competed hard against the Shockers in front of the league’s most vocal home crowd.
BU’s pitching staff is near the top of the league in hits allowed (2nd), runs allowed (2nd), earned runs allowed (2nd), walks issued (2nd), and home runs allowed (2nd). But the Braves must contend this weekend with a Salukis squad that is 2nd in the Valley in hitting (.319 batting average) and 3rd in the conference in on base percentage (.389). SIU leads the MVC in runs scored (193), hits (296), and RBI (179).
Evansville (12-13; 2-1 MVC) vs. Wichita State (16-7; 3-0 MVC)
Charles H. Braun Stadium, Evansville, IN
- 6:00 p.m. Friday (Dennis, UE vs. Cooper, WSU)
- 2:00 p.m. Saturday (Johns, UE vs. Kelley, WSU)
- 1:00 p.m. Sunday (McCabe, UE vs. Lowell, WSU)
Evansville starts a home stretch tonight where 14 of their next 15 games are at Braun Stadium. The Purple Aces will be trying to pick up where they left off last weekend, taking two of three on the road at Missouri State after losing on Friday night. Sophomore shortstop Trentt Copeland brings a 10-game hitting streak into the weekend. Teammate Greg Wallace saw his 10-game hitting streak come to an end last Sunday, but the Purple Aces aren’t too worried if he continues to hit .370 and stay amongst the leaders in home runs (5) and RBI (32).
The Shockers are undefeated at 3-0 in Valley play after sweeping Bradley last weekend in Wichita. Life on the road for the Shockers is a different story. This season on the road they are hitting .219 and have a team ERA of 7.54, which is why they are just 2-7 away from Wichita. Against Bradley, Cody Lassley hit his first career grand slam on Sunday and had a career high 4 RBI. Watch out for the Shockers’ Friday starter, Jordan Cooper (3-1, 1.22), a preseason All-Valley pick. He threw a complete game for the Shockers last Friday against the Braves.