Midweek Stat Pack | Listen | Watch (PPV) | Game Day Central
Probable Pitching Matchups
Tuesday: Gavin Downs (Jr, RHP) vs. TBA for Indiana State
Wednesday: Shane Bryant (Jr, RHP) vs. BSU's Scott Baker (Sr, RHP)
Series History
All-Time with Indiana State: ISU leads 36-29-2
All-Time in West Lafayette: ISU leads 17-15-1
Purdue Under Doug Schreiber vs. Indiana State: ISU leads 8-7 (Since 1999)
First Meeting of 2015: Purdue 10, ISU 6 (April 7 in Terre Haute)
Last Meeting in West Lafayette: ISU 4, Purdue 3 (April 2013)
Purdue's Last Win vs. ISU in West Lafayette: Purdue 2, ISU 1 -- 10 Innings (May 2012)
First Meeting: Purdue 7, ISU 0 (1902 in West Lafayette)
All-Time with Ball State: Purdue leads 47-36-2
All-Time in West Lafayette: Purdue leads 30-17-1
Purdue Under Doug Schreiber vs. BSU: Purdue leads 10-9 (Since 1999)
First Meeting of 2015: BSU 8, Purdue 2 (March 25 in Muncie)
Last Purdue Win vs Ball State: Purdue 15, BSU 2 (April 2012 in Muncie)
Last Meeting in West Lafayette: BSU 1, Purdue 0 -- Rained Out in 5th Inning (April 2013)
Last Official Meeting in West Lafayette: Purdue 14, BSU 9 (May 2011)
First Meeting: Purdue 7, BSU 7 (1930 in West Lafayette)
Weather Forecast for West Lafayette, Ind.
Tuesday: 58 degrees, clear skies
Wednesday: 51 degrees, clear skies
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue baseball begins its season long six-game homestand with a pair of midweek rematches, welcoming Indiana State and Ball State to Alexander Field this week.
First pitch is slated for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday. Special $2 general admission tickets are available to all fans as part of $2 Tuesdays. Kids in eighth grade and younger can attend Tuesday's game for just $1 if they wear their youth team jersey to the ballpark. Wednesday has been designated spirit night. Members of Purdue's spirit groups (band, cheer teams, dance groups, etc.) receive free admission Wednesday with proper ID.
If all six games are played over the next week, it will represent the longest homestand at Alexander Field since the ballpark opened in time for the 2013 season.
Purdue had an eight-game homestand at Lambert Field to close the 2011 regular season. It began with a midweek win against Ball State, a game represents the last official meeting with the Cardinals in West Lafayette. Ball State also visited Purdue's campus in April of 2012 and 2013, but both games were rained out. Four and a half innings were played in 2013 before thunderstorms halted and eventually canceled the contest.
Gavin Downs started on the mound in that April 2013 rained out game with the Cardinals. The junior is scheduled to make his second start of the season against Indiana State Tuesday and then return to the weekend rotation for a Sunday start against No. 20 Maryland in game five of the homestand. With Shane Bryant scheduled to start Wednesday against Ball State, Brett Haan will move up to Friday and Matt Frawley Saturday.
Downs has worked eight innings of one-run ball, giving up just four hits and two walks while striking out eight over his last three midweek starts (since April 1). The Boilermakers won all three games after scoring nine-plus runs each time out. Kyle Wood (8-for-13, 5 RBI, 5 runs), Alec Olund (5-for-9, 2 2B, 2 HR, 6 runs) and Harry Shipley (6-for-11, 2 2B, 5 RBI, 6 R, 4 HBP) have led the way offensively during the three-game midweek win streak.
Shipley has reached base safely in eight consecutive games overall, compiling a .472 on-base percentage during that stretch thanks to a 9-for-27 showing at the plate to go along with eight free passes (4 walks, 4 HBP). The freshman shortstop was selected as one of four nominees for the Breakout of the Year award at the upcoming Golden Pete Awards (Sunday, April 26), the third annual awards show celebrating Purdue athletics.
Indiana State (16-21) has gone 3-5 since the first meeting with the Boilermakers April 7 in Terre Haute. The Sycamores played No. 21 Dallas Baptist tough this past weekend in Texas, but lost the series after winning the opener, 6-5. Indiana State has dropped each of its five MVC series this year but managed to win at least one game every weekend. The Sycamores beat Indiana, 6-2, last Tuesday in Terre Haute.
Ball State (24-14) is in second place in the Mid-American Conference's Western Division with a 9-6 mark, trailing a Central Michigan (12-3) team that has the best overall record in the league at 27-13. The Cardinals are 8-7 since defeating Purdue March 25. But they've lost two of three at both Kent State and Eastern Michigan the last two weekends.
Probable starter Scott Baker has been a workhorse for Ball State during his career, throwing over 280 innings. He pitched his eighth career complete game March 21 in a win against Bowling Green, but took the loss in his next two starts and has not pitched since going just three innings April 4.