KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The top-two teams in the Mid-American Conference meet in Bowling Green this weekend as second-place Western Michigan visits first-place BGSU for a three-game series.
SERIES INFO: Western Michigan (23-18, 13-8 MAC) at Bowling Green (25-15, 18-3)
Game One: Friday, May 3 | 3 pm |
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Game Two: Saturday, May 4 | 1 pm |
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Game Three: Sunday, May 5 | 1 pm |
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LEADING OFF
- Western Michigan heads to Bowling Green this weekend for a three-game series with first-place BGSU
- A series victory would put WMU at 25 wins for the first time since it won 26 in 2012
- The Broncos are in the midst of a stretch of seven out of eight on the road
- The Brown and Gold are 11-5 in true road games this season
- Western Michigan holds a 96-69 advantage in the all-time series against Bowling Green
- The Broncos swept the Falcons in a three-game series last year in Kalamazoo
- BGSU won three out of four the last time WMU went to Bowling Green in 2022
- Dylan Nevar hit a walk-off homer in the 15th to deliver an 8-6 victory over Valparaiso on Tuesday
- Western Michigan pitching tied its season high with 14 strikeouts in the contest
- The Broncos have double-digit strikeouts in four of their last five games
- Cade Sullivan enters the weekend leading the MAC in both batting average (.418) and OBP (.512)
- The senior ranks ninth in NCAA Division I in average and 29th in OBP
- As a team, the Broncos are hitting .312, which is second in the MAC and ranks 21st in DI
- Nolan Vlcek enters the weekend third in the conference with a 3.62 ERA
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Following its home win over Valparaiso on Tuesday, Western Michigan heads right back out on the road this weekend as it heads to Bowling Green for a three-game series against the first-place Falcons. WMU is in the midst of a stretch of seven out of eight on the road. The Broncos are 11-5 in true road games so far in 2024.
SERIES HISTORY
The Broncos enter this weekend with a 96-69 lead in the all-time series against Bowling Green. Western Michigan swept the three-game series between the two last year in Kalamazoo, its first series sweep over the Falcons since 2013. BGSU won three out of four the last time the two teams met in Bowling Green back in 2022.
LAST TIME OUT
Western Michigan is coming off of its first walk-off victory of 2024 on Tuesday as
Dylan Nevar launched a two-run homer in the bottom of the 15th inning to lift the Brown and Gold past Valparaiso, 8-6. It was Nevar's ninth home run of the season, and the first walk-off for the Broncos since
Cade Sullivan hit a walk-off shot in the bottom of the ninth inning against Ohio on May 13, 2023.
PILING UP THE PUNCHOUTS
In Tuesday's victory over Valpo, the WMU pitching staff racked up 14 strikeouts, tying its season high. The Broncos have totaled double-digit strikeouts in four of their last five games and posted seven more in seven straight games.
COUNTING ON CADE
With multiple hits in each of the last four games,
Cade Sullivan enters the week leading the MAC and ranking ninth in NCAA Division I in batting average at .418. The senior is also atop the conference in hits (69) and on-base percentage (.512), while ranking among the league leaders in runs scored (56, 2nd), OPS (1.167, 2nd), walks (31, T-6), slugging percentage (.655, 9th) and RBIs (43, T-10). Sullivan is currently tied with Chris Lewis (2007-10) for second in career RBIs at Western Michigan with 154.
OFFENSIVE ONSLAUGHT
The Western Michigan offense enters the week second in the conference in batting average (.312), on-base percentage (.414) and total hits (448). WMU's team batting average ranks 21st in NCAA Division I, while its on-base percentage checks in at 39th in the nation.
TERRIFIC TRIFECTA
The trio of
Dylan Nevar,
CJ Richmond and
Cade Sullivan has been a huge part of WMU's offensive success, with all three among the top-10 in the conference in RBIs. Nevar and Richmond are tied for third in the league with 49, while Sullivan is tied for 10th with 43. Additionally, Sullivan (.418, 1st) and Richmond (.372, 4th) are among the league leaders in batting average.
NOT JOSHING AROUND
Since returning to the lineup for the Kent State series at the end of March,
Josh Swinehart has been one of WMU's hottest hitters. In the 18 games he's played during that time, the senior is hitting .348 with a team-high 21 RBIs, including the go-ahead grand slam in the win at Michigan on April 9. Swinehart's 16-game hitting streak is the longest active streak for Western Michigan and is the second-longest streak by a Bronco so far this season (
CJ Richmond, 17).
WESTERN WORKHORSE
Brady Miller has been a workhorse throughout his career as a Bronco and this year has been no exception, as the redshirt senior has worked at least into the fifth inning in 10 of his 11 starts. For the season, he's tied with teammate
Nolan Vlcek for fifth in the MAC in innings pitched with 59.2. For his career, Miller is tied with Keegan Akin (2014-16) for fourth all-time in innings pitched (278.1) and is fifth all-time with 237 career strikeouts.
