KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan baseball team returns to Robert J. Bobb Stadium at Hyames Field this weekend to open up a seven-game homestand with a three-game, non-conference series against The Citadel.
Note: Originally scheduled to be a four-game set, the series was altered to three games, with Saturday no longer featuring a doubleheader.
SERIES INFO: Western Michigan (7-19) vs The Citadel (16-14)
Game One: Friday, April 4 | 3:05 pm | TICKETS | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
RHP Ty McKinstry vs RHP Andrew Stanley
Game Two: Saturday, April 5 | 2:05 pm | TICKETS | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
LHP Joey Wizceb vs LHP George Derrick Floyd
Game Three: Sunday, April 6 | 12:05 pm | TICKETS | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
LHP Reese Gaber vs RHP Chandler Anderson
FOLLOW ALONG: @WMUBaseball
LEADING OFF
- Western Michigan opens up a seven-game homestand with a three-game set against The Citadel
- The two programs have met just twice, with each team winning once
- The two encounters came in back-to-back years (1999 & 2000) at the Kennel Club Classic in Jacksonville
- The Broncos are coming off of a 5-4 win at Notre Dame on Tuesday
- It marked the third straight win over a Power Conference opponent for Western Michigan
- The Broncos have also defeated Michigan and Northwestern during the last two weeks
- Western Michigan has had the 25th-most difficult non-conference schedule in NCAA Division I this season
- Aiden Hinds got his first career win on the mound at Notre Dame after working a career-high 3.1 innings
- Jake Gernon nailed down his first career save after inducing a game-ending 1-2-3 double play
- Grady Mee had three RBIs and Dylan Nevar drove in a pair in the victory over the Fighting Irish
- Mee stole his 14th base of the season, which is tied for second-most in the conference
- Tanner Mally comes into the weekend fifth in the MAC in batting average (.394) and sixth in OBP (.491)
- The sophomore also leads WMU in hits (37), runs scored (24), hit by pitches (11) and triples (2)
- Ty McKinstry has turned in four straight starts of 5.0 innings or more with three earned runs or fewer
HOME SWEET HOME
Western Michigan returns to Robert J. Bobb Stadium at Hyames Field this weekend to begin a seven-game homestand with a three-game, non-conference series against The Citadel. The Broncos are 26-11 at home over the last three years and swept Akron in their last home series.
LAST TIME OUT
The Broncos picked up their third straight victory over a Power Conference foe on Tuesday as they held on late for a 5-4 victory at Notre Dame. Grady Mee had three RBIs for Western Michigan, while Dylan Nevar had three hits and drove in a pair. Aiden Hinds worked a career-high 3.1 innings to earn his first collegiate victory on the mound. Jake Gernon then came on with the bases loaded and one out in the ninth and induced a game-ending 1-2-3 double play to nail down his first career save.
POWER SCHEDULING
As has been the case the past several years, WMU loaded up its non-conference schedule, and has already played 11 games against Power Conference foes. The Broncos have won three in a row against Power Conference opponents, shutting out Michigan, 6-0, beating Northwestern, 2-1, and winning at Notre Dame, 5-4, over the last three weeks. Western Michigan boasts the 25th-most difficult non-conference schedule in NCAA Division I.
SERIES HISTORY
Western Michigan and The Citadel have met just twice prior to this weekend’s series. The two teams met in back-to-back years in 1999 and 2000 at the Kennel Classic in Jacksonville, Fla., with each team winning once. WMU’s most recent encounter with a team from the Southern Conference came last season when it met Western Carolina at the First Pitch Invitational down in Greenville, S.C.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
The Citadel arrives in Kalamazoo with a 16-14 overall record and a 3-3 mark in Southern Conference play. The Bulldogs come into the weekend with a 4.75 ERA, the third-best in the conference, and have tossed three shutouts, tied for the most in their league.
TANNER AT THE TOP
Western Michigan leadoff hitter Tanner Mally comes into the week hitting .394, the fifth-highest mark in the MAC, and with a .491 on-base percentage which ranks sixth. The sophomore paces the Broncos in several other offensive categories as well, including hits (37), runs scored (24), hit by pitches (11) and triples (2), while ranking second on the team with nine stolen bases. Mally has reached base in 16 consecutive games, the longest active streak and second-longest overall streak this season for the Brown and Gold.
LOOK AT MEE
After ranking second on the Broncos with 10 stolen bases last season, Grady Mee has been turned loose on the basepaths even more in 2025. The junior comes into the weekend with 14 stolen bases, tied for second-most in the MAC. He has also helped Western Michigan’s offense rank second in the conference with 18 sacrifice bunts, having laid down four, which is tied for the league lead.
MCKINSTRY FINDING A GROOVE
Ty McKinstry has settled into his role as Western Michigan’s Friday starter, giving the Broncos at least 5.0 innings while allowing three earned runs or fewer in four straight starts and five of his seven overall. The righty has held the opposition to four hits or fewer four times, including a pair of outings during which he yielded just one hit and zero earned runs (Michigan State, Akron). McKinstry enters the weekend with an opposing batting average of .230, the fifth-lowest mark in the league.
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