KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Western Michigan head baseball coach Billy Gernon has announced the signing of Kellogg Community College transfer Diego Pena (Muskegon, Mich.). Pena joins a group of four other Michigan natives who signed with WMU back in November to make up the program's 2024 class. Pena and the rest of the class are set to arrive on campus for the fall of 2024 and begin suiting up for the Broncos in 2025.
 
"We are very excited about Diego joining our program," coach Gernon said. "After playing in two quality programs in high school and junior college, he understands what it takes to be successful. We love the physical and mental toughness he brings to the ballpark each day, which probably comes from his hockey background. Diego has the leadership qualities and defensive skills we look for in a catcher. We also see someone who is going to develop into an outstanding hitter and run-producer in our lineup. I am very excited to watch his development, and I believe he will have a big impact in our program during his time at Western Michigan."
 
Pena is getting ready to begin his sophomore year at Kellogg CC, where he is slated to be the starting catcher for head coach Eric Laskovy. As a freshman in 2023, Pena helped Kellogg to a 38-12 overall record and a MCCAA Western Conference Championship. He appeared in 29 games last season for the Bruins and hit .338 with six doubles, a pair of home runs and 20 RBIs to earn All-MCCAA Western Conference Honorable Mention.
 
Prior to his time at Kellogg CC, Pena was a two-time All-Conference performer for head coach Brandon Bard at Mona Shores High School, where he helped the Sailors to conference championships during both his junior and senior seasons. In addition to his All-Conference accolades, Pena was also an All-District selection as a senior and was the Mona Shores gold glove award winner. 
 
The son of Ramiro and Michele Pena, he has two brothers, Justice and Tyler, and one sister, Amilia. He has a 3.5 GPA at Kellogg and intends to major in engineering upon his arrival at WMU. 

The 2024 season is just a few weeks away for Western Michigan, with the team slated to begin its campaign with a four-game series against Michigan from Feb. 16-18 at Camelback Ranch Stadium in Phoenix, Ariz. The first home series for the Broncos is scheduled for March 15-17, as Toledo comes to Robert J. Bobb Stadium at Hyames Field to begin Mid-American Conference play.