Midweek Game Notes / Live Stats / Live Audio / Live Video
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Butler (18-15, 2-4 Big East) at Purdue (11-23, 5-6 Big Ten)
Tuesday, April 16 at 7 p.m. ET / TV: FS1
Alexander Field / West Lafayette, Indiana
Probable Starting Pitchers: Cory Brooks (R-Fr, RHP) vs. Butler's Joe Graziano (So, LHP)
All-Time Series: Purdue leads 103-37-3 / All-Time in West Lafayette: Purdue leads 66-16-1
Last Meeting: Butler 4, Purdue 2 (May 2017 in West Lafayette)
Purdue's Last Win vs. Butler: Purdue 5, Butler 4 – 10 Innings (April 2014 in West Lafayette)
First Meeting: Purdue 9, Butler 0 (1888 in West Lafayette)
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue baseball takes on an in-state rival for midweek action for the sixth week in a row, hosting Butler for another $2 Tuesday game at Alexander Field that will be nationally televised live on FS1.
First pitch at Alexander Field is set for 7 p.m. ET. General admission tickets, hot dogs nachos and domestic draft beers are specially priced at just $2 for all midweek home games.
The Boilermakers conclude their stretch of 11 consecutive games against six different teams with winning records Tuesday. They opened the stretch with consecutive wins against Penn State to close out March. Purdue had won six of seven at that point. But a season-long six-game losing streak followed, making the Boilermakers just 3-7 during their extended stretch against tough competition.
Cory Brooks is slated to make his collegiate debut on the mound Tuesday. The redshirt freshman was sidelined last season by an elbow injury. Entering 2018, he was projected as a possible midweek starter or weekend reliever. He's set to join Jordan Minch (2013) and Mike Kornacker (2015) as the only Boilermakers this decade to make their collegiate debuts as a starting pitcher. Kyle Wood (2013), Nick Dalesandro (2016), Gareth Stroth (2017) and Ryan Beard (2018) also made their debuts on the mound as starting pitchers. However, Wood and Dalesandro had already played in games as position players. Stroh and Beard were junior college transfers.
Butler owns the only no-hitter in the seven-year history of Alexander Field, winning 4-2 in May 2017. Purdue scored its runs on a wild pitch and sacrifice fly. The Bulldogs scored all four of their runs on homers – a three-run shot in the first inning and solo blast in the top of the third. Five Butler pitchers contributed to the no-hitter, plunking a combined five batters but issuing only two walks. Three of those hit batters occurred consecutively as Purdue loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth inning, bringing the potential go-ahead run to the plate. But the Boilermakers settled for a single run on Skyler Hunter's sac fly.
HIGH SCHOOL TEAMMATES SQUARING OFF TUESDAY
• Milo Beam was classmates with Butler's Harrison Freed and Ryan Pepiot at Westfield High School in suburban Indianapolis. As a Perfect Game USA Midseason All-American, Freed (.388, 12 HR, 49 RBI) is running away with the Bulldogs' team triple crown. He also has a chance to win the Big East triple crown, currently ranking second in only batting average. Pepiot leads Butler with 85 strikeouts in 52 2/3 innings, leading the Big East by a wide margin.
• James Kulak was teammates with Butler's James Gargano and Austin Waeghe at Neuqua Valley High School in suburban Chicago.
• Ben Nisle and Conner Tomasic were teammates with Butler's Joe Graziano at Lake Central High School in Northwest Indiana. Graziano is slated to start on the mound Tuesday.
• Luke Houin and Butler's Alex Voss were classmates at Saint Joseph High School in South Bend. Jackson Smeltz and Butler's Kollyn All were classmates at McCutcheon High School in Lafayette.
TRIO OF 5-3 TURNS FOR TP
• Threes were wild for Tyler Powers in Saturday's 9-5 win against Iowa. While also recording his second collegiate three-hit game in the same win, he turned a trio of 5-3 ground ball double plays – two with the bases loaded. That equaled the number of 5-3 double plays Purdue had turned in the last two seasons combined. Powers has been part of double plays while playing second base (7), third base (4) and shortstop (3) this season.
• Dating back to 2005, the 2010 and 2015 seasons stand as the only others in which the Boilermakers have turned at least three 5-3 ground ball double plays in the same year. They had four in 2010 and three in 2015. Brandon Krieg came the closest to accomplishing what Powers did Saturday. Krieg turned a pair of 5-3 double plays in a February 2015 doubleheader vs. Gonzaga in Phoenix. Purdue racked up nine twin killings that day, including five in its game 1 win.
• Krieg was also prominently involved in the Boilermakers' last victory vs. Butler, which was almost five years ago to the day (April 15, 2014). He reached base safely six times (4-for-4, BB, HBP) and delivered the walk-off single in a 10-inning affair at Alexander Field. That was the first of consecutive extra-innings affairs for Purdue, which still stand as the program's last back-to-back games to go extras. Krieg is also the last Boilermaker to reach base safely six times in a game. Purdue swept the 2014 season series vs. Butler by winning games in three different cities – Birmingham, Indianapolis and West Lafayette.
