KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan baseball opens up its 2023 season this weekend as it travels down to Baton Rouge, La., to face preseason #1 LSU.

*Note: Friday's series opener was moved up from 7:30 pm to 4 pm due to forecasted cold temperatures in Baton Rouge on Friday night. 

SERIES INFO
Game One: Friday, Feb. 17 | 4 pm | WATCH LIVE | LIVE STATS
RHP Brady Miller vs RHP Paul Skenes
Game Two: Saturday, Feb. 18 | 2:30 pm | WATCH LIVE | LIVE STATS
LHP Dane Armbrustmacher vs LHP Riley Cooper
Game Three: Sunday, Feb. 19 | 1:30 pm | WATCH LIVE | LIVE STATS
RHP Ethan Houghtaling vs RHP Chase Shores

FOLLOW ALONG: @WMUBaseball

LEADING OFF

• Western Michigan begins the 2023 season with a three-game series at preseason #1 LSU
• It is the second straight season the Broncos have played an SEC foe, having played at Kentucky in 2022
• WMU's last win over an SEC foe was a 9-5 win at Kentucky on March 6, 2002
• This weekend marks the first time WMU has played the #1 team in the country since 2001
• That season, the Broncos upset top-ranked Notre Dame in South Bend, 7-6, on May 2
• The Broncos are facing a ranked team for the first time since 2020 (swept in three games by #3 Louisville)
• Western Michigan's last win over a ranked opponent was a 4-2 win at #7 Louisville on Feb. 23, 2014
• WMU hit 131 doubles, 22nd-most in the nation, in 2022, a new single-season program record
• The Broncos hit 57 home runs a season ago, their most since launching 59 in 2008
• Dylan Nevar was named the MAC Freshman of the Year and a Freshman All-American
• Nevar's 20 doubles tied for second-most in a single season in program history
• Cade Sullivan was selected to the All-MAC Second Team and All-MAC Defensive Team
• Nevar and Sullivan became the first Bronco teammates to have double-digit homers since 2001
• Jimmy Allen closed the season with a 20-game hitting streak and 27-game on-base streak
• Allen's 20-game hitting streak is tied for the third-longest in program history

PLAY BALL!
Western Michigan begins its 2023 campaign with a three-game series at top-ranked LSU. The Broncos are facing an SEC opponent in their non-conference schedule for the second straight season after traveling to Kentucky for a three-game set in 2022. Last season, the Broncos opened up the season by going 1-2 against Bradley in a neutral site series hosted by Eastern Kentucky in Richmond, Ky.

UPSETTING #1
The Broncos are facing the country's #1 ranked team for the first time since 2001. That season, WMU upset then top-ranked Notre Dame in South Bend, 7-6, on May 2. 

WMU VS RANKED OPPONENTS
LSU is the first ranked opponent Western Michigan has faced since a three-game series at #3 Louisville early in the 2020 season. WMU's last win over a ranked opponent was also against Louisville, as the Broncos topped the then seventh-ranked Cardinals, 4-2, on Feb. 23, 2014.

HANDING OUT THE HARDWARE
The Broncos had three players earn post-season awards from the Mid-American Conference, with Connor Charping earning an All-MAC First Team selection for the second straight year, Dylan Nevar being named the MAC Freshman of the Year and Cade Sullivan picking up All-MAC Second Team and All-MAC Defensive Team nods. 

FRESHMAN PHENOM
In addition to being named the MAC Freshman of the Year, WMU's Dylan Nevar was also named a Freshman All-American by the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. Nevar hit .325 and led the Broncos in doubles (20), homers (11) and slugging percentage (.614). The 20 doubles were tied for third in the MAC, while his slugging percentage ranked sixth and his OPS was 10th.  Nevar was selected to Perfect Game's 2023 Preseason All-Conference Team. 

