TEAM OF THE DAY: Bradley
One could definitely make a case for Missouri State, given the magnitude of the upset, but I choose my team of the day by answering the simple question of who looked best on the field. Today, that was Bradley. They jumped all over Evansville early and never looked back, and when the Aces were trying to claw back, the Braves refused to give in, making some great defensive stops along the way.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE DAY: Peter Malinowski, Bradley
There were a lot of good candidates here, and I was tempted to pick Josh Mazzola of Missouri State, who had an outstanding game at the plate. But Malinowski drove in runs in a big way, and his tape measure shot of a home run was the most impressive hit of the session. By the way, that ball finally landed 80 miles away in Lebanon, Missouri, right in front of the Walnut Bowl Factory Outlet (they give tours).

PITCHER OF THE DAY: Pat Venditte, Creighton
How could it be anyone else? Venditte goes 5.2 innings and retires 16 of 17 batters that he faced. That's not good pitching, that's dominant pitching. The switch pitcher is the real deal; MLB teams are going to go crazy over him.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: Gene Stephenson, Wichita State
"We may not be the dumbest team in America, but we're pretty close."

Tomorrow's matchups go something like this

#1 Wichita State (0-1) vs. #5 Southern Illinois (0-1) - 11 am
#2 Creighton (1-0) vs. #3 Bradley - 3 pm
#4 Evansville (0-1) vs. #6 Missouri State (1-0) - 7pm

Until then, I'm getting some serious shuteye. Good night from Springfield, where Creighton, Bradley, and Missouri State emerged as winners from the first day of action at Hammons Field.