Game Notes | Listen | Watch (PPV/Subscription) | Game Day Central
Probable Pitching Matchups
Saturday: Shane Bryant (Jr, RHP) vs. Illinois' Kevin Duchene (Jr, LHP)
Sunday: Brett Haan (Sr, RHP) vs. Illinois' Drasen Johnson (Sr, RHP)
Monday: Matt Frawley (So, RHP) vs. Illinois' John Kravetz (Sr, RHP)
Series History
All-Time: Illinois leads 156-81-1
All-Time in Champaign: Illinois leads 89-39
Purdue Under Doug Schreiber vs. Illinois: Purdue leads 27-22 (Since 1999)
2014: Illinois won 2-of-3 in Champaign (March 28-30)
Purdue's Last Series Win vs. Illinois: Purdue swept a 3-game series (April 2012 in West Lafayette)
Purdue's Last Series Win in Champaign: Purdue won 2-of-3 (May 2010)
First Meeting: Illinois 14, Purdue 5 (May 30, 1893)
Weekend Weather Forecast for Champaign, Ill.
Saturday: 64 degrees, clear skies
Sunday: 69 degrees, clear skies
Monday: 60 degrees, clear skies
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- For the second of its back-to-back weekends against nationally ranked Big Ten rivals, Purdue baseball visits Champaign-Urbana for the third year in a row to take on the streaking 12th-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini.
It's a special Saturday through Monday series schedule to accommodate Big Ten Network television coverage Monday evening. First pitch at Illinois Field is set for 4 p.m. Saturday, 1 p.m. Sunday and 7 p.m. Monday (all times ET). Sunday's game will also be televised by the BTN.
Purdue (11-21, 1-5 Big Ten) has not played a Big Ten game on a Monday since defeating Michigan State at Lambert Field in May 2010. Next month, the Boilers will also play a Saturday through Monday series at Nebraska. That schedule change was a byproduct of final exams week on campus from May 4-8.
Unlike Iowa, which was only ranked in one of the five major polls last week, Illinois is a consensus Top 25 club thanks to its Big Ten-best 26-6-1 overall mark. The Fighting Illini (5-1 Big Ten) are 12th in D1Baseball.com's rankings this week. Purdue has not played consecutive traditional weekend series against nationally ranked teams since March 2006 (at North Carolina and Missouri). The Boilermakers have not played two Top 25 Big Ten teams in the same year since 2000 (Illinois and Minnesota).
The Boilermakers' artificial turf road stretch continues this weekend as well. Purdue opened its stretch of seven straight road games on turf with a 10-6 win at Indiana State Tuesday. Next weekend's series in Ann Arbor will also be played on turf after Michigan's Ray Fisher Stadium had turf installed in the fall of 2013. The Boilermakers also have a seven-game road stretch on the horizon in May, but both Big Ten opponents (Michigan State and Nebraska) featured on that portion of the schedule have natural grass fields.
Meanwhile, Illinois is set to play at home for the fourth time in the last five weekends. The Illini also host Indiana next weekend. Already enjoying a very successful campaign, Illinois had the good fortune of its series at Northwestern being moved to C-U last weekend due to construction at Rocky Miller Park in Evanston. The Illini are 11-2 at home and have won a season-high seven in a row. They're in prime position to qualify for an NCAA Regional for the third time in the last five years and are being projected as a potential Regional host.
Purdue won last year's series opener in Champaign, 4-3, thanks to a two-out, two-run double from Brandon Krieg in the top of the eighth inning and a game-ending 1-2-3 double play with the bases loaded that Mike Lutz both induced and started. However, it marked the first of three times in Big Ten play that the Boilers won the opener, but lost the series. The Fighting Illini have won five of the six meetings with Purdue at Illinois Field the last two years.
Coincidentally, the Boilermakers only played three traditional weekend series in Champaign altogether from 2002-10.
Kyle Wood has hit safely in all six games at Illinois Field (11-for-20 overall) the last two seasons, homering in the final game of the series both years. Cody Strong and Kyle Johnson also went deep in C-U as freshmen in 2013. There were a combined 11 home runs in the 2013 series as the wind was blowing out for much of the weekend and Illinois Field lived up to its billing as a hitter-friendly ballpark.
The Fighting Illini have a very well-balanced team this year, but two left-handed pitchers have received the majority of the national attention. Staff ace Kevin Duchene (0.64, 10.1) and closer Tyler Jay (0.79, 10.3) rank one-two in the Big Ten in ERA and strikeouts per nine innings. Duchene has only issued three walks and surrendered just three earned runs in 42 innings pitched. Jay has four wins and eight saves in his league-leading 18 appearances. Krieg recorded his go-ahead double off Jay in the opener last season.
Purdue did not face Duchene a year ago and has only seen the junior in a relief role. During his 2013 Big Ten Freshman of the Year season, he didn't move into the weekend rotation fulltime until the end of April. Last season, he missed about six weeks from mid-March through early May due to injury. The Illini were again cautious with their star lefty this spring, holding him out until the third weekend of the season. But since making his 2015 season debut Feb. 27, Duchene has given Illinois a quality start each time he has taken the mound.
First baseman David Kerian enters the weekend tied for the Big Ten lead with eight home runs. He's one of six Illini with at least three long balls. He has hit seven home runs since March 8. Four regulars in the Illinois lineup -- Pat McInerney (.349, 11 XBH), Reid Roper (12 XBH, 26 RBI), Casey Fletcher (21 RBI, 21 walks) and Kerian -- have all walked more than they have struck out. The Illini remain one of the most aggressive base-stealing teams in the league as well, ranking fourth in the Big Ten with 54 stolen base attempts.
Purdue will be in search of its first series win in Champaign since 2010 as well as looking to snap a 21-game losing streak against nationally ranked foes.
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