AKRON, Ohio -- The Western Michigan softball team begins its quest to the NCAA Tournament on Wednesday afternoon against the three seed Miami RedHawks.

LAST TIME OUT
Western Michigan closed out its regular season with a series victory over the Kent State Golden Flashes.The Broncos took two of their three final regular season games over the weekend at Devine Diamond in Kent. WMU's offense had one of its best series of Mid-American Conference play, batting .402 through three games while setting three new program records.

The Brown and Gold were led on offense by junior shortstop Caitlin Tighe who averaged .600 at the plate with five multibase hits, six RBIs, and a 1.200 slugging percentage. Three other Western Michigan players batted over .500 in the final weekend of the regular season for a 12-4 win, an 11-1 win, and a close 9-8 loss in extras for a regular season record of 26-23.

EXTRA INNING SUCCESS
Western Michigan closed out the regular season with only its fourth game in extra innings as the Golden Flashes took the Broncos to nine innings on Sunday afternoon. Kent State was able to walk-off the game in the bottom of the ninth with a three-run home run to close out its season. The final game of the regular season was the only extra innings game of the year that WMU did not come out victorious from.

One of the Brown and Gold's extra innings wins this year came against the team it will face in their first game of the 2026 MAC Tournament, the Miami RedHawks. Western Michigan's lone win in its series at Miami was an eight inning slugfest where the Broncos won on eight hits and no errors while scoring eight runs. 

SHATTERING PROGRAM RECORDS
At the conclusion of the regular season this weekend, the 2026 Broncos set four new team program records. While three WMU players either set new program records or tied a standing record this season. The Brown and Gold first broke the program record for most home runs in a season back on April 21 at Michigan State. Western Michigan was able to add five more long balls before the season ended, making the new program home run record 49 in 50 games.

While this past weekend at Kent State the Broncos shattered three more program records in only two days. WMU set new records for doubles in a season with 77, runs scored with 260, and RBIs with 249. The Brown and Gold also currently hold a new program record for batting average at .295 heading into the MAC Tournament. But that batting average could change over the next week in Akron as Western Michigan makes its way through the conference postseason. 

Individually, freshman utility player Bella Duncan set a new program record for most RBIs in a season. Duncan brought 51 runs home on 58 hits during her first year in a Western Michigan uniform. While juniors Emily Lampela and Caitlin Tighe were able to tie standing game records for the Broncos. Back in February, Lamepla tied the record for most RBIs in a game with 8 against Morehead State. While Tighe had three doubles at Kent State on Sunday, tying for the most doubles by a WMU player in a game since Sarah Thomas did the same against Bowling Green in 2009. 

MAC TOURNAMENT LOOKBACK
The Broncos come into this week's tournament as the sixth seed after tying in the regular season with Central Michigan for conference records at 15-12. The Chippewas earned the five seed by taking the season series from WMU 3-0.

The Brown and Gold have been the six seed in the MAC Tournament only two other times in program history as the MAC Tournament did not expand to six teams until 1998. Western Michigan was the six seed in 2002 and 2007 prior to this postseason. The Broncos have not won a tournament game as the sixth seed in their two prior postseason apperances in that spot. 

SERIES HISTORY
WMU is facing off with the RedHawks for the 106th time on Wednesday afternoon at Firestone Stadium. Overall the Brown and Gold lead the series 58-47 going back to the team's first meeting in 1983, but Miami has won eight of the last nine meetings.

In the postseason, the two teams have met a total of 10 times during eight separate tournament runs. Western Michigan holds a slight edge at the MAC Tournament over the RedHawks with six wins to Miami's four, including the 2003 Championship game. 

SCOUTING THE REDHAWKS
Miami comes into the tournament as the three seed, only two games behind the regular season winners Akron. The RedHawks won the series between the two teams earlier this season two games to one. And Miami has the current reigning MAC Pitcher of the Week, Presley Hoseck, her second time earning the honor in 2026. Hosick has consistently demonstrated her reliability on the mound with an 0.50 ERA, allowing just one earned run across two complete games to Bowling Green.

On offense the RedHawks are primarily led by senior outfielder Bailey Manos.She is the top Miami player in batting average at .433, runs scored with 53, home runs with 15 and RBIs bringing 55 runs across home plate.