WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Coming off a tough weekend on the road, Purdue (30-20, 6-11 Big Ten) welcomes Wisconsin (33-10, 10-7 Big Ten) to Bittinger Stadium for its final home series of the 2019 regular season. The Badgers are currently fifth in the conference standings with wins against Illinois, Penn State, Iowa and Indiana.
The series starts Friday, April 26 at 6 p.m. ET, followed by an 11 a.m. game on Saturday. The Boilermakers and the Badgers conclude the weekend with a Sunday series finale at noon. All games are set to stream on BTN2go.
Game 1 | Purdue vs. Wisconsin
Friday, April 26| 6 p.m. ET
Bittinger Stadium | West Lafayette, Ind.
WATCH | LISTEN | LIVE STATS
Game 2 | Purdue vs. Wisconsin
Saturday, April 27 | 11 a.m. ET
Bittinger Stadium | West Lafayette, Ind.
WATCH | LISTEN | LIVE STATS
Game 3 | Purdue vs. Wisconsin
Sunday, April 28 | Noon ET
Bittinger Stadium | West Lafayette, Ind.
WATCH | LISTEN | LIVE STATS
FOR THE FANS
This weekend is full of promotions at Bittinger Stadium as festivities hit off with Capes and Crowns Night on Friday. All fans are encouraged to wear capes and/or crowns, while the first 200 fans will receive a free soft pretzel.
The promotions continue on Saturday with Bark in the Park as all fans are welcomed to bring their canine friends to the game. The first 250 Boilermakers at the game will receive a free dog frisbee, while everyone can enjoy $1 hot dogs.
Promotions round out with free ice cream floats on Sunday for Senior Day. Seniors Mallory Baker, Jenny Behan, Maddie Damon, Lexi Huffman and Kaitlynn Moody will also be recognized on the field after the game.
PURDUE UPDATE
The Boilermakers are still looking to surpass 30 wins for the first time since 2015, after dropping a Big Ten series to Northwestern last weekend. Despite the outcome, the weekend was highlighted by three home runs from freshman Kendall Chase and six innings of relief from senior Maddie Damon.
Chase paced last week's offensive efforts with a .625 batting average, a 1.750 slugging percentage, five hits and four runs. Damon led the defense, allowing just three hits, while striking out six in 6.1 innings pitched against a nationally ranked Northwestern team.
Overall, Purdue is hitting .283 as a team with five Boilermakers continuing to bat above .300. Third baseman Jenny Behan leads the squad with a .357 average, 55 hits, 44 runs, 36 RBI and 12 home runs.
Freshman Rachel Becker follows close behind with a .345 average, while leading the Big Ten and the Boilermakers with 35 walks on the year.
In the circle, redshirt sophomore Sydney Bates has remained a steady starter for Purdue. She is 11-7 with a 2.85 ERA, while having surpassed 100 strike outs for a second consecutive season. Last year, Bates tallied 124 strike outs in 166.1 innings pitched. This season, she currently stands at 104 strike outs in 127.2 innings of work.
SCOUTING WISCONSIN
Wisconsin enters the weekend with a 33-10 overall record and a 10-7 Big Ten showing after falling to Minnesota in a midweek doubleheader.
Infielder Kayla Konwent is leading the team and conference with a .481 batting average. The junior has produced 34 runs, 63 hits, 16 doubles and a conference-high 15 home runs. Sophomore Taylor Johnson is batting .366 with a team-high 39 runs, 49 hits, nine doubles, nine home runs and 34 RBI. The infielder has a team-high 13 stolen bases on 17 attempts. As a team, the Badgers are batting .290.
In the circle, sophomore Haley Hestekin has a 1.14 ERA through 116.1 innings pitched. The right-hander is 14-4 and has tallied a team-high 100 strikeouts while allowing 30 earned runs. Kaitlyn Menz, a junior right-hander, has gone 107.2 innings with 77 strikeouts and 30 earned runs. She is 15-6 with a 1.95 ERA. The Badger pitching staff has compiled a 1.93 ERA to rank second in the Big Ten, only behind Northwestern (1.79) and Minnesota (1.87).
