KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Western Michigan baseball is set for the final action at Robert J. Bobb Stadium at Hyames Field this week, as Buffalo heads to Kalamazoo for a three-game series to finish off the 2017 regular season.
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The Broncos and Bulls will square off on Thursday, May 18 at 3 p.m., Friday, May 19 at 3 p.m. and Saturday, May 20 at 1 p.m. before awaiting their fate in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Tournament. WMU enters the series with a 20-27 record overall and a 9-12 mark in the MAC while Buffalo is 17-31 overall and 8-13 in the MAC.
The Broncos have stayed consistent offensively all season long, where they still boast a .304 batting average, good for 22nd in the nation. Over the last 12 games (dating back to the Ohio series), Nick Vogelmeier has been on a tear, where he leads the team with a .440 batting average and five doubles. Tyler Frank, who enters the Buffalo series on a 13-game hitting streak, has hit .433 over the last 12 while Connor Smith is batting .396 over that span. Smith, the speedy shortstop, is tied for fourth in the nation in triples with seven. Tanner Allison comes in batting .370 this season with 62 RBI, just two away from breaking the WMU single season record. He's now sixth in the nation in RBI per game (1.32) and ninth in total RBI. Andrew Stone is batting a team-high .372 this season while Grant Miller is hitting .299 and Alex Goodwin is .296.
Over the last 12 games, WMU holds a 5.66 ERA as three players have pitched 15.0 innings over that span. RHP Kyle Mallwitz holds a 3.20 ERA over that stretch with 17 strikeouts in 19.2 innings. Nic Laio is 3-3 over the last 12 games with a 4.15 ERA in 17.1 innings while Jimmy Townsend-Chase is 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA in 16.1 innings.
The Broncos will honor their six seniors, Grant Miller, Alex Goodwin, Nick Vogelmeier, Tyler Frank, Kyle Mallwitz and Gabe Berman, before Saturday's game against the Bulls.
