Purdue Begins Home-Heavy Stretch Against HawkeyesPurdue Begins Home-Heavy Stretch Against Hawkeyes

Purdue Begins Home-Heavy Stretch Against Hawkeyes

Purdue plays 13 of its next 16 games at home, beginning with its second home weekend of the year that features Iowa's first visit to Alexander since 2015.

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April 12 Update: Due to rain in the forecast, Sunday's game has been officially moved to Saturday as part of a 1 p.m. ET doubleheader. One ticket is good for both games Saturday. Fans with tickets for Sunday can use their tickets Friday or Saturday, or exchange them for seats for any future home game in 2019.

WEEKEND SERIES INFORMATION
Iowa (18-13, 5-4 B1G) at Purdue (10-21, 4-4 B1G)

Friday, April 12 to Saturday, April 13 / BTN Plus on BTN2Go
Friday Series Opener at 6 p.m. ET
Saturday Doubleheader at 1 p.m. ET
Alexander Field / West Lafayette, Indiana
All-Time Series: Iowa leads 97-64-1 / All-Time in West Lafayette: Iowa leads 43-38-1
Last Series: Iowa won 2 of 3 (March 2017 in Iowa City)
Last Series in West Lafayette: Iowa swept a 3-game set (April 2015)
Purdue's Last Series Win vs. Iowa: Purdue swept a 3-game set (May 2011)

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday: Patrick J. Smith (Sr, LHP) vs. Iowa's Cole McDonald (Sr, RHP)
Saturday Game 1: Andrew Bohm (R-So, RHP) vs. Iowa's Cam Baumann (So, LHP)
Saturday Game 2: TBA for Purdue vs. Iowa's Grant Judkins (Jr, RHP)

WEEKEND PROMOTIONS
Friday: Mini Bat Giveaway (first 250 fans); Free BBQ for first 100 Purdue students at pregame tailgate
Saturday 1: American Red Cross Blood Drive from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; free ticket for fans who donate
Saturday 2: Salute to Service – $1 tickets for active/retired military, police, fire, first responders, hospital staff
Sunday: Special jerseys silent auction for PUDM/Riley Family Day; Coke Float Giveaway (first 100 fans) -- MOVED TO APRIL 28

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue baseball plays 13 of its next 16 games at home, beginning with its second home weekend of the season that features Iowa's first visit to Alexander Field since 2015.

First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday (all times ET). With a full day of rain showers in the forecast for Sunday, a Saturday doubleheader is now official.

Saturday will be a busy day on the western edge of campus. Purdue softball is also at home this weekend, hosting Nebraska. Plus the annual Purdue Grand Prix races begin Saturday at 11:30 a.m., with the primary race set for 2:30 p.m. Specific parking (all free) is reserved for each of the three events, but fans are encouraged to arrive early.

The Hawkeyes visited Alexander Field in each of the first three years of the ballpark's existence (2013-15). From May 2013 to April 2015, nine of the Boilermakers' 30 home games were against Iowa. Since last hosting the Hawkeyes for the first weekend of April in 2015, Purdue has played 76 home games against 27 teams. During that span, Iowa has gone the longest of any Big Ten without visiting West Lafayette. After this weekend, Maryland (last visit: April 24-26, 2015) will be the Big Ten team with the longest active stretch without an appearance at Alexander.

With the Hawkeyes and Boilermakers playing early in 2015 and not at all in both 2016 and 2018, only three of Purdue's last 101 games against Big Ten teams have been against Iowa. Since April 6, 2015, the Boilermakers have played more games against nine non-conference opponents – Indiana State (9), Ball State (8), Cal State Northridge (8), Saint Louis (7), Purdue Fort Wayne (6), Valparaiso (5), Santa Clara (4), Texas (4) and Texas State (4) – than they have against the Hawkeyes.

Purdue's lone road trip over the next 26 days is a three-game series at Rutgers next weekend. The Boilermakers play at home three of the next four weekends and four of the final six to close the regular season. Dating back to April 24 of last season, Purdue is 17-2 at Alexander Field. The Boilermakers have won four straight weekend series at home for the first time since taking five straight from 2011 to 2012. They've won 11 straight Big Ten home games.

The Hawkeyes already had their consecutive Big Ten weekends at home, sweeping Illinois (March 29-31) and taking two of three vs. Rutgers (April 5-6). They're 11-3 in Iowa City this season and 7-10 away from Duane Banks Field, including 4-7 in true road games. Iowa nearly swept Oklahoma State in Stillwater the opening weekend of March, settling for a series win after the Cowboys rallied for two in the bottom of the ninth to steal the opener. But the Hawkeyes are just 1-6 away from Iowa City since that series win in Stillwater.

