KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Western Michigan University and head baseball coach Billy Gernon have announced the hire of former Bronco Michael Maloney as an assistant coach. Maloney will be working with the program's hitters and also its overall team defense.
 
"Mike was like having a coach on the field for his entire career and will make a seamless transition into the profession," coach Gernon said. "He is arguably one of the best defensive infielders I have ever coached. Besides having an extremely high baseball IQ and tremendous instincts, Mike had a knack for performing at his best when it mattered the most."
 
Maloney played in over 150 games in his three years as a Bronco and racked up over 100 runs scored, 100 RBIs and owned a .309 career batting average for the Brown and Gold. During his final season, he started all 52 games at shortstop and posted a .354 batting average, the 10th-highest in the MAC, ranked 13th in the league with a .466 on-base percentage and tied for seventh in the conference with a team-leading 55 RBIs.
 
He also played an elite shortstop defensively for the Brown and Gold, posting a .978 fielding percentage in 185 chances and helping to turn 21 double plays. Maloney helped anchor a Western Michigan defense which posted a .978 fielding percentage, which ranked 33rd in NCAA Division I and was the second-highest mark in program history. Between his offensive and defensive exploits, Maloney was named a semifinalist for the Brooks Wallace Award, which is given annually to the nation's top shortstop. He was also voted Co-MAC Defensive Player of the Year, the first Bronco to win the award, ABCA Midwest All-Region Second Team, All-MAC First Team and All-MAC Defensive Team.
 
During his first season at Western Michigan in 2024, Maloney started all 55 contests for a team that won 32 games, the program's most since 1993, and won the second Mid-American Conference Tournament Championship in school history. The Broncos went on a dominant three-day run in the tournament, outscoring the opposition 29-3 on the way to punching their ticket to the NCAA Tournament.
 
A native of Mokena, Ill., Maloney was a two-time Academic All-MAC and two-time CSC Academic All-District selection for the Broncos. He graduated from WMU with a bachelor's degree in Sport Management and is currently pursuing an MBA.