Complete Release in PDF Format
The Slate
Week 9
Boilermaker Softball Stadium ~ West Lafayette, Ind.;
Sharon J. Drysdale Field ~ Evanston, Ill.
Live Stats: purduesports.com
Audio (Wednesday): purduesports.com
Video (all): BTN Plus via BTN2Go.com
(Sunday) - Reairs on BTN, April 8, 11 a.m. ET
Wednesday, April 1: 5 p.m. vs. Ball State
Faculty/Staff Appreciation Day - $1 admission for all Purdue faculty/staff with ID.
Friday, April 3: 5 p.m. at Northwestern
Saturday, April 4: 2 p.m. at Northwestern
Sunday, April 5: 1 p.m. at Northwestern
The Book on the Boilermakers
At First Glance: Purdue (23-11) has won 11 of its last 14 games heading into week nine of the season. The Boilermakers finished the 2014 season with a 27-28-1 overall record, falling in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament. Purdue returns 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 went 1-2 last weekend against Rutgers, falling 5-0 in Game 1 and 2-1 in 10 innings in Game 3, and winning the middle matchup 11-8.
Statistically Speaking: First baseman Ashley Burkhardt (.406) leads the Boilermaker bats and a group of seven starters with averages of .250 or better. Burkhardt has driven in a team-best 35 RBI, scored 30 runs, swiped 20 bases and launched eight home runs. Outfielder Alyssa Koorsen (.361), designated player Katie Harrison (.333), outfielder Kristen Hoppman (.307), catcher Kaylah Hampton (.303), outfielder Maya Hughes (.283) and shortstop Paris Andrew (.268) round out the group. Hampton has driven in 25 RBI, scored 14 runs and launched seven home runs. Koorsen has scored 23 runs, swiped 13 bases and tallied five doubles, while Hughes has stolen 16 bases and scored 18 runs. Andrew has scored 16 runs, driven in 18 RBI, stolen five bases and accounted for two triples and a home run. As a team, the Boilers are batting .299 with 20 home runs and 61 stolen bases.
In the circle, the Boilermaker pitchers are holding foes to a .199 average. Junior Lilly Fecho (15-7) has posted a 1.19 ERA with 183 strikeouts, four shutouts and a save in 123 innings of work, while allowing opponents just a .174 average. Freshman Gina Snyder (5-0) has struck out 49 batters in 38 innings, while boasting a 2.21 ERA and holding foes to a .194 average. Senior Lexy Moore (3-3) has issued 20 strikeouts in 39 innings, while senior Alex Whittemore (0-1) has added six Ks in nine innings.
What a Difference a Win Makes ...
If the Boilermakers top Ball State on Wednesday ....
- They will move to 20-9 in non-conference play in 2015.
- They will move to 24-11 on the season, the most wins through 35 games since 2011, when Purdue started 24-10-1.
- They will move to 490-306-6 all-time in non-conference games, including 102-28 at home.
- They will move to 222-207-2 all-time in the month of April, including 7-10 on April 1.
Series Information
Ball State (Purdue leads the series 18-4): The teams split a doubleheader on March 21, 1995, to begin the series. Purdue then registered 12 straight wins from 1996 to 2006. An April 16, 2008 loss in Muncie, Ind., ended the streak, but the Boilermakers countered with four straight wins from 2009 to 2011. The Cardinals have taken two of the last three, splitting a doubleheader in Muncie in 2012, and taking a 6-5 decision in West Lafayette on April 9, 2014.
Northwestern (NU leads the series 27-15): Purdue won nine of the first 11 meetings in the series which began on March 6, 1995. The Wildcats took six of the next eight contests. The Boilermakers swept the 2001 series with a pair of 2-1 victories. Since then, Northwestern has won 19 of the last 21 meetings. Purdue is 7-10 in West Lafayette, 8-14 in Evanston and 0-3 in neutral site games.
Chatting About the Cardinals
At First Glance: The Ball State Cardinals (14-16) bring a two-game win streak to West Lafayette for Wednesday's game. Ball State returns 13 letterwinners, including five starters and four pitchers, from the 2014 team, which posted a 33-19 record and won the Mid-American Conference regular season title. The Cardinals are coached by Tyra Perry, who is in her second year with the team.
