Leathernecks & Braves Tango Twice in Week Span

Monday, April 08, 2019

This time, Bradley visits Alfred D. Boyer Stadium.

Western Illinois (11-18) vs. Bradley (17-10)
Date:	April 9
Site:	Macomb, Ill. / Alfred D. Boyer Stadium
Game Times:	4 p.m.

Watch Live: Tuesday's game will be streamed live via Twitter (@WIUBaseball) with Conor Fredland and Bradley Motton on the call.

Rematch: Western Illinois and Bradley will meet for the second time in a week, and the Leathernecks look to avenge a 10-0 setback in Peoria (April 2). Starting pitchers on each side had their way inside Dozer Park, where they yielded three combined hits through four innings. The scoreless affair lasted five frames until a sacrifice fly helped the Braves to their first run before they added four more in the sixth.

Alex Dorethy's day ended with a career-high six strikeouts in five full innings on the mound. He gave up three hits and one run.

Western's Last Outing: Oral Roberts, the four-time reigning Summit League champions, has never been swept in league play. That is, until Sunday (April 7), when Western Illinois defeated the Golden Eagles, 11-7, inside Alfred D. Boyer Stadium to crown a series that also included an 8-5 and 7-3 win for the Leathernecks.

• Drue Galassi (.600 BA, 9 H, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 3 SB)
• CJ Schaeffer Jr. (.545 BA, 6 H, 3 RBI)
• Kevin Raisbeck (5 H, 4 R, 3 RBI)
• Starting pitchers Javin Drake, Jace Warkentien, and Jack Carberry all recorded a win, and Austin Emanuel was credited with a save

Weekly Awards: Western Illinois laid claim to the first teammates to sweep The Summit League's weekly baseball honors this season as Drue Galassi was named Player of the Week and Javin Drake Pitcher of the Week.

The honor marked Drake's second of the season and the Leathernecks' fourth as Kevin Raisbeck was named Player of the Week on Feb. 25.

February 25
Player of the Week: Kevin Raisbeck

March 11
Co-Pitcher of the Week: Javin Drake

April 8
Player of the Week: Drue Galassi
Pitcher of the Week: Javin Drake

High Kudos: C.J. Schaeffer Jr. was one of 75 catchers nominated by their head coaches for the Buster Posey Award, given annually to the nation's top collegiate catcher. Schaeffer led the league with 19 runners caught stealing a year ago and already has a league-leading 12 in 2019.

He is Western's second watch list selection in three seasons and currently The Summit League's lone representation. Former catcher and Chicago White Sox free-agent signee Adam McGinnis was named a semifinalist (1 of 15 nationally) in 2017.

They'll Run: The Leathernecks have never been shy on the base paths, and currently lead The Summit League with 43 stolen bases.

Steve McShane, Drue Galassi and Deion Thompson each have eight, and on the opposite side of the equation, catcher CJ Schaeffer Jr. has caught a league-leading 12 runners stealing.

Bases Loaded: Highlighted by a pair of grand slams, Western is hitting .310 on the season when the bases are loaded. Bailey Montgomery and CJ Schaeffer Jr. have been most lethal with three hits apiece, and Schaeffer recently tabbed his first career grand slam, walk-off style in a 10-6 victory over South Dakota State (March 16).

Deion Thompson previously accomplished the feat in an 11-1 victory over Fort Wayne a season ago and added his second at Omaha (March 31).

Next Up: The Leathernecks resume Summit League play with a three-game set against Purdue Fort Wayne (April 12-14), which will also serve as the team's alumni weekend.

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This time, Bradley visits Alfred D. Boyer Stadium.

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