Game Notes / Live Stats / Live Audio / Free Live Video / Gameday Central
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Purdue (1-6, 38-21 in 2018) at Oral Roberts (3-3, 38-20 in 2018)
Friday to Saturday, March 1 to 2
Doubleheader Friday at 3 p.m. ET / Single Game Saturday at 1 p.m. ET
J.L. Johnson Statium / Tulsa, Oklahoma
All-Time Series: Purdue leads 1-0 / All-Time in Tulsa: First Meetings
Last Meeting: Purdue 7, Oral Roberts 6 (May 15, 2018 in West Lafayette)
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday Game 1: Dalton Parker (Jr, RHP) vs. ORU's Josh McMinn (Sr, RHP)
Friday Game 2: Andrew Bohm (R-So, RHP) vs. ORU's Matt Gaskins (Jr, RHP(
Saturday: Patrick J. Smith (Sr, LHP) vs. ORU's Isaac Coffey (Fr, RHP)
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A pair of 38-win NCAA Regional qualifiers from a year ago square off for weekend No. 3 of the young season, as Purdue baseball makes its first-ever trip to Tulsa for a weekend series with four-time defending Summit League champion Oral Roberts.
Originally slated to be a four-game series with a Saturday doubleheader, the weekend set has already been truncated to three games with a doubleheader Friday. The Boilermakers will head home after Saturday's series finale. First pitch at J.L. Johnson Stadium is slated for 3 p.m. ET on Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday.
Along with having the same number of victories in 2018, Purdue and ORU have both won 13 consecutive home games dating back to last year. Entering the weekend, those streaks are tied for the longest active runs in the nation after North Carolina's 26-game streak ended Wednesday with a loss to VCU. The Golden Eagles opened their season with a three-game sweep of Murray State in Tulsa and have not lost at home since April 3, 2018 vs. Oklahoma. Twenty-seven of ORU's 38 wins (71 percent) last season came at J.L. Johnson Stadium, which features an artificial turf infield and grass outfield.
Oral Roberts is the alma mater of former Purdue pitching coach Steve Holm, who was hired as the head coach at Illinois State in June. He helped convince the Golden Eagles to stop at Alexander Field for a midweek matchup in May of last season as ORU made the long trip to Fort Wayne for the final weekend of the regular season.
Andrew Bohm started on the mound that day for Purdue, working 4 1/3 innings of two-run ball. Current Boilermakers Bo Hofstra, Matt Moore and Dalton Parker also pitched in the 7-6 win. Ben Nisle and Nick Evarts both doubled and scored for Purdue, but it was 2018 graduate Evan Kennedy's pinch-hit home run in the eighth inning that proved decisive after ORU scored twice in the top of the ninth. Kennedy's two-run shot was the first pinch-hit homer by a Boilermaker in six years to the day.
This weekend's trip is believed to be only Purdue's third visit to the state of Oklahoma. In April 2000, the Boilermakers lost a pair of one-run games at Oklahoma State and were swept in the three-game set. Four years ago, Purdue also traveled to Oklahoma for the first full weekend of March, winning the series opener against the Sooners in Norman but ultimately dropping two of three.
PURDUE NOTABLES
• The schedule change to a three-game series this weekend means Purdue is in need of one fewer starting pitcher than anticipated. The coaching staff has elected to give Patrick J. Smith the Saturday start and move up Andrew Bohm one day for the second weekend in a row. Bohm (5) and Smith (5) led the way as the Boilermakers posted 16 scoreless innings over the final two games of the Texas series. Bohm is riding a consecutive scoreless innings streak of 8 1/3, having not given up a run since the first inning of his Feb. 17 start at Southern Miss.
• Dalton Parker, Bohm and Smith combined for 14 2/3 innings of five-run ball at Texas, surrendering just nine hits (1 XBH) while compiling a .176 batting average against. They did issue 10 walks though. Purdue pitchers walked 23 batters over 33 innings in Austin, but only one in Sunday's loss.
• The Boilermakers are second in the Big Ten with a .971 fielding percentage. Of the seven errors Purdue has been charged with, none have been committed on balls hit to infielders. The Boilermakers have three errors on failed pickoffs at first base and four additional miscues by outfielders.
• Ben Nisle is riding a six-game hit streak, failing to hit safely in only the season opener. He's 9-for-24 with three doubles during the streak.