WEEKEND SERIES INFORMATION
All-Time Series: Purdue leads 32-24 dating back to 1996
Last Series: Wisconsin 2-1 (in Madison)
Last Meeting: Wisconsin 8, Purdue 0 (at the 2018 Big Ten Tournament in Madison, Wisc. | 5/10/18)
Last Meeting in West Lafayette: Wisconsin 3, Purdue 1 (4/16/17)
The series starts Friday, April 26 at 6 p.m. ET, followed by an 11 a.m. game on Saturday. The Boilermakers and the Badgers conclude the weekend with a Sunday series finale at noon. All games are set to stream on BTN2go.
Game 1 | Purdue vs. Wisconsin
Friday, April 26| 6 p.m. ET
Bittinger Stadium | West Lafayette, Ind.
WATCH | LISTEN | LIVE STATS
Game 2 | Purdue vs. Wisconsin
Saturday, April 27 | 11 a.m. ET
Bittinger Stadium | West Lafayette, Ind.
WATCH | LISTEN | LIVE STATS
Game 3 | Purdue vs. Wisconsin
Sunday, April 28 | Noon ET
Bittinger Stadium | West Lafayette, Ind.
WATCH | LISTEN | LIVE STATS
FOR THE FANS
This weekend is full of promotions at Bittinger Stadium as festivities hit off with Capes and Crowns Night on Friday. All fans are encouraged to wear capes and/or crowns, while the first 200 fans will receive a free soft pretzel.
The promotions continue on Saturday with Bark in the Park as all fans are welcomed to bring their canine friends to the game. The first 250 Boilermakers at the game will receive a free dog frisbee, while everyone can enjoy $1 hot dogs.
Promotions round out with free ice cream floats on Sunday for Senior Day. Seniors Mallory Baker, Jenny Behan, Maddie Damon, Lexi Huffman and Kaitlynn Moody will also be recognized on the field after the game.
PURDUE UPDATE
The Boilermakers are still looking to surpass 30 wins for the first time since 2015, after dropping a Big Ten series to Northwestern last weekend. Despite the outcome, the weekend was highlighted by three home runs from freshman Kendall Chase and six innings of relief from senior Maddie Damon.
Chase paced last week's offensive efforts with a .625 batting average, a 1.750 slugging percentage, five hits and four runs. Damon led the defense, allowing just three hits, while striking out six in 6.1 innings pitched against a nationally ranked Northwestern team.
Overall, Purdue is hitting .283 as a team with five Boilermakers continuing to bat above .300. Third baseman Jenny Behan leads the squad with a .357 average, 55 hits, 44 runs, 36 RBI and 12 home runs.
Freshman Rachel Becker follows close behind with a .345 average, while leading the Big Ten and the Boilermakers with 35 walks on the year.
In the circle, redshirt sophomore Sydney Bates has remained a steady starter for Purdue. She is 11-7 with a 2.85 ERA, while having surpassed 100 strike outs for a second consecutive season. Last year, Bates tallied 124 strike outs in 166.1 innings pitched. This season, she currently stands at 104 strike outs in 127.2 innings of work.
SCOUTING WISCONSIN
Wisconsin enters the weekend with a 33-10 overall record and a 10-7 Big Ten showing after falling to Minnesota in a midweek doubleheader.
Infielder Kayla Konwent is leading the team and conference with a .481 batting average. The junior has produced 34 runs, 63 hits, 16 doubles and a conference-high 15 home runs. Sophomore Taylor Johnson is batting .366 with a team-high 39 runs, 49 hits, nine doubles, nine home runs and 34 RBI. The infielder has a team-high 13 stolen bases on 17 attempts. As a team, the Badgers are batting .290.
In the circle, sophomore Haley Hestekin has a 1.14 ERA through 116.1 innings pitched. The right-hander is 14-4 and has tallied a team-high 100 strikeouts while allowing 30 earned runs. Kaitlyn Menz, a junior right-hander, has gone 107.2 innings with 77 strikeouts and 30 earned runs. She is 15-6 with a 1.95 ERA. The Badger pitching staff has compiled a 1.93 ERA to rank second in the Big Ten, only behind Northwestern (1.79) and Minnesota (1.87).
WEEKEND SERIES INFORMATION
All-Time Series: Purdue leads 32-24 dating back to 1996
Last Series: Wisconsin 2-1 (in Madison)
Last Meeting: Wisconsin 8, Purdue 0 (at the 2018 Big Ten Tournament in Madison, Wisc. | 5/10/18)
Last Meeting in West Lafayette: Wisconsin 3, Purdue 1 (4/16/17)