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Butler (18-15, 2-4 Big East) at Purdue (11-23, 5-6 Big Ten)
Tuesday, April 16 at 7 p.m. ET / TV: FS1
Alexander Field / West Lafayette, Indiana
Probable Starting Pitchers: Cory Brooks (R-Fr, RHP) vs. Butler's Joe Graziano (So, LHP)
All-Time Series: Purdue leads 103-37-3 / All-Time in West Lafayette: Purdue leads 66-16-1
Last Meeting: Butler 4, Purdue 2 (May 2017 in West Lafayette)
Purdue's Last Win vs. Butler: Purdue 5, Butler 4 – 10 Innings (April 2014 in West Lafayette)
First Meeting: Purdue 9, Butler 0 (1888 in West Lafayette)
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue baseball takes on an in-state rival for midweek action for the sixth week in a row, hosting Butler for another $2 Tuesday game at Alexander Field that will be nationally televised live on FS1.
First pitch at Alexander Field is set for 7 p.m. ET. General admission tickets, hot dogs nachos and domestic draft beers are specially priced at just $2 for all midweek home games.
The Boilermakers conclude their stretch of 11 consecutive games against six different teams with winning records Tuesday. They opened the stretch with consecutive wins against Penn State to close out March. Purdue had won six of seven at that point. But a season-long six-game losing streak followed, making the Boilermakers just 3-7 during their extended stretch against tough competition.
Cory Brooks is slated to make his collegiate debut on the mound Tuesday. The redshirt freshman was sidelined last season by an elbow injury. Entering 2018, he was projected as a possible midweek starter or weekend reliever. He's set to join Jordan Minch (2013) and Mike Kornacker (2015) as the only Boilermakers this decade to make their collegiate debuts as a starting pitcher. Kyle Wood (2013), Nick Dalesandro (2016), Gareth Stroth (2017) and Ryan Beard (2018) also made their debuts on the mound as starting pitchers. However, Wood and Dalesandro had already played in games as position players. Stroh and Beard were junior college transfers.
Butler owns the only no-hitter in the seven-year history of Alexander Field, winning 4-2 in May 2017. Purdue scored its runs on a wild pitch and sacrifice fly. The Bulldogs scored all four of their runs on homers – a three-run shot in the first inning and solo blast in the top of the third. Five Butler pitchers contributed to the no-hitter, plunking a combined five batters but issuing only two walks. Three of those hit batters occurred consecutively as Purdue loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth inning, bringing the potential go-ahead run to the plate. But the Boilermakers settled for a single run on Skyler Hunter's sac fly.
HIGH SCHOOL TEAMMATES SQUARING OFF TUESDAY
• Milo Beam was classmates with Butler's Harrison Freed and Ryan Pepiot at Westfield High School in suburban Indianapolis. As a Perfect Game USA Midseason All-American, Freed (.388, 12 HR, 49 RBI) is running away with the Bulldogs' team triple crown. He also has a chance to win the Big East triple crown, currently ranking second in only batting average. Pepiot leads Butler with 85 strikeouts in 52 2/3 innings, leading the Big East by a wide margin.
• James Kulak was teammates with Butler's James Gargano and Austin Waeghe at Neuqua Valley High School in suburban Chicago.
• Ben Nisle and Conner Tomasic were teammates with Butler's Joe Graziano at Lake Central High School in Northwest Indiana. Graziano is slated to start on the mound Tuesday.
• Luke Houin and Butler's Alex Voss were classmates at Saint Joseph High School in South Bend. Jackson Smeltz and Butler's Kollyn All were classmates at McCutcheon High School in Lafayette.
TRIO OF 5-3 TURNS FOR TP
• Threes were wild for Tyler Powers in Saturday's 9-5 win against Iowa. While also recording his second collegiate three-hit game in the same win, he turned a trio of 5-3 ground ball double plays – two with the bases loaded. That equaled the number of 5-3 double plays Purdue had turned in the last two seasons combined. Powers has been part of double plays while playing second base (7), third base (4) and shortstop (3) this season.
• Dating back to 2005, the 2010 and 2015 seasons stand as the only others in which the Boilermakers have turned at least three 5-3 ground ball double plays in the same year. They had four in 2010 and three in 2015. Brandon Krieg came the closest to accomplishing what Powers did Saturday. Krieg turned a pair of 5-3 double plays in a February 2015 doubleheader vs. Gonzaga in Phoenix. Purdue racked up nine twin killings that day, including five in its game 1 win.
• Krieg was also prominently involved in the Boilermakers' last victory vs. Butler, which was almost five years ago to the day (April 15, 2014). He reached base safely six times (4-for-4, BB, HBP) and delivered the walk-off single in a 10-inning affair at Alexander Field. That was the first of consecutive extra-innings affairs for Purdue, which still stand as the program's last back-to-back games to go extras. Krieg is also the last Boilermaker to reach base safely six times in a game. Purdue swept the 2014 season series vs. Butler by winning games in three different cities – Birmingham, Indianapolis and West Lafayette.