KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The Western Michigan softball team continues the nonconference portion of its season this weekend at the Belmont University Bruin Challenge in Belmont, Tenn. WMU will play five games over three days beginning on Friday.

BROADCAST INFORMATION: 
Live Stats: Visit the WMU Schedule Page 
Follow us on Twitter: @WMUSoftball 
Tournament Info: Tournament Central 

GAME INFORMATION
Friday, Feb. 14 vs. Northern Kentucky • 2:00 PM ET/1:00 PM CT • E.S Rose Park 
Friday, Feb. 14 vs. Belmont • 4:30 PM ET/3:30 PM CT • E.S Rose Park 
Saturday, Feb. 15 vs. Northern Kentucky • 11:00 AM ET/10:00 AM CT • E.S Rose Park 
Saturday, Feb. 15 vs. Belmont • 1:30 PM ET/12:30 PM CT • E.S Rose Park 
Sunday, Feb. 16 vs. Wisconsin Green Bay • 10:00 AM ET/9:00 AM CT • E.S Rose Park 

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Belmont University serves as the host of the Bruin Challenge and welcomes Green Bay, Marist and Northern Kentucky to the tournament in addition to the Broncos. WMU will face off against all but Marist.

The Northern Kentucky Norse will play its first games of the 2020 season at the tournament. Last year they went 22-33 overall with a 12-11 mark in Horizon League play. The Horizon preseason poll picked the Norse to finish third this year. Ava Lawson led Northern Kentucky last season, holding a .329 batting average with 14 doubles, two triples, four home runs and 28 RBI. Taylor Ginther pitched 240.2 innings in 2019 with 107 strikeouts, going 16-16 with a 2.18 ERA.

Host team Belmont will also begin its season at the tournament. The Bruins are under the direction of Megan Smith, in her first year as head coach. The Bruins look to build off of last year's 31-23 finish, including an appearance in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament. Cheyenne Cavanaugh returns to the squad after leading the charge last spring, hitting .322 with nine doubles, a triple and 16 RBI. Pitcher Brooklin Lee earned 13 wins last season with 152 strikeouts over 147 innings and is back for her senior season.

Wisconsin-Green Bay saw action last week at the Rambler Rumble tournament to kick off its season. The Phoenix returned home with a 1-4 mark, the win coming from a 2-1 decision against Loyola-Chicago. Green Bay is also under the direction of a new head coach, Sara Kubeske. The team hopes to improve upon last year's 12-29 finish and 7-17 mark in conference play. The program was led at the Rambler Rumble by Morgan Bihun, who hit .429 with a pair of doubles, a home run and four RBI.

LAST TIME OUT
Western Michigan competed at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz., for the tenth time in 11 years. The Broncos played five games from Feb. 7-9 against several top-25 teams from the PAC-12 and SEC, finishing the invitational with a 1-3 mark with one game ruled an exhibition.

On day one of the tournament, the Broncos strung together six hits in two games, falling to Portland State 13-2 and Utah 12-2. Leading the way for the Bronco offense was senior Cari Padula and junior Sydney Stefanick, who each picked up two hits. Padula finished with all four of the Broncos' RBI on the day with a two-run home run in the opener and two-run double against Utah. 

The highlight of the tournament came on day two, when the Broncos took down host team No. 22 Arizona State, 9-7. After dropping their first game of the day to Arizona 12-0, WMU lit up the Sun Devils in the nightcap with nine runs off 11 hits. Stefanick picked up the win in the circle, going a full seven innings and collecting five strikeouts. Mackenzie Swinehart led the Broncos with three runs batted in, two scored and two hits, including her first career home run. Stefanick put up three hits against Arizona State and tallied her first homer of the campaign. Senior Kaylen Glenfield chipped in with two hits and a run scored as eight Broncos crossed home versus Arizona State. 

The Broncos' final game against Tennessee was cut short due to a drop-dead time and ruled an exhibition. The Volunteers led WMU 13-6 at the stop. Racking up 12 hits through four innings, the Broncos were helped along by Swinehart, Stefanick and Padula with three hits each. Padula went three-for-three with a career-high four runs batted in.

ABOUT THE BRONCOS 
Western Michigan brings back 12 members from last year's squad. Ten upperclassmen make their return, including five seniors and five juniors. Stefanick returns for her junior season after a campaign that earned her NFCA DI All-Region First Team and All-MAC First Team accolades. The pitcher led the Broncos with a 3.05 ERA and a 10-10 record with 97 strikeouts.  

Glenfield is back for her final year with the Broncos, returning with Second Team All-MAC honors and a .325 batting average from the previous season and holding a tie for WMU's single-game record of five hits in a game. 

WMU is under the direction of head coach Kathy Leitke, who is entering her 20th season at Western Michigan and is the Broncos' all-time winningest softball coach.  

LOOKING AHEAD
Western Michigan heads south against on Feb. 28 for the Spring Games, a five-day stretch of games in Longwood and Madeira Beach, Fla. The Broncos will face six opponents over four days, concluding on March 3.
 
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