KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan baseball team resumes MAC play this weekend with a three-game series down in Oxford, Ohio against Miami.
*Friday's game was postponed due to weather. The updated weekend schedule is below.
SERIES INFO: Western Michigan (5-17, 2-4 MAC) at Miami (6-20, 3-6)
Game One: Saturday, April 1 | 12 pm |
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Game Two: Sunday, April 2 | 12 pm |
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Game Three: Sunday, April 2 | Game 2 of DH |
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FOLLOW ALONG: @WMUBaseball
LEADING OFF
- Following its stretch of five straight games against the Big Ten, Western Michigan resumes Mid-American Conference play this weekend with a three-game series at Miami
- The Broncos own a 100-75 record in the all-time series against the RedHawks
- The two teams split a four-game series in Kalamazoo last season
- In 2021, Western Michigan took three out of four from Miami in Oxford
- The Broncos enter the week at 132 in the RPI and with the 12th-toughest strength of schedule in the NCAA
- Western Michigan dropped an 8-6 contest to Michigan State on Tuesday in its 2023 Home Opener
- Gavin Doyle tied his career high with three hits on Tuesday, including his team-leading eighth double
- Luke Thelen limited the Spartans to one run on four hits over a career-high tying 4.0 innings
- Jackson Kitchen reached base twice to extend his on-base streak to 18 in a row
- The 18-game streak is the longest by a Bronco this season
- Cade Sullivan is right behind Kitchen with an active 17-game on-base streak
- Will Morrison enters the weekend ranked sixth in the MAC with a .373 batting average
- The Bronco defense has turned 24 double plays, the most in the MAC and 11th-most in the nation
- Western Michigan is sixth in the nation in double plays per game at 1.09
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
After opening up its 2023 home slate on Tuesday afternoon against Michigan State, Western Michigan heads right back out on the road again this weekend as it resumes MAC play with a three-game series at Miami in Oxford, Ohio.
WMU VS MIAMI
The Broncos own a 100-75 record in the all-time series against the RedHawks. Last season, the two teams split a four-game series in Kalamazoo. In Western Michigan's last trip to Oxford, Ohio, during the 2021 season, it took three games out of the four-game set from Miami.
SCOUTING THE REDHAWKS
Miami enters the weekend having won back-to-back games, as it won its series finale on Sunday at Bowling Green and picked up a midweek victory at Oakland. The RedHawk offense leads the conference in walks (147, 17th nationally) and doubles (60, 10th) and ranks second in the league with 34 home runs. MU's Ryland Zaborowski leads the MAC in slugging percentage (.747) and is tied for the league lead with 10 home runs.
LAST TIME OUT
Western Michigan concluded its five-game stretch against Big Ten opponents with an 8-6 setback at the hands of Michigan State on Tuesday afternoon. The Broncos held a 2-1 edge after four innings, but a four-run fifth put the Spartans back on top. WMU got back to within one in the sixth at 5-4 and again in the eighth at 7-6, but left the tying run in scoring position both times.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
Western Michigan resumes MAC play this weekend after having played five consecutive games against teams in the top-100 in the RPI. The Broncos begin the weekend at 132 in the RPI, and with the 12th-most difficult strength of schedule in the NCAA. WMU has had by far the toughest strength of schedule in the MAC, with Ohio (129) owning the second-toughest schedule in the league thus far. Of WMU's 22 games, 11 have come against teams ranked in the current top-100, including eight inside the top-60 (three each against No. 6 LSU and No. 56 Iowa, two against No. 59 Michigan State). Of the current top-100 teams in the RPI, WMU still has games remaining against Notre Dame (No. 35) and Michigan (No. 69), as well as three-game sets against Kent State (No. 57) and Central Michigan (No. 90).
I GOT A THELEN
Luke Thelen faced Michigan State for the second straight week on Tuesday, and again kept the Spartan offense largely in check. Over his career-high tying four innings of work, the right-hander gave up one run on four hits and picked up three strikeouts. The redshirt sophomore is slated to return to Western Michigan's weekend rotation by drawing the starting nod for game three of this weekend's series against the RedHawks.
DOUBLE TROUBLE
The Western Michigan defense has turned 24 double plays so far this season, the most in the MAC and 11th-most in the country. The Bronco defense also ranks sixth in the nation with 1.09 twin killings per game. WMU is fourth in the conference with a .974 fielding percentage.
MASHING MORRISON
Will Morrison continues to lead the Western Michigan offense in several categories, including batting average (.373), on-base percentage (.459), hits (31) and runs scored (21). Morrison's .373 batting average enters the weekend at sixth in the MAC.
DOYLE'S DOUBLES
Gavin Doyle tied his career high with three hits on Tuesday against MSU, including his team-leading eighth double of the season. The senior's eight doubles are tied for sixth-most in the conference.
WMU'S WORKHORSES
Dane Armbrustmacher and
Brady Miller have been workhorses for Western Michigan so far this season, having made a combined 11 starts. Armbrustmacher is 10th in the conference in innings pitched (30.2), while Miller is tied for 11th (30.1). Both rank among the top-20 in the MAC in strikeouts as well, with Armbrustmacher's 33 strikeouts tied for 10th, and Miller's 26 ranking 20th in the league.
GETTING ON THE PAINFUL WAY
Western Michigan's
Greg Budig and
Will Morrison have each been hit by a pitch eight times so far in 2023, tied for second-most in the conference.
