Midweek Stat Pack / Live Audio / Live Video Wednesday
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Purdue at Valparaiso (20-27)
Tuesday, May 9 at 4 p.m. ET
Emory G. Bauer Field / Valparaiso, Indiana
All-Time Series: Purdue leads 66-20 / All-Time in Valparaiso: Purdue leads 27-10
First Meeting of 2017: Valpo 5, Purdue 3 (March 29 in West Lafayette)
Last Meeting in Valparaiso: Valpo 13, Purdue 10 (May 2016)
Purdue's Last Win vs. Valparaiso: Purdue 6, Valpo 4 (May 2015 in Valparaiso)
First Meeting: Purdue 11, Valpo 9 (April 1949 in West Lafayette)
Butler (27-17) at Purdue (26-20)
Wednesday, May 10 at 5 p.m. ET (Time Change) / BTN Plus on BTN2Go
Alexander Field / West Lafayette, Ind.
Probable Pitching Matchup: Brian Ghiselli (Sr, RHP) vs. BU's Sam Hubbe (So, RHP)
All-Time Series: Purdue leads 103-36-3 / All-Time in West Lafayette: Purdue leads 66-15-1
Last Meetings: Butler swept a three-game split-site series (March 2015)
Purdue's Last Win: Purdue 5, Butler 4 -- 10 Innings (April 2014 in West Lafayette)
First Meeting: Purdue 9, Butler 0 (June 1888 in West Lafayette)
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue baseball resumes midweek play with a pair of games against in-state rivals, visiting Valparaiso on Tuesday before hosting Butler on Wednesday at Alexander Field.
First pitch Tuesday in Northwest Indiana is set for 4 p.m. ET. The Bulldogs make their first visit to West Lafayette since March 2015 for Wednesday's 5 p.m. contest, which is the final $2 midweek matchup of the season at Alexander. All general admission tickets, hot dogs, nachos and domestic draft beers are specially priced at $2.
After not having a midweek game last week due to final exams on campus, the schedule ramps up again with the Boilermakers' fourth five-game week of the season. Purdue has fared well in those busy weeks, posting a winning record in all three. In fact, 12 of the 26 wins this year have come during those five-game weeks.
PURDUE'S FIVE-GAME WEEKS
- March 13 to 19: Won 9-3 at CSUN, swept four-game series at Santa Clara
- March 27 to April 2: Won 3-2 vs KSU, lost 5-3 to Valpo, won 2 of 3 at Ohio St.
- April 18 to 23: Lost 5-3 vs. Ball St., won 10-7 at Indiana St., swept three-game series vs. Illinois
The Boilermakers and Bulldogs entered the weekend ranked 1-2 nationally in win improvements vs. last season. Purdue has won 16 more games than last year and continues to sport the best improvement in winning percentage (+ .380). Butler has won 13 more games than it did in 2016 and seen its winning percentage jump by 350 points.
PURDUE IN 2017 VS. IN-STATE RIVALS
- Wins: Ball State, Indiana (2), Indiana State, Fort Wayne
- Losses: Valparaiso, Indiana State, Indiana, Ball State
Michigan visits Alexander Field this weekend for the time since April 2014. It will be Purdue's fourth consecutive home weekend, an advantage the program had not enjoyed since 1996. Sunday's series finale is another special 3 p.m. ET first pitch for Big Ten Network coverage. The Boilermakers' seniors will be recognized prior to the game for their contributions to the program. Another Purdue Pete bobblehead giveaway has also been added to the promotions calendar for Sunday. The first 500 fans will receive a 1980s-era Purdue Pete bobblehead.
SHIPLEY STEALS 20
- Harry Shipley has already become the first Boilermaker to steal 20 bases since Mitch Hilligoss in 2005. Now Shipley has an opportunity to join an even more exclusive group of Purdue players with 20 steals, 40 runs scored and 10 doubles in the same season. Only three Boilermakers have accomplished the feat, with Hilligoss also being the last to do so.
- Shipley was a perfect 8-for-8 on stolen base attempts during Purdue's nine-game homestand that came to an end Sunday. He finished the extended stretch at Alexander Field 11-for-31 with six free passes and seven runs scored. Jacson McGowan (.513 OBP), Bryce Bonner (.463 OBP) and Nick Dalesandro (.421 OBP) also reached base safely at least 16 times.
Player, Year /// Steals /// Runs /// Doubles
Mitch Hilligoss, 2005 /// 25-28 /// 52 /// 16
Chris Walker, 1999 /// 21-30 //// 48 /// 13
Dave Scheitlin, 1991 /// 30-36 /// 41 /// 10
Harry Shipley, 2017 /// 20-26 /// 36 /// 9