KALAMAZOO, Mich. – In the final game before Mid-American Conference (MAC) play begins, the Western Michigan baseball team will head to Ann Arbor to face No. 18 Michigan on Wednesday, March 22 at 4 p.m.
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The Broncos come in at 9-7 overall and have won eight of their last 10 games. WMU won the series at Evansville last weekend, winning games one and three. Michigan enters boasting a 15-4 overall record and is coming off a home series with Northern Illinois where the Wolverines took three of the four games. In the nation, Michigan is 36th in ERA, fifth in stolen bases and 14th in fielding percentage.
The Bronco offense has been a huge part of the success as of late, as WMU is currently 10th in the nation in batting average (.326) and 18th in on-base percentage (.413). Tanner Allison has been a nightmare for opposing pitchers, as he's batting .435 and leads the team in doubles (6), home runs (6) slugging percentage (.812) and RBI (30). He is also leading the nation in RBI per game (1.88). Behind Allison, Grant Miller is hitting .355, Connor Smith is at .343 and Nick Vogelmeier is hitting .328.
The Bronco pitching staff holds a 5.46 ERA, with senior Kyle Mallwitz leading the team in innings (28.2), ERA (1.57), strikeouts (26), wins (4) and appearances (9). Jack Szott has made five starts and has thrown 25.2 innings with a 3.51 ERA while Brandon Petersen holds a 2.19 ERA with 12.1 innings pitched.
Following the nonconference game with Michigan, the Broncos will head to Miami for a three-game series beginning on Friday, March 24 at 6 p.m.
