KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan baseball team opens up its 2026 season this weekend with a three-game series against Pittsburgh down in Port Charlotte, Fla.

SERIES INFO: WMU (0-0) vs. Pittsburgh (0-0)
Game One: Friday, Feb. 13 | 1 pm | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
Game Two: Saturday, Feb. 14 | 1 pm | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
Game Three: Sunday, Feb. 15 | 11:30 am | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS

FOLLOW ALONG: @WMUBaseball

LEADING OFF

• Western Michigan opens up the 2026 season this weekend with a three-game set against Pitt
• The Opening Weekend series will be played at Centennial Park in Port Charlotte, Fla.
• The Broncos start the 2026 campaign with 11 consecutive games away from home
• Western Michigan and Pittsburgh have met just once prior to this weekend's series
• The Panthers defeated the Broncos 14-3 in the only prior meeting on May 7, 2019
• WMU is opening up the season against a Power Conference opponent for the fourth consecutive year
• Last season, Western Michigan picked up four victories against Power Conference opponents, defeating Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern and Notre Dame
• The Broncos turned in a 19-32 overall mark and tied for sixth in the MAC with a 12-18 league record in 2025
• Headlining WMU's returners to the lineup is Tanner Mally, who hit .356 (4th in MAC) a season ago
• Mally was an All-MAC Defensive Team selection, posting a .973 fielding percentage with five outfield assists
• Righty Ty McKinstry returns to the rotation after serving as last year's Friday night starter
• McKinstry led Western Michigan in both innings pitched (71.2) and strikeouts (51)
• He also tied for the team lead in games started and wins

PLAY BALL
Western Michigan begins its 2026 season with a three-game neutral site series against Pittsburgh in Port Charlotte, Fla. The Broncos are slated to play their first 11 games this season away from home. 

SERIES HISTORY
The Broncos have met up with Pittsburgh just once on the diamond prior to this weekend's three-game set. WMU made the trip to the Steel City back on May 7, 2019, with Pitt claiming a 14-3 victory that day.

POWER SCHEDULING
WMU has made it a habit to schedule numerous Power Conference opponents over the years, and is opening up against a Power Conference team for the fourth straight season. Back in 2023, Western Michigan began the season with a series at preseason #1 and eventual champion LSU. The Brown and Gold followed that up with neutral site openers against Michigan (2024) and Michigan State (2025). The Broncos won four games against Power Conference foes in 2025, taking down Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern and Notre Dame. WMU has seven games against Power Conference foes on its 2026 slate, including PIttsburgh, Michigan, Notre Dame and Michigan State. 

2025 YEAR IN REVIEW
Western Michigan is coming off of a 19-32 campaign which saw it finish 12-18 in MAC play to tie for sixth in the conference standings. The year saw the Broncos claim four Power Conference victories, as WMU defeated Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern and Notre Dame. The Brown and Gold also threw a combined no-hitter against The Citadel, the program's first no-hitter since 1997. 

SETTING THE TABLE
Leadoff hitter Tanner Mally headlines the returners to Western Michigan's lineup, having hit .356 (4th in the MAC) last season with a .444 on-base percentage (12th MAC). The Lisle, Ill., native paced the Broncos in hits (73) and runs scored (50) in 2025, while also tying for the team lead in triples (3) and hit by pitches (20). Mally got it done with his glove too, posting a .973 overall fielding percentage with five outfield assists as WMU's primary center fielder. He boasted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in conference play on the way to being selected to the All-MAC Defensive Team.

McKINSTRY MOWS 'EM DOWN
Ty McKinstry shined in his first season as a Bronco, serving as the staff's Friday night starter. The righty led the team in innings pitched (71.2) and strikeouts (51), and tied for the top spot in both games started and wins. McKinstry was espcially strong for Western Michigan in conference play, allowing three earned runs or fewer in eight of his 10 MAC starts. In league games, he held opponents to a .221 batting average, the sixth-best mark in the league, and ranked eighth among qualified pitchers with a 3.58 ERA.

VETERAN STAFF RETURNS
Ty McKinstry returns to lead a staff full of returners for the Brown and Gold. Western Michigan tied for the conference lead with three shutouts in 2025 and brings back a slew of arms who were a part of that group. In addition to McKinstry, Turner Doran, Matt Hoover, Adam Lehmann, DJ Thompson, Zach Vriesenga and Joey Wizceb are all back after throwing at least 15.0 innings a season ago. Doran, Lehmann and Thompson combined to collect five of the team's six saves, while McKinstry and Wizceb anchored the rotation with 14 starts and a pair of complete games apiece.

BACK IN BROWN
In addition to the returners on the pitching staff, the Broncos bring back several key pieces from last year's lineup. In addition to leadoff hitter Tanner Mally, WMU returns infielder Michael Maloney (.304), first baseman Avery Thielman (.280), designated hitter Lucas Rick (.275) and right fielder Connor Ostrander (.252), who all played in 45 or more games last season. Maloney finished second on the club with 37 RBIs in 2025, while Rick and Thielman tied for third with 29 apiece. Ostrander drew a team-high 30 walks.

DORAN NAMED TO STOPPER OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST
Fifth-year right-hander Turner Doran was named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Preseason Stopper of the Year Award Watch List for the second consecutive season. In 2025, Doran posted a team-best 4.21 ERA and posted 30 strikeouts in 25.2 innings across 16 relief appearances. He has recorded four saves in his first two seasons as a Bronco.

FEATURED FRESHMAN
As a part of its MAC season preview, D1Baseball named freshman infielder Mason Pilarski (Macomb, Mich.) among the publication's top Impact Freshmen from around the conference. A product of De La Salle Collegiate High School, Pilarski is a versatile infielder who is capable of playing numerous positions and has made a push in preseason camp to be Western Michigan's Opening Day third baseman.

PROSPECTING FOR BRONCOS
D1Baseball also ranked the MAC's top-10 prospects for the 2026 MLB Draft in its season preview for the conference. Western Michigan redshirt junior right-hander Sam Carlisle made the cut as the league's fourth-best prospect for this year's draft. The Broncos have had players taken in three of the last five MLB Drafts, with right-hander Luke Thelen the most recent selection, a 15th round pick of the Colorado Rockies in 2024. Other recent draftees include righty Easton Sikorski (Cincinnati, 17th round, 2022) and outfielder Blake Dunn (Cincinnati, 15th round, 2021).

PRESEASON POLLS
After finishing tied for sixth in the MAC standings in 2025, the Broncos were picked to finish sixth by both the MAC Coaches and D1Baseball in their respective preseason prognostications. Miami was selected as the favorite to win both the MAC regular season and tournament titles by the league's coaches, while Kent State was deemed the favorite for both by D1Baseball. Miami, Kent State, Ball State, Toledo and Bowling Green all received votes from the conference's coaches to win the MAC Tournament, which returns to ForeFront Field in Avon, Ohio, from May 20-24.