WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- As the professional baseball season gets underway at both the Major and Minor League levels this week, a number of former Purdue baseball players have received their Minor League assignments.
Four former Boilermakers were in the Major League camps for portions of spring training. Dan Black (White Sox), Kevin Plawecki (Mets) and Cameron Perkins (Phillies) all saw action in at least one MLB spring training game. Nick Wittgren (Marlins) was also a non-roster invitee to the big league camp.
Plawecki will begin the 2015 season back at the Triple-A level with the Las Vegas 51s of the Pacific Coast League. He helped Las Vegas win the PCL's Pacific Southern Division and qualify for the playoffs last season. The 2012 Big Ten Player of the Year was 5-for-20 with three extra-base hits and five RBI in 11 spring training games with the Mets.
Black begins his season at Triple-A with the Charlotte Knights for the second year in a row.
Perkins and Wittgren are expected to start the new season at the Double-A level. Wittgren was part of the Jacksonville Suns' championship team in the Southern League last year. Perkins will be in the Eastern League with the Reading Fightin Phils. Perkins split time between Double- and Triple-A last year.
Former pitchers Brad Schreiber and Jordan Minch will be moving up a level from where they finished 2014. Schreiber is set to start the new season with the Charlotte Stone Crabs of the Class A Advanced Florida State League. Minch will be pitching close to his home in Northwest Indiana as a member of the South Bend Cubs in the Class A Midwest League. South Bend's MiLB team changed its affiliation from the Diamondbacks to the Cubs over the winter.
Sean McHugh (Williamsport Crosscutters) and Robert Ramer (Augusta GreenJackets) are expected to begin the season with the same teams they played for a year ago.
After being claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates in December, Josh Lindblom was granted his release in order to pursue an opportunity of playing for the Korean Baseball Organization's Lotte Giants. The KBO's new season began March 28.
Dan Sattler and Andy Loomis remain active in independent baseball. After closing out the clincher as the Witchita Wingnuts won the American Association championship last season, Sattler has moved on to the Somerset Patriots of the Atlantic League. The Patriots are based in New Jersey. Loomis is expected to start the season with the Gary RailCats of the American Association. The lefthander signed with Gary for the second half of the 2014 campaign after returning from offseason arm surgery.
More updates about alumni in pro ball will be posted at the active minor leaguers page as they become available.
| Purdue Alumnus | MiLB/Pro Team | Location | League (Class) | MLB Organization |
| Dan Black | Charlotte Knights | Charlotte, N.C. | International (AAA) | Chicago White Sox |
| Josh Lindblom | Lotte Giants | Busan, South Korea | Korean Baseball Org. | NA |
| Andy Loomis | Gary RailCats | Gary, Ind. | American Association | NA |
| Sean McHugh | Williamsport Crosscutters | Williamsport, Pa. | New York-Penn (A) | Philadelphia Phillies |
| Jordan Minch | South Bend Cubs | South Bend, Ind. | Midwest (A) | Chicago Cubs |
| Cameron Perkins | Reading Fightin Phils | Reading, Pa. | Eastern (AA) | Philadelphia Phillies |
| Kevin Plawecki | Las Vegas 51s | Las Vegas, Nev. | Pacific Coast (AAA) | New York Mets |
| Robert Ramer | Augusta GreenJackets | Augusta, Ga. | South Atlantic (A) | San Francisco Giants |
| Dan Sattler | Somerset Patriots | Bridgewater Township, N.J. | Atlantic League | NA |
| Brad Schreiber | Charlotte Stone Crabs | Port Charlotte, Fla. | Florida State (High A) | Tampa Bay Rays |
| Nick Wittgren | Jacksonville Suns | Jacksonville, Fla. | Southern (AA) | Miami Marlins |