SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The Western Michigan softball team returns to the road this week after a near perfect homestand over the past eight games.

LAST TIME OUT
Western Michigan closed out its eight game homestand with a 2-1 series win over the Akron Zips with 4-3 and 4-1 (9) victories. Senior Jordan Smith hit the Broncos first walk-off home run since 2024 in the final inning of the weekend to secure a second straight MAC series win. While WMU dropped the first game of the weekend on Friday afternoon 5-2, the Brown and Gold came back with a vengeance on Saturday. Western Michigan took both games of the doubleheader on the 28^th in walk-off fashion for the program's first back-to-back walk-off wins in seven seasons.

Over the three games sophomore outfielder Rylee O'Brien led the Broncos at the plate going 5-of-9 for a .556 average while adding a double. Senior utility Haleigh Smith also had a big weekend for WMU hitting .444 and connecting on the game-winning double in the first walk-off on Saturday. In the circle, MAC Pitcher of the Week Hannah Potts had two starts with a 1-1 record, a 1.95 ERA, and threw 9 strikeouts. Freshman Ava Geyer earned the Brown and Gold's second win in the circle with a complete game allowing six hits and three runs with seven strikeouts for a 3.00 ERA.

WALKING IT OFF BACK-TO-BACK
The back-to-back walk-off wins for western Michigan were the program's first since the 2019 season. In 2019, the Broncos had back-to-back walk-off wins over Saint Francis and UMass at an early March tournament hosted by South Florida. WMU had a walk-off home run from sophomore pitcher Sydney Stefanick to beat the Red Flash and a walk-off single from senior infielder Erin Barg for an extra innings win over the Minutewomen. The two wins capped off a 13-game road trip in the Sunshine State for the Brown and Gold that season.

Western Michigan now has three walk-off victories during the 2026 season. The Broncos began 2026 with an extra innings walk-off win over Dayton at the Blue Hose Invitational on Feb. 6. WMU is one of only two MAC teams with multiple walk-off wins, the other being in-state rivals Central Michigan, also with three. The Brown and Gold join a list of 14 other teams in Division I softball that have multiple walk-off wins in 2026, led by San Diego State with 9 walk-off victories.

TOP 60 WEEK
The Broncos had one of the best weeks in the country over its past five games. With a 4-1 record from March 23 through March 29, WMU led the Mid-American Conference in six different statistical categories. The Brown and Gold also ranked nationally in the Top 25 in four categories including doubles at 18th (10), hits at 11th (52), home runs at 17th (8), and total sacrifice bunts at 2nd (8). 

Western Michigan was also in the Top 50 teams in the country in six other categories over the past week. The Broncos were nationally ranked 46th in double plays (2), 42nd in doubles per game (2.00), 50th in home runs per game (1.60), 35th in RBIs (32), 35th in total runs (35), and 49th in W-L percentage (.800). 

Individually, WMU players led the MAC in seven categories over the past week. Freshman pitcher Hannah Potts led the conference in innings pitched (20.1), strikeouts (18), and victories (2). Senior Jordan Smith was first in RBIs with 10, while freshman Bella Duncan led the MAC in runs (8), sacrifice flies (1), and toughest to strikeout (0). Junior shortstop Caitlin Tighe was the other Brown and Gold player to lead the conference in a category over the past week with 0.6 sacrifice bunts per game. 

KEEPING IT SMALL
The Broncos are one of the Top 20 teams in the country when it comes to recording sacrifice bunts going into the final days of March. With 26 sacrifice bunts through 30 games, WMU is ranked 17th nationally for sacrifice hits and leads the MAC by a sacrifice bunt.

Despite only appearing in two games this past week, sophomore Hannah Herman continues to be one of the conference's leaders in sacrifice bunts. Herman has recorded six sacrifice hits to lead the MAC with two other players, Bowling Green's Taylor Behrendt and Central Michigan's Emma Lotus. She is also ranked 34th nationally in sacrifice bunts per game at 0.22. But the Brown and Gold now have two more batters in the Top 10 of the conference in sacrifice bunts. Junior shortstop Caitlin Tighe is tied for second in the MAC with two other players at 5 SAC BU's on the season. While freshman Bella Duncan is one of four players that have recorded 4 sacrifice bunts this year. 

SERIES HISTORY
Tuesday afternoon's game at Notre Dame will be the 40th meeting between the programs going back to the 1992 season. The Irish hold a distinct 33-6 advantage in the series, having won the last 11 games and only having lost three games on their home field. The Brown and Gold's last win in the series came in 2011 when Western Michigan took a game in South Bend by a 3-2 margin thanks to three runs scored in the first two innings of the game. 

The last meeting between the two game last season, also in South Bend. Notre Dame has not played a game at Kalamazoo since 2013 when the Irish were receiving votes in the national polls. In the 2025 game, junior Casey Fazzini pitched her first career complete game, going six innings, allowing just five hits and two runs, with a strikeout. The Broncos lone run came courtesy of Tristen Head, who hit a solo home run in the top of the second, while Riley Dittmar and Caitlin Tighe were responsible for the other two of Western Michigan's three hits. 

SCOUTING THE IRISH
Notre Dame comes into Tuesday's game at just under .500 with an overall record of 15-19 and an ACC record of 5-7. The Irish have earned wins so far this season over North Carolina Central, Longwood, then No. 23 Liberty, Maryland, East Carolina, fellow MAC team Buffalo, San Diego, San Diego State, UC Santa Barbra, then No. 20 Stanford, Clemson, and California. Notre Dame has also dropped a game to fellow MAC opponent Ohio back in February in a 5-4 extra innings affair in Orlando, Fla.

The Irish are led at the plate by local product, freshman infielder Ava Zachary. The Mishawaka native who played at Penn High School leads ND in batting average at .395 while also leading the team in doubles (7), home runs (4), extra base hits (11), RBIs (19), and sacrifice hits (3). The Irish next closest batter is freshman catcher Hayden Kyne averaging .328 at the plate in 28 games played this season. In the circle, Notre Dame splits time evenly between three pitchers, Kami Kamzik, Micaela Kastor, and Brianne Weiss. Kamzik leads the pitching staff in ERA at 3.58, Weiss leads the team in W-L record (6-6) and strikeouts (79), while Kastor leads the team in innings pitched (82.2) and games started (15).