KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan baseball team wraps up its seven-game road stretch this weekend with a three-game series at Northern Illinois. 

SERIES INFO: WMU (10-26, 6-12 MAC) at NIU (15-25, 4-14)
Game One: Friday, April 25 | 4 pm | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
Game Two: Saturday, April 26 | 3 pm | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
Game Three: Sunday, April 27 | 2 pm | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS

FOLLOW ALONG: @WMUBaseball

LEADING OFF

• Western Michigan closes out its seven-game road trip with a three-game set at Northern Illinois
• The Broncos hold a 53-44-1 edge in the all-time series coming into this weekend
• WMU took two out of three from the Huskies last season in Kalamazoo
• The two teams split a weather-shortened two-game series the last time they met in DeKalb in 2023
• Western Michigan's last series win in DeKalb came in 2018
• The Broncos are coming off of a three-game sweep at the hands of Toledo last weekend
• Avery Thielman went 4-for-11 (.364) against the Rockets and hit his first collegiate home run on Saturday
• The junior is hitting .405 with seven RBIs during his 10-game hitting streak
• The 10-game hitting streak is the second-longest by a Bronco this season (Grady Mee - 12)
• WMU did not have a midweek contest this week due to final exams
• Ty McKinstry leads the MAC in league play opposing batting average (.171) and is second in ERA (1.85)
• All six of his conference starts have gone at least 5.0 innings with three earned runs or fewer
• Tanner Mally comes into the weekend 10th in the league with a .346 batting average
• Grady Mee is tied for the MAC lead in stolen bases with 17, while Mally is tied for eighth with 12

END OF THE ROAD
Western Michigan wraps up its seven-game road swing this weekend with a three-game set at Northern Illinois. It is the second-to-last MAC road series for the Broncos, who close out their regular season road schedule with a three-game series at Kent State from May 9-11.

LAST TIME OUT
The Broncos are coming off of a three-game sweep at the hands of Toledo last weekend. After the Rockets took game one, 3-0, WMU scored six in the ninth inning to take an 8-7 lead in game two, before a UT walk-off clinched the series for the home team. Western Michigan had a 5-3 advantage in the series finale before a five-run sixth pushed Toledo ahead for good in an 8-5 victory.

POWER SCHEDULING
As has been the case the past several years, WMU loaded up its non-conference schedule and has played 12 games against Power Conference foes. The Broncos have won three of those matchups with Power Conference opponents, including a 6-0 shutout at Michigan on March 18, followed by wins the next two weeks at Northwestern and at Notre Dame. Western Michigan boasts the 39th-most difficult non-conference schedule in NCAA Division I.

SERIES HISTORY
Coming into this weekend's three-game set, Western Michigan holds a 53-44-1 lead in the all-time series against Northern Illinois. Last season, the Broncos took two out of three at home against NIU, for their first regular season series win over the Huskies since 2019. The last time the Brown and Gold went to DeKalb in 2023, the two teams split a weather-shortened two-game series. WMU's last series victory in DeKalb came in 2018.

SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
Northern Illinois enters this weekend's series tied for the top spot in the conference with 63 home runs. A pair of Huskies have launched double-digit homers this season, with Logan Gregorio second in the MAC with 14 and Gavin Baldwin tied for fourth with 12. Gregorio is atop the league and 20th in the nation with 53 RBIs and is also second in the conference with 16 doubles.

McKINSTRY MOWS DOWN THE MAC
Right-hander Ty McKinstry has taken things to another level in conference play, going 5.0 innings or more with three earned runs or fewer in all six of his MAC starts. The junior owns the lowest opposing batting average (.174) and second-lowest ERA (1.85) in conference play, while logging 39.0 innings, which is the third-most in league action. Last weekend, he posted his second complete game of the season, yielding just one earned run over a career-high 8.0 innings of work against Toledo. It was the second complete game of the season for McKinstry, who also went the distance (6.0 IP) on Opening Day against Michigan State. 

STARTING TO THIEL IT
Avery Thielman has been Western Michigan's hottest hitter during his 10-game hitting streak. During this stretch, the junior is hitting .405 with six runs scored, seven RBIs and a .452 on-base percentage. Thielman's power has started to emerge as well, with him launching his first collegiate home run on Saturday at Toledo.

TANNER AT THE TOP
WMU leadoff hitter Tanner Mally comes into the weekend hitting .346, the 10th-highest mark in the MAC. The sophomore paces the Broncos in several other offensive categories as well, including hits (47), runs scored (31) and triples (2), while ranking second on the team with 12 stolen bases. 

LOOK AT MEE
Grady Mee comes into the weekend with 17 stolen bases, tied for the MAC lead. Mee (9) and Connor Ostrander (7) are the top-two base stealers in conference play.