KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Following its three-game weekend sweep at Ohio, the Western Michigan baseball team wraps up its four-game road trip on Tuesday as it visits Michigan. 
 

GAME INFO

Matchup: Western Michigan (15-13) at Michigan (14-18)

Date/Time: Tuesday, April 9 – 4 pm

Site: Ray Fisher Stadium (Ann Arbor, Mich.)

Video: B1G+

Live Stats: StatBroadcast

FOLLOW ALONG: @WMUBaseball

LEADING OFF

• Western Michigan closes out a four-game road stretch on Tuesday as it visits Michigan
• Following its sweep at Ohio over the weekend, the Broncos are 9-3 in true road games in 2024
• Michigan holds an 83-76-2 advantage in the all-time series between the two programs
• The Broncos and Wolverines split a four-game set to open the season out at Camelback Ranch in Phoenix
• Western Michigan is coming off of a three-game sweep at Ohio over the weekend
• WMU pitching was dominant as it posted a 1.50 ERA and .194 opponents' batting average in the series
• Nolan Vlcek threw a nine-inning complete game on Saturday, the Broncos' first nine-inning CG since 2019
• Vlcek boasts the top ERA in the conference at 2.40
• Western Michigan capped the weekend with its first shutout of the 2024 season on Sunday
• As a team, WMU is atop the MAC in batting average (.312) and on-base percentage (.421)
• The team batting average ranks 27th in NCAA DI, while the OBP is 29th nationally
• CJ Richmond leads the MAC in RBIs with 36 and in on-base percentage at .508
• Dylan Nevar is second in the conference with 35 runs batted in
• Cade Sullivan sits atop the league in runs scored with 37 and is tied for the most hits with 47
• The senior's batting average (.412) and OBP (.504) are both second-best in the MAC

END OF THE ROAD
Western Michigan wraps up a four-game road trip on Tuesday as it heads to Ann Arbor to face Michigan. After its road sweep of Ohio over the weekend, the Broncos are 9-3 this season in true road games.

SERIES HISTORY
Michigan owns an 83-76-2 advantage in the all-time series between the two programs. The Broncos and Wolverines played a four-game series at Camelback Ranch out in Phoenix to begin the 2024 campaign, with Western Michigan winning the first two games of the series in extra innings, and U-M taking the final two games of the weekend.

WMU VS THE BIG TEN
Western Michigan has picked up 15 victories over Big Ten programs under head coach Billy Gernon. During Gernon's tenure, the Broncos have beaten Michigan State (five times), Michigan (four times), Northwestern (three times), Ohio State (twice) and Minnesota (once). 

WEEKEND RECAP
The Broncos picked up their first MAC sweep of 2024 over the weekend as they broomed a three-game series at Ohio. Western Michigan's pitching dominated the Bobcats, posting a 1.50 ERA and limiting OU to a .194 opponents' batting average in the series. WMU won the opener in 12 innings on Friday, got a complete game from Nolan Vlcek in Saturday's victory, and a trio of pitchers then combined to toss the team's first shutout of the season on Sunday. 

NASTY NOLAN
Right-hander Nolan Vlcek went the distance in WMU's 10-1 victory over Ohio on Saturday. It was Western Michigan's first complete game of the season and its first nine-inning complete game since Brady Miller went the full nine in a victory over Ohio in 2019. Vlcek's outing dropped his ERA down to 2.40, the lowest in the conference. 

BLANKING THE BOBCATS
The trio of Jayden Dentler (6.2), Luke Thelen (1.0) and Turner Doran (1.1) combined to shut out Ohio on Sunday, WMU's first shutout of 2024. The three Broncos limited the Bobcats to four hits for the afternoon, which tied for the second-fewest allowed by the Western Michigan staff this season. The Brown and Gold boast the second-lowest ERA in the conference this season at 5.98.

OFFENSIVE ONSLAUGHT
The Western Michigan offense enters the week atop the MAC in both batting average (.312) and on-base percentage (.421), with both numbers ranking inside the top-30 in NCAA Division I. The Broncos are also second in the league in hits (305), runs per game (7.7), and walks (150).

TERRIFIC TRIFECTA
The middle of the order trio of Cade Sullivan, CJ Richmond and Dylan Nevar has been a huge part of WMU's offensive success thus far. Richmond paces the MAC with 36 RBIs, Nevar is second with 35 and Sullivan is tied for fourth with 32. 

RAKING RICHMOND
In addition to leading the conference in RBIs with 36, CJ Richmond sits atop the MAC in on-base percentage at .508. The junior ranks third in the league in batting average (.387), tied for sixth in doubles (9), fifth in slugging (.670) and second in OPS (1.178).

SWINGIN' SULLIVAN
Like Richmond, Cade Sullivan is all over the MAC leaderboards, including leading the league in runs scored with 37 and tied for the most hits with 47. Ranking second in the league in batting average (.412) and on-base percentage (.504), the senior is also in the top-10 in slugging percentage (.658, 6th) and OPS (1.162, 4th).