LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Mid-American Conference Tournament Champion Western Michigan baseball team begins play at the Lexington Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament on Friday afternoon as it takes on No. 2 national seed and regional host Kentucky. 

GAME INFO

Matchup: Western Michigan (32-21) vs. No. 2 Kentucky (40-14)

Date/Time: Friday, May 31 – 12 pm

Site: Kentucky Proud Park (Lexington, Ky.)

Video: SEC Network

Audio: WKZO

Live Stats: NCAA.com

FOLLOW ALONG: @WMUBaseball

LEADING OFF

• Western Michigan begins play at the Lexington Regional on Friday against No. 2 national seed Kentucky
• The Broncos are making their 13th NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2016
• Western Michigan is coming off of its second MAC Tournament title in program history
• The No. 2 seed Broncos allowed just three runs in their three-game run to the tournament title
• Dylan Nevar drove in six runs to capture the Tournament MVP award
• Brady Miller, Nolan Vlcek, Cade Sullivan and Josh Swinehart were also on the All-Tournament Team
• Western Michigan's 32 wins in 2024 are its most since the 1993 team won 35 games
• With seven shutouts in 2024, WMU is tied for second-most in DI and is one shy of the program record
• Western Michigan is atop the MAC in overall ERA (5.50) and had a league-best 4.85 mark in league play
• WMU has set a new single-season program record for strikeouts with 430
• The Broncos lead the conference and rank 12th in Division I with a .316 batting average
• Cade Sullivan (.397) and CJ Richmond (.384) rank first and second in the MAC in batting average
• Dylan Nevar leads the league in RBIs and is tied for the WMU single-season record with 68
• Nevar (68), Richmond (64) and Sullivan (52) are the first trio to all have 50+ RBIs in a season for WMU

TOURNAMENT TIME
After winning the second MAC Tournament title in school history, Western Michigan is headed to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016. The Broncos are matched up with No. 2 national seed and SEC co-regular season champion Kentucky in the opening game of the Lexington Regional. Joining WMU and UK in Lexington are Indiana State (MVC) and Illinois (Big Ten) who won the regular season titles in their respective conferences. 

TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The Broncos are making their 13th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament, third-most among MAC baseball programs. WMU's last appearance came in 2016, when it faced No. 2 national seed Louisville and Wright State in the Louisville Regional. Western Michigan has made six College World Series trips in its history and was the 1955 National Runner-Up. The last tournament victory for the Brown and gold was a 9-8 win over No. 3 seed USC in the first game of the Midwest Regional in 1989. 

SERIES HISTORY
Western Michigan is 3-15 all-time against Kentucky heading into Friday's matchup, with the most recent meetings between the two coming back in 2022. WMU's last win in the series was on March 6, 2002, which was also the last win for the Brown and Gold against an SEC foe. The Broncos and Wildcats have never met in the postseason. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Broncos completed their dominance at the 2024 MAC Tournament and punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament with a 10-3 win over No. 3 seed Ball State last Saturday night in Avon, Ohio. Dylan Nevar was named MAC Tournament MVP, joining Keegan Akin (2016) as the only two players in program history to earn that honor. Nevar was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Brady Miller, Nolan Vlcek, Cade Sullivan and Josh Swinehart.

MOWING DOWN THE MAC
The Western Michigan pitching staff has been dominant as of late, surrendering just three total runs over its last four games. The run began with three consecutive shutouts, which included 27 consecutive scoreless innings, bringing WMU's season total to seven shutouts, tied for second-most in the nation and one shy of the program record. At 5.50, the Broncos own the best ERA in the MAC, and boasted the best mark in conference play at 4.85. 

RECORD-SETTING STAFF
In addition to its shutout prowess of late, the Broncos have been racking up the strikeouts all season long. In the regular season finale against CMU, Western Michigan surpassed the 2001 team's single-season school record of 395 strikeouts. Entering the NCAA Tournament, the WMU staff has amassed 430 strikeouts, led by Nolan Vlcek's 90, which are sixth-most in a season in program history. 

OFFENSIVE ONSLAUGHT
The WMU offense enters the Lexington Regional with a .316 batting average, the 12th-highest in the nation, and a .418 on-base percentage which is 22nd. The Broncos are closing in on a few single-season school records, needing just five runs and 12 hits to establish new single-season team marks in both categories. 

DYLAN'S DAMAGE
After driving in six runs during the MAC Tournament to earn Tournament MVP honors, Dylan Nevar now leads the conference and is 40th in the nation with 68 RBIs. The 68 RBIs tie him with Tanner Allison's 2017 season for the single-season program record. Nevar's 157 career RBIs are third-most in Western Michigan history. 

COUNTING ON CADE
At .397, Cade Sullivan, enters the weekend leading the MAC and ranking 20th in NCAA DI in batting average. The senior has broken a pair of single-season records already in 2024, setting new program standards for hits (85) and runs (66).

WESTERN WORKHORSES
Right-handers Brady Miller (83.1) and Nolan Vlcek (82.1), rank second and third, respectively, in the MAC in innings pitched. Vlcek is third in strikeouts with 90, while Miller's 73 are tied for eighth. Heading into the weekend, Miller ranks second all-time at WMU in career innings pitched (302.0) and fourth in strikeouts (260). The redshirt senior fired 7.0 scoreless frames to open the MAC Tournament against Ball State to pick up his 20th career win, making him the sixth Bronco to reach the 20-win mark. 

50/50/50
During the MAC Tournament, Cade Sullivan eclipsed the 50-RBI mark for the third straight season, making him the first player in WMU history to do so. Dylan Nevar (68), CJ Richmond (64) and Sullivan (52) are also the first Bronco teammates to all have 50+ RBIs in the same season. 

ALL-MAC SELECTIONS
Prior to the MAC tournament, the league announced its All-Conference Teams, with four Broncos garnering recognition. Cade Sullivan and CJ Richmond were named to the First Team, Dylan Nevar and Nolan Vlcek earned Second Team selections, and Sullivan was picked for the All-Defensive Team for the second time in his career.