WMU Broncos Headed to NCAA Tourney After 2nd MAC Baseball Title

The Western Michigan Broncos went into Saturday's MAC Championship game as a slight favorite over the No. 3 Ball State Cardinals. Ball State actually had more wins that WMU on the season, but overall, the Broncos had the better win percentage, landing them at No. 2 in the conference.

But after one inning, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that the Broncos came to play, and they had "Championship" on the mind, claiming their second ever MAC Tournament Title in the past 8 years.

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The Broncos had already proven to Ball State they were out for blood, shutting them out in the second round 8-0, then embarrassing No. 1 ranked Bowling Green 11-0.

WMU was now on an 19-0 scoring run in the MAC tournament, and Ball State, whom they'd already decimated on Thursday, was all that stood in their way for a MAC Championship.

Out the gate, Lefty Redshirt Junior Joe Shapiro only allowed three hits, but left them all on base. It was a different story, though, in the bottom of the inning as Ball State's Logan Schulfer couldn't take the pressure, and walked his first three batters.

From there, it was pure domination. Shapiro did allow one run in the Top of the 3rd, their first allowed in the tournament, but Josh Swinehart's first at-bat the next inning pushed one over the wall, and the Broncos never looked back.

Ball State snuck two more runs in, but the game was far out of hand by then, and the Broncs finished with 29 runs in three games, only allowing three from Ball State in the Championship to claim the MAC Tournament Title.

The Broncos win gives them an automatic birth into the NCAA Tournament, where they will play in the Lexington side of the bracket, and take on the No. 2 ranked Kentucky Wildcats on May 31st at noon on the SEC Network.