Last Time Out: The Cardinals went 2-0 last week, topping Central Michigan 14-7 and 9-5 in a Saturday doubleheader. The team's Friday twin bill with Eastern Michigan was cancelled due to weather.
Statistically Speaking: Second baseman Emily Dabkowski (.368) leads a group of five starters with .250 or better averages. Dabkowski has driven in a team-best 30 RBI with five doubles and eight home runs, while scoring a team-leading 28 runs and swiping 10 bases. Outfielder Hanne Stuedemann (.338), shortstop Selena Reyna (.330), outfielder Loren Cihlar (.330) and catcher Jessica Craft (.313) round out the group. Stuedemann has accounted for 25 RBI, 27 runs, six doubles, five homers and six steals, while Reyna has posted 11 doubles, 17 runs, 17 RBI, three home runs and six steals. Craft boasts 12 extra-base hits, including three triples and four home runs, while driving in 25 RBI and scoring 22 runs. As a team, Ball State is batting .294 with 27 home runs and 50 stolen bases.
Junior Nicole Steinbach (7-8) has done the bulk of the pitching for the Cardinals, issuing 85 strikeouts in 94 innings, including a shutout and two saves. Freshman Carolyn Wilmes (4-4) has added 17 strikeouts in 45 innings of work. Sophomore Jocelyn Rivera (1-2) has struck out 23 batters in 28 innings and junior lefty Sammi Cowger (1-2) has added 11 Ks in 17 innings. Sophmore Amanda Arnett (1-0) and junior Kelsey Schifferdecker (0-0) have combined for two Ks in five innings. The staff is allowing foes a .311 average and more than six runs per game.
Notes About Northwestern
At First Glance: The Northwestern Wildcats (17-11, 5-0 Big Ten) have won 14 of their last 16 games dating to Feb. 22. Northwestern returns 14 letterwinners, including six starters, from the 2014 team, which posted a 35-18 record, finished fifth in the Big Ten and advanced to the NCAA Seattle Regional final. The Wildcats are coached by Kate Drohan, who is in her 14th year with the team.
Last Time Out: Northwestern went 3-1 last week, falling to Hostra 6-5 in 10 innings in Hempstead, N.Y., but rebounding with a 7-2 win over Fordham in game two of a doubleheader. The Wildcats then topped Wisconsin 19-0 and 14-6, both in five innings, in a Saturday doubleheader at home.
Statistically Speaking: Outfielder Andrea DiPrima (.446) headlines the Northwestern offense with 24 RBI, 19 runs, eight doubles and seven home runs. Seven other Wildcat starters are batting .250 or better. Outfielder Andrea Filler (.417), outfielder Sabrina Rabin (.388), first baseman Julia Kuhn (.359), outfielder Krista Williams (.346), pitcher/designated player Amy Letourneau (.338), outfielder Olivia Duehr (.292) and second baseman Brianna LeBeau (.256) round out the group. Filler has driven in a team-best 35 RBI with 10 doubles and seven home runs. Rabin has scored a team-best 24 runs, while also swiping a team-leading 11 bases. Letourneau and Duehr each have added six home runs, while LeBeau and Kuhn have launched five and four respectively. As a team, Northwestern is batting .327 with 43 home runs and 29 stolen bases.
Junior Kristen Wood (8-3) and Letourneau (9-8) have split the pitching duties for the Wildcats. Wood has struck out 128 batters and issued three shutouts in 95 innings, while Letourneau has added 77 Ks in 84 innings, including a shutout. The pair is holding foes to a .237 average and 22 home runs.
In The Nation
The Boilermakers rank among the nation's top 50 in four statistical categories: earned run average (9th with 1.79), triples per game (10th with 0.35), stolen bases per game (24th with 1.79) and fielding percentage (34th with .971).
