The Basics
The Bulldogs are headed to Peoria, Ill. for a weekend series against the rival Bradley Braves. Drake is booked for a three-game set against the Braves, spanning from Friday, Apr. 7 to Sunday, Apr. 9.
Drake will then travel back to Iowa for one game against UNI in Cedar Falls on Tuesday, Apr. 11.
The Bulldogs will finally arrive back home to make up this week's postponed matchup with Iowa. Drake will host the Hawkeyes in Des Moines on Wednesday, Apr. 12 at 5 p.m.
About the Bulldogs
Pacing the Bulldogs on the offensive end have been junior,
MaKayla Rice and sophomore,
Emma Dighton. Rice leads the Bulldogs in at-bats with 98 and she's posted an impressive .296 batting average this season.
Dighton leads the Bulldogs with a .890 OPS and a .547 slugging percentage. In the Bulldogs' most recent contest, Dighton hit a walk-off home run to give Drake the victory over Murray State.
Utility player
Emily Valtman has also been integral to Drake's offensive attack. Valtman is second in at-bats on Drake and she's sporting a .278 batting average with two home runs on the season. Valtman impressed over the weekend against Murray State, going 6/16 at the plate.
The ace for the Bulldogs' pitching staff this season has been senior,
Mackenzie Hupke. Hupke has pitched to a 3.03 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP. She has also tallied a team-high 77 strikeouts. Hupke pitched 12.2 innings, struck out 13 batters and didn't allow a run in the Bulldogs' win over Murray State on Sunday.
Scouting the Competition
The Bulldogs are set to play the Braves on Friday, Apr. 7 at 5 p.m., Saturday, Apr. 8 at 2 p.m. and Sunday, Apr. 9 at noon. All three games will be played in Peoria, Illinois.
The Bulldogs hold a commanding all-time record of 35-12 against the Braves, with games dating back to 2005. Drake has won five games in a row against Bradley and they'll look to continue their success against the MVC opponent.
Bradley holds a 10-28 overall record on the season and a 2-9 record in the MVC. The Braves are currently on a nine-game losing streak. Bradley is one spot ahead of Drake in the conference standings, meaning the Bulldogs will look to capitalize against the struggling Braves and move up in conference seeding.
Drake will then travel to Cedar Falls to play the in-state rival, UNI.
UNI is the one seed in the MVC and they hold a 20-10 record. UNI will be a challenging opponent for the struggling Bulldogs as they're 9-0 in the MVC.
UNI is slated to play an away series against Indiana State before returning home to host Drake.
Drake is 29-25 all-time against UNI, however, the Bulldogs have lost five games in a row against the Panthers.
The Bulldogs play on back-to-back days mid-week as they'll travel back home to play Iowa on Wednesday, Apr. 12. The game was originally scheduled for Tuesday, Apr. 4 but was rescheduled due to inclement weather.
Up Next
Drake will return home to host Illinois State for a weekend series in Des Moines, Iowa. The series will begin on Friday, Apr. 14 and conclude on Sunday, Apr. 16. Drake will remain at home and host UNI for another mid-week contest on Tuesday, Apr. 18.
