KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan baseball team returns to Robert J. Bobb Stadium at Hyames Field to begin a four-game homestand on Tuesday afternoon as it hosts Valparaiso.
 

GAME INFO

Matchup: Western Michigan (12-27) vs Valparaiso (8-30)

Date/Time: Tuesday, April 29 – 3:05 pm

Site: Robert J. Bobb Stadium at Hyames Field (Kalamazoo, Mich.)

Tickets: wmubroncos.com/tickets

Video: YouTube

Live Stats: StatBroadcast

FOLLOW ALONG: @WMUBaseball

LEADING OFF

• Western Michigan begins a four-game homestand on Tuesday as it takes on Valparaiso
• It is the first of two meetings between the two, with the Broncos making the return trip next Tuesday 
• WMU holds a 36-18 advantage in the all-time series against the Beacons
• Western Michigan won last season's meeting, 8-6, in Kalamazoo on a walk-off home run by Dylan Nevar
• The Broncos won two out of three over the weekend at NIU, their first MAC road series win of the season
• Western Michigan's offense erupted in the first two games of the series, producing 16-15 and 10-6 wins
• On Friday, WMU posted season highs in runs (16), hits (18) and home runs (5) to erase an early 9-1 deficit
• Five different Broncos had multiple hits on Friday, and three drove in at least three runs
• Lucas Rick had a career-high four hits and the first multi-homer game of his career in the comeback win
• Chris Akers launched a grand slam to spark the comeback, his first home run as a Bronco
• Dylan Nevar had three hits in each of the first two games of the series
• On Saturday, the redshirt senior broke Western Michigan's all-time record for total bases
• Tanner Mally comes in to the week seventh in the league with a .353 batting average
• Grady Mee leads the MAC in stolen bases with 19, while Mally is tied for sixth with 14

HOME SWEET HOME
Following its seven-game road trip, Western Michigan returns to Robert J. Bobb Stadium at Hyames Field this week for four games, starting on Tuesday against Valparaiso.

LAST TIME OUT
The Broncos took two out of three over the weekend at Northern Illinois for their first MAC road series win of the season. The WMU offense erupted to produce a pair of come-from-behind victories to start the series, erasing a 9-1 deficit to win 16-15 on Friday, and climbing out of an early 4-1 hole to win 10-6 on Saturday. 

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 41st-most difficult non-conference schedule in NCAA Division I.

SERIES HISTORY
Western Michigan comes into Tuesday's matchup with a 36-18 advantage in the all-time series against Valparaiso. Tuesday's game is the first of two meetings between the two teams, with the Broncos scheduled to make the return trip to Valparaiso next Tuesday, May 7. WMU and Valpo met last season in Kalamazoo, with the Brown and Gold prevailing, 8-6, on a two-run, walk-off home run by Dylan Nevar in the bottom of the 15th inning.

VIEW ON VALPO
Valparaiso heads to Kalamazoo on an 11-game losing streak, and was shutout in all three games of its weekend series at Belmont. The Beacons rank at the bottom of the Missouri Valley Conference in batting average (.237), runs per game (4.7) and slugging percentage (.374). Connor Giusti paces Valpo with seven home runs and 27 RBIs. 

OFFENSIVE OUTBURST
WMU erupted offensively in its two victories at NIU over the weekend. On Friday, the Brown and Gold fell behind 9-1, but rallied back for a 16-15 victory, posting season highs in runs (16), hits (18) and home runs (5). The contest included five different players recording multiple hits, led by Lucas Rick, who had a career-high four knocks. Among Rick's four hits were a pair of home runs, the first multi-homer game of his career and the first by a Bronco this season. Dylan Nevar, Avery Thielman and Chris Akers all went deep on Friday as well, with Akers launching a grand slam to ignite the rally. It was the first WMU home run for Akers, and Western Michigan's first grand slam of the year. The Brown and Gold followed that up with 10 runs and 15 more hits on Saturday to erase an early 4-1 hole in a 10-6 win.

NEVAR CONTINUES TO MAKE HISTORY
Dylan Nevar made history on March 21 against Akron, passing former Bronco and Major Leaguer Matt Mieske (1987-90) for the program's all-time RBI record. The record-breaker was a two-run single in the bottom of the sixth in game two of that day's doubleheader, which pushed Nevar past Mieske's career total of 174. The redshirt senior currently sits on 191 career RBIs for the Brown and Gold. Nevar made more history over the weekend at NIU, passing Chris Lewis (2007-10) to become the program's all-time leader in career total bases. He now has 385 career total bases.

TANNER AT THE TOP
WMU leadoff hitter Tanner Mally comes into the week hitting .353, the seventh-highest mark in the MAC. The sophomore paces the Broncos in several other offensive categories as well, including hits (53), runs scored (35) and OBP (.440). He is also tied for the team lead with 15 hit by pitches. 

LOOK AT MEE
Grady Mee comes into the week leading the MAC with 19 stolen bases. Tanner Mally is second on the team with 14 steals, tied for sixth-most in the conference.