This weekend WMU softball will head back to Northern Illinois to actually play the Huskies instead of having Mary M. Bell Field act as a neutral site venue for the Broncos.

Western Michigan (11-21,2-2 MAC) at Northern Illinois (13-16, 1-3 MAC)
Date - Time: 4/5 - 2 p.m. CT | GameTracker
Date - Time: 4/6 - 1 p.m. CT | GameTracker
All-Time series ­— WMU leads series, 33-24
Last Meeting ­— WMU 7, NIU 6 (March 30, 2013)

WMU SOFTBALL NEWS & NOTES
• Western Michigan opened its MAC season playing as the away team at a neutral site as WMU, Bowling Green and Toledo traveled to Northern Illinois last week to play each of their respective series

• Western Michigan improved to 6-1 in MAC opening games over the past seven seasons, and 9-5 under head coach Kathy Leitke as the Broncos went 2-2 in its first conference weekend and sit alone in second in the West Division

• WMU defeated 2013 Horizon League champion Valparaiso, 5-0, on April 1 in a game postponed from March 18 — The Broncos scored all of their runs off of two home runs

• Leitke is 12 wins away from becoming the winningest coach in program history, surpassing Kim Worden's 321 program wins

• Allyson Kus earned the team's first weekly honor of the season as the sophomore was named MAC West Pitcher of the Week on the strength of her 2-0 record in MAC games this past week

• Kus earned her second shutout of the season, working her 15th complete game of 2014, as she shut down Bowling Green's offense in WMU's 1-0 victory

• In two starts, 14.0 innings of work, Kus had an ERA of 0.50 and a WHIP of 1.14

• Megan Stamm has had a hot bat the last five games with three home runs, including two grand slams

• Stamm tied her career high for RBIs in a game not once but twice over the last five games with four RBIs against Toledo and four against Valparaiso

• Melissa Palmer hit her first career home run in the game against Valparaiso

• Western Michigan will not play a home game until April 11-13 when the Broncos host Miami in a doubleheader and Ball State