KALAMAZOO, Mich. The Western Michigan softball team heads to Tennessee this weekend for five games at the Chattanooga Frost Classic, Feb. 24-26.

FROST CLASSIC SCHEDULE
Date • Opponent (record entering weekend) • Game Time ET
Friday, Feb. 24 vs. UT-Martin (7-1) • 1:30 PM
Friday, Feb. 24 vs. Saint Louis (3-2) • 4 PM
Saturday, Feb. 25 vs. Northwestern State (5-5-1) • 11 AM
Saturday, Feb. 25 vs. UT-Chattanooga (3-6) • 1:30 PM
Sunday, Feb. 26 vs. Farleigh-Dickinson (0-5) • 10 AM

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LEADING THE WAY
Western Michigan is coming off a 22-28 overall, 12-10 Mid-American Conference record last year and is under the direction of Kathy Leitke in her 17th season as the head coach of the Broncos. WMU returns 14 players from last year's roster and welcomes five newcomers to the squad.

ABOUT THE BRONCOS
Western Michigan opened the season at the Kajikawa Classic, Feb. 9-12, where the Broncos faced six teams over a four-day span. The Broncos (2-4) came away with two wins, defeating San Jose State 5-1 in their first game and Seattle 9-1 in their last game. WMU dropped its other four games by a combined five runs to Virginia, Stanford, New Mexico and Cal Poly.

> WMU is batting .322 as a team with nine doubles, four home runs and seven stolen bases. Defensively, the team has committed eight errors and the pitching staff as a combined 1.72 ERA. Opponents are batting .242 against the Broncos.

> Freshman Mackenzie Swinehart leads WMU with a .522 batting average. Senior Abby Stoner is batting .313 with a team-best two home runs and six RBIs.

> The Broncos will have 28 games and nearly two months of competition under their belt before hosting their first home game against Ohio University on March 31.

MAC ATTACK
Swinehart burst onto the scene playing her first collegiate games at the Kajikawa Classic. Swinehart played and started in all six games, batting second or first in the lineup. She had a hit in five of six games and had multiple hits in four games, including three games with three hits. Over the six games at the classic she led WMU with a .522 batting average and six runs scored. In her first career game, she was a perfect 3-for-3 from the plate. Swinehart had a .522 slugging percentage and a team-best .542 slugging percentage for the weekend. She was also a perfect 2-for-2 on stolen bases and defensively had a 1.000 fielding percentage.

KURTH COLLECTS WEEKLY PITCHER HONORS
Sophomore pitcher Jordan Kurth was named the Mid-American Conference West Division Player of the Week Tuesday, Feb. 14 following the Kajikawa Classic where she hurled three complete games and picked up two wins. Kurth allowed just two earned runs and two walks over 22.0 innings pitched for a minuscule 0.64 ERA. She made three starts and one relief appearance.

CHANGING OF THE GUARD
Western Michigan has a new middle infield this season, as last year's seniors Sabina Gamboa (SS) and Melissa Palmer (2B) graduated. Sophomores Brooke Wyman and Jenna Faultersack have stepped up to fill the vacancies and each has played both middle infield positions this year. Over the first six games, only two errors have been committed between the two.

WHAT WE'RE WORKING WITH
The Broncos are led by four seniors - Erin Binkowski (P/DP), Kelsea Cichocki (3B), Ivy Schaaf (LF) and Abby Stoner (UT). Other returners include redshirt junior Marlee Wilson (1B), juniors Geordin Craun (OF), Aspen Williams (OF), Anissa Sanchez (P) and sophomores Erin Barg (IF), Jenna Faultersack (IF), Jordan Kurth (P), Courtney Sleeman (C/P), Skyler Sobeski (UT) and Brooke Wyman (IF).

Newcomers include junior Kellogg Community College transfer Holly VanTilburg (P/IF) and freshmen Kaylen Glenfield (IF), Cari Padula (C/IF), Samanatha Pico (OF) and Mackenzie Swinehart (OF).

LOOKING AHEAD
Following the Chattannoga Frost Classic, Western Michigan will make its way to Florida for the annual spring trip. The Broncos will play 12 games at the USF Under Armour Tournament in Clearwater, Fla., March 3-12.