CLEVELAND – The Mid-American Conference has announced the 2024 Baseball Academic All-MAC Team, with Western Michigan totaling 15 honorees, tied for the most in the conference. This marks the fifth straight season the Broncos have placed double-digit student-athletes on the Academic All-MAC Team.
The Academic All-MAC honor is for student-athletes who excel in both athletics and academics. To qualify, a student-athlete must maintain at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA and have participated in at least 50 percent of the contests for that particular sport.
Hayden Berg • Senior • Sport Management (Master's) • 3.50
Tied for the team lead in appearances with 25 and posted a team-high four saves, tied for seventh-most in the conference. Struck out 43 batters in 40.0 innings of work, and did not allow an earned run over his final eight outings (11.1 innings).
Greg Budig • Senior • Business Administration (MBA) • 3.94
Started 47 of the 49 games he played in behind the plate and posted career bests in numerous offensive categories, including batting average (.281), runs scored (31), hits (48), home runs (6), RBIs (24) and walks (24), on the way to a CSC Academic All-District selection. Defensively, threw out 15 runners trying to steal, the second-most in the conference.
Jake Gernon • Redshirt Junior • Sport Management (Master's) • 4.00
Appeared in 15 games on the mound, including getting the starting nod in the win at Michigan on April 9. Collected seven strikeouts in 12.0 innings of work, and tossed a season-high 3.0 scoreless frames to pick up the win against Goshen.
Brendan Harrity • Redshirt Junior • Sport Management • 3.68
Started all 55 games for the Broncos on the left side of the infield and posted career highs across the board offensively, hitting .299 with 31 runs scored, 58 hits, eight doubles, 19 RBIs and 21 walks. Tied for the team lead with nine sacrifice bunts and was hit by a pitch 10 times, second-most on the club.
Matt Hoover • Sophomore • Sport Management • 3.53
Pitched in eight games, including making three starts for the Broncos during non-conference play. Totaled 14 strikeouts in 18.1 innings of work, including a career-high four in his season debut against Michigan. Went a career-high 6.0 innings to pick up his first collegiate win at Pepperdine.
Jackson Kitchen • Senior • Entrepreneurship • 3.46
Started all 55 games in center field for the Broncos and hit .264 with a .412 on-base percentage. Led Western Michigan in walks with 45, second-most in the MAC, and in steals with 15, which tied for sixth in the league. Ranked second on the team with 56 runs scored, tied for seventh in the conference, and on May 10 against NIU became the first player in program history to hit for the cycle.
Grady Mee • Sophomore • Pre-Supply Chain Management • 3.95
Started all 55 games for the Brown and Gold at second base. Posted a .292 batting average, drew 25 walks and was hit by a pitch a team-high 12 times for a .406 on-base percentage. Totaled 43 runs, 56 hits, five home runs, 36 RBIs and was second on the team with 10 steals.
Brady Miller • Redshirt Senior • Business Administration (MBA) • 3.75
Started a team-high 16 games on the mound and picked up a team-high six wins. Tied for second in the MAC in innings pitched with 85.1, and ranked eighth in the league with 75 strikeouts. Concluded Western Michigan career second all-time in innings pitched (304.0), fourth in strikeouts (262) and as one of six pitchers to record at least 20 wins for the Brown and Gold.
Dylan Nevar • Redshirt Junior • Electrical Engineering • 3.91
Earned All-MAC Second Team and CSC Academic All-District selections after posting a .353 batting average, eighth-best in the conference, and leading the league with 71 RBIs, a new Western Michigan single-season record. Led the Broncos with 16 home runs, was second on the club with 57 runs scored and was named the MAC Tournament MVP. Concluded the season ranked second all-time at WMU in home runs (29) and third in RBIs (160).
Joe Shapiro • Redshirt Junior • Accountancy • 3.93
Posted a 5-0 record in 20 appearances out of the WMU bullpen. Owned a 5.06 ERA in 37.1 innings and tallied 26 strikeouts. From April 28 to May 25, yielded just one earned run in eight outings (18.1 innings), contributed to three shutouts and earned the win in the MAC Tournament Championship.
Cade Sullivan • Senior • Finance • 3.53
Became the first Western Michigan player since Scott Conant (1991) to win the MAC batting title, hitting .387 for the season. An All-MAC First Team and CSC Academic All-District selection, he also paced the conference in both hits (86) and runs scored (67), which set new WMU single-season records. Finished career as a Bronco as the program's all-time leader in home runs with 38, and second all-time in both runs scored (162) and RBIs (165).
Luke Thelen • Redshirt Junior • Accountancy (Master's) • 4.00
Tied for the team lead with 25 appearances, owned a 3.53 ERA across 43.1 innings and collected a pair of saves on the way to a CSC Academic All-District selection. Ranked third on the team with 58 strikeouts (12.0 K/9), and in conference play, fanned 35 in 24.2 innings (13.1 K/9) while sporting a 2.19 ERA.
DJ Thompson • Sophomore • Sport Management • 3.66
Totaled 19 appearances, including five starts, and picked up four wins for the Broncos. Ranked third on the team with 50.0 innings pitched and posted a 4.32 ERA with 26 strikeouts. Allowed just one run over his final six outings (16.2 innings), with three straight starts turning into WMU shutouts during that span.
Nolan Vlcek • Senior • Criminal Justice • 3.85
Named to the All-MAC Second Team after posting a 4.64 ERA, the sixth-best mark in the conference. Tied for second in the league in both innings pitched (85.1) and strikeouts (91), with the 91 strikeouts tied for fifth-most in a single season in program history. Finished second on the team with five wins, all of which came against conference opponents.
Ryan Watt • Redshirt Junior • Marketing • 3.86
Pitched in 11 contests for the Broncos, including making a pair of starts this spring for the first time since his freshman season. Collected 11 strikeouts in 10.2 innings, including a career-high tying three in a season-high 3.0 innings in the victory over Goshen.
