KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and Vice President / Director of Athletics Dan Bartholomae have announced a new contract for WMU head baseball coach Billy Gernon. Gernon's new deal will keep him in the Bronco dugout through the 2027-28 season.  
 
"I would first like to thank President Dr. Ed Montgomery and Director of Athletics Dan Bartholomae for believing in and supporting the baseball program," coach Gernon said. "Their acknowledgment of our success both on and off the field is essential for our continued growth, especially in this ever-changing landscape of college athletics.
 
"It goes without saying that I am very proud that my teams have won the only two MAC Tournaments in school history, and it remains an honor and privilege to lead this program. I am thankful for all of my players and coaches both past and present, and am also very grateful for the support that has been shown from our alumni, as well as from friends in the community. Their support is appreciated and critical for us to continue the climb. Finally, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to our support staff behind the scenes that have been so instrumental in our success."
 
"Our baseball program has been on an upward trajectory under Coach Gernon's leadership, and I am thrilled he will remain in our dugout as our leader," Bartholomae said. "On the diamond, Coach Gernon is only the second Bronco head coach to win multiple MAC Championships and the first to do since 1967. However, it is the culture that Coach Gernon has created within his program that makes him a standout on campus and in our conference.
 
"His teams are annually recognized as being amongst the nation's most elite in academic success, having recently set a new mark with a 3.66 term GPA in 2023-24 and featuring the program's first Academic All-American since 1995. They are also amongst our leaders in service to the local community, helping us place first in the MAC two years in a row in service impact."
 
Coach Gernon's Broncos are coming off of a 32-win campaign, the most wins for the program since 1993. Western Michigan went 19-11 in MAC play and finished second in the regular season standings, its highest league finish since 1990. The Brown and Gold then went on a dominant three-day run at the MAC Tournament in Avon, Ohio, tossing a pair of shutouts and outscoring their opponents 29-3 on the way to the second MAC Tournament Championship in program history.
 
WMU's tournament title punched its ticket to the 2024 NCAA Tournament, its second appearance under Gernon. The Brown and Gold also made the NCAA Tournament under Gernon in 2016 behind MAC Tournament MVP and current Major League Keegan Akin. During his 14-year run at Western Michigan, only one team has won the MAC Tournament and reached the NCAA Tournament more than Gernon's Broncos.
 
Western Michigan has made eight of the 12 MAC Tournaments under his leadership, and would have qualified for the 2021 edition had it not been canceled due to COVID-19. The Brown and Gold returned to the conference tournament in 2023 after finishing just a half a game out of second place to make the shortened four-team field.
 
On Senior Day this past season, the Broncos shut out NIU to give Gernon his 300th win at the helm of the Brown and Gold, making him one of just three head coaches in program history to reach the 300-win mark. The shutout was one of seven for Western Michigan during the 2024 campaign, which was one shy of the school record and tied for the second-most in NCAA Division I. 
 
Under Gernon's tutelage, WMU has had 29 All-MAC selections, including 11 First Team honorees. Tanner Allison was named the 2017 MAC Player of the Year and a pair of Broncos, Connor Smith (2016) and Dylan Nevar (2022), were voted MAC Freshman of the Year and Freshman All-Americans. Western Michigan has also had four All-Region honorees and a pair of All-Americans, in Keegan Akin (2016) and Allison (2017).
 
Gernon's squads have excelled in the classroom as well, having racked up 15 or more Academic All-MAC selections in each of the last four seasons and receiving the ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award for seven consecutive years. Collectively, the Broncos have put together 13 straight semesters with a team GPA of 3.50 or higher. In 2024, Dylan Nevar was named a College Sports Communicators Second Team Academic All-American, the program's first Academic All-American since 1995.
 
Both players and coaches have gone on to success after their time at Western Michigan, with 12 of Gernon's former players having been selected in the MLB Draft. Two have gone on to reach the Major Leagues, with Keegan Akin doing so with the Baltimore Orioles and Blake Dunn making his MLB debut with the Cincinnati Reds this past season. Seven former Broncos played professional baseball this past season, and an eighth, Luke Thelen, was selected in the 15th round of the MLB Draft by the Colorado Rockies in July.
 
On the coaching side, former longtime associate head coach Adam Piotrowicz took Saginaw Valley State to the regular season GLIAC title in his second season at the helm in 2024. Piotrowicz's Cardinals then faced former WMU assistant coach Jordan Keur's Grand Valley State squad in the GLIAC Tournament Championship Game, with Keur taking the Lakers to the title in his first season. Both SVSU and GVSU went on to play in the NCAA Division II Tournament, with Saginaw Valley State reaching the Super Regionals. Following this season's title run and NCAA appearance, former Western Michigan pitching coach Daniel Schlereth went on to become the pitching coach at South Florida.  
 
The 2025 Broncos bring back several starters from the 2024 MAC Championship squad, highlighted by 2024 MAC Tournament MVP Dylan Nevar. Nevar, who set a single-season school record with 71 RBIs last season, will begin his senior campaign needing 15 RBIs to become WMU's career record-holder. Western Michigan is set to announce its 2025 schedule soon.