• Zac Fascia has reached base safely in all six games in which he has batted. He was held hitless for the first time Sunday at Texas after registering two hits in each of his first four games in the starting lineup.
• Purdue's inning-by-inning scoring splits flipped over the first two weekends. While losing three of four at Texas, the Boilermakers were outscored 16-7 over the first five innings (including 12-3 in the first two frames). The Longhorns had just a 7-5 edge in innings six through nine. While getting swept at Southern Miss to open the season, Purdue enjoyed an 11-7 scoring edge in innings one through five, but was blitzed 20-4 in innings six through 10.
QUICK LOOK AT ORAL ROBERTS
• The Golden Eagles have been to 19 NCAA Regionals since 1998. By dominating the Mid-Continent Conference/Summit League, ORU went to the postseason 15 consecutive years from 1998 to 2012. The university joined the Southland Conference for two years (2013 and 2014) before returning to the Summit League. Oral Roberts baseball began its current four-year conference title streak in 2015, winning 20-plus league games every year. The four-team Summit League Tournament has also been held in Tulsa the last three seasons and will be again this May. The league's regular-season champion hosts the tournament the following year.
• Like Purdue, ORU has also experienced its fair share of roster turnover. The Golden Eagles have more newcomers (21) than returning letterwinners (13) on this year's roster.
• Spencer Henson is back in the middle of the lineup. He has two home runs and eight RBI over his first five games. The first baseman had three hits at Alexander Field last season. Hunter Wilson (9-for-24, 6 RBI) and Andrew Pace (8-for-24, 3 doubles, 5 RBI) are also off to solid starts.
• Oral Roberts lost to Ohio State 8-3 last weekend at a tournament in Corpus Christi, Texas. The Buckeyes raced out to a 7-0 lead vs. starter Isaac Coffey, who impressed in his collegiate debut with five innings of one-hit ball vs. Murray State (7 Ks vs. no walks).
• The ORU pitching staff has an equal number of strikeouts (48) as hits allowed over 52 innings. Senior Josh McMinn is a three-year member of the weekend rotation and was drafted by the Twins following his sophomore season in 2017. The Golden Eagles' other probable starter on the mound, Matt Gaskins, is in his first season with the team as a junior college transfer.
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Purdue (1-6, 38-21 in 2018) at Oral Roberts (3-3, 38-20 in 2018)
Friday to Saturday, March 1 to 2
Doubleheader Friday at 3 p.m. ET / Single Game Saturday at 1 p.m. ET
J.L. Johnson Statium / Tulsa, Oklahoma
All-Time Series: Purdue leads 1-0 / All-Time in Tulsa: First Meetings
Last Meeting: Purdue 7, Oral Roberts 6 (May 15, 2018 in West Lafayette)
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday Game 1: Dalton Parker (Jr, RHP) vs. ORU's Josh McMinn (Sr, RHP)
Friday Game 2: Andrew Bohm (R-So, RHP) vs. ORU's Matt Gaskins (Jr, RHP(
Saturday: Patrick J. Smith (Sr, LHP) vs. ORU's Isaac Coffey (Fr, RHP)
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A pair of 38-win NCAA Regional qualifiers from a year ago square off for weekend No. 3 of the young season, as Purdue baseball makes its first-ever trip to Tulsa for a weekend series with four-time defending Summit League champion Oral Roberts.
Originally slated to be a four-game series with a Saturday doubleheader, the weekend set has already been truncated to three games with a doubleheader Friday. The Boilermakers will head home after Saturday's series finale. First pitch at J.L. Johnson Stadium is slated for 3 p.m. ET on Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday.
Along with having the same number of victories in 2018, Purdue and ORU have both won 13 consecutive home games dating back to last year. Entering the weekend, those streaks are tied for the longest active runs in the nation after North Carolina's 26-game streak ended Wednesday with a loss to VCU. The Golden Eagles opened their season with a three-game sweep of Murray State in Tulsa and have not lost at home since April 3, 2018 vs. Oklahoma. Twenty-seven of ORU's 38 wins (71 percent) last season came at J.L. Johnson Stadium, which features an artificial turf infield and grass outfield.
Oral Roberts is the alma mater of former Purdue pitching coach Steve Holm, who was hired as the head coach at Illinois State in June. He helped convince the Golden Eagles to stop at Alexander Field for a midweek matchup in May of last season as ORU made the long trip to Fort Wayne for the final weekend of the regular season.
