KENT, Ohio -- The Western Michigan softball team ends the regular season this weekend with a three game series visit to the Kent State Golden Flashes.

LAST TIME OUT
Western Michigan completed the home portion of its schedule with a shutout win over the Northern Illinois Huskies to avoid a series sweep last weekend. The Broncos' pitching and defense were lights out on Sunday afternoon, allowing only two hits in a 4-0 shutout of NIU. But Northern Illinois took the series, winning both games of Saturday's doubleheader in the two programs' final regular-season series as conference opponents.

Over three games, sophomore outfielder Rylee O'Brien led WMU at the plate, batting .444 with four hits, including her second triple of the season, and one run scored. Freshman pitcher Hannah Potts continued her strong debut season, pitching a team-high 14.0 innings on a 0.50 ERA. Potts had two complete games for the Brown and Gold with a 1-1 record, allowing five hits, one earned run, and five walks while striking out four batters. The right-hander also added her second shutout of 2026 in Western Michigan's 4-0 victory on Sunday.

SEEDING WATCH
With the win on Sunday, the Broncos are one game from clinching their spot in the postseason. WMU sits in the sixth and final spot for the 2026 MAC Tournament going into the final conference series of regular season play. The Brown and Gold are three games ahead of Buffalo and Toledo, who are tied for seventh with MAC records of 10-13 ahead of Friday's first games.

If Western Michigan wins a single game over Kent State, the team will secure the last spot in the tournament. The Broncos also have the chance to move into the fifth seed with a series sweep of the Golden Flashes. Central Michigan sits ahead of WMU with a 14-9 conference record and holds the tiebreaker between the two teams after sweeping the Brown and Gold back in April. But if Western Michigan sweeps Kent State and the Chippewas only win a game at Akron this weekend, the Broncos become the fifth seed in the MAC Tournament.

KEEPING THEM AWAY FROM HOME
WMU added its MAC-leading seventh shutout of the year on Sunday as the Brown and Gold held Northern Illinois to a season-low two hits in its 4-0 victory. With seven shutouts in 2026, Western Michigan is ranked 48th in the nation at blanking its opponent through 47 games. Part of the Broncos success at keeping its opponents scoreless has been their solid pitching in the circle.

Against NIU, freshman pitcher Hannah Potts was nearly lights out in her two apperances. Potts recorded a 0.50 ERA in WMU's series against Northern Illinois while pitching 14.0 innings through two complete games. Over those 14 innings, she allowed only 5 hits and one earned run while striking out 4 batters to hold the Huskies over .225 below their season batting average at .106 through two games.

2026 ROSTER LEAVING ITS MARK
Heading into the final weekend of the regular season, the 2026 Broncos have already made their mark in program history. With at least three games left on the schedule, WMU has already reset two program season records and potentially could set three more. Against Michigan State on April 21, the Brown and Gold set a new record for most home runs in a season. Junior Analeez Niles launched Western Michigan's program record 45th home run in the top of the sixth inning that Tuesday. The Broncos then broke another record over the weekend against Northern Illinois

In the final home series of the season, WMU set a record for RBIs on April 25th in the second game of a Saturday doubleheader. The Brown and Gold's lone run in the game on a sacrifice fly from junior Caitlin Tighe broke the program record from 2018 with the 216th RBI of the season. Going into the weekend, Western Michigan has 221 RBIs through 47 games. The Broncos could potentially set new program records in batting average (.293) with a current average of .288, runs scored (241) with 229, and doubles (76) with 67 before their 2026 season is completed.

SERIES HISTORY
WMU heads to Kent State for the program's 98th overall meeting on Friday to begin the series. By the time the two teams wrap up the regular season, the series between the Brown and Gold and the Golden Flashes will be over 100 games dating back to 1980. Kent State currently leads the series 59-38 after taking the 2025 three-game series with two wins. At Draper Diamond its a much closer record with the Flashes only leading by two games at 24-22. Western Michigan has a chance this weekend to tie the series record on the road or lead it by a game.

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN FLASHES
Kent State enters its final weekend of the season with a 19-28 overall record and a 7-17 conference record. Eliminated from postseason play last weekend, the Flashes will play their last three games against the Broncos. Kent State will be celebrating its three senior players prior to the teams doubleheader on Saturday afternoon. The Flashes are a fairly young team this season with nine undergrands on their roster out of 17 total players.
 
But one of Kent State's upperclassmen is leading the way at the plate in outfielder Ashlyn Porter. Porter leads the Flashes in the batters box with a .381 average through 46 games this season. She is one of only three batters averaging above .300 for Kent State along with junior outfielder Aaralyn Nogay and junior infielder Megan Claerhout. In the circle the Flashes rely on freshman Riley Miller, who is fifth in the MAC for innings pitched this season at 146.1 through 37 apperances and 22 starts. Miller has an overall record this season of 10-12 with an ERA of 5.26 while striking out 64 batters.