Purdue vs. Kansas
Friday, March 3 / 1:15 p.m. ET
Diamond 9 Citrus Classic II / ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex (Field 13) / Kissimmee, Florida
/ Listen
Purdue vs. Bryant
Friday, March 3 / 5:45 p.m. ET
Diamond 9 Citrus Classic II / ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex (Field 12) / Kissimmee, Florida
Purdue vs. Notre Dame
Saturday, March 4 / 12:30 p.m. ET
Diamond 9 Citrus Classic II / ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex (Field 13) / Kissimmee, Florida
Purdue vs. Charlotte
Saturday, March 4 / 2:45 p.m. ET
Diamond 9 Citrus Classic II / ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex (Field 12) / Kissimmee, Florida
Purdue vs. South Alabama
Sunday, March 5 / 12:15 p.m. ET
Diamond 9 Citrus Classic II / ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex (Field 15) / Kissimmee, Florida
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue softball team continues to crisscross the United States this weekend, traveling to Kissimmee, Florida, for the Citrus Classic II. The Boilermakers (2-12) are scheduled to play five games: tomorrow against Kansas (1:15 p.m. ET) and Bryant University (5:45 p.m.), Saturday against Notre Dame (12:30 p.m.) and Charlotte (2:45 p.m.), and Sunday against South Alabama (12:15 p.m.).
Here are the records of the five foes: Kansas (10-6), Bryant (1-4), Notre Dame (6-8), Charlotte (13-4) and South Alabama (13-2).
Already this season, the Boilermakers have trekked to Arizona, North Carolina and California, amassing some 8,800 miles of air travel. They will add another 2,000 miles this weekend.
"That's Big Ten softball," head coach Boo De Oliveira said. "You travel to where it's warm in the beginning."
At the same time, De Oliveira continues to stress that this season is a marathon and not a sprint.
"It's a process, and we need to stay the course," De Oliveira said. "We are building something here, and it's not going to be overnight. We can be successful. We just need to trust in everything that we are doing, from our culture to how we practice to how we compete."
MARY NUTTER COLLEGIATE CLASSIC REWIND
The Boilermakers had their most-consistent weekend offensively at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, batting .338 over the five games and averaging four runs per contest. They had 12 hits against Stanford and LIU Brooklyn and nine against UC Santa Barbara and Houston.
As a team, Purdue raised its season batting average from .225 to .268.
"Our offense definitely was the highlight of the weekend," De Oliveira said. "Our quality at-bat numbers were much better. We still need to do a better job of capitalizing when we have runners in scoring position and reducing our strikeouts. But overall I was pleased with the improvement we made from the previous weekend."
Leading the way was freshman outfielder Tayler Wullenweber, who batted a sizzling .636 (7 for 11) with a double and an RBI. She had been hitless in four at-bats prior to the breakout and is batting .467 for the season.
"Tayler's bat has always been her strong suite," De Oliveira said. "We have moved her to a couple of different positions, trying to figure out where she best fits to help our team the most. She's a batter that when she's on we definitely want her in the lineup. We have seen it in practice, and now we have seen it in games."
Three other Boilermakers batted .400 or better last weekend: catcher Kaylah Hampton (.438 with four RBI), center fielder Maya Hughes (.412 with three stolen bases) and designated player Brooke Perry (.400). Hampton drove in three runs in Purdue's 6-4 victory over UC Santa Barbara. Hughes had at least one hit in all five games.
DIAMOND 9 CITRUS CLASSIC II
De Oliveira's message to her pitchers is clear: throw strikes.
"We are giving up too many walks, and a lot of walks are resulting in runs," De Oliveira said. "The focus is going to be getting ahead of batters so that we can throw pitches that are off the plate versus falling behind and having to give a better pitch to the batter. So, first-pitch strikes and making the batter put the ball in play and trusting in our defense. You can't defend walks."
De Oliveira liked what she saw from sophomore Kaitlynn Moody last weekend.
"She had her best weekend in the circle and is starting to step up to our expectations," De Oliveira said. "I know it may not show that in terms of win-loss record, but she made some really great pitches against two of the better offensive teams we have played in Arizona and Stanford. Unfortunately, our defense sometimes didn't back her up. She gives us another great chance to win with another reliable arm."
This weekend's tournament features 11 teams who will play at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, a 220-acre athletic complex located in the Walt Disney World Resort.
Diamond 9 is a company which encompasses softball and baseball events from the youth to collegiate level. It hosts a variety of competitions, including college tournaments, mainly in Central Florida.
SERIES RECORDS
Purdue vs. Kansas: Kansas leads 2-1
Purdue vs. Bryant: Tied 1-1
Purdue vs. Notre Dame: Notre Dame leads 15-9
Purdue vs. Charlotte: First Meeting
Purdue vs. South Alabama: Tied 1-1
