Complete Release in PDF Format
The Slate: Week 11
Boilermaker Softball Stadium ~ West Lafayette, Ind.
Live Stats: purduesports.com
Audio (Fri.-Sun.): purduesports.com
Video (Sun.): BTN Plus via BTN2Go.com
Wednesday, April 15: 6 p.m. vs. IPFW
Baseball Double Dip - Get twice the value when Purdue Baseball & Softball play on the same day. Softball tickets are just $1 when you show your baseball ticket!
Friday, April 17: 5 p.m. vs. Iowa
Salute to Service Day - All Military, Police, Fire and Hospital Staff, active or retired, as well as all Girl & Boy Scouts receive $1 tickets.
Saturday, April 18: 1 p.m. vs. Iowa
Strike Out Cancer Day - Help us raise money for the Purdue Center for Cancer Research to benefit those who are affected by all types of cancer.
Boiler Block Party - Spend your Saturdays at the Boilermaker Softball Stadium and join us for the Boiler Block Party! Every Saturday this season, fans 21+ are able to purchase alcoholic beverages at the game.
Sunday, April 19: Noon vs. Iowa
Senior Day Celebration - Join Purdue Softball as we celebrate our 4 seniors incredible careers as Boilermakers.
Summer Ball Sunday - Bring the family for a fun Sunday at the Boilermaker Softball Stadium! Enjoy inflatables, games, special promotions during the game, and more. Bring your whole summer ball team and enjoy the game together! Group ticket prices are available for just $1 each when you purchase 20 or more.
The Book on the Boilermakers
At First Glance: Purdue (25-16, 5-7 Big Ten) looks to snap a two-game losing streak when they play host to IPFW on Wednesday night. 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 week, topping Nebraska 1-0 in Game 1 of the three-game weekend series, but falling 3-0 and 8-0 on Saturday and Sunday. The team's Wednesday's doubleheader with Indiana was halted due to weather and postponed until April 22.
Statistically Speaking: First baseman Ashley Burkhardt (.405) leads the Boilermaker bats and a group of seven starters with averages of .250 or better. Burkhardt has driven in a team-best 40 RBI, scored 33 runs, swiped 23 bases and launched nine home runs. Outfielder Alyssa Koorsen (.322), designated player Katie Harrison (.333), catcher Kaylah Hampton (.309), outfielder Kristen Hoppman (.306), shortstop Paris Andrew (.270) and outfielder Maya Hughes (.270) round out the group. Hampton has driven in 28 RBI, scored 14 runs and launched seven home runs. Koorsen has scored 26 runs, swiped 14 bases and tallied six doubles, while Hughes has stolen 18 bases and scored 18 runs. Andrew has scored 18 runs, driven in 18 RBI, stolen seven bases and accounted for two triples and a home run. As a team, the Boilers are batting .288 with 21 home runs and 70 stolen bases.
In the circle, the Boilermaker pitchers are holding foes to a .209 average. Junior Lilly Fecho (16-11) has posted a 1.64 ERA with 221 strikeouts, five shutouts and a save in 175 innings of work, while allowing opponents just a .192 average. Freshman Gina Snyder (6-1) has struck out 58 batters in 48 innings, while boasting a 2.77 ERA and holding foes to a .181 average. Senior Lexy Moore (3-3) has issued 20 strikeouts in 41 innings, while senior Alex Whittemore (0-1) has added six Ks in nine innings.
What a Difference a Win Makes ...
If the Boilermakers top IPFW on Wednesday ....
- They will move to 26-16 on the season, the most wins through 42 games since 2012, when Purdue started 28-14.
- They will move to 94-30 all-time in Wednesday games.
- They will move to 491-306-6 all-time in non-conference games, including 103-28 at home.
- They will move to 224-212-2 all-time in the month of April, including 12-8 on April 15.
Series Information
IPFW (Purdue leads the series 8-0): The Boilermakers have taken all eight previous meetings with the Mastodons, marking their longest current series win streak. The series began with a doubleheader on April 19, 1994, and continued with a meeting in 2002, three in 2003 and a doubleheader in 2004. All eight previous contests have been played in West Lafayette.
Iowa (Iowa leads the series 39-9): The Hawkeyes have had the upper hand in the series since it began on April 1, 1995. Iowa won 36 of the first 42 meetings. The Boilermakers put together a three-game win streak from April 11, 2010 to April 3, 2011, but Iowa rebounded by sweeping the three 2013 meetings including a pair of extra inning contests. The Boilers and Hawkeyes have played five extra-inning games in the series, the most between Purdue and any opponent.
Musings About the Mastodons
At First Glance: The IPFW Mastodons (3-33) are looking to snap a three-game losing streak when they travel to West Lafayette on Wednesday. IPFW returns nine letterwinners, including seven starters and two pitchers, from the 2014 team, which posted a 40-15 record and finished second int the Summit League. The Mastodons are coached by Germaine Fairchild, who is in his first year with the team.
