KALAMAZOO, Mich. - After a long wait, the Western Michigan softball team finally gets to take the diamond at Ebert Field, hosting Miami (OH) for a double-header on Friday and a single game on Saturday.
Friday's action starts at 3 p.m., with Saturday's game time TBD due to potential weather issues. All three games will be streamed live at www.wmubroncos.com/watch for free, with live scoring available at www.wmustats.com. Tickets start at just $5 and can be purchased at www.wmubroncos.com/tickets.
LAST TIME OUT
Western Michigan was in action on Tuesday at Michigan, falling to the Wolverines 12-4. Three of WMU's four runs came courtesy of the long ball .
Tristen Head homered in the top of the first, driving in two runs to give the Broncos an early 3-0 lead after
Jordan Smith drove in a run on a fielder's choice. Smith then hit a solo home run in the top of the third.
SEVENTH... ALREADY
With 24 regular season games left to play, the WMU softball team has already hit the seventh-most home runs in program history. The Broncos have belted 25 so far this season, tying them with last year's team and the 2012 team.
Freshman
Micaela Booth leads the way with seven, while junior
Jordan Smith has six.
Tristen Head has three home runs, while
Riley Dittmar,
Payton Kelly and
Riley Chumbley each have three.
Caitlin Tighe,
Jadeyn Merrill and
Analeez Niles have all homered once.
The all-time single-season home run records is 43, set back in 2018.
SCOUTING THE REDHAWKS
Miami, the defending MAC Champions, heads to Kalamazoo with a 16-15 overall record and are off to a 6-0 start in conference play with sweeps of Kent State and Northern Illinois.
Three-time All-MAC selection and 2023 MAC Player of the Year, Jenna Golembiewski, leads the team in home runs (13), RBIS (33) and OPS (1.123). Shelby Kunkel has a team-high .396 batting average to go with a team-best 32 runs scored. The RedHawks have four players with at least 20 RBIs. Madilyn Reeves has a team-high 18 starts on the mound, with 10 complete games and three shutouts. She is 4-0 in MAC play, with three complete games and 15 strike outs.
ON THE HORIZON
Western Michigan heads on the road to take on rival Central Michigan for a double-header next Tuesday, before returning home to host Buffalo for a double-header on Saturday and a single game on Sunday.
