KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan baseball program and head coach Billy Gernon announced the team's 2026 schedule on Tuesday. Over the course of its 53-game slate, WMU is set for 22 home contests at Robert J. Bobb Stadium at Hyames Field, its most since 2021. The Broncos, who are 35-16 at home over the last three years, have six home MAC series, with Ball State, UMass, Toledo, Kent State, Miami and Northern Illinois all set to come to Kalamazoo.
 
The Broncos begin the season with their first 11 games and 18 of their first 19 away from home. Western Michigan opens up the 2026 campaign from Feb. 13-15 with a three-game series against Pittsburgh at Centennial Park down in Port Charlotte, Fla.
 
WMU then heads out to the West Coast for the next two weekends. From Feb. 20-22, the Broncos will be taking part in the Tony Gwynn Legacy Tournament, hosted by UC San Diego. Western Michigan will face Omaha on Feb. 20-21 and then the host Tritons on Feb. 22. During the week, the Brown and Gold will play a pair of contests at UNLV (Feb. 24-25), before closing out their West Coast swing with a three-game set at CSU Northridge (Feb. 27-March 1).
 
Western Michigan opens up its 2026 home schedule on March 4 as it welcomes Siena Heights to Robert J. Bobb Stadium at Hyames Field. The Broncos are then set to head right back out on the road for their next seven games. WMU begins MAC play with trips to Akron (March 6-8) and Ohio (March 13-15), with a midweek visit to Michigan (March 10) sandwiched in between the first two conference weekends.
 
The Brown and Gold are back in Kalamazoo on March 17 to face Bethel University, and then welcome Ball State to town for their first MAC home series from March 20-22. After visiting Notre Dame on March 24, Western Michigan returns to Robert J. Bobb Stadium at Hyames Field for a three-game set against league newcomer UMass (March 27-29).  
 
The Broncos begin the month of April with a trip to Mount Pleasant and a three-game series at rival Central Michigan (April 2-4). The first contest of WMU's annual home-and-home series with Valparaiso comes in Kalamazoo on April 7, with the Brown and Gold set to host Goshen the following day. Western Michigan then welcomes Toledo to town for a three-game set from April 10-12.
 
On April 15, WMU is set to meet Michigan State at LMCU Ballpark, the home of the West Michigan Whitecaps. Another in-state foe is on the slate for the Broncos that weekend, as they visit Eastern Michigan (April 17-19).
 
After a rematch at Valpo on April 21, Western Michigan returns to Robert. J Bobb Stadium at Hyames Field for back-to-back MAC home weekends against Kent State (April 24-26) and Miami (May 1-3). WMU is set to travel to Michigan State on May 6, and then goes to Bowling Green from May 8-10. The Broncos wrap up the regular season with a three-game home series against Northern Illinois (May 14-16).
 
For the third straight season, the MAC Tournament will be played at ForeFront Field, home of the Lake Erie Crushers, in Avon, Ohio. The 2026 MAC Tournament is scheduled for May 20-24.


Among the returners from last year's WMU lineup is leadoff hitter Tanner Mally, who ranked fourth in the MAC with a .356 batting average in 2025. He also led the Broncos in hits, runs scored and on-base percentage, and finished in the top-10 in the league in stolen bases. Michael Maloney, who posted a .304 batting average and was second on the club with 37 RBIs a season ago, Avery Thielman (.280) and Lucas Rick (.275) are all also back for the Brown and Gold.
 
On the pitching side, Western Michigan brings back 38 of its 51 starts from a season ago, anchored by senior right-hander Ty McKinstry, who paced the Brown and Gold in innings pitched (71.2) and strikeouts (51), and tied for the team lead in wins. Fellow seniors DJ Thompson and Turner Doran, who led WMU in saves and ERA, respectively, also return for the Broncos.