KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Western Michigan baseball welcomes Mid-American Conference preseason favorite Kent State to Kalamazoo for a three-game series this weekend. The series begins with a doubleheader on Friday, March 30 beginning at 12:00 p.m.
Game Information
Game One: Friday, March 30 (DH1) | 12:00 p.m. |
LIVE STATS
Game Two: Friday, March 30 (DH2) | TBD |
LIVE STATS
Game Three: Saturday, March 31 | TBD |
LIVE STATS
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Scouting the Broncos
Western Michigan heads into the weekend with an overall record of 11-11 and 1-2 in MAC play. The Broncos are coming off a 6-1 victory over Michigan State in midweek action, defeating the Spartans for the second year in a row.
Nate "the great" Grys
Junior
Nate Grys has been steady at the plate for the Broncos this season as the Madison Heights, Mich., native leads the team in batting average (.357), doubles (8), triples (1), home runs (1), RBIs (16) and slugging percentage (.589).
Pitching Leading the Way
On the mound this season, WMU ranks second in the MAC with a 4.04 ERA. The Broncos have four pitchers with an ERA lower than 3.00.
Starting Off Quickly
The Broncos have gotten off to quick starts in the first 22 games this season, outscoring their opponents 34-11 in the first two innings. In the first inning, WMU has outscored its opposition, 20-8 and have scored in the first inning in five of the last seven games.
Jimmy on a Hot Streak
Junior
Jimmy Roche has been dominant at the plate in the past four games, recording a team-high .429 batting average and a .643 slugging percentage. On the season, Roche has a .333 batting average with 13 runs scored and 15 RBIs.
Looking Ahead
After its match-up with Kent State, WMU embarks on a four-game road trip beginning on Wednesday, April 3 at Valparaiso. The Broncos head to DeKalb, Ill., for their first road MAC series against Northern Illinois, April 6-8.
Last Time Out Against Kent State
The last time WMU and Kent State met on the diamond the MAC Tournament title was on the line back in 2016. The Broncos defeated the Golden Flashes, 12-7 to clinch its first ever MAC Tournament title.
Scouting Kent State
Kent State heads into the weekend with an overall record of 12-9 and 1-2 in MAC play. In its MAC opening series last weekend the Golden Flashes dropped two of three to Ball State. In midweek action KSU split with Notre Dame, winning on Tuesday, 4-1 before falling on Wednesday.
Last season the Golden Flashes went 37-18 and claimed its second straight outright MAC regular season title. Offensively, KSU is led by Mason Mamarella who leads the team in batting average (.389) and runs (21). As a team the Golden Flashes rank first in the MAC, averaging 6.1 runs per game.
