The Braves had a hard time playing to the level of their competition this past weekend in Knoxville, Tennessee. Ultimately falling in all four contests against seventh-ranked Tennessee, Virginia and twice to Louisville at the Tennessee Invitational.
Struggling at the plate, Bradley brought in only seven runs over four games. They were shutout in two of the contests.
“We struggled to click this weekend,” head coach Amy Hayes said. “At times we had hitting but no pitching, or pitching but no defense. We just didn’t gel at the same time and, because of that, we pressed to find our rhythm.”
Junior Kealia Wysocki, who racked up three hits and drove in a run against Virginia, said she saw areas to improve as the team continues the season and moves towards conference games.
“I think we, as a team, could do a better job of stringing at bats together like we did in New Mexico,” Wysocki said. “There are just some little things to clean up other than that.”
Wysocki boasts a .921 slugging percentage with seven home runs on the season and has set both personal and team goals this season.
“Personally, my goal is to stay more consistent with the bat,” Wysocki said. “Everything falls into place for me when I can keep that consistent. The team’s goal this season is that MVC ring. We will make postseason with this team.”
The two most demanding defensive positions have held it down on the field and at the plate. Freshman Lucy Mead at shortstop and senior center fielder Gabby Stoner are leading the team in batting average.
Wysocki also talked about the outlook of the next set of games, which will be played down in Orlando, Florida.
“The warm weather and the feeling of the [Diamond 9] Tournament is great for us and I think it’s going to be fun,” Wysocki said. “Our bats are going to be warm and the ball is going to fly. We just need to stay solid on both ends of the ball and we will be golden.”
The softball team will compete against Purdue, South Alabama and Savannah State in the Citrus Classic this weekend at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
