Redbirds to Battle Bradley in MVC Tournament Opener

DALLAS, Texas - Illinois State kicks off action for the program in the 2018 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, as the Redbirds face off against the Bradley Braves in the 4 p.m. game, the third of four games on the first day of the Championships.

Wednesday, May 23 | 4 p.m.
Live Video: ESPN+ ($)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast

SCOUTING THE BRAVES

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Bradley enters the MVC Tournament as the No. 3 seed, finishing the season with a 30-17 overall record, and a 11-10 mark in conference play.

The team has five players that hit over .300 on the season, led by Luke Mangieri's .326 batting average, while Brendan Dougherty hits .318. Keaton Rice (.317), Andy Shadid (.310), and Luke Shadid (.307) all hit over .300 as well. Derek Bangert leads the team with seven home runs and 37 RBI's, while Dougherty has scored 39 runs, the high-water mark on the team.

The pitching staff is led by Mitch Janssen, who is 4-2 on the year with 60 strikeouts in 59.1 innings of work, while Cole Cook is 4-5 with a 5.09 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 69 innings. 

SCOUTING THE REDBIRDS

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Illinois State comes into the MVC tournament as the No. 6 seed overall, finishing the regular season with a 22-28 record and a 9-12 record in MVC action. The Redbirds have won each of the last two series of the regular season heading into the tournament.

Leading the way for the Redbird offense was First Team All-MVC shortstop Owen Miller, who is second in the conference in batting average, hitting .387 this season. Miller also has 44 runs scored, 14 doubles, five home runs, 32 RBI's and a team-best eight stolen bases. John Rave, who is fourth in the MVC in batting average (.348), leads Illinois State in runs (46), doubles (18), triples (3), home runs (7), and RBI's (48). Collin Braithwaite hits .287 on the year, and is one of two players on the team with at least 40 runs scored and 40 runs driven in.

Leading the pitching staff is a trio of starters in Brady Huffman (1-4, 5.03 ERA), Matt Walker (5-2, 5.25 ERA), and Brent Headrick (4-6, 5.90 ERA). Huffman has a narrow lead on the trio in strikeouts with 57, as Headrick has 56 and Walker 54. Out of the bullpen, Trevor Cross has a team-best 49 strikeouts, while Michael Sebby is 3-1 with a save and 26 strikeouts on 21 innings.