CLEVELAND –   The Western Michigan baseball team was picked to finish sixth in the Mid-American Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll with 47 votes.

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Kent State was picked to win the MAC Tournament with eight first-place votes followed by Miami and Northern Illinois with one. The Golden Flashes received 98 votes as the league's favorite followed by Central Michigan, Ball State and defending MAC Tournament champion Ohio.The Broncos were picked by the leagues' coaches to finish above Eastern Michigan, Toledo, Northern Illinois and Bowling Green. WMU begins its season on Friday, Feb. 16 at Houston Baptist.

Last season, WMU finished with a 24-29 overall record and was 12-12 in league play. The Broncos advanced to their fourth straight MAC Tournament and kept the six-year streak alive of winning at least one game in the tourney, defeating No.3 seed Eastern Michigan.

WMU was one of the best offensive teams in the nation a season ago, ranking 20^th in the NCAA with a .308 batting average. The Brown & Gold set a new program record with 591 hits last season as WMU had eight everyday players batting at least .300.

Offensively, WMU was led by Tanner Allison who was named an All-American by both Collegiate Baseball (Third Team) and College Sports Madness (Fourth Team). Allison earned MAC Player of the Year honors after setting the WMU single season RBI record with 68. In the offseason Allison signed with the Atlanta Braves after being drafted in the 19^th round of the 2017 MLB Draft.  

Returning for WMU this season is junior infielder Connor Smith who garnered Second Team All-MAC honors for the second consecutive year. Smith started in 51 games last season and finished ranked seventh in the nation in triples per game (0.14). The Midland, Mich., native hit .339 with 46 runs, 11 doubles, seven triples, two home runs, 35 RBI and recorded eight stolen bases.

The 2018 MAC Tournament takes place May 23-27 at Sprenger Stadium in Avon, Ohio. The tournament will consist of six teams with the No.1 and No.2 seed earning a one-game bye. 

2018 MAC Baseball Preseason Coaches' Poll:

1. Kent State – 98 points (8 first place votes)  
2. Central Michigan – 86                      
3. Ball State – 73    
4. Ohio – 70                             
5. Miami – 49 (1)                    
6. Western Michigan – 47
7. Eastern Michigan – 40     
8. Toledo – 36                         
9. Northern Illinois – 35 (1)  
10. Bowling Green -- 16