KALAMAZOO, Mich. –  Western Michigan baseball begins its home schedule with a three-game series against Big East opponent Butler on Friday, March 16 inside Robert J. Bobb Stadium. It's the earliest home series for the Broncos in program history.    
Game Information vs. Butler
Game One: Friday, March 16 at 2:05 p.m. | Live Stats
Game Two: Saturday, March 17 at 3:05 p.m. | Live Stats
Game Three: Sunday, March 18 at 2:05 p.m. | Live Stats

Probable Starters:
RHP Nic Laio (1-1, 3.54 ERA) vs. LHP Connor Mitchell (1-0, 2.95 ERA)
LHP Jacob Piechota (1-1, 2.86 ERA) vs. RHP Garrett Christman (2-2, 3.04 ERA)
RHP Jack Szott (0-1, 4.67 ERA) vs. RHP Ryan Pepiot (2-0, 5.40 ERA)

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Scouting the Broncos
Western Michigan heads into the weekend with an overall record of 8-6, winning seven of its last nine games. During its annual spring trip to Florida, WMU posted a record of 6-2 while outscoring its opponents, 51-31.

MAC and NCAA Rankings
In the Mid-American Conference the Broncos rank second in batting average (.277), first in fielding percentage (.978) and third in team ERA (3.97). Nationally, WMU ranks 32^nd in fielding percentage and 20^th in double plays per game.

Grys Leading the Way
Junior Nate Grys has been an offensive threat for the Broncos early this season, ranking first on the team and second in the MAC with a .429 batting average. The .429 clip ranks 32^nd in the NCAA. Grys also leads the Broncos in doubles (7), triples (1), home runs (1) and RBIs (13).

On the Reisinger
Out of the bullpen, redshirt senior Andrew Reisinger has been dominant posting an overall record of 3-0 with a 1.96 ERA. Reisinger's three victories is tied for first in the MAC. The McHenry, Ill., native has held opponents to just a .227 batting average.

Home Sweet Home
This weekend marks the earliest home series in program history and is the first of 23 home games on the 2018 schedule. WMU will host five MAC series along with mid-week home games against Oakland (Apr. 17), Michigan State (Apr. 18) and Northwestern (May 2).

Streaking
Three players currently have hitting streaks of four games or longer with junior Jimmy Roche riding a seven-game hitting streak. Roche has also reached base safely in 10 straight contests. Fellow junior Connor Smith is second on the team with a six-game hitting streak.

Top Ten in the Nation
WMU ranks in the top ten in the NCAA in two statistical categories. The Broncos are eighth in the nation in sacrifice bunts and sixth in shutouts.  

Butler Rewind
The last time WMU and Butler met was back in 2016 with two games in Indianapolis at Bulldog Park. The Broncos won the first meeting, 2-0 before falling in game two, 7-3.

Scouting Butler
Butler heads to Kalamazoo with an overall record of 13-2 and is coming off a 6-2 victory over MAC foe Ball State on Wednesday. The Bulldogs are currently receiving votes in the latest NCBWA Top 25 poll.

The Bulldogs are one of the best fielding teams in the country, ranking eighth in the NCAA with a .985 fielding percentage. Butler has registered eight triples this season which is the fourth most in the nation. The Bulldogs have three players hitting over .300 with Garrett Christman leading the way with a .383 batting average. Christman also leads Butler in home runs and RBIs.