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Western Michigan Broncos baseball

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Western Michigan Broncos
2024 Western Michigan Broncos baseball team
Founded1911 (1911)
UniversityWestern Michigan University
Head coachBilly Gernon (14th season)
ConferenceMid–American
LocationKalamazoo, Michigan
Home stadiumHyames Field
NicknameBroncos
ColorsBrown and gold[1]
   
College World Series runner-up
1955
College World Series appearances
1952, 1955, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1963
NCAA Tournament appearances
1952, 1955, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1966, 1967, 1989, 2016, 2024
Conference tournament champions
2016, 2024
Regular season conference champions
1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1955, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1966, 1967, 1989

The Western Michigan Broncos baseball team is a varsity intercollegiate athletic team of Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States.[2] The team competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I as a member of the Mid-American Conference West division. The team plays its home games at Hyames Field in Kalamazoo. The Broncos are coached by Billy Gernon, who began his tenure in 2011.

Western Michigan's first baseball team was fielded in 1911. Through the 2016 season, the Broncos have won 14 MAC titles, the most recent being in 1989, and have made 11 appearances in the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, with the most recent being in 2016 following their first Mid-American Conference baseball tournament championship. Western Michigan has also made six appearances in the College World Series, the most recent being in 1963. The 1955 team finished as national runner-up, falling to Wake Forest 7–6 in the championship game. The Broncos had a 6–3 lead in the fifth inning of that game before the Demon Deacons tied it in the sixth inning and took the lead in the eighth. The runner-up finish remains tied for the highest national finish for a MAC team, along with Eastern Michigan in 1976.[3]

Western Michigan in the NCAA tournament

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Year Record Pct Notes
1952 2–2 .500 College World Series 3rd Place
1955 7–4 .636 College World Series 2nd Place, hosted District 4
1957 1–2 .333 Hosted District 4
1958 5–2 .714 College World Series 3rd Place, District 4 Champions
1959 5-3 .625 College World Series 5th Place, District 4 Champions
1961 4–2 .667 College World Series 5th Place, District 4 Champions
1962 2–2 .500 District 4
1963 3-3 .500 College World Series 7th Place, District 4 Champions
1966 2–2 .500 District 4
1967 3–2 .600 District 4
1989 1–2 .333 Midwest Regional
2016 0–2 .000 Louisville Regional
2024 0–2 .000 Lexington Regional
TOTALS
35-30 .538

Broncos in Major League Baseball

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Since the Major League Baseball Draft began in 1965, Western Michigan has had 97 players selected.[4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Western Michigan Athletics Brand Guide (PDF). July 1, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  2. ^ "Western Michigan Broncos". d1baseball.com. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
  3. ^ 2010 Bronco Baseball Information Guide (PDF). Western Michigan University. 2010. p. 11.
  4. ^ "MLB Amateur Draft Picks who came from "Western Michigan University (Kalamazoo, MI)"". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
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