KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Western Michigan softball hosts its final home series of the regular season when Mid-American Conference West Division rival Ball State and East Division rival Miami come to Fran Ebert Field. Seeding at next week's MAC Tournament and WMU's seventh-straight 20-win season under Kathy Leitke are on the line.
GOT IT ? The third try was the charm for Kathy Leitke as she captured her 500th career coaching victory with a 13-3 win over Akron on April 25. The win was the first of three on the weekend for WMU and she now has 503 coaching wins with 191 of them coming with the Broncos.
7 = 2 ? Including this past Tuesday in WMU's 2-1 win over Loyola-Chicago, the Broncos have hit seven home runs in their last five games. That total gives them 29 on the year, which stands alone in second on the single-season all-time list. WMU will need to hit eight more homers during its season-ending series with Ball State and Miami (four games) and the upcoming MAC Tournament to break the single-season mark of 39.
ACROSS THE NATION ? Western Michigan is ranked sixth in the country in doubles per game with 0.47. The Broncos have hit a total of 31 doubles so far this season. WMU also appears in the national rankings in home runs per game (31st), fielding percentage (53rd) and earned run average (56th).
SENIOR SALUTE ? Western Michigan will salute its five seniors prior to Sunday's game against Miami. Becky Bartosz, Amanda Gelder, Molly Mroczek, Nina Ojala and Kyla Sullivan will each be recognized for their dedication to Bronco softball.
LET'S GET IT STARTED ? WMU improved to 12-4 when scoring first this past weekend, jumping in front of Akron and Ohio in each of its three wins.
ON DECK ? After this weekend's action, Western Michigan will find out what seed it will be in the upcoming Mid-American Conference Tournament, which will take place in Akron, Ohio (May 7-10).
FOLLOW BRONCO SOFTBALL LIVE ? Fans can follow Bronco softball online at www.wmubroncos.com through Live Stats. Once the game has started, a camera icon will appear on the Live Stats page as well as in the Live Stats table at the bottom of the home page. On Demand video of this weekend's games will also be available once the contests have been completed.
