KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- The Western Michigan softball team will have its final games of the 2026 season at Fran Ebert Field on Saturday and Sunday afternoon.

LAST TIME OUT
Western Michigan set a new record for most home runs in a season on Tuesday night against Michigan State. The Bronco offense had another big outing on Tuesday, recording 11 hits with a double, a triple, and two home runs. The home runs from senior infielder Jordan Smith and junior infielder Analeez Niles in the sixth inning set a new WMU program record at Secchia Stadium. The Brown and Gold now have 44 homers on the season, the most by any Western Michigan softball team.

But eight runs weren't enough for the Broncos to stay in the win column on Tuesday. Two big innings for the Michigan State Spartans at the beginning and end of the game gave MSU the 9-8 victory. Four separate WMU batters had two hits each in Niles, Smith, infielder Bella Duncan, and catcher Tristen Head. In the circle, freshman Ava Geyer had the longest outing for the Brown and Gold at 3.1 innings allowing five hits, four unearned runs, and two walks while striking out five batters, including the 100th strikeout of her season.

GROWING THE LONG BALL RECORD
Western Michigan's new home run record of 44 by a team in a season broke a record that stood for seven season since the 2018 team had 43 home runs. The Broncos are likely to keep growing the program record for home runs in a season over the final two weeks of the regular season.

WMU is averaging a home run per game after Tuesday night, putting them on pace to end 2026 with 50 home runs. If the Brown and Gold end the regular season with 50 home runs, they would have the 13th best season among Mid-American conference teams. The current MAC record is held by Miami's 2024 team with a whopping 160 home runs for the NCAA's second best season among Division I softball teams.

HISTORY IN THE CIRCLE
Western Michigan had another big statistical moment in East Lansing earlier this week. Freshman pitcher Ava Geyer struck out 5 Spartan batters in 3.1 innings, which included her 100th strikeout this season. Geyer becomes the second freshman pitcher for the Broncos with 100 strikeouts as Hannah Potts hit the 100 K mark at Ball State on April 19. WMU is currently the only Division I program in the country with two freshman pitchers who have thrown 100 or more strikeouts in 2026. 

The Brown and Gold's freshman pitching duo also leads the MAC in strikeouts this season. The next closest conference pitcher in strikeouts is Central Michigan senior MacKenzie Langan with 97 Ks on the season in 24 appearances. Potts and Geyer's combined performance is almost unprecedented for Western Michigan. The Broncos have had only one other season in program history with multiple pitchers throwing 100 or more strikeouts. The only other season with two pitchers striking out 100+ batters came in 2011 from juniors Whitney Buchanan and Kayla Houston.

CELEBRATING OUR SENIORS
Saturday's doubleheader will be Western Michigan's Senior Day to honor its four players graduating in 2026 who have exhausted their athletic eligibility. The Broncos four seniors are outfielder Emily Yacapraro, catcher Tristen Head, utility Jayden Merrill, and infielder Haleigh Smith. Yacapraro and Smith have spent their entire collegiate careers with WMU. While Head and Merrill joined the Brown and Gold in 2024.

Yacapraro has appeared in 83 games with 17 hits, 27 runs scored, 2 doubles, a triple, and 2 RBIs while in the field making 13 putouts. Head has spent 91 games in a Western Michigan uniform while connecting on 64 hits, scoring 39 runs, with 11 doubles, 10 home runs, and 32 RBIs while in the field making 328 putouts and 43 assists.

Merrill has appeared in 77 games on offense and 19 in the circle while with the Broncos. In the batters box she has 39 hits with 7 doubles, 7 home runs, 28 RBIs, and 15 walks with 11 runs scored. In the circle, Merrill has thrown 29.1 innings with 27 strikeouts and career ERA of 7.88. Smith has made 155 appearances across four seasons with 57 hits, 8 doubles, 1 triple, 14 walks, 17 RBIs, 59 runs scored, and 7 stolen bases. In the field, Smith has made 134 putouts and 125 assists for the Brown and Gold.

With Western Michigan playing at Kent State during the university graduation ceremony on May 2, the Broncos will hold a brief graduation ceremony on Saturday prior to their first game. The ceremony and Senior Day celebrations will begin at 12:45 p.m. on Saturday.

SERIES HISTORY
WMU has its final three home games of 2026 this weekend in the team's final conference games against Northern Illinois. The Huskies are in their final season as a member of the Mid-Americn Conference as they will move to the Horizon League for the 2026-27 year. Saturday's first game will be the 94th meeting between the programs with the Brown and Gold holding a 53-40 series advantage. In MAC play, Western Michigan is 51-39 over NIU after a win in DeKalb last season.

In 2025 the Broncos split a doubleheader on the road at Northern Illinois, defeating the Huskies 4-3 in the opener and falling 9-7 in the finale. In the opening win, WMU took an early two run lead in the first inning on a double from Jordan Smith. The Huskies responded with a run of their own in the bottom of the first to cut the lead to 2-1. But the Brown and Gold scored two more runs thanks to Smith, who hit her 11th home run in the third. NIU made it a 4-3 final but senior Kailey O'Connor kept the Huskies at bay for her fourth win of the season and third complete game. 

SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
Northern Illinois is continuing its resurgence under second year Head Coach Kathryn Gleason in 2026. NIU has an overall record of 21-13 after dropping its final midweek game of the year to Northwestern at home on Tuesday. The Huskies sit at second in the MAC at three games behind leaders Akron with a 14-5 record, but have played two less games than the Zips. Second in the league is Northern Illinois' best conference season since 2016 when they finished first in the MAC West.

Senior utility player Danielle Stewart is a league leader as she is in the top-10 in the nation for batting average (.490) and doubles per game. Stewart has recorded 51 hits, seven home runs, 14 doubles, and 38 RBIs to lead the Huskies. Behind Stewart in the batters box is freshman Izzi Hanna with an average of .392, 38 hits, and 25 runs. In the circle, graduate pitcher Madison Carlson leads NIU with a 2.70 ERA for second in the MAC. Carlson has five complete games, nine wins, and 49 strikeouts while holding opponents to a .241 average.