KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan baseball team will look to build off its big midweek win over Michigan State as the Broncos head to Toledo to face the Mid-American Conference (MAC) West foe Rockets in a three-game series. The team will play on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m., 1 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively, at Lourdes University due to weather concerns.
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The Broncos will enter the weekend at 12-9 overall and 2-1 in the MAC after a 3-2 win over B1G Michigan State on Tuesday. WMU also took two games out of three at Miami to open MAC play last weekend, dropping the opener then claiming both games in a doubleheader on Saturday. Toledo is 6-19 overall and 0-3 in the MAC. The Rockets are coming off a midweek win over Oakland, but were swept by Northern Illinois over the weekend to open MAC play.
The Bronco offense is hitting .312 as a team, good for 21st in the nation and first in the MAC. The team is led by the hot bat of Tanner Allison, who is hitting .398 with eight doubles, one triple, six home runs and a MAC leading 33 RBI. The next closest in the MAC is Connor Smith's 22 RBI. Grant Miller is hitting .354 while Jesse Forestell and Jimmy Roche are each batting .333. Smith, last season's MAC Freshman of the Year, is batting .326 with five triples and 22 RBI.
The WMU pitching staff holds a 4.88 ERA and has four pitchers who have thrown over 20.0 innings this season. Senior Kyle Mallwitz leads the team in innings (34.2), ERA (2.34) and strikeouts (32). Jimmy Townsend-Chase is 1-0 with a 2.65 ERA after throwing 8.0 shutout innings in the Broncos' series clinching win over Miami. Gabe Berman has three saves this season, all coming in his last three appearances. Sophomore Jack Szott holds a 3.51 ERA through 25.2 innings this season.
Following the series with Toledo, the Broncos will face Valpo in midweek action on Wednesday, April 5 at 3 p.m. before hosting Ball State in the home MAC opener over the weekend.