Individually, junior pitcher Lilly Fecho ranks among the top 50 in five categories: strikeouts (7th with 183), ERA (15th with 1.19), hits allowed per seven innings (18th with 4.27), wins (21st with 15) and strikeouts per seven innings (26th with 9.1). Freshman pitcher Gina Snyder ranks 27th in strikeouts per seven innings (9.0) and 48th in hits allowed per seven innings (4.97). Senior first baseman Ashley Burkhardt is 29th in sacrifice flies (3) and 36th in stolen bases per game (0.59).
Going Three
The Boilermakers tied the school game record for triples with three in Game 2 against Rutgers, March 28. The three triple effort - one each by Ashley Burkhardt, Alyssa Koorsen and Kristen Hoppman - matches two previous efforts: March 6, 1994, vs. UNC-Wilmington and Feb. 25, 2012, vs. Niagara.
In A Season
Junior Lilly Fecho is just five strikeouts away from entering the season top five in the category. She has issued 183 Ks in 2015, five behind Sheryl Scheve's tally of 188 in 1998. Senior Ashley Burkahrdt is one sacrifice fly away from the season top five in the categoy, having lifted three so far in 2015. The fifth place tally of four was achieved by Burkhardt in 2014 and Heidi Foster in 2003.
In A Career
Senior first baseman Ashley Burkhardt has lifted seven sacrifice flies in her Purdue career, ranking tied for fifth on the Boilermakers all-time listing, matching Heidi Foster (2000-2003). She needs one more to tie Jennifer Blasnick (1994-97) for seventh, and two more to match Jesse Jones (2000-03) and Tricia Lilley (2003-06) for second (9).
Junior pitcher Lilly Fecho is approaching or moving up the career top five in a few categories. She ranks fifth in strikeouts (486), after surpassing Sheryl Scheve (1996-98)'s tally of 448 earlier this season. Fecho also has thrown 52 complete games in her Purdue career, ranking fourth on the all-time listing. In 2015, she has moved ahead of Diana LaRiva's 44 (2003-06) and Leighann Burke's 41 (2000-03). She needs just one more to match Sheryl Scheve's tally of 53 from 1996 -98.
Scoring Four
Senior Alyssa Koorsen scored a school record-tying four runs in Game 2 against Rutgers, March 28. The effort marks the seventh time a Boilermaker has achieved the feat and first since Andie Varsho died so on April 3, 2013 in Game 2 at IUPUI.
Perfect at the Plate
Senior first baseman Ashley Burkhardt went 4-for-4 at the plate with a home run against No. 7 UCLA on Feb. 7. The perfect effort was the 23rd 4-for-4 or better performance in program history (21 4-for-4 and two 5-for-5). Burkhardt tallied singles in the first, fifth and seventh and a homer in the third. Senior third baseman/outfielder Alyssa Koorsen matched the effort, going 4-for-4 against Rutgers in Game 2 of the March 28 doubleheader. Koorsen tallied a double in the first, singles in the third and fifth and a triple in the fourth.
Clearing the Bases
Redshirt junior Katie Harrison became the newest member of Purdue's grand slam club, lifting the bases-clearing shot to left field in the Boilermaker Softball Stadium opener, March 20 against Wisconsin. She becomes the 18th player to launch a grand slam in Purdue history, while her slam is the 24th in school lore.
Small Screen Stars
The Boilermaker softball team will be coming to a TV or computer near you 18 times in the 2015 season. Three contests will be aired on the Big Ten Network, while eight home games plus eight road contests will be available on BTN 2 Go through the BTN Plus streaming service.
The April 8 doubleheader vs. Indiana in Bloomington will be broadcast live beginning at 1 p.m. The April 5 contest at Northwestern will be streamed on BTN Plus, but will re-air on BTN at 11 a.m. Wednesday, April 8. Select games of the Big Ten Tournament May 6-9 in Columbus, Ohio, also will be broadcast on BTN Plus and on the Big Ten Network.
Seven home games - March 22 vs. Wisconsin, March 28-29 vs. Rutgers, April 1 vs. Ball State, April 10-11 vs. Nebraska, April 19 vs. Iowa - will be available through BTN Plus streaming. Road games at Northwestern (April 3-5), Ilinois (April 25-26) and Minnesota (May 1-3) also will be broadcast online.