KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan baseball team has been picked to finish sixth in both the MAC Coaches and D1Baseball Preseason polls. Additionally, D1Baseball listed redshirt junior right-hander Sam Carlisle as its fourth-best MAC prospect for the 2026 MLB Draft and freshman infielder Mason Pilarski was selected by the publication as one of the league's top Impact Freshmen.

Miami and Kent State, which shared the regular season title in 2025, were the top-two favorites in both preseason prognostications. The RedHawks collected six first-place votes to take the spot in the MAC Coaches poll and Kent State earned favorite status per D1Baseball as the league's lone projected regional team.
 
Western Michigan is coming off of a 19-32 campaign which included a 12-18 league record to tie for sixth in the conference standings. The Broncos bring back seven pitchers who threw 15.0 or more innings for a staff which tied for the MAC lead with three shutouts in 2025 and also threw the program's first no-hitter since 1997. Ty McKinstry leads the returners after pacing the Brown and Gold in innings pitched (71.2) and strikeouts (51), and tying for the team lead in games started and wins a season ago.
 
Tanner Mally headlines the returners in the WMU lineup after boasting a .356 batting average, the fourth-highest in the league, in 2025. The leadoff hitter and primary center fielder for the Brown and Gold, Mally led the team in hits (73) and runs scored (50), and tied for the team lead in triples (3) and hit by pitches (20). He was selected to the All-MAC Defensive Team after posting a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in conference play.
 
A native of nearby Portage, Carlisle was tabbed as the #4 MAC prospect for the 2026 MLB Draft by D1Baseball heading into the season. The right-hander was also among the league's top prospects for the 2025 draft heading into his first season at Western Michigan in 2024, but sat out the last two seasons due to injury. Carlisle, whose fastball topped out in the upper-90's on Scout Day in the fall, is projected to be a part of WMU's starting rotation.
 
Pilarski, a true freshman infielder who arrived at Western Michigan from De La Salle Collegiate High School, was named among the top Impact Freshmen in the MAC by D1Baseball. A versatile player capable of playing many positions around the diamond, Pilarski has the opportunity to feature for the Broncos at third base on Opening Day.  

Western Michigan begins its 2026 season this weekend with a three-game series against Pittsburgh in Port Charlotte, Fla. First pitch for Opening Day is slated for 1 pm on Friday, Feb., 13.
 
2026 MAC Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Miami (6) – 114 points
2. Kent State (4) – 111 points
3. Ball State (2) – 107 points
4. Toledo – 86 points
5. Bowling Green – 83 points
6. Western Michigan – 65 points
7. Central Michigan – 54 points
8. Northern Illinois – 42 points
9. Eastern Michigan – 41 points
10. Akron – 40 points
11. Ohio – 36 points
12. UMass – 13 points
*First place votes in parentheses

Tournament Champion: Miami (4), Kent State (3), Ball State (2), Toledo (2), Bowling Green (1)
 
2026 D1Baseball Predicted Order of Finish
 
1. Kent State
2. Miami
3. Toledo
4. Ball State
5. Bowling Green
6. Western Michigan
7. Northern Illinois
8. Central Michigan
9. Akron
10. Eastern Michigan
11. UMass
12. Ohio

Projected Regional Team: Kent State