Weekend Stat Pack / Live Audio / Live Video / Gameday Central
WEEKEND SERIES INFORMATION
Lipscomb (9-12) at Purdue (9-9)
Friday to Saturday, March 22 to 23 / BTN Plus on BTN2Go
Friday Doubleheader at 2 p.m. ET / Saturday Series Finale at 1 p.m. ET
Alexander Field / West Lafayette, Indiana
All-Time Series: Purdue leads 4-0 / All-Time in West Lafayette: First Meetings
Last Series: Purdue swept a three-game set (March 2011 in Nashville)
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday Game 1: Tanner Andrews (Sr, RHP) vs. Lipscomb's Joshua Colon (Jr, RHP)
Friday Game 2: Gareth Stroh (Jr, LHP) vs. Lipscomb's Chris Kachmar (Jr, RHP)
Saturday: Trent Johnson (Fr, RHP) vs. Lipscomb's Noah Thompson (Fr, LHP)
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue baseball opens its home schedule with the first of five weekends at Alexander Field this season, welcoming Lipscomb to campus for three-game series that will now begin with a doubleheader Friday.
With snow in the forecast for Saturday, the decision was made this week to play a doubleheader Friday at 2 p.m. ET in an effort to get at least two games played this weekend. The series finale is set for 1 p.m. Saturday but will likely be moved to 1 p.m. Sunday if the forecast holds true.
One ticket is good for both games of Friday's doubleheader. Fans with tickets to any rescheduled games this weekend can use those tickets for general admission seats to any future home date this season.
The inaugural 2013 season at Alexander Field marked the last time the Boilermakers' home opener was part of a weekend series. The 2010 campaign marked the last time Purdue hosted a non-conference opponent for its first home weekend. And it's been a full decade since the Boilermakers opened their home slate with a doubleheader.
Purdue is the final Big Ten team to play at home for the second season in a row.
Is this heaven?
No, it's Purdue.
Our field of dream sees its first action of the season In less than 24 hours! #BoilerUp pic.twitter.com/F9KOCxgs4M-- Purdue Baseball (@PurdueBaseball) March 22, 2018
HOT START FOLLOWED BY A TOUGH STRETCH
- Purdue was 8-1 over its first 9 games
...Team Stats: .323 Avg., 63 runs, 2.21 ERA, .220 B/Avg., 58 Ks vs. 30 walks, .965 Fielding Pct.
- The Boilermakers enter the weekend having dropped 8 of their last 9 games
...Team Stats: .237 Avg., 35 runs, 6.41 ERA, .320 B/Avg., 56 Ks vs. 40 walks, .961 Fielding Pct.
PRODUCTIVE FRESHMEN ON SPRING BREAK
- Ben Nisle: 11-for-31 (.355), 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, BB, 6 R; 4 multi-hit games
- Trent Johnson: 2 GS, 8 IP, 3 H, 7 BB, 8 K, 1.12 ERA, .120 avg. against
LEARNARD LOCKED IN AGAIN
- Since giving up a walk-off home run in the ninth inning of the 4-2 loss vs. Notre Dame on Feb. 24 in San Antonio, Ross Learnard has retired 15 of the 18 batters he has faced in his last five appearances. He has worked 5 1/3 innings of two-hit relief during that stretch.
2017 LEADERS AT ALEXANDER FIELD
- Jacson McGowan: .373, 8 XBH, 4 HR, 17 RBI, 6 BB, 9 R, 2 SB
- Skyler Hunter: .313, 2B, 3B, 7 RBI, 12 R, 4 SB
- Nick Dalesandro: .292, 2B, HR, 13 RBI, 7 BB, 10 R, 3 SB
- Gareth Stroh: 5 GS, 36 1/3 IP, 25 H, 9 BB, 19 K, 2.72 ERA, .195 Avg. Against
- Ross Learnard: 11 App, 18 2/3 IP, 12 H, 5 BB, 15 K, 0.48 ERA, .185 Avg. Against
LAST DECADE OF HOME OPENERS
Year: Home Opener // First Home Weekend
- 2017: Won 3-2 vs. Kent State (March 28) // Won 2-of-3 vs. Indiana (April 7-9)
- 2016: Lost 9-4 vs. No. 7 Louisville (March 23) // Lost 3 vs. Nebraska (March 25-27)
- 2015: Won 2-0 vs. Valparaiso (March 18) // Lost 2-of-3 vs. Rutgers (March 20-22)
- 2014: Won 7-1 vs. IPFW (March 26) // Lost 2-of-3 vs. Penn State (April 4-6)
- 2013: Lost 10-1 vs. Ohio State (March 22) // Lost 3 vs. Ohio State (March 22-23)
- 2012: Won 2-1 vs. No. 15 Louisville (March 27) // Won 2-of-3 vs. Penn State (March 30-April 1)
- 2011: Lost 5-4 vs. Illinois State (March 22) // Won 2-of-3 vs. Michigan (April 8-10)
- 2010: Won 10-4 vs. IPFW (March 23) // Won 3 vs. Chicago State (March 26-27)
- 2009: Won 5-2 vs. IPFW (March 24) // Won 2-of-3 vs. Iowa (April 3-4)
- 2008: Won 6-0 vs. Western Illinois (March 22) // Won 4 vs. Western Illinois (March 22-23)
OPENING WEEKEND OF BIG TEN PLAY
- Indiana at Iowa
- Minnesota at Nebraska
- Illinois at Northwestern
- Penn State at Rutgers
- Michigan State vs. Michigan (2 in Ann Arbor, 1 in East Lansing)
- Non-Conference Series: UMD vs. Stetson, OSU vs. Georgetown, Purdue vs. Lipscomb
QUICK LOOK AT LIPSCOMB
- Hailing from Nashville, Tennessee, the Bisons are members of the Atlantic Sun Conference. They've played at home each of their first five weekends. Lipscomb has a series win against Michigan this year, coming back to win two of three after dropping a high-scoring series opener 16-11. There were a combined 17 runs scored the rest of the weekend. But the Bisons have lost four of five since, falling in 10 innings Wednesday vs. Middle Tennessee despite rallying for five runs in the bottom of the first.
- Cade Sorrells has recorded 19 walks vs. just five strikeouts in 98 plate appearances this season. Blake Thomas also has more walks (15) than strikeouts (10) while being a perfect 11-for-11 on stolen base attempts. He has accounted for nearly half of Lipscomb's 24 steals. Zeke Dodson (.372, 8 XBH, 17 RBI) and Jeffrey Crisan (.385, 16 RBI) have been the primary run producers. Tevin Symonette connected for a grand slam in the first inning Wednesday vs. MTSU and is among the eight different players that have homered for the Bisons.
- Joshua Colon, a right-hander from Puerto Rico, is slated to return to the rotation this weekend and start the series opener. He was Lipscomb's opening day starter but had to leave his second start of the season in the second inning due to injury and has not pitched since. Chris Kachmar (30 IP, 26 hits allowed, 34 K) and Noah Thompson (26 IP, 21 hits allowed, 15 K) have been very consistent while remaining the Saturday and Sunday starters over the first five weekends. They have both surrendered fewer hits than innings pitched despite the righty and lefty featuring very different repertoires.