Complete Release in PDF Format
The Slate
So Cal Collegiate Challenge
Anderson Family Field - Fullerton, Calif. ~ Easton Stadium - Los Angeles
Friday, Feb. 6
2 p.m. vs. San Diego State (at Fullerton)
7 p.m. at Cal State Fullerton
Saturday, Feb. 7
4 p.m. vs. San Diego State (at UCLA)
9 p.m. at #7 UCLA
Sunday, Feb. 8
1 p.m. vs. #24 Texas A&M
Live Stats: purduesports.com
Audio (Fullerton): here
Audio (A&M): here
The Book on the Boilermakers
At First Glance: Purdue (27-28-1, 13-10 Big Ten) finished the 2014 season with a 27-28-1 overall record, falling in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament. The Boilermakers return 11 letterwinners, including three position starters and three pitchers from that team, which earned the No. 6 seed in the tournament after posting a 13-10 record in league play and winning five of its eight conference series. Head coach Kim Schuette is in her second season with the Boilermakers.
Last Time Out: The Boilermakers wrapped up the 2014 season, posting a 1-1 record at the Big Ten Tournament in Evanston, Ill., May 8-9. Purdue advanced to the quarterfinals with a 4-2 comeback win over Indiana, but fell to No. 15 Minnesota 6-3 to cap the season.
Statistically Speaking: First baseman Ashley Burkhardt is the team's top returning hitter after batting .346 with a team-best 43 RBI, 33 runs, 13 doubles and 10 home runs in 2014. The team must replace six players that hit .244 or better last season. Outfielder Lexi Valone (.267), infielder Mary Gooding (.217), infielder Kristen Hoppman (.206), infielder CJ Parsons (.200) and infielder Paris Andrew (.190) are all primed to step into key positions. Andrew registered six doubles and 12 runs while starting 47 games, while Hoppman started chipped in four-extra base hits and 10 RBI in 40 starts. The team also will have help from five new members, including junior college All-American Katie Harrison, who batted .440 with 86 RBI and 24 home runs at Chipola College last season. Purdue batted .297 with 41 home runs and 63 stolen bases in 2014.
In the circle, the Purdue staff combined for 281 strikeouts in 361 innings. Lilly Fecho (21-16) did the bulk of the pitching, striking out 196 batters in 223 innings, including 28 complete games. Lexy Moore (4-9) added 53 Ks in 76 innings, while Alex Whittemore (2-2) issued 21 Ks in 45 innings, including a complete-game no-hitter. The lone departure is senior Lauren Grant, who struck out 11 batters in 16 innings. The staff adds rookie Gina Snyder, a four-time All-Southern Arizona and All-D1 selection from Tucson's Sahuaro High School.
Series Information
San Diego State (Purdue leads the series 3-1): Purdue has won three of the four previous meetings with the Aztecs, in the series which began with a 4-3 Boilermaker win on Feb. 25, 2000, in Santa Barbara, Calif. SDSU won the second meeting 7-6 in Tempe, Ariz., in 2010, but the Boilers took the most recent meetings, a pair of contests in California in March 2012.
Cal State Fullerton (Fullerton leads the series 6-3): The Titans took the first six meetings in the series which began on Feb. 23, 1997 in Gainesville, Fla. The Boilermakers, however, have won the last three meetings, one in Los Angeles in 2008 and two in Fullerton, one in 2010 and the most recent on March 14, 2012.
UCLA (UCLA leads the series 2-1): The Bruins won a pair of contests on March 2, 2002, to start the series. The Boilermakers then posted the biggest win in program history with an upset of No. 4 UCLA to open the 2009 season. All three contests have been played in Los Angeles.
Texas A&M (Texas A&M leads the series 2-1): The Boilermakers won the first contest in the series with the Aggies, taking a 3-1 victory on March 14, 2009, at the Florida Atlantic Tournament in Boca Raton, Fla. Most recently, the teams met twice at the Texas A&M Aggie Invite in 2013 with the host team winning 6-1 and 5-1.
What a Difference a Win Makes ...
If the Boilermakers top San Diego State on Friday ...
