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Probable Starting Pitchers
Gavin Downs (Jr, RHP) vs. IPFW's Brandon Pease (Jr, LHP)
Series History
All-Time: Purdue leads 22-2
All-Time in West Lafayette: Purdue leads 16-0
Current Series Streak: Purdue has won seven straight (Since 2010)
Purdue Under Doug Schreiber vs. IPFW: Purdue leads 10-2 (Since 1999)
Last Meeting: Purdue 6, IPFW 1 (March 26, 2014)
First Meetings: Purdue swept a doubleheader, 3-2 & 2-1 (May 1976 in West Lafayette)
Wednesday Weather Forecast for West Lafayette, Ind.
66 degrees, clear skies
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue baseball begins the final week of its home-heavy stretch Wednesday with the first of two midweek games against IPFW at Alexander Field this season.
First pitch is set for 5:30 p.m. Purdue faculty and staff members can purchase special $1 general admission tickets in honor of faculty and staff appreciation night. With favorable spring temperatures arriving with the final days of March, the first night of April is setting up as a great night for baseball on campus.
The Boilermakers (9-18) are scheduled to host IPFW on April Fools' Day and Tax Day (April 15) this season. While Wednesday is Purdue's eighth home game in the last 15 days, the April 15 rematch will be its lone home date from April 6-20.
The Boilermakers have won seven straight against IPFW dating back to 2010 and will look to snap their current seven-game losing streak. The Mastodons (11-12) have dropped six in a row after getting swept in their last two Summit League series against Oral Roberts and South Dakota State. IPFW won three of its first four weekend series this year and took an 11-6 record into its March 20-22 series at Oral Roberts. Butler has gone a combined 5-1 against the Boilers and Mastodons this season.
Fort Wayne native Gavin Downs will make his third straight midweek start, fourth start of 2015 overall and team-leading 13th appearance Wednesday. But it's expected to be a staff day for Purdue with multiple pitchers taking the mound.
IPFW's probable starter Brandon Pease is a transfer from Valparaiso who will be making his first start as a Mastodon. He'll be the sixth straight left-handed starting pitcher, and eighth in the last nine games, that the Boilermakers will have faced. However, that streak should end this weekend as Iowa's rotation is expected to feature three right-handers.
Kyle Wood batted .386 with six extra-base hits and 13 RBI in the month of March. He reached base safely in 14 of the 16 games. Despite recording nine fewer hits than Wood, Harry Shipley led the team in on-base percentage (.469) in March thanks to 17 free passes (10 walks, 7 HBP). The freshman batted leadoff for the first time Sunday at Butler, marking the first time this year he batted somewhere other than ninth.
On the mound, Shane Bryant surrendered just two runs while striking out 19 over 16 1/3 innings spanning five March appearances. After making midweek starts against Valparaiso and Kent State the last two weeks, he'll get an opportunity to make a Big Ten start this weekend against Iowa.
Last year, IPFW was the opponent for the March 26 home opener at Alexander Field and only Purdue's second game in the state of Indiana. Even with this season's April 1 meeting being just six days later than a year ago, the Boilers have already played seven home games and 12 in their home state.
Kyle Johnson reached base safely three times and scored twice in last year's 7-1 win vs. IPFW. Cody Strong drove in a run in each of his first two plate appearances. Adam Dressler and Brett Haan teamed up for five scoreless innings as the first two Purdue pitchers to take the mound at Alexander Field in 2014.