Schedule Update: Friday's game has been postponed until Saturday as part of a 2 p.m. ET doubleheader.
Weekend Stat Pack / Live Audio / Gameday Central
WEEKEND SERIES INFORMATION
Purdue (9-6) at Saint Louis (8-7)
March 17 to 18 / Doubleheader on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET, Finale Sunday at 1 p.m.
Billiken Sports Center / St. Louis, Missouri
All-Time Series: Purdue leads 5-2
First Meeting of 2018: Purdue 5, SLU 2 (Feb. 23 in San Antonio)
Last Series: Purdue swept a 2-game set (April 2017 in West Lafayette)
Last Series in St. Louis: Purdue won 2 of 3 (March 2006)
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
Saturday Game 1: Tanner Andrews (Sr, RHP) vs. SLU's Miller Hogan (Jr, RHP)
Saturday Game 2: Gareth Stroh (Jr, LHP) vs. SLU's Jackson Wark (Jr, RHP)
Sunday: TBA for Purdue vs. SLU's Drew Reveno (Jr, RHP)
ST. LOUIS - Purdue baseball concludes its spring break trip with its first visit to the Gateway to the West in a dozen years, taking on the Saint Louis Billikens for the second time in 2018 and third season in a row.
First pitch at the Billiken Sports Center is set for 7 p.m. Friday, 3 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. With thunderstorms and cold temperatures in the forecast for Friday, a Saturday doubleheader is likely.
The Boilermakers also played at SLU on the second weekend of their 2006 spring break trip, the entirety of which was spent in the Show Me State. They won two of three at the Billiken Sports Center to cap a successful 6-2 road trip.
Purdue and Saint Louis have played four times in three different cities since March 2016. The Billikens were victorious at Kansas' tournament in Lawrence in 2016. The Boilermakers have won the last three meetings, sweeping a rain-shortened, two-game set at Alexander Field last season and taking this year's game at Notre Dame's tournament in San Antonio.
Saint Louis and Purdue enter the weekend headed in opposite directions. The Billikens have won seven straight, all at home, since opening the season 1-7. Meanwhile, the Boilermakers have lost five of their last six since opening the year 8-1. Purdue lost at least five of six twice last season, but responded with at least three consecutive wins on both occasions.
While home-and-home midweek series are pretty commonplace every season, playing the same opponent in two different cities like Purdue and Saint Louis this year is somewhat unique. Four years ago, the Boilermakers posted a three-game season series sweep of Butler in three different cities -- Birmingham, Indianapolis and West Lafayette. In 2013, the Boilermakers also played non-conference opponents in two different locations. Purdue played Samford in both Starkville and Birmingham. It also played games against Louisville in St. Petersburg and Louisville.
Great view of the Arch from the front entrance of our team hotel this weekend in Downtown St. Louis. Getting ready to head to practice at SLU. #BoilerUp pic.twitter.com/U2ooheSsKs
-- Purdue Baseball (@PurdueBaseball) March 15, 2018
YEARLY HIGHLIGHTS VS. SAINT LOUIS
- March 11, 2016 -- Saint Louis 3, Purdue 2: Tanner Andrews started on the mound for the Boilermakers, retiring the first nine SLU batters of the game in order. But the Billikens scored all three of their runs in the fourth inning, scoring on a bases-loaded walk, fielder's choice and two-out throwing error after the first three batters reached base safely. Purdue had a 9-4 edge in the hit column, but lost the game. Nick Dalesandro's infield single plated Jacson McGowan as the first run of the game in the top of the second. The Boilermakers loaded the bases with no outs in the ninth inning, with current seniors Alec Olund and Harry Shipley both recording hits, but could only score on a double play ball.
- April 28, 2017 -- Purdue 5, Saint Louis 2: Andrews worked seven shutout innings, limiting SLU to just one hit over his final four frames. McGowan hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning, connecting for the first long ball against SLU starter Miller Hogan in 70 pitched in 2017. The Boilermakers also handed Hogan his first loss of the season. Shipley came through with a pair of clutch plays early in the game. With two on and one out in the top of the first, he made an impressive barehanded pick on a bad hop behind second base. The shortstop turned the chopper into an inning-ending 6-3 double play. In the bottom of the third, he delivered a two-out RBI single to plate the game's first run. The timely hit came after Hogan had struck out consecutive hitters with a man on third base. Dalton Parker closed out the win for his fifth save of the season, eclipsing a Purdue freshman record that had stood since 1993.
- April 29, 2017 -- Purdue 4, Saint Louis 3: The Boilermakers won in walk-off fashion on Shipley's two-out single in the ninth inning. Milo Beam scored the game-winning run on a walk-off for the second time in less than a week. Gareth Stroh, Cameron Williams and Ross Learnard teamed up for nine innings of three-run ball despite recording just one strikeout combined. All three of SLU's runs were scored on homers to left field. The victory was Purdue's seventh in a row, during which the team did not trail for 57 consecutive innings. The series finale was rained out and the Boilermakers were idle until the following weekend due to finals. Both streaks ended in their next game, a 7-2 loss to Northwestern.
- Feb. 23, 2018 -- Purdue 5, Saint Louis 2: Skyler Hunter drove in three of the Boilermakers' five runs, highlighted by a two-run single with the bases loaded in the third inning. Shipley reached base safely three times, scoring on Hunter's clutch single as well as Hunter's sac fly in the eighth inning. Bo Hofstra retired all 11 batters he faced to close out the win, backing up a good outing from Stroh (5 1/3 IP, 6 H, 2 R). Hofstra won Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors for his first collegiate save.
TOP PERFORMERS VS. THE BILLIKENS
- Tanner Andrews: 2 GS, 10 2/3 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 5 K
- Gareth Stroh: 2 GS, 11 1/3 IP, 10 H, 4 R, 2 BB, K
- Harry Shipley: 7-for-14, 2B, 2 BB, HBP, 2 RBI, 3 R, SB
- Jacson McGowan: 5-for-15, HR, 3 RBI, BB, 3 R
- Nick Dalesandro: 4-for-13, 3 BB, RBI, 2 R, SB
- Bo Hofstra: 3 2/3 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 4 K
MORE ABOUT SAINT LOUIS
- The Billikens have posted their seven-game win streak via a pair of three-game series sweeps vs. Chicago State and Oakland along with a midweek win against SIU Edwardsville on Wednesday. Purdue will host both Oakland Chicago State for midweek games in April.
- Weekend starters Miller Hogan (29 Ks, 22 hits allowed in 25 innings) and Jackson Wark (22 Ks, 11 hits allowed in 20 1/3 innings) both have more strikeouts that hits allowed. Purdue was able to knock Wark out of the game in the third inning in San Antonio. The Canadian has won his other three starts, surrendering just one extra-base hit. Closer Ryan Lefner has not issued a walk in 10 innings this season, conceding just seven hits while striking out 12.
- Alex King has been very productive at the plate against Purdue, hitting safely in all four games over the last three years. He homered twice at Alexander Field a year ago and is 5-for-12 with four walks and five RBI against the Boilermakers. Parker Sniatynski (4-for-13, 2 2B, 2 RBI) has also hit safely in all four games.
- Saint Louis finished the 2017 season strong after visiting Alexander the final weekend of April. The Billikens went 11-6 in May, with three of those losses coming against a Davidson team that went on to win an NCAA Regional at North Carolina. SLU rallied through the loser's bracket of the Atlantic 10 Tournament, reaching the championship round before losing to Davidson in extra innings.