Andrew Bohm started on the mound that day for Purdue, working 4 1/3 innings of two-run ball. Current Boilermakers Bo Hofstra, Matt Moore and Dalton Parker also pitched in the 7-6 win. Ben Nisle and Nick Evarts both doubled and scored for Purdue, but it was 2018 graduate Evan Kennedy's pinch-hit home run in the eighth inning that proved decisive after ORU scored twice in the top of the ninth. Kennedy's two-run shot was the first pinch-hit homer by a Boilermaker in six years to the day.
This weekend's trip is believed to be only Purdue's third visit to the state of Oklahoma. In April 2000, the Boilermakers lost a pair of one-run games at Oklahoma State and were swept in the three-game set. Four years ago, Purdue also traveled to Oklahoma for the first full weekend of March, winning the series opener against the Sooners in Norman but ultimately dropping two of three.
PURDUE NOTABLES
• The schedule change to a three-game series this weekend means Purdue is in need of one fewer starting pitcher than anticipated. The coaching staff has elected to give Patrick J. Smith the Saturday start and move up Andrew Bohm one day for the second weekend in a row. Bohm (5) and Smith (5) led the way as the Boilermakers posted 16 scoreless innings over the final two games of the Texas series. Bohm is riding a consecutive scoreless innings streak of 8 1/3, having not given up a run since the first inning of his Feb. 17 start at Southern Miss.
• Dalton Parker, Bohm and Smith combined for 14 2/3 innings of five-run ball at Texas, surrendering just nine hits (1 XBH) while compiling a .176 batting average against. They did issue 10 walks though. Purdue pitchers walked 23 batters over 33 innings in Austin, but only one in Sunday's loss.
• The Boilermakers are second in the Big Ten with a .971 fielding percentage. Of the seven errors Purdue has been charged with, none have been committed on balls hit to infielders. The Boilermakers have three errors on failed pickoffs at first base and four additional miscues by outfielders.
• Ben Nisle is riding a six-game hit streak, failing to hit safely in only the season opener. He's 9-for-24 with three doubles during the streak.
• Zac Fascia has reached base safely in all six games in which he has batted. He was held hitless for the first time Sunday at Texas after registering two hits in each of his first four games in the starting lineup.
• Purdue's inning-by-inning scoring splits flipped over the first two weekends. While losing three of four at Texas, the Boilermakers were outscored 16-7 over the first five innings (including 12-3 in the first two frames). The Longhorns had just a 7-5 edge in innings six through nine. While getting swept at Southern Miss to open the season, Purdue enjoyed an 11-7 scoring edge in innings one through five, but was blitzed 20-4 in innings six through 10.
QUICK LOOK AT ORAL ROBERTS
• The Golden Eagles have been to 19 NCAA Regionals since 1998. By dominating the Mid-Continent Conference/Summit League, ORU went to the postseason 15 consecutive years from 1998 to 2012. The university joined the Southland Conference for two years (2013 and 2014) before returning to the Summit League. Oral Roberts baseball began its current four-year conference title streak in 2015, winning 20-plus league games every year. The four-team Summit League Tournament has also been held in Tulsa the last three seasons and will be again this May. The league's regular-season champion hosts the tournament the following year.
• Like Purdue, ORU has also experienced its fair share of roster turnover. The Golden Eagles have more newcomers (21) than returning letterwinners (13) on this year's roster.
• Spencer Henson is back in the middle of the lineup. He has two home runs and eight RBI over his first five games. The first baseman had three hits at Alexander Field last season. Hunter Wilson (9-for-24, 6 RBI) and Andrew Pace (8-for-24, 3 doubles, 5 RBI) are also off to solid starts.
• Oral Roberts lost to Ohio State 8-3 last weekend at a tournament in Corpus Christi, Texas. The Buckeyes raced out to a 7-0 lead vs. starter Isaac Coffey, who impressed in his collegiate debut with five innings of one-hit ball vs. Murray State (7 Ks vs. no walks).
• The ORU pitching staff has an equal number of strikeouts (48) as hits allowed over 52 innings. Senior Josh McMinn is a three-year member of the weekend rotation and was drafted by the Twins following his sophomore season in 2017. The Golden Eagles' other probable starter on the mound, Matt Gaskins, is in his first season with the team as a junior college transfer.