LOTS OF ACTIVE STREAKS FOR HUNTER
All streak totals are consecutive games

HIT STREAKS
Big Ten Play: 6 – 9-for-24 (.375), 2 2B, 2 3B, 4 RBI, 3 R, .444 OBP
 Home: 6 – 10-for-23 (.435), 2 3B, 2 RBI, 4 R, .480 OBP
Overall: 9 – 14-for-35 (.400), 2 2B, 3 3B, 5 RBI, 6 R, .475 OBP

REACHED BASE SAFELY STREAKS
Overall: 12 – 18-for-47 (.383), 3 2B, 4 3B, 6 RBI, 11 R, .463 OBP
 Home: 19 – 23-for-72 (.319), 5 2B, 2 3B, HR, 17 RBI, 15 R, .370 OBP
 Big Ten Play: 25 – 33-for-97 (.340), 8 2B, 3 3B, HR, 18 RBI, 22 R, .425 OBP
Against Big Ten Teams: 31 – 42-for-120 (.350), 10 2B, 3 3B, HR, 22 RBI, 30 R, .429 OBP

Skyler Hunter has reached base safely in 20 of 21 games since returning to the lineup in time for the March 9 doubleheader vs. NJIT. He has hit safely in 23 of his 27 games this year.
Of Hunter's 53 career multi-hit games, tops among active Boilermakers, 17 have featured him recording hits from both sides of the plate.
In 140 career games, Hunter has 180 hits and a .331 average. Of those 180 career hits, 124 have come as a left-handed hitter and 56 as a right-handed hitter. Daryl Hallada (1997-00) owns Purdue's all-time hits record (279) thanks to a .340 career batting average as a Boilermaker. Hallada is also the program's all-time leader with 820 at-bats. His daughter Kaeley Hallada is currently a freshman on the Purdue softball team.
Hunter again has an opportunity to record a 10-game hit streak in three different seasons, a feat accomplished by only three Boilermakers since 2005. Eric Charles (2009-12), Cameron Perkins (2010-12) and Nick Dalesandro (2016-18) all went on to be drafted.

10-GAME HIT STREAKS IN 3 DIFFERENT SEASONS SINCE 2005
Skyler Hunter – 10 in 2017, 13 in 2018
Nick Dalesandro – 11 in 2016, 10 in 2017, 11 in 2018
Cameron Perkins – 10 in 2010, 20 in 2011, 11 in 2012
Erik Charles – 14 in 2009, 10 in 2010, 15 in 2011, 10 in 2012

PURDUE'S DOUBLE-FIGURE STRIKEOUT GAMES THIS YEAR
The Boilermakers have posted their 14 double-figure strikeout games, already the program's most since at least 2005, against nine different opponents. They had 30-plus strikeouts in series against both NJIT (37) and Jacksonville State (32). They likely would have reached that the 30-K mark against Penn State (28 over two games) as well had the final game of the series not been canceled.
Eight different pitchers have led the team in strikeouts during one of Purdue's 10-K games this year. Andrew Bohm has led the way a team-high five times. Austin Peterson, Trent Johnson and Conner Tomasic have all posted team-high totals as relievers.
 
Total Ks Opponent Innings Pitched Individual Leader Also Had 4+ Ks Date
18 at Indiana 9 1/3 James Kulak – 6 Bo Hofstra – 5 April 10
16 vs. NJIT 9 Austin Peterson – 9 Patrick J. Smith – 7 March 9 (G2)
15 Penn State 10 Andrew Bohm – 6
Trent Johnson – 6
NA March 31
14 at Northwestern 8 Trent Johnson – 10 Andrew Bohm – 4 March 23
13 Penn State 9 Patrick J. Smith – 9 NA March 29
12 at Northwestern 9 Patrick J. Smith – 7 NA March 22
12 vs. NJIT 10 Andrew Bohm – 5 Bo Hofstra – 4 March 9 (G1)
11 at Jacksonville St. 8 Andrew Bohm – 7 Matt Moore – 4 March 15
11 at Oral Roberts 8 Andrew Bohm – 6 Austin Peterson – 5 March 1 (G2)
11 at Jacksonville St. 9 Patrick J. Smith – 8 NA March 16
10 at Ball State 8 Conner Tomasic – 5 Hayden Wynja – 4 March 19
10 at Jacksonville St. 8 Ryan Beard – 5 NA March 17
10 at Texas 8 Dalton Parker – 6 NA Feb. 23 (G1)
10 at Southern Miss 8 Andrew Bohm – 4 NA Feb. 17