KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan baseball team opens up its home schedule and begins Mid-American Conference play this weekend as it welcomes Toledo to town for a four-game series. 

UPDATE: Saturday's series opener was postponed due to field conditions, and an updated series schedule is below. 

GAME INFO
Game One: Sunday, March 20 | 12:05 pm | WATCH | LIVE STATS
LHP Dane Armbrustmacher (1-1, 4.50 ERA) vs RHP Kyle Jones (3-1, 2.52 ERA)
Game Two: Sunday, March 20 | Game 2 of DH | WATCH | LIVE STATS
RHP Jack Huisman (0-3, 17.25 ERA) vs RHP Kyle Music (1-3, 5.93 ERA)
Game Three: Monday, March 21 | 12:05 pm | WATCH | LIVE STATS
TBA vs RHP Jordan Power (1-1, 2.91 ERA)
Game Four: Monday, March 21 | Game 2 of DH | WATCH | LIVE STATS
TBA vs RHP Connor Brandon (2-2, 3.00 ERA)

FOLLOW ALONG: @WMUBaseball

LEADING OFF

• Western Michigan is set for its home opener and its first MAC series of 2022 as Toledo comes town
• This weekend's four-game series marks the 171st-174th meetings between the two programs
• The Broncos own a 105-65 advantage in the series after the two teams split four games at Toledo in 2021
• With the 2020 series canceled by COVID-19, WMU and Toledo have not met in Kalamazoo since 2018
• Western Michigan won one out of three last weekend in its non-conference series at Southern Illinois
• The Broncos took the series opener, 11-8, behind a sparking performance from Dane Armbrustmacher
• The junior southpaw limited the Salukis to one run on three hits over five innings for his first win of 2022
• Armbrustmacher's 24 strikeouts are tied for sixth in the MAC, while his 4.50 ERA is 10th among qualifiers
• Connor Charping had three hits, scored three times and stole two bases in the victory
• For the series, Charping was 5-for-11 (.455) with four runs scored and five stolen bases
• With hits in all three games, Charping extended his hitting streak to 11 and on-base streak to 23 straight
• Charping leads the league in runs scored (18) and steals (10), and ranks 5th in the MAC in average (.400)
• Justin McIntyre and Jimmy Allen plated three runs apiece for Western Michigan in Thursday's win
• WMU's offense is second in the MAC with 90 runs scored and tied for second with 17 home runs
• Toledo comes to town after splitting a four-game set with Akron to begin MAC play last weekend

THE FIRST PITCH
Western Michigan returns to Kalamazoo this weekend for its 2022 home opener and its first Mid-American Conference series of the season as it hosts Toledo for a four-game set at Robert J. Bobb Stadium at Hyames Field. 

HOME AT HYAMES
The Broncos are set to play at Robert J. Bobb Stadium at Hyames Field for the first time in 2022 this weekend. Over the last two full campaigns (WMU did not play any home games during the abbreviated 2020 season), the Broncos are 21-12 at home, including a 15-9 mark in 2021. Last season, Western Michigan opened up its home slate with a split of a four-game series against Eastern Michigan.

LAST WEEKEND RECAP
The Broncos won the series opener last weekend at Southern Illinois, but dropped both ends of a doubleheader on Sunday to close out the series. In the victory over the Salukis, Connor Charping had three hits and scored three runs, while Jimmy Allen and Justin McIntyre drove in three runs apiece for Western Michigan. 

SCOUTING THE ROCKETS
Toledo enters this weekend's series having split its opening conference series last weekend against Akron. The Rockets boast the top ERA in the MAC at 3.96, led by right-handers Kyle Jones (2.52) and Jordan Power (2.91), who rank third and fourth, respectively, in the league in ERA. Jones has also tossed a league-high 25.0 innings and struck out 32 batters, second-most in the conference this season. 

BRONCO BOMBS
Justin McIntyre and Cade Sullivan each hit a home run for the Broncos last weekend, increasing WMU's total to 17 in 13 games. Western Michigan's 17 homers are tied for second-most in the MAC thus far this season. The Broncos hit 44 long balls in 2021, which was their most since 2009.

YOU CAN COUNT ON CONNOR
Connor Charping went 5-for-11 (.455), scored four times and stole five bases last weekend at Southern Illinois. For the season, the senior catcher leads the conference in both runs (18) and steals (10), while ranking fifth in the MAC with a .400 batting average. 

DANE'S DOMINANCE
Dane Armbrustmacher turned in a sparkling effort in Thursday's win at SIU, tossing five innings and yielding just one run on three hits. The lefty added four strikeouts, bringing his season total to 24, which is tied for sixth-most in the league. 

SPREADING THE WEALTH
The trio of Ryan Missal, Dylan Nevar and Josh Swinehart are tied for the team lead with 11 RBIs this season, which is tied for ninth-most in the MAC.

CAN'T CATCH THE CATCHER
After stealing a program-record 32 bases in 2021, senior catcher Connor Charping has stolen 10 bases so far in 2022. With his 52 career steals, Charping ranks third in WMU program history.

GETTING ON THE PAINFUL WAY
Justin McIntyre was hit by a pitch 10 times last year, and has been plunked nine times in 2022. The senior has been hit 32 times in his career, tied for third-most in Western Michigan program history.