SULLIVAN'S SURGE
Cade Sullivan had a breakout year for Western Michigan in 2022, hitting .315 with 10 home runs and a team-leading 52 runs batted in. The 52 RBIs were tied for sixth-most in the MAC, while he was one of 15 players in the conference to launch double-digit home runs a season ago. Defensively, Sullivan posted a .997 fielding percentage and was involved in a league-leading 38 double plays. D1 Baseball ranked Sullivan as the #14 2023 draft prospect in the MAC heading into the 2023 campaign. 

COMING IN HOT
Jimmy Allen closed out the 2022 season on a 20-game hitting streak and by reaching base safely in each of his last 27 games. The 20-game hitting streak is tied for the third-longest streak in WMU program history. 

BASH BROTHERS
Last season, Dylan Nevar launched 11 home runs while Cade Sullivan blasted 10 long balls. The duo was the first pair of Bronco teammates to hit double-digit long balls in the same season since the trio of John Toner (16), Greg Graham (14) and Sam Flamont (12) did it in 2001.

BRONCO BOMBS
The Broncos hit 57 home runs in 2022, their most in a season since blasting 59 in 2008.

DOUBLE TROUBLE
Western Michigan set a new single-season program record with 131 doubles during the 2022 season. Dylan Nevar led the way with 20, which tied for third-most in the MAC. Nevar's 20 two-baggers also tied for second-most in a single season in WMU history. 

GAVIN GETS ON BASE
Gavin Doyle hit .343 for the Broncos in 2022, the 12th-highest average in the league. The junior drew 37 walks, fourth-most in the MAC, which helped him to a .459 on-base percentage, sixth-highest in the conference. 

ON TO THE PROS
Western Michigan has to replace a pair of players who joined Major League organizations following the 2022 campaign. Junior right-hander Easton Sikorski was selected in the 17th round round of the 2022 MLB Draft by the Cincinnati Reds. Following his senior season, two-time First Team All-MAC catcher Connor Charping signed with the Seattle Mariners as an undrafted free agent. 

GERNON'S GUYS
Head coach Billy Gernon brought on two new staff members for the 2023 season. Associate head coach Cory Mee was the head coach at Toledo for 16 seasons and owns the program's record with 195 MAC wins. Former Major Leaguer Daniel Schlereth arrived as the program's new volunteer pitching coach. Schlereth was a first round pick out of the University of Arizona by the Arizona Diamonbacks in 2008 and pitched in 94 games over four Major League seasons with the Diamondbacks and the Detroit Tigers. The southpaw pitched for eight different Major League organizations over the course of 11 seasons. Assistant coach Jordan Keur returns for his second season in the Western Michigan dugout and his first as the program's recruiting coordinator. 

PRESEASON POLL
Coming off of an eighth-place finish in 2022, Western Michigan was selected to finish seventh in the MAC Preseason Coaches Poll, and ninth in the league by D1 Baseball. Ball State was selected as the preseason favorite by both the conference's coaches and by D1 Baseball. 

FINAL YEAR FOR A MAC FINAL FOUR
For the second consecutive season, the top four teams will make the Mid-American Conference Tournament in May, with the regular season champion serving as host. Western Michigan has reached six of the 10 MAC Tournaments held in head coach Billy Gernon's tenure (no tournament was held in 2020 or 2021 due to COVID-19). The tournament will be expanded to include the top six teams for the 2024 campaign.  

2000 PROGRAM WINS
After clinching the series finale over Central Michigan late in the 2021 season, the Western Michigan baseball 
program became the second team in MAC history to reach 2000 wins as a program.

PIPELINE TO THE SHOW
Since the start of the MLB Draft in 1965, Western Michigan leads all MAC schools with 114 Draft picks. Of the 114, WMU has had 34 players reach the Major Leagues. Four former Broncos are playing in Major League organizations:

Keegan Akin - Baltimore Orioles
Connor Charping - Seattle Mariners
Blake Dunn - Cincinnati Reds
Easton Sikorski - Cincinnati Reds