WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Even during the midst of another season that ultimately would not be remembered as a particularly successful one, Purdue baseball managed to accomplish a number of things it had not in a few years, culminating with a season-ending win streak that closed the curtain on the campaign on a high note.
The Boilermakers (20-34, 6-17 Big Ten) won their final five games and six of their last seven, posting their third longest season-ending win streak in program history. The 1908 and 1992 teams each won their final six contests.
The Big Ten Conference was as competitive as ever and in terms of the record-number of NCAA Regional bids it received (five), enjoyed its finest season in the modern era of college baseball. And it was Purdue that helped keep bubble teams Michigan State and Nebraska out of the NCAA Tournament by posting road wins in East Lansing and Lincoln during its season-ending hot stretch.
The Boilers' 6-4 win at MSU on May 3 marked the beginning of the exciting final few weeks of the campaign. Purdue snapped its 16-game Big Ten losing streak that day, a skid that stood as the program's longest since also dropping 16 consecutive Big Ten games from the end of 1976 through 1977. However, looking back at the conference losing streak reveals that 12 of those 16 losses came against NCAA Regional qualifiers. In the month of April, the Boilers played four consecutive weekend series against teams that would earn NCAA bids -- Iowa, Illinois, Michigan and Maryland. Illinois and Maryland would go on to win their Regionals. Altogether, Purdue played 11 games against Top 25 teams and 15 games against NCAA Regional qualifiers. Additionally, three of the top six teams (Oklahoma, Illinois, Arizona State) with the most players selected in the MLB First-Year Player Draft this year were on the Boilers' schedule.
The losing streak also persisted because Purdue failed to close out a pair of home wins it appeared to have in hand entering at least the eighth inning. April 4, Iowa rallied for eight in the top of the eighth to steal game two of the series after the Boilers led 4-2. April 28, Maryland scored three times in the ninth to overcome Purdue's 3-1 lead entering the frame. Those were losses No. 4 and 14 during the Big Ten skid.
While conference wins were tough to come by in April, the Boilers remained competitive throughout the month in midweek play (5-1). Eventually, the team's subpar situational hitting statistics during the Big Ten losing streak (.175 team batting average with runners in scoring position, .136 with two outs) began to trend in Purdue's favor. During their final seven games of the season, the Boilers batted .362 with runners in scoring position and .277 with two outs.
By rallying to win two of three at Nebraska the weekend of May 9-11, Purdue posted its first Big Ten series victory since sweeping Penn State in Central Pennsylvania in March 2013. In the process, the Boilers won a Big Ten series after dropping the opening game for the first time since May 2009 at Michigan State. The Monday rubber game featured an eight-run inning for Purdue, its biggest since April 2013, a rally that propelled the team to its first Big Ten rubber game win since an April 2012 victory in Lincoln. The Boilermakers joined Ohio State as the only Big Ten teams to win a pair of series at Haymarket Park since Nebraska joined the league in 2012.
The season-ending series with Penn State was cut short by a rainout, but not before Purdue claimed its first Big Ten series victory at Alexander Field thanks to a six-run eighth inning in game one of the doubleheader on the final day of the season. It was the Boilers' eighth twinbill of the year, the team's most since 2008, which was the final season in which the Big Ten schedule featured four-game series and a doubleheader every weekend.
Kyle Wood's monster series at Oklahoma -- in which he had 12 productive plate appearances in 14 trips to the dish and finished the weekend 9-for-11 with three extra-base hits, seven RBI and four runs scored -- earned the first baseman Big Ten Player of the Week honors March 9. He became Purdue's first such honoree since April 2013. Wood went on to win the team triple crown, sharing the team lead in RBI with Kyle Johnson. Wood was the first hitter to win the team triple crown since Ryne White in 2007 and 11th Boilermaker position player since 1970 to accomplish the feat.
Harry Shipley and Brandon Krieg both started every game. With Shipley playing shortstop for an amazing 469 of the 473 innings in which Purdue was in the field and Krieg making all but one of his starts at third base, the left side of the infield was a constant all season. Together they teamed up with second baseman Cody Strong and Wood to help the Boilers turn 54 double plays, a total that ranked second in the Big Ten through the end of the regular season.
During Doug Schreiber's 17-year tenure as head coach (1999-present), Shipley became the first freshman to start every game and just the second to play in every game. He was hit by a pitch a league-leading 16 times to establish a new Purdue freshman record and also finished the regular season leading the Big Ten in defensive assists (184). Krieg finished his career having started 86 consecutive games dating back to March 2014. The versatile three-year starter was the Boilers' second baseman as a sophomore, shortstop as a junior and third baseman this season.
Shane Bryant led the way in both of Purdue's shutout victories, highlighted by a nine-strikeout performance over eight innings in an April win against Ball State. Joe Eichmann later fanned nine of the 21 batters he faced in his final outing as a Boilermaker, setting the stage for the comeback win against Penn State.
Jack Picchiotti hit the first grand slam in the history of Alexander Field in the March 20 Big Ten-opening win against Rutgers. As a freshman in April 2013, Picchiotti also hit the first home run by a Boilermaker at Alexander. Ted Snidanko also connected for a grand slam in 2015, hitting his first collegiate home run as part of a memorable seven-RBI showing despite not entering the March 15 win against Northern Illinois until the sixth inning. And speaking of home runs, Alec Olund's two solo homers in the April 1 victory vs. IPFW (both to left field at Alexander Field) came as a surprise to many. It was the first multi-homer game by a Purdue freshman since April 2010, making it the first of the BBCOR-bat era (2011-present).