- They will have won their season opener for the 10th time in program history and the sixth time in the last eight seasons (also 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013).
- They will move to 4-1 all-time against the Aztecs, including three-straight victories (also March 11 and March 16, 2012).
- They will move to 126-105-1 all-time in the month of February.
- It would move the team's record to 259-188-1 all-time in neutral site non-conference games.
Scouting San Diego State
At First Glance: The Aztecs open the 2015 at the So Cal Collegiate Classic, where they will face Purdue, Idaho State, Texas A&M and UCLA. SDSU returns nine letterwinners, including seven starters and two pitchers from the 2014 team, which posted a 40-19 record, won the Mountain West Conference and advanced to the NCAA Regionals. The Aztecs are coached by Kathy Van Wyk, who is in her 19th season with the team.
Last Time Out: San Diego State posted a 40-19 overall record and 16-8 mark in Mountain West play, but ended the season with a 1-2 record at the NCAA Region in Tempe, Ariz., falling to No. 13 Michigan twice and topping Dartmouth.
Statistically Speaking: First baseman/designated player Sydnee Cable is the team's top returning hitter after batting .356 with 32 RBI, 22 runs and a .452 slugging percentage in 2014. Shortstop Monica Downey (.323), utility player Leia Ruiz (.301), outfielder Kayla Jordan (.292), outfielder Hayley Miles (.283), outfielder Jaylene Ignacio (.279)and third baseman Kayla Bufardeci (.257) also return after batting .250 or better. Miles launched six home runs, tallied 10 doubles and drove in 32 RBI, while Ignacio added five home runs and 22 RBI. Jordan scored a team-best 37 runs and stole 20 bases. As a team, SDSU batted .301 with 42 home runs and 77 stolen bases.
In the circle, the Aztecs must replace Danielle O'Toole, who posted a 31-10 record and struck out 196 batters in 256 innings, but return sophomores Erica Romero (6-4) and Andi Smith (3-5). Romero struck out 75 batters in 86 innings of work and picked up two saves. Smith issued 47 Ks in 53 innings.
Talking About the Titans
At First Glance: The Cal State Fullerton Titans open the 2015 season with a home double header against Purdue and Idaho State. Fullerton returns 15 letterwinners, including six starters and three pitchers from the 2014 team which went 33-21-1 and finished fourth in Big West play. The Titans are coached by Kelly Ford, who is in her third year with the team.
Last Time Out: Cal State Fullerton posted a 33-21-1 record, including a 13-8 finish in Big West play. The Titans wrapped up the 2014 season by winning seven of their final eight contests, capped by a three-game road sweep of Cal State Northridge.
Statistically Speaking: Infielder Missy Taukeiaho will lead the Titan bats after posting a team-best .429 average with 19 home runs, 14 doubles, 51 RBI and 62 runs a year ago. Utility player Samantha Galarza (.329) and infielder Eliza Crawford (.281) also return after starting the bulk of the games in 2014. Galarza added 24 runs, 29 RBI and five home runs, while Crawford registered 12 home runs, 36 RBI and 20 runs. Part-time starters Sydney Colenzo (.319), pitcher Desieree Ybarra (.318), and outfielder Paige Kisling (.230) also return. As a team, Fullerton batted .299 with 57 home runs and 40 stolen bases.
In the circle, two of the team's top three pitchers return in sophomore lefty Christina Washington and junior Jasmine Antunez. Washington posted a 12-6 record with a 3.56 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 131 innings of work. Antunez went 10-9 and struck out 91 batters in 109 innings. Ybarra and Taukeiaho also return after seeing limited action. Ybarra was 4-0 with 11 Ks in 23 innings and a 0.61 ERA, while Taukeiaho added two strikeouts in eight innings.
Understanding UCLA
At First Glance: The UCLA Bruins open the 2015 season with home games against Texas A&M and Notre Dame on Friday to kick off the So Cal Collegiate Classic. UCLA returns 18 letterwinners, including seven starters and four pitchers, from the 2014 team, which posted a 52-8 record, finished second in Pac-12 play and advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals. The Bruins are coached by Kelly Inouye-Perez, who is in her ninth year with the team.
