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Smith leads Braves softball to three wins in Alabama

Abbott Badgley winds up for a pitch. Photo courtesy of Bradley Athletics

Bradley softball is finding the zone as it approaches the final two weekends of non-conference play. 

Wins against Delaware State, Syracuse and closely-contested losses to No. 21 Auburn and Louisiana-Monroe comprised the Braves’ most recent outing at the Auburn-hosted Plainsman Invite. The Braves failed to cede more than three runs in a single game despite Syracuse, Auburn and ULM each ranking within the top 30 nationally in runs per game. 

“Our pitchers had a really nice weekend,” Bradley head coach Amy Hayes said. “Reagan [Branon] and Abbott [Badgley] did a phenomenal job … Cam [Schaller] came in and had a nice relief appearance in Sunday’s game. And Grace [French] just did an absolutely phenomenal job against Auburn … we played really well.” 

Bradley’s trip to Alabama started comfortably on Feb. 25, as they scored a 12-3 win against Delaware State in five innings. Freshman Abbott Badgley picked up the win, allowing just one hit in the abbreviated victory. Later that day, the Braves dispatched Syracuse in a 6-2 decision, striking for five first-inning runs on a two-run home run from senior Grace French and a three-run blast from freshman Katie Pederson. 

Badgley, Pederson and the rest of the Braves underclassmen continued to settle into a solid rhythm. 

“I remember I was super nervous coming in,” senior outfielder Samantha Smith said. “But after that first weekend [you just remember] you’re here to play softball. You’ve played softball your whole life. So just getting that first weekend out of the way and just settling down, I feel like all the freshmen have done that.”

So too did Smith, who now leads the team in hits (18) and batting average (.400) after 14 games. She drove in the Braves’ only two runs in a 3-2 loss against ULM on Feb. 26 and scored the Braves’ lone run against Auburn in a 2-1 loss later that day. 

As a result of her strong weekend, Smith was named the MVC Player of the Week. 

“It’s my senior year, so I’m just trying to go out with a bang,” Smith said. “I feel like I’m not thinking too much in the box, I’m just seeing my pitch and hitting it. I personally don’t really like to look at stats that much.”

French was tagged for the loss in the Auburn game, despite allowing just six hits against two strikeouts and one walk. The Braves trailed for the majority of the game and couldn’t overcome a two-run deficit in the final inning. 

The Braves bounced back on the final day of the tournament and notched their second win against Delaware State on Feb. 27. Three RBI from Badgley and two RBI from French, Pederson and freshman Allie Paragien all keyed the second Braves 12-3 victory.

With just two weekends remaining until Missouri Valley Conference play begins, the Braves have found themselves in a spot that they are comfortable with.

“I think we’re in a really good place,” Hayes said. “I feel like every weekend, we’ve come out and we’ve played better than the weekend before and different people are getting opportunities to step up. We’re a fairly small squad this year, so we’re just trying to stay healthy — we want to make sure that we’re going into the conference at full force against Loyola [on March 19.]” 

On deck is the Mizzou Classic, where the Braves will play one game against event host Missouri and a three-game series with Summit League opponent St. Thomas. The Tigers are ranked No. 16 in the most recent USA Today/NFCA coaches’ poll, while the Tommies are off to a 2-8 start in their first season at the Division-1 level. 

“There’s no sleeping, so we’re gonna have to make sure we’re on our game,” Hayes said. “Going down to Mizzou and seeing another ranked team … they’re also kind of finding their stride. We had some success with them when we played them last time [in 2019], Grace French beat them. I’m sure they’re looking to get that one back.”

The Braves will begin the weekend today against St. Thomas with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.

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