Last Time Out: IPFW went 1-3 last week, topping Valparaiso 5-2 on tuesday, but falling to South Dakota twice on Saturday (L 10-2, 20-2) and once on Sunday (12-4). The Mastodons have won two of their last seven games after starting the season 1-28.
Statistically Speaking: Shortstop Emily Olszewski (.247) and designated player Morghyn Neal (.241) lead the IPFW bats. Olszewski has scored 17 runs, tallied three doubles and a home run and stolen six bases, while Neal has driven in eight RBI with four doubles. Outfielder Preslee Cooper has added two doubles, three runs and three steals. Infielder Avery Nelson (.217) has driven in a team-best nine RBI and launched three home runs, while first baseman Kelly Pevely has added eight RBI, two doubles and three home runs. Third baseman Miranda Marion is batting .316 in 38 at-bats, including a double, seven walks and six RBI. As a team, IPFW is batting .212 with 11 home runs and 20 stolen bases.
In the circle, sophomore Kaitlyn Biere (2-17) has struck out 53 batters in 109 innings, including 11 complete games. Junior Sarah Lazarowich (1-12) has added 21 Ks in 58 innings with five complete games. Freshman Kaitlin Kowalski (0-4) has struck out eight batters in 22 innings. The staff is allowing foes a .410 average, 54 home runs and 93 stolen bases.
An Inkling About Iowa
At First Glance: The Iowa Hawkeyes (14-31, 5-9 Big Ten) have won three of their last six games heading into their Wednesday contest against Iowa State. Iowa returns 11 letterwinners, including seven starters and a pitcher, from the 2014 team, which posted a 16-30-1 record and finished eighth in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes are coached by Marla Looper, who is in her fifth year with the team.
Last Time Out: Iowa went 2-1 last week, topping Wisconsin 16-4 in five innings and 3-2 in 10 innings, while falling 5-4 in Game 2 of the series in Madison, Wis.
Statistically Speaking: Shortstop Megan Blank leads the Hawkeye batters with a .433 average, a team-best 32 RBI, seven home runs, 13 doubles and 28 runs. Outfielder Sammi Gyerman (.353), catcher Holly Hoffman (.311) and second baseman Claire Fritsch (.258) also are batting .250 or better. Gyerman has scored a team-leading 33 runs and added 10 doubles, five home runs and six steals. Hoffman has chipped in 23 RBI, 11 runs, seven doubles and three home runs. Fritsch has scored 26 runs and stolen three bases. Outfielder Allie Wood has added 14 RBI and four home runs. As a team, Iowa is batting .275 with 26 home runs and 16 stolen bases.
In the circle, redshirt sophomore Shayla Starkenburg (12-17) has done the bulk of the pitching, striking out 148 batters in 176 innings, including three shutouts. Freshman Ashley Yoways (2-13) has added 28 Ks in 93 innings, including five complete games. The staff has allowed foes a .327 average with 53 home runs and 36 stolen bases.
Hall of Famer
All-American infielder Andrea Hillsey will be the Boilermaker softball program's first inductee into the Purdue Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame. Hillsey, a White Lake, Mich., native was selected as part of an eight-member 2015 class which will be inducted on April 18.
Hillsey was a four-year letterwinner in softball (2002-05) as a second baseman and shortstop under head coach Carol Bruggeman. Hillsey garnered NFCA All-America honors in 2003 (the only player so recognized in program history) and All-Mideast Region accolades in 2003 and 2005. She also was All-Big Ten the same two years and Academic All-Big Ten three consecutive years (2003-05) while winning the Big Ten Medal of Honor in 2005. Hillsey was a GTE/Verizon Academic All-American and Academic All-District V selection in 2003; team captain in 2003, 2004 and 2005; and team Most Valuable Player in 2002, 2003 and 2005. Hillsey is one of two players in school history with a record three doubles in a game and one of seven with two triples in a contest. She set season records in batting average (.454), walks (40) and on-base percentage (.563) in 2003. Hillsey is Purdue's career leader in on-base percentage (.487) and walks (116) while ranking second in batting average (.374) and tied for third in runs scored (140).
Season Strikeout Leader
Junior Lilly Fecho snapped the Purdue season record for strikeouts on April 10, posting six strikeouts against Nebraska, upping her tally to 219 Ks in 2015, three ahead of Suzie Rzegocki's tally of 216 in 2010. Including two Ks on April 11 against the Huskers, Fecho's record total stands at 221.
In The Nation
The Boilermakers rank among the nation's top 50 in four statistical categories: triples per game (20th with 0.32), earned run average (22nd with 2.22), stolen bases per game (23rd with 1.71) and fielding percentage (29th with .971).
Individually, junior pitcher Lilly Fecho ranks among the top 50 in five categories: strikeouts (9th with 221), strikeouts per seven innings (29th with 8.8), ERA (30th with 1.64), wins (35th with 16), and hits allowed per seven innings (41st with 4.84). Freshman pitcher Gina Snyder ranks 25th in hits allowed per seven innings (4.52) and 37th in strikeouts per seven innings (8.5). Senior first baseman Ashley Burkhardt is 35th in stolen bases per game (0.56) and 46th in sacrifice flies (3).