OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Western Michigan graduate student shortstop Michael Maloney has been named to the 2026 watch list for the Brooks Wallace Award, the College Baseball Foundation announced on Wednesday.
 
The Brooks Wallace Award honors the nation's top shortstop and will be presented by the College Baseball Foundation later this year. It is named for former Texas Tech shortstop Brooks Wallace, who played for the Red Raiders from 1977 to 1980. Wallace died of leukemia at the age of 27.
 
Maloney has had a hot start to his 2026 season at the plate, batting .400 with a conference-leading 17 RBIs. The Mokena, Ill., native also leads the Broncos in runs scored (14), home runs (4) and slugging percentage (.667). Defensively, he owns a .957 fielding percentage and has helped WMU turn a MAC-high 11 double plays.
 
Western Michigan begins conference play this weekend with a three-game series at Akron. First pitch for Friday's series opener is slated for 2 pm.