KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Former Western Michigan catcher Connor Charping has agreed to sign as a nondrafted free agent with Major League Baseball's Seattle Mariners, it was announced on Thursday.
 
A native of Trenton, Mich., Charping had a banner senior season for the Broncos, earning his second straight First Team All-MAC selection and a spot on the ABCA/Rawlings Midwest All-Region Second Team. He was also named one of 16 semifinalists for the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year award.
 
This spring, Charping led Western Michigan in batting average (.348), hits (72), runs scored (57) and stolen bases (26). The 57 runs scored were third-most in the MAC and tied for third-most in a single season in WMU program history. His 26 stolen bases led the league, ranked 36th nationally, and were the fifth-most in a season in program history.
 
The backstop was amongst the conference leaders in several other offensive categories as well. His 72 hits and .348 average ranked seventh, his 17 doubles tied for ninth-most in the league, and he ranked 14th with a .440 on-base percentage. Charping also threw out a league-best 18 runners attempting to steal.
 
In his five seasons as a Bronco, Charping hit .331 across 146 games with 128 runs scored, 28 doubles, six home runs and 68 RBIs. He stole 68 bases in his career, which is tied for third-most in Western Michigan's program history.