KALAMAZOO, Mich.- After playing its first 17 games on the road, Western Michigan hosts Bowling Green in its home-opening weekend, March 23-25. Friday's game one begins at 3 p.m., followed by 1 p.m. contests Saturday and Sunday. It will be the first of nine three-game Mid-American Conference series for both sides.
SERIES INFORMATION
Western Michigan Broncos (7-10, 0-0 MAC)
vs. Bowling Green Falcons (8-12, 0-0 MAC)
March 23-25 • 3 p.m./1 p.m./1 p.m.
Kalamazoo, Mich. • Robert J. Bobb Stadium at Hyames Field
Admission Free
Predicted Starters (WMU vs. BGSU)
LHP Casey Webber (2-1, 4.00) vs. RHP Cody Apthorpe (0-3, 9.77 ERA)
LHP Steve Laudicina (2-1, 4.07 ERA) vs. RHP Ethan McKenney (1-4, 5.88 ERA)
RHP Will Nimke (0-0, 6.46 ERA) vs. LHP Andrew Lacinak (0-1, 4.91 ERA)
WMU LIVE BLOGS
In addition to Live Stats and Live Video (
provided by Bronco Insider), wmubroncos.com gives fans another interactive platform to follow Bronco baseball through Live Blogs (see related links box) ... WMU will provide live blogs for all home contests this season, in which fans can write in and post comments ... each blog will begin shortly prior to first pitch of each game.
SCOUTING REPORT
WMU has a .289 team batting average and a staff ERA of 5.58 ... BGSU is hitting .329 and has a 5.17 team ERA ... last weekend, the Broncos dropped two of three at Evansville and were the victims of two ninth-inning comebacks by UE ... Bowling Green has won five of its last six, including its last three in a row.
GOING STREAKING
Senior 3B Ryan McMillin and sophomore LF Vinnie Booker are both riding career-best 11-game hitting streaks, while senior 1B Troy Forton is on an eight-game streak ... McMillin has reached base every game but the first and Booker is on a 14-game on base streak.
NOTABLE NOTES FROM LAST WEEKEND
Sophomore LF Vinnie Booker are senior 3B Ryan McMillin both hit .500 (7-for-14) and hit a home run in last weekend's three-game series at Evansville ... it was Booker's first career home run ... sophomore LHP Steve Laudicina picked up the win in game two, tossing 6.0 innings and allowing just one run on five hits ... it was Laudicina's second win in as many starts, and he has surrendered just one run over his last 13.0 innings of work.
AMONG THE NATION'S BEST
Senior 2B Zach Thoma leads the nation in sac bunts (10) and sac bunts per game (0.59), as a team WMU ranks 21st in sac bunts ... the Broncos also rank 14th in the nation in double plays per game (1.12), 31st in double plays (19), 71st in sac flies (9) and 84th in batting average (.289).
WMU MAC PLAYERS/PITCHERS OF THE WEEK
Western Michigan has had three players honored with conference weekly awards ... senior 3B Ryan McMillin was named Player of the Week March 6 ... senior LHP Casey Webber and junior SS Patrick Duncan swept the Pitcher/Player of the Week award this past week, March 14.
HOPING HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF
Last year, Western Michigan opened its MAC schedule with a three-game shutout sweep at Akron, WMU's first ever shutout sweep in a MAC series ... the Broncos outscored the Zips 18-0 in the series ... WMU was named Insidepitching.com National Pitching Staff of the Week for the effort.
TURNING THE PAGE
In his first season at Western Michigan in 2011, head coach Billy Gernon led the Broncos to a 14-game improvement, ranking the Broncos 10th among NCAA Division I institutions in terms of program turn around ... WMU finished the 2011 season with an overall record of 26-31 after going 12-42 prior to Gernon's arrival ... the team also upped its conference win mark by eight, going 12-14 in the Mid-American Conference, finshing fifth in the West.
