However, to do so, sophomore Jaelen Hull will have to adapt to her new role as the team’s top starting pitcher, a role she inherited from Madeline Lynch-Crumrine, who graduated last year.
Crumrine won 47 games during her four seasons at Bradley and ranks third in Bradley history in strikeouts. Hull said she was glad to have had the opportunity to learn from Crumrine.
“It was really good to have someone there to take me under their wing, especially someone with that much experience to show me the ropes and teach me how it’s done,” Hull said. “It was great to have somebody in that upperclassman position who was so comfortable and confident on the mound, who could show me how to transfer that over for myself.”
For her part, Hull pitched very well at times in her freshman season. The left-hander tallied seven wins, including a victory in the MVC championship game, and struck out 49 batters in 123.2 innings. Over her last 12 appearances, Hull went 5-3 with a 3.48 ERA for the Braves, including a five-hit shutout against Evansville.
It was an impressive feat, especially given the fact that Hull pitched last season with a pinched ulnar nerve that limited her grip on the ball, forcing her to undergo surgery last year.
“Surgery’s a big thing, but that really helped me individually going into our two-a-day practices because my arm is a lot stronger than last year,” Hull said.
Head coach Amy Hayes agreed and said Hull appears to be pitching like she did before joining the Braves.
“We’re just excited to see her throwing again,” Hayes said. “She battled some arm soreness and stuff last season. She’s throwing the ball hard, a little more like when we first saw her and what we recruited her for. I think she’s excited to get the ball and go.”
On offense, the Braves hope to continue the team’s success from last season. The Bradley offense ranked third in the MVC with a .285 batting average, while outfielder Bri Joseph ranked third with 61 hits.
Hayes said she believes Bradley’s offense could be its calling card in 2015.
“I think we’re really making a name for ourselves on that side of the ball,” Hayes said. “[Assistant Coach Chris] Malveaux has done an awesome job with our hitters, and the kids have really bought into his style that he brought here to Bradley a few years ago.”
The Braves did suffer some losses on the offensive side. Mariah Cole, who led the team in steals, and Marina Groenewegen, who led the team in home runs and batting average, both graduated last year.
Bradley will turn to some younger players, such as freshman Erika Hansen, to replace them. Hansen hit .421 her senior season in high school and in the fall hit two home runs in Bradley’s alumni game.
Hansen isn’t the only freshman Hayes expects to have a big role this season.
“Hansen is going to be a really exciting player for us,” Hayes said. “When you watch her play, she plays at another level. It’s exciting to watch. [Sophomore] Elizabeth Leonard is going to be getting some time at first base, and she’s done a good job at the plate upping her game and making herself more of a triple threat from the left side of the plate.”
The Braves were picked fifth in the MVC coaches’ poll, behind Southern Illinois, Illinois State, Northern Iowa and Wichita State. Hayes did not put too much emphasis on the rankings.
“We got picked fifth, which I thought showed some good respect from other coaches knowing that we lost so much,” Hayes said. “But our kids are just going one day, one pitch at a time.”
Another idea Hayes doesn’t put too much stock in is repeating as MVC tournament champions.
“I wouldn’t say repeat,” Hayes said. “I think we’re always looking to move forward and move past where we were last year. We’re a completely different team with a completely different dynamic than we had last year. I think we just need to play how we play and know that we’re as good as we know we are.”
Bradley faces off against Utah Valley in the team’s opener today at 10:15 a.m. and Pacific at 12:30 p.m. The team will also face Stanford, the University of North Carolina, and Seattle throughout the weekend. The Braves open conference play and their home schedule March 21 against Missouri State.
