KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- The Western Michigan softball team returns to action for the first time since April 11 on Wednesday when the Broncos visit rival Central Michigan for a doubleheader. Action in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, begins at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, April 28.
WMU was coming off a four-game split at Northern Illinois when the next 10 games were postponed due to positive COVID-19 tests and subsequent contact tracing within the Bronco program. The Chippewas most recently split a four-game series with Buffalo in Mount Pleasant this past weekend.
| Scouting the Broncos
Western Michigan (10-20, 6-10 MAC) is led at the plate by the senior duo of
Sydney Stefanick and
Mackenzie Swinehart. Stefanick ranks ninth in the MAC in both batting average (.378) and on-base percentage (.474), while Swinehart ranks fourth in the league wit 28 runs scored (in spite of the Broncos not having played since April 11). In the circle,
Reily Galloway has started 15 of WMU's 30 games, recording four victories while striking out 58 batters on the year. Her 18 called strikeouts rank seventh in the MAC. Stefanick,
Rissa Bajusz and
Autumn Godwin have combined for the remaining six victories this season.
| Scouting the Chippewas
CMU (9-21, 7-13 MAC) played Buffalo to a four-game split last weekend, with the Chippewas winning the first two games of the series before the Bulls rebounded to take the last two. Shaidan Knapp leads the Chippewas in batting, hitting .366 with 14 RBI and three homers. Shannon Stein leads CMU from a power perspective with five homers and 22 RBI. Grace Lehto has been the winning pitcher in seven of CMU's nine victories on the year. Her 76 strikeouts rank seventh in the MAC.
| Bronco Softball Schedule Update
Western Michigan and the Mid-American Conference have officially rescheduled eight of WMU's 10 postponed games. The series with Toledo will now be made-up in a pair of midweek doubleheaders at Ebert Field. The Rockets will visit on Wednesday, May 5 and Tuesday, May 11. Action both days will begin at 1 p.m. ET. The four-game series at Kent State will now take place Friday-Sunday, May 14-16, in Kent, Ohio. An announcement on rescheduling the remaining two games against Central Michigan is anticipated in the coming days.
| On Deck
WMU will return home to Ebert Field this weekend for a four-game set against Akron. The series opens on Friday, April 30, at 3 p.m., followed by a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday, May 1, with the series finale on Sunday, May 2, at Noon ET. All four games can be heard live on WMUBroncos.com.