Purdue will have to bid adieu to seniors Matt Gibbs, Brett Haan, Eichmann and Krieg, but is slated to return eight starting position players and three pitchers that worked over 50 innings for the 2016 campaign.
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TEAM TRIPLE CROWN (BATTING)
Kyle Wood - .326, 6 HR, 34 RBI
COLLEGE SPORTS MADNESS ALL-CONFERENCE
Kyle Wood - Second Team
BIG TEN WEEKLY AWARDS
Kyle Wood - Player of the Week (March 9)
Harry Shipley - Co-Freshman of the Week (May 18)
BIG TEN DISTINGUISHED SCHOLARS
Gavin Downs
Brandon Krieg
Jordan Lewis
Connor Podkul
ACADEMIC ALL-BIG TEN
Shane Bryant
Gavin Downs
Adam Dressler
Joe Eichmann
Jeff Evak
Matt Frawley
Justin Gubser
Patrick Kenney
Jordan Lewis
Mike Lutz
Alex Lyons
Cody Strong
Michael Vilardo
Robb Woodcock
BIG TEN SPORTSMANSHIP HONOREE
Joe Eichmann
NEW PURDUE FRESHMAN RECORD
Hit By Pitch - Harry Shipley (16)
TEAM AWARDS
MVP - Kyle Wood
Red Mackey Award (Excellence by a Senior) - Joe Eichmann
Offensive Player of the Year - Kyle Wood
Defensive Player of the Year - Cody Strong
Pitcher of the Year - Joe Eichmann
Clyde Lyle Award (Top Non-Scholarship Performer) - Joe Eichmann
Mr. Boilermaker Award (Attitude) - Alec Olund
Newcomer of the Year - Harry Shipley
WALK-OFF WIN
Feb. 21 - Purdue 4, Sam Houston State 3 (Game-Winning Sac Fly: Michael Vilardo)
NOTABLE GAMES/SINGLE-GAME FEATS
Feb. 13 - at Western Carolina 17, Purdue 6 (Earliest Season Opener in Program History)
Feb. 14 - Purdue 9, at Western Carolina 5 (Frawley, Wood & Eichmann Team Up for 15 Strikeouts, Tied for 3rd Most in Purdue History)
Feb. 21 - Purdue 9, Sam Houston State 7 (Boilers Complete First Doubleheader Sweep Since April 2012)
Feb. 26 - Purdue 5, Gonzaga 3 (Boilers Turn 5 Double Plays to Tie Program Record)
March 15 - Purdue 23, Northern Illinois 5 (Boilers' First Rubber Game Win Since April 2012, Ending a 10-Game Skid in Rubber Games; Most Runs in a Game Since April 2006; Ted Snidako: 3-for-3, 2B, 3B, HR, 7 RBI)
March 20 - at Purdue 9, Rutgers 5 (Jack Picchiotti Hits First Grand Slam in Alexander Field History)
April 1 - at Purdue 9, IPFW 1 (Alec Olund Records First Multi-Homer Game by Purdue Freshman Since April 2010)
April 7 - Purdue 10, at Indiana St. 6 (Boilers' First Win in Terre Haute Since 2006)
April 28 - at Purdue 9, Illinois St. 6 (First Win by the Home Team in the Midweek Series Since April 2008)
May 3 - Purdue 6, at Michigan St. 4 (Boilers' Snap 16-Game Big Ten Losing Streak, Their Longest Since 1976-77)
May 11 - Purdue 9, at Nebraska 6 (Boilers Snap Nine-Game Losing Streak in Big Ten Rubber Games, Win First Big Ten Series since March 2013; Purdue Wins a Big Ten Series After Dropping Opener for First Time Since May 2009)
NOTABLE STREAKS
Team - Won Final 5 Games (Longest Win Streak to End a Season Since 1992)
Brandon Krieg - 86 Consecutive Games Started (March 23, 2014-End of 2015 Season); Reached Base Safely in 26 Straight Games (April 15, 2014-Feb. 22, 2015)
Kyle Johnson - 70 Consecutive Games Started (April 5, 2014-April 26, 2015); Reached Base Safely in 18 Straight Games (April 13-May 14)
Kyle Wood - Reached Base Safely in 16 Straight Big Ten Games (May 9, 2014-April 17, 2015)
Harry Shipley - Reached Base Safely in 15 Straight Games (April 7-May 1); 14 Consecutive Games Without an Error (Feb. 22-March 20); First Freshman to Start Every Game Under Doug Schreiber (1999-Present)
GAMES AGAINST NCAA TOURNAMENT TEAMS (15 GAMES)
Feb. 27 - at Arizona St. 15, Purdue 5
Feb. 28 - CSU Bakersfield 6, Purdue 4 (11 innings)
March 17 - at Louisville 5, Purdue 3 (U of L an NCAA Super Regional Host)
April 3-5 - Iowa Swept 3-Game Series at Alexander Field
April 11-13 - Illinois Swept 3-Game Series in Champaign (ILL an NCAA Super Regional Host)
April 17-18 - Michigan Swept 3-Game Series in Ann Arbor
April 24-26 - Maryland Swept 3-Game Series at Alexander Field (UMD an NCAA Super Regional Qualifier)
2015 DOUBLEHEADERS (8, 6-9 RECORD)
Feb. 14 - Split with Western Carolina
Feb. 21 - Won 2 vs. Sam Houston State
Feb. 26 - Split with Gonzaga
March 14 - Split with Northern Illinois
March 28 - Lost 2 vs. Butler
April 18 - Lost 2 at Michigan
April 24 - Lost 2 vs. Maryland
May 16 - Won 7-3 vs. Penn State (Game 2 Called in Top 5th)