Iowa Baseball Midweek Preview: Bradley Braves

One of the hottest teams in the country, the Iowa Baseball team has won 14 of their last 17 games. They’ll look to continue their winning ways on Tuesday night with a midweek matchup against a struggling Bradley team at Dozer Park in Peoria, IL.

The Hawkeyes are coming off of a rare open weekend to rest and recover, after they earned a three-game sweep of Minnesota in a unique Thursday-Friday series. Through four weeks of conference play, Iowa finds themselves tied atop the Big Ten standings with UCLA.

First pitch for Tuesday’s game between the Hawkeyes and Braves is scheduled for 6:00pm CT on ESPN+. It will be the 94th all-time meeting between the two programs, with Iowa leading the series 49-42-2, including wins in eight of the last ten meetings. The Hawkeyes defeated Bradley 11-6 last season in Iowa City.

Bradley Braves (3-20, 0-6)

Generally, a decent ballclub in the MVC under 16th-year head coach Elvis Dominguez, the Braves have won 30+ games three times under his direction, including an NCAA Regional appearance in 2015. However, went just 13-37-1 last season and have really struggled this season, bringing a 3-20 record into tonight’s matchup.

Iowa will be the second of three Power 4 teams that Bradley will face this season. The Braves opened the season with a three-game series at #8 Alabama, falling 10-6, 19-3, 11-4. These two teams will meet again in Iowa City on April 16th, while Bradley will also face Illinois in a midweek home-and-home later this season.

As a team, the Braves are not hitting very well, slashing .249/.358/.381, including just two players with an above .300 batting average. They rank last in the MVC in batting average (10th), last in on-base percentage, 9th in hits, 9th in home runs and 9th in extra base hits.

Their pitching staff has been even worse, posting a 10.95 ERA, allowing opponents to average 1.47 hits per inning. Those hits have gone for considerable power, with opponents totaling 112 extra base hits, including 38 home runs.

Braves Players to Watch

1. OF Mason Breidenbach – Appearing in just 35 games over his first two seasons with the Braves, outfielder Mason Breidenbach has made a big impact in his first year as a full-time starter. Breidenbach is slashing .337/.456/.410, with a team-high 28 hits, six doubles and 16 RBI’s. Not only has he totaled ten multi-hit games, but he also leads the team with an 18.6% walk+hbp rate and has reached base in 18 of 22 games.

2. 1B Timmy O’Brien – The power hitter in the Braves lineup, first baseman Timmy O’Brien finished with 23 extra base hits, eight home runs and 43 RBI’s last season. This season, in 23 starts, O’Brien is slashing .244/.367/.488, with 20 hits, six home runs and 16 RBI’s. He does strikeout quite a bit, with a 27.3% strikeout last season and now, a 32.7% K rate this season over 98 plate appearances. Over his last 73 games, O’Brien is reaching base 1.55 times per game and striking out 1.26 times per game.

3. DH Bobby Atkinson – A transfer from Coastal Carolina, designated hitter Bobby Atkinson started his collegiate career at Heartland CC, before spending last season with the Chanticleers. This season, Atkinson is slashing .303/.400/.517, with 27 hits, eight doubles, three home runs and a team-best 20 RBI’s. He has totaled six multi-hit games and leads the Braves with 18 runs scored.

Iowa Hawkeyes (17-9, 10-2)

Iowa is off to a 10-2 start in conference play, which is their best start in the Big Ten since 2015 (also started 10-2). That season, the Hawkeyes finished with a 19-5 record and advanced to their first NCAA Regional under Rick Heller.

The new 12-team, pool play Big Ten Tournament format places an increased level of importance on earning a top four seed. In the ACC the last two seasons, Pittsburgh and Miami FL earned the fourth seed with an 18-12 record, so Iowa would need to finish just 8-10 over their final 18 Big Ten games to hit that mark. Conference play aside, if the Hawkeyes want to stay in the NCAA at-large hunt (RPI 77), they need to take care of business against Bradley.

Entering Tuesday’s game, redshirt sophomore catcher/designated hitter Reese Moore leads the team in batting average (.385) and slugging percentage (.791). Junior infielder Gable Mitchell leads the team in hits (41) and doubles (12), while Miles Risley needs just one hit to become the fourth player on the team with 30+ hits.

Final Thought

This is a great opportunity for the pitching staff to rebound after a really rough go last Tuesday against Illinois State. In the 10-8 loss to the Redbirds, the Hawkeyes allowed ten hits and gave up 11 free bases, throwing just 53.9% of their 193 pitches for strikes. Going up against an offense that is averaging 5.74 runs and 9.04 strikeouts per game, Iowa should be able to have some success on the mound. On top of that, a pitching staff allowing 11.09 runs and 12.43 hits per game does not want to see the Hawkeyes offense right now.