We Meet Again ? Tuesday's doubleheader will be the fourth and fifth meetings between the Broncos (15-8, 3-1 MAC) and Wolverines (20-9, 2-0 Big Ten) over the past two seasons and the second and third meetings of 2006. Michigan swept WMU in 2005 en route to the national title, but the Brown & Gold exacted a bit of revenge on March 4 of this season, handing the Wolverines a 2-1 loss.
You Must Score to Win ? Michigan is outscoring its opponents, 134-49, this season and more impressively, 39-2, in the sixth inning alone. Only Florida State (March 18), posted a crooked number on the scoreboard against Michigan in the sixth inning.
Beat the Best to Be the Best ? Western Michigan knows that handing Michigan two more losses this week would build the Broncos' credibility as a program on the national scene. The Wolverines are 6-4 in 10 games against teams ranked in the top-25. They most recently defeated No. 4 Texas, 2-0 (March 14).
View From the Top ? Western Michigan finished the first weekend of conference play with a 3-1 record and now stands atop the Mid-American Conference West Division standings with Eastern Michigan. The Broncos split the MAC-opening series with the Eagles on March 31 before sweeping Central Michigan this past Saturday and Sunday. WMU and Eastern Michigan boast a 3-1 conference record to lead the West, while Bowling Green is unblemished at 4-0 to lead the MAC East.
Strange Occurence ? Kristi Strange (Jr., OF, Canby, Ore.) hit a pair of doubles against CMU on April 2 to give her 14 on the season. The two double-baggers tied her with Amy Daugherty (199-97) for the WMU single-season record. Daugherty set the mark in 1996. Strange now has 22 career doubles.
Broncos by the Numbers ? WMU is outscoring the opposition, 85-56, is 10-3 when leading after four innings and is 11-1 when the opponent commits two or more errors in a game. Three Broncos are hitting .300 or better through 23 games (Kristi Strange - .380; Amanda Heckaman - .300; Lauren Fuller - .300).
Circle of Trust ? Krysten Shumaker (So., P, DeKalb, Ind.) is allowing just one earned run (1.04 ERA) this season, has 89 strikeouts and boasts an 8-2 record in the circle. This past week she went 3-0 in three starts, pitching two complete games and giving up just one earned run. She ended the week with a 0.28 ERA in 25.0 innings of work with 33 strikeouts. The opposition hit just .129 off the sophomore. She also picked up her second save of the year, working 3.0 innings against CMU on April 2. The run she allowed on Sunday was the first run of any kind she had allowed in 24.2 innings and the first earned run she had allowed in 37.2 innings in the circle. She was named MAC West Pitcher of the Week for her efforts over the past seven days.
Heck of a Week ? Amanda Heckaman (Jr., 2B, South Bend, Ind.) hit .444 in six starts this past week. She recorded three RBI in three games for a total of nine for the week. Heckaman had three multi-hit games, hitting safely in all but one game. The junior belted two home runs in conference action, the first coming at Eastern Michigan on March 31 and the second in the first inning against Central Michigan in WMU's 6-3 win on April 2.
