KALAMAZOO, Mich. – For the second week in a row, Western Michigan baseball hits the road for midweek action against the Big Ten Conference as WMU heads to East Lansing for a match-up with Michigan State on Wednesday, March 28 at 3:05 p.m.
Game Information
Wednesday, March 28 | 3:05 p.m. | McLane Baseball Stadium at Kobs Field |
LIVE STATS
Western Michigan Broncos (10-11, 1-2 MAC) at Michigan State Spartans (6-14, 0-3 Big Ten)
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Scouting the Broncos
Heading into the week, Western Michigan has an overall record of 10-11 and is 1-2 in Mid-American Conference play. Last weekend the Broncos dropped two of three to Toledo in the first home MAC series of the season despite holding the Rockets to a .204 batting average.
Starting Off Quickly
The Broncos have capitalized on fast starts this season, outscoring their opponents, 28-10 in the first two innings. WMU has scored in the first inning in five of the last six games and is outscoring its opponents, 20-7 in the first.
The Power of Smith
Junior
Connor Smith is one of three players to have a batting average over .300 this season and is currently riding a team-high six game hitting streak.
Pitching Leading the Way
As a pitching staff, WMU ranks second in the MAC with a 4.19 ERA and has totaled seven games this season with double digit strikeouts. The Broncos also have four shutouts this season which ranks seventh in the NCAA.
On the Reisinger
Redshirt senior
Andrew Reisinger ranks first in the MAC and 25
th in the NCAA with a 1.33 ERA out of the bullpen this season. The McHenry, Ill., native is also tied for first in the conference with four victories.
Head Roche
Junior infielder
Jimmy Roche was stellar at the plate over the weekend against Toledo, recording a .300 batting average along with a .600 slugging percentage. Overall, Roche ranks second on the team in batting average (.317), second in hits (25) and first in RBIs (15). On Sunday against the Rockets, Roche connected on his first career home run in the third inning.
History with Michigan State
WMU and MSU split the season series a year ago with the Broncos defeating MSU, 3-2 in East Lansing before falling to the Spartans, 7-6 in Detroit at Comerica Park. The win over MSU last season marked the first victory over a Big Ten team since May 1, 2013 against Northwestern.
Looking Ahead
After its match-up with the Spartans, WMU returns home for a three-game series against MAC preseason favorite, Kent State. Game one of the three-game series begins on Friday, March 30 with first pitch set for 3:00 p.m.
Scouting Michigan State
Michigan State heads into midweek action with an overall record of 6-16 and 0-3 in the Big Ten. Last weekend the Spartans were swept by Michigan in a three-game series as MSU got outscored by the Wolverines, 26-4.
As a team, MSU has a .232 batting average which ranks 11
th in the Big Ten. The Spartans are led by Dan Chmielewski who leads the team with 11 RBI's and is tied for first in the conference with three triples.
On the mound, Ethan Landon leads the Spartans with a 2.52 ERA to go along with a team-high 40 strikeouts. As a pitching staff, MSU ranks eighth in the Big Ten with a 4.28 ERA.