Last Time Out: UCLA went 52-8 overall in 2014, including a 19-5 mark in conference play. The Bruins wrapped the season by dropping two of three games against No. 14 Kentucky in the Super Regionals at home in Easton Stadium.
Statistically Speaking: The Bruins return eight players that batter .300 or better last season. Pitcher Ally Carda (.394), utility player Stephany LaRosa (.367), infielder Delaney Spaulding (.353), infielder Mysha Sataraka (.331), catcher/first baseman Brittany Moeai (.321) and utility player Gabrielle Maurice (.321) are back after playing full-time starting roles in 2014. Outfielder Allexis Bennett (.404) and utility player Jelly Felix (.318) return after playing in half of the team's contests. Carda and Sataraka drove in 55 RBI each, while chipping in 13 and 16 home runs respectively. Spaulding added 50 RBI to go with a team-best 59 runs, 15 doubles, eight homers and 18 stolen bases. As a team, UCLA batted .326 with 77 home runs and 54 stolen bases.
In addition to leading the team at the plate, Carda also did the bulk of the pitching for the Bruins, racking up 230 strikeouts to go with a 1.90 ERA, nine shutouts and two saves in 220 innings of work. Junior lefty Paige McDuffee (3-1) added 25 Ks and two saves, while posting a 2.38 ERA in 47 innings. Senior Courtney Rivera (1-0) saw limited action.
All About The Aggies
At First Glance: The Texas A&M Aggies kick off the weekend with Friday contests against Utah and UCLA in Los Angeles. Texas A&M returns 12 letterwinners, including three position starters and four pitchers, from the 2014 team which posted a 37-22 mark and finished 11th in the Southeastern Conference. The Aggies are coached by Jo Evans, who is in her 19th year with the team.
Last Time Out: The Aggies went 37-22 including a 9-15 mark in the SEC. The team ended its season at the NCAA Norman Regional posting a 2-2 mark with a pair of wins over Hofstra and losses to No. 12 Oklahoma.
Statistically Speaking: Infielder April Ryan is the team's top returning hitter as the team looks to replace six starters that batted .250 or better in 2014. Ryan posted a .295 average with 14 doubles, four home runs, 40 RBI and 43 runs. Outfielder Brittany Clopton is back after starting 43 games and posting a .240 average with two doubles, two triples and 26 runs. Pitcher/outfielder Abby Donnell batted .283 with seven RBI and runs in 22 games, while catcher/third baseman Reagan Boenker posted a .240 average with four RBI, three doubles and six runs in 29 games. As a team, Texas A&M batted .304 with 68 home runs and 35 stolen bases.
All four of the team's pitchers return in 2015, including junior Katie Marks (15-6) and senior Rachel Fox (15-11) who saw the bulk of the action. Marks registered 73 strikeouts, three shutouts and a saw in 131 innings, while Fox posted 123 Ks and a shutout in 158 innings of work. Donnell (5-4) issued 46 strikeouts and picked up six saves in 69 innings, while senior Lauren Ainsley (2-1) rounds out the rotation with 12 Ks in 25 innings.
A Tough Slate
The Boilermakers will face tough foes in 2014, including nine teams ranked or receiving votes in the preseason Top 25. Purdue will play 10 games against the Top 25: No. 15 Minnesota and No. 18 Nebraska three times each, No. 6 Kentucky, No. 7 UCLA, No. 13 Tennessee and No. 24 Texas A&M. The team also will take on vote-getters in Cal State Fullerton, Northwestern (three times) and Wisconsin (three times) boosting the tally to 17 games against ranked foes or those receiving votes.
The Boilermakers will play against 12 teams that participated in last year's NCAA Regionals and six teams that ended the year in the NFCA Top 25. Four of Purdue's foes went on to the Super Regionals, while No. 6 Kentucky competed in the Women's College World Series.
The Boilermakers will face three opponents for the first time in program history, taking on Memphis at the FIU Invitational, Stony Brook at the FGCU/Four Points by Sherton Invitational and Saint Joseph's at the Michelle Smith Spring Break Tournament.