KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan softball team is set for a pair of weekday road contests March 19-20 at the University of Michigan and Michigan State. The Broncos will travel to Ann Arbor, Mich. on Tuesday to face the No. 25-ranked Wolverines at 4 p.m. prior to facing the Spartans on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. in East Lansing, Mich.
GAME INFORMATION
Tuesday, March 19 | Ann Arbor, Mich. | 4:00 p.m. |
LIVE STATS |
WATCH (BTN+)
Western Michigan Broncos (7-11, 0-0 MAC) vs. #25 Michigan Wolverines (15-10, 0-0 Big Ten)
Wednesday, March 20 | Ann Arbor, Mich. | 4:30 p.m. |
LIVE STATS |
WATCH (BTN+)
Western Michigan Broncos (7-11, 0-0 MAC) vs. Michigan State Spartans (10-16, 0-0 Big Ten)
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ABOUT THE BRONCOS
Western Michigan closed out its 13-game spring trip at the University of South Florida in Clearwater, Fla. with three-straight wins, capped off by a 6-5 win over UMass March 10 in which an
Erin Barg delivered the game-winning hit in extra innings. WMU opened the season at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz., going 0-5 against tough competition. The Broncos are paced by junior
Mackenzie Swinehart and sophomore
Sydney Stefanick. Swinehart leads the team with 22 hits and a .361 batting average, followed by a team-high 18 RBI and five home runs from Stefanick. Stefanick also leads WMU pitching staff with a 2.13 ERA (3rd/MAC) in 56 innings pitched.
SERIES HISTORY
Tuesday's game will mark the 60th all-time meeting between Michigan and Western Michigan, with the Wolverines owning a 47-11-1 series advantage. The Broncos defeated the Maize & Blue 8-2 last season, the first Bronco victory over Michigan since 2012.
Wednesday's game will mark the 93rd all-time meeting between Michigan State and Western Michigan, with the Broncos holding a 47-44-1 series lead. MSU has won the previous three matchups, including a 6-1 win last season in East Lansing, Mich.
SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES
Michigan heads into Tuesday's match-up ranked No. 25 in the nation with a 15-10 overall record. The Wolverines are coming off a sweep of Mid-American Conference opponent Kent State March 14-17 during their first home games of the year, in which they outscored the Golden Flashes 34-2 through three games. During several spring trips down south, Michigan compiled wins over #2 UCLA, #5 Washington, and #16 Arizona State.
SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
Michigan State holds a 10-16 overall record, most recently going 3-1 at the Miami (Ohio) Invitational. Freshman Charla Echols leads the Sparatans with a .348 batting average while boasting a 1.024 OPS, along with eight doubles. Sophomore Alli Walker paces MSU in the pitcher's circle with 35 strikeouts in 59.2 innings.
