KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan baseball team continues Mid-American Conference play this weekend as it takes on Eastern Michigan. Due to the weather forecast in Kalamazoo this weekend, the Broncos and Eagles agreed to move the three-game series to Bowling Green, Ky., with Western Kentucky's Nick Denes Field serving as the series host. 

SERIES INFO
Game One: Saturday, March 18 | 1 pm | LIVE STATS
Game Two: Saturday, March 18 | Game 2 of DH | LIVE STATS
Game Three: Sunday, March 19 | 1 pm | LIVE STATS

FOLLOW ALONG: @WMUBaseball

LEADING OFF

• Western Michigan continues MAC play this weekend with a three-game series against Eastern Michigan
• The series between the Broncos and Eagles was moved to the campus of Western Kentucky University, in Bowling Green, Ky., due to forecasted weather for this weekend in Kalamazoo
• WMU owns a 96-91 all-time record against Eastern Michigan
• The two teams split a four-game series in Ypsilanti in 2022
• The Broncos are coming off of a three-game series at preseason league favorite Ball State
• BSU won the first and third games of the series, with WMU picking up the middle meeting, 10-1
• Will Morrison enters the weekend leading the MAC in both batting average (.453) and OBP (.516)
• Cade Sullivan ranks among the league leaders in both home runs (4, T-8) and RBIs (16, T-7)
• Dane Armbrustmacher enters the weekend tied for the conference lead in innings pitched (23.2)
• The lefty has at least 6 strikeouts in each of his four outings and is sixth in the MAC with 26 punchouts
• Defensively, the Broncos are third in the MAC and 35th in the nation with a .980 fielding percentage
• The WMU defense has turned a league-high 18 double plays, fifth-most in the country
• Eastern Michigan won two out of three at Akron last week to begin conference play
• The Eagles rank second in the league in fielding percentage (.982) and fourth in ERA (5.48)

THE WEEKEND AHEAD
Western Michigan continues MAC play this weekend with a three-game series against Eastern Michigan. The Broncos were slated to play their first home games of 2023, but had to move the series to Western Kentucky's campus in Bowling Green Ky., due to weather. WMU's home opener is now set for March 22 against Michigan State. 

WMU VS EMU
The Broncos enter this weekend holding a 96-91 lead in the all-time series against Eastern Michigan. Last season, WMU and EMU split a four-game series in Ypsilanti. 

SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Eastern Michigan is coming off of a series victory to begin MAC play, as the Eagles took two out of three last weekend at Akron. EMU enters the weekend second in the MAC in fielding percentage (.982) and fourth in ERA (5.48). Taylor Corey ranks fifth in the MAC with a .400 batting average, while Matt Kirk is among the conference leaders in doubles (6, T-6), home runs (4, T-8), slugging percentage (.735, 6th) and on-base percentage (.476, 8th).

LAST TIME OUT
Western Michigan began conference play last weekend with a three-game series at preseason conference favorite Ball State. The Cardinals took Friday's series opener, with the two teams then splitting a doubleheader on Saturday.

MASHING MORRISON
Will Morrison continued his recent hot streak, hitting an even .500 (8-for-16) last week with seven runs scored for the Broncos. The redshirt junior heads into the weekend hitting a MAC-leading .453 for the season, which is the 27th-best average in the nation. Morrison also leads the conference with a .516 on-base percentage, and is among the league leaders in hits (24, 4th) and runs (17, T-5).

ARMBRUSTMACHER RACKS UP K'S
Dane Armbrustmacher registered six more strikeouts in Saturday's win over Ball State, giving him five or more strikeouts in 13 of his 21 career starts at Western Michigan. The lefty worked 6.1 innings, allowing one run on five hits while collecting six strikeouts. Armbrustmacher has registered at least six strikeouts in all four of his starts this season, and his 26 punchouts rank sixth in the MAC. He also is tied for the league lead in innings pitched with 23.2.


GAVIN GETS ON BASE
Gavin Doyle has continued to be an on-base machine for Western Michigan, having reached base twice in six of the last seven games. During this stretch, Doyle has reached base at a .457 clip, bringing his season OBP to .424, the second-best mark on the team. 

BRONCO BOMBS
WMU has hit 14 home runs in the season's first 14 games, with Dylan Nevar launching the team's first grand slam of the season last weekend at Ball State. Four different Broncos already have multiple home runs, as Cade Sullivan has four, and the trio of Gavin Doyle, Brendan Harrity and Josh Swinehart have two apiece. Western Michigan racked up 57 homers a year ago, its most since 2008.

DOUBLE TROUBLE
The Western Michigan defense has been solid through the first month of the season, ranking third in the conference and 35th in the nation with a .980 field percentage. WMU has been particularly adept at turning double plays, as it has turned 18 double plays this season, the most in the MAC and fifth-most in the country. The Bronco defense also ranks third in the nation with 1.3 twin killings per game.