Bradley Braves baseball
American college baseball team
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Bradley Braves baseball team is the varsity intercollegiate athletic team of the Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, United States. The team competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I and are members of the Missouri Valley Conference. The Braves have played in seven NCAA Tournaments, going in 1950, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1962, 1968 and 2015.
| Bradley Braves | |
|---|---|
 2026 Bradley Braves baseball team | |
| |
| Founded | 1898 |
| Conference history | Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (1911–1937) |
| University | Bradley University |
| Head coach | Justin Dedman (1st season) |
| Conference | Missouri Valley |
| Location | Peoria, Illinois |
| Home stadium | Dozer Park (capacity: 8,500) |
| Nickname | Braves |
| Colors | Red and white[1] |
| College World Series appearances | |
| 1950, 1956 | |
| NCAA tournament appearances | |
| 1950, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1962, 1968, 2015 | |
| Conference tournament champions | |
| 1950, 1956, 1959, 1962, 1968 | |
| Conference regular season champions | |
| 1926, 1928, 1930, 1931, 1937, 1942, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1968 | |
Bradley in the NCAA Tournament
| Year | Record | Pct | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 0–2 | .000 | College World Series 7th place |
| 1956 | 3–2 | .600 | College World Series 3rd place, District 5 Champions |
| 1957 | 0–2 | .000 | District 5 |
| 1959 | 0–2 | .000 | District 5 |
| 1962 | 0–2 | .000 | District 5 |
| 1968 | 0–2 | .000 | District 5 |
| 2015 | 1–2 | .333 | Louisville Regional |
TOTALS |
4–14 | .222 |
Dozer Park
Dozer Park has been home to the Braves baseball team since 2003. The 8,500-seat stadium is located in downtown Peoria, and is also home to the Peoria Chiefs, the High-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals in the Midwest League.[2]
Head coaches
Justin Dedman was named head coach in June 2025 after the retirement of Elvis Dominguez.[3][4]
- Records are through the end of the 2025 season
| Tenure | Coach | Years | Record | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1898–1900, 1903, 1907, 1909 | no coach | 6 | 36–21 | .632 |
| 1901 | Norwood Gibson[5] | 1 | 8–3 | .727 |
| 1902 | Pink Voris | 1 | 8–5 | .615 |
| 1904–1905 | D. Seisler | 1 | 14–8 | .636 |
| 1906 | G. Hughes[6] | 1 | 5–7 | .417 |
| 1908 | L. Holsinger | 1 | 12–2 | .857 |
| 1910–1911, 1914–1918 | Fred Brown | 7 | 26–20 | .565 |
| 1912 | R. Schenck | 1 | 5–4 | .556 |
| 1913 | Les Lord | 1 | 5–1 | .833 |
| 1919 | Harold Olsen | 1 | 0–1 | .000 |
| 1920 | Joe Bike | 1 | 7–4 | .636 |
| 1921–1942, 1946–1948 | Alfred J. Robertson | 25 | 242–156–6 | .606 |
| 1949–1972 | Leo Schrall | 24 | 346–188–3 | .647 |
| 1973–1979 | Chuck Buescher | 7 | 127–136–1 | .483 |
| 1980–2008 | Dewey Kalmer | 28 | 842–772–4 | .522 |
| 2009–2025 | Elvis Dominguez | 17 | 364–453–2 | .446 |
| 2026– | Justin Dedman | –– | – | |
| Totals | 16 coaches | 123 seasons | 2,047–1,781–16 | .537 |
.jpg){kind=small}