Purdue vs. UC Santa Barbara
Friday, Feb. 24 / 3:30 p.m. ET
Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic / Big League Dreams (Pawtucket) / Cathedral City, California
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Purdue vs. No. 9 Arizona
Friday, Feb. 24 / 11 p.m. ET
Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic / Big League Dreams (Fenway) / Cathedral City, California
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Purdue vs. Houston
Saturday, Feb. 25 / 6 p.m. ET
Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic / Big League Dreams (Pawtucket) / Cathedral City, California
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Purdue vs. Stanford
Saturday, Feb. 25 / 11 p.m. ET
Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic / Big League Dreams (Pawtucket) / Cathedral City, California
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Purdue vs. LIU Brooklyn
Sunday, Feb. 26 / Noon ET
Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic / Big League Dreams (Pawtucket) / Cathedral City, California
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Tournament Central
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Boo De Oliveira firmly believes the Purdue softball team's performance last weekend was a bump in the road and not a dead end.
The Boilermakers dropped four games - two each to Louisville and host North Carolina in the second-annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge - and will rely on one of their core values to move full steam ahead.
"Fortitude," De Oliveira said. "We really want to see our team bounce back and be relentless. Sometimes it takes a lot of grit before the greatness comes. We are approaching the situation not as a challenge but as an opportunity to turn around the season.
"At the same time, while we are hoping for better results on the scoreboard, the scoreboard doesn't define our culture or our leadership. We are having some tough times right now, but good things are on the horizon for us."
Purdue (1-8) travels to Cathedral City, California, this weekend for the esteemed Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. The Boilermakers are scheduled to play five games: tomorrow against UC Santa Barbara (3:30 p.m. ET) and No. 9 Arizona (11 p.m.), Saturday against Houston (6 p.m.) and Stanford (11 p.m.), and Sunday against LIU Brooklyn (noon).
Here are the records of the five foes: UC Santa Barbara (3-5), Arizona (11-0), Houston (5-7), Stanford (7-3) and LIU Brooklyn (3-6).
De Oliveira is counting on her three seniors - shortstop Kristen Hoppman, pitcher Katie Johnson and outfielder Lexi Valone - to help the Boilermakers become a smooth-running machine.
"I'm hoping that the three of them can really help pull the team together and get us where we need to be to compete at a high level," De Oliveira said. "K.J. is a constant for us on the mound. She throws strikes and gives us a chance to win. Hoppman is one of our best hitters and one of our leading base stealers. Valone has had some key at-bats and is a very good defender."
Purdue has gotten off to a 1-8 start once previously, in 2007, and then rebounded to attain a winning record (33-32-1) and finish fifth in the Big Ten Conference.
ACC/BIG TEN CHALLENGE REWIND
The Boilermakers' first game in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge was a thriller. They led Louisville 3-0 into the fifth inning before the Cardinals rallied to take a 4-3 advantage. Purdue retook the lead 5-4 in the top of the seventh, only to see Louisville win the game with a two-out, two-run walkoff single in the bottom of the frame.
In keeping with the mental mantra, De Oliveira refused to blame the ensuing three losses (by a combined score of 24-1) on any sort of lingering effects from what easily could have been perceived as a demoralizing opener.
"Our players are conditioned to come out and play at a high level every game," De Oliveira said. "We just didn't show up at that level after the first game, and the scoreboard reflected it. We need to focus on all cylinders - pitching, defense and offense functioning together - and we need to make sure we are doing the little things right."
HOPPMAN TOUGH TO FAN
Through two weeks of play, Hoppman is one of 180 players nationally yet to strikeout. She has 30 plate appearances.
For her career, Hoppman has struck out once every 20.2 plate appearances.
MARY NUTTER COLLEGIATE CLASSIC
At No. 9, Arizona will be the highest-ranked opponent the Boilermakers have played since they faced No. 7 UCLA on Feb. 7, 2015, in Los Angeles. UCLA won 9-3.
The last top-10 team Purdue beat was No. 10 Texas on Feb. 9, 2014, in Lafayette, Louisiana. And the last time the Boilermakers topped a team ranked No. 9 or better was Feb. 15, 2008, a 6-5 eight-inning victory over No. 7 Baylor in Waco, Texas.
The Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic is the nation's largest and most-prestigious preseason college softball tournament, featuring 50 top Division I teams. For the second year in a row, the event is spanning two weekends, Feb. 17 to 19 and Feb. 23 to 26.
The late Mary Nutter was a standout softball player and coach who became a great ambassador and clinician for the sport. She was inducted into the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1997.
"She had a huge impact in building the foundation for what softball is now," De Oliveira said. "We are honored to play in recognition of her. It's a big deal to be invited to the tournament. We are going out to play big teams, and that's our goal, to be a big team. It will be a good opportunity to show what we have and to know what we need to do to play at our highest level and compete for a Big Ten championship."
Purdue is making its inaugural appearance in the Mary Nutter Classic.
Cathedral City is located seven miles southeast of Palm Springs, California, via East Palm Canyon Drive. The tournament is played at the Big League Dreams complex, which consists of five fields. Purdue is scheduled to play four of its games at Pawtucket, with the game against Arizona at Fenway.
SERIES RECORDS
Purdue vs. UC Santa Barbara: Purdue leads 3-0
Purdue vs. Arizona: Arizona leads 4-0
Purdue vs. Houston: Tied 2-2
Purdue vs. Stanford: Stanford leads 4-0
Purdue vs. LIU Brooklyn: Purdue leads 6-0
