KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Western Michigan University and head baseball coach Billy Gernon have announced the promotion of Josh Rebandt to associate head coach / recruiting coordinator.
 
"First and foremost, Josh is a remarkable person, coach and leader," coach Gernon said. "He has a tremendous network that he developed from his years managing in the prestigious Northwoods Summer Collegiate League, as well as his other college coaching positions. His network is having a very noticeable impact on recruiting and it's no surprise why his peers named him Coach of the Year during his time with the Northwoods League's Traverse City Pit Spitters. Josh has a tireless work ethic and his passion for the game, coupled with his ability to develop players both on and off the field, has had a profound impact on our culture."
 
Rebandt recently completed his second season in the Western Michigan dugout, helping the Brown and Gold to a 27-25 record, 20 MAC wins, its most conference victories since 2021, a fifth-place finish in the conference standings and return to the MAC Tournament.
 
Graduate student shortstop Michael Maloney was named co-MAC Defensive Player of the Year and was joined by Turner Doran, Ricky Kidd and Tanner Mally on the All-MAC First Team, giving WMU its most First Team selections since 1995. Mally won the NCAA Division I batting title with his .446 batting average and became Western Michigan's first All-American since 2017.
 
Maloney and Mally were also named to the All-MAC Defensive Team, anchoring a Western Michigan defense which ranked second in the conference and 33rd in all of NCAA Division I with a .978 fielding percentage. The .978 mark was the second-highest season fielding percentage for the Broncos in program history.
 
Western Michigan also garnered five College Sports Communicators Academic All-District® selections and led the conference with 15 Academic All-MAC honorees.