LAFAYETTE, Ind. β The final Friday of January was once again an opportunity for Purdue baseball to begin full preseason practice, but it began in a new location this year as the Boilermakers took advantage of a sun-filled afternoon to have a session at the new-look Loeb Stadium on the other side of the Wabash River.
While Purdue and all its Big Ten comrades are still awaiting schedules from the conference office, Friday still marked the first day of full practice across the country. Teams had been allotted eight hours per week for workouts since baseball student-athletes returned to their respective campuses. For Boilermakers that call Alexander Field home, that return was the weekend of Jan. 16 to 17 this year.
The Mollenkopf Athletic Center and Madia Hitting Facility inside the clubhouse at Alexander remain the primary locations of the program's preseason practices. But whenever there's an opportunity to get outside on a sunny winter day, the Boilermakers take advantage. They practiced outdoors at Alexander multiple times last January. The artificial turf at football's Bimel Practice Complex is also a suitable option, but it's not a baseball diamond.
That's why the new Loeb Stadium in Lafayette's Columbian Park is a welcomed option for the program. The home field of the Lafayette Aviators, a summer ball team in the Prospect League, and Jefferson High School features a full artificial turf field and lights. The final stages of construction are wrapping up on the stadium structure of the facility this winter in anticipation of the field being ready to host games in the spring.
Jack Firestone, Trent Johnson, Ben Nisle, Tyler Powers, Miles Simington, Jackson Smeltz, Kyle Wade and Justin Walker Jr. are among the current Boilermakers that played at the original Loeb Stadium, which opened in 1940 and also served as the longtime host of the Colt League World Series. Due to the construction this past summer, the Lafayette Aviators were scheduled to play their 2020 season at Alexander Field before the Prospect League ultimately decided to cancel its campaign due to the pandemic.
In recent years, Purdue would make occasional trips to Grand Park in Westfield to use the sprawling facility's multiple artificial turf fields on warmer winter days. Meanwhile, the program remains grateful for its full natural grass surface at Alexander Field and the work that the Purdue Sports Turf staff, led by Steve Vonderheide, does on a daily basis to maintain it. Alexander was recognized as a Fields of Excellence winner by Pioneer Athletics in March. Purdue, Michigan State, Nebraska and Penn State are the only Big Ten teams that still play their home games on grass, which remains the preferred surface at the professional level.
Purdue has 18 newcomers in the mix this year β 10 true freshmen and eight transfers. Those 18 newcomers hail from 11 different states. Under second-year head coach Greg Goff, who has been with the program since July 2017, the Boilermakers continue to expand their recruiting to all parts of the country. This year's roster features players from 15 different states plus Fascia, a native Canadian from the province of Ontario. But with a dozen players from Indiana, that's more than the totals of any other two states combined.
D1baseball.com released its Big Ten preview Thursday and spotlighted second-year freshman right-hander Jett Jackson as the league's No. 4 prospect for the 2020 MLB Draft. Jackson impressed in his four starts last year, compiling a 1.89 ERA while surrendering only 12 hits in 19 innings. Fellow pitchers Calvin Starnes, Logan Danzeisen and Joseph Whitman were also highlighted among the top prospects/impact freshmen in the conference.
Purdue could field an Opening Day lineup comprised entirely of players that were regular starters over the program's 14 games last season. That is unlikely to happen because every season there's always at least one newcomer that plays his way into the Opening Day lineup. Mason Gavre, Kyle LaPlante and Simington were among those to start on Opening Day last year while making their team debuts.
The Boilermakers raced out to a 6-1 start last season, winning the four-team Campbell Invitational in the process. In what proved to be the final game of the season, Evan Albrecht's five-hit game highlighted a 19-run outburst in a March 8 win at Western Kentucky.
While Purdue and all its Big Ten comrades are still awaiting schedules from the conference office, Friday still marked the first day of full practice across the country. Teams had been allotted eight hours per week for workouts since baseball student-athletes returned to their respective campuses. For Boilermakers that call Alexander Field home, that return was the weekend of Jan. 16 to 17 this year.
The Mollenkopf Athletic Center and Madia Hitting Facility inside the clubhouse at Alexander remain the primary locations of the program's preseason practices. But whenever there's an opportunity to get outside on a sunny winter day, the Boilermakers take advantage. They practiced outdoors at Alexander multiple times last January. The artificial turf at football's Bimel Practice Complex is also a suitable option, but it's not a baseball diamond.
That's why the new Loeb Stadium in Lafayette's Columbian Park is a welcomed option for the program. The home field of the Lafayette Aviators, a summer ball team in the Prospect League, and Jefferson High School features a full artificial turf field and lights. The final stages of construction are wrapping up on the stadium structure of the facility this winter in anticipation of the field being ready to host games in the spring.
Jack Firestone, Trent Johnson, Ben Nisle, Tyler Powers, Miles Simington, Jackson Smeltz, Kyle Wade and Justin Walker Jr. are among the current Boilermakers that played at the original Loeb Stadium, which opened in 1940 and also served as the longtime host of the Colt League World Series. Due to the construction this past summer, the Lafayette Aviators were scheduled to play their 2020 season at Alexander Field before the Prospect League ultimately decided to cancel its campaign due to the pandemic.
In recent years, Purdue would make occasional trips to Grand Park in Westfield to use the sprawling facility's multiple artificial turf fields on warmer winter days. Meanwhile, the program remains grateful for its full natural grass surface at Alexander Field and the work that the Purdue Sports Turf staff, led by Steve Vonderheide, does on a daily basis to maintain it. Alexander was recognized as a Fields of Excellence winner by Pioneer Athletics in March. Purdue, Michigan State, Nebraska and Penn State are the only Big Ten teams that still play their home games on grass, which remains the preferred surface at the professional level.
The Boilermakers have welcomed back 22 players from their abbreviated 2020 campaign, which came to an end on March 12 when the coronavirus pandemic forced the NCAA to shut down all winter and spring sports. Zac Fascia and Skyler Hunter have returned for super-senior seasons after the NCAA issued eligibility extensions to all student-athletes from the spring sports.Welcome back surprise was waiting for our guys at the Alexander clubhouse. #NewGear @NikeDiamond @RawlingsSports
β Purdue Baseball (@PurdueBaseball) January 17, 2021
π #NewSemester // #BoilerUp βΎοΈ pic.twitter.com/wzRPcssM2M
Purdue has 18 newcomers in the mix this year β 10 true freshmen and eight transfers. Those 18 newcomers hail from 11 different states. Under second-year head coach Greg Goff, who has been with the program since July 2017, the Boilermakers continue to expand their recruiting to all parts of the country. This year's roster features players from 15 different states plus Fascia, a native Canadian from the province of Ontario. But with a dozen players from Indiana, that's more than the totals of any other two states combined.
D1baseball.com released its Big Ten preview Thursday and spotlighted second-year freshman right-hander Jett Jackson as the league's No. 4 prospect for the 2020 MLB Draft. Jackson impressed in his four starts last year, compiling a 1.89 ERA while surrendering only 12 hits in 19 innings. Fellow pitchers Calvin Starnes, Logan Danzeisen and Joseph Whitman were also highlighted among the top prospects/impact freshmen in the conference.
Purdue could field an Opening Day lineup comprised entirely of players that were regular starters over the program's 14 games last season. That is unlikely to happen because every season there's always at least one newcomer that plays his way into the Opening Day lineup. Mason Gavre, Kyle LaPlante and Simington were among those to start on Opening Day last year while making their team debuts.
The Boilermakers raced out to a 6-1 start last season, winning the four-team Campbell Invitational in the process. In what proved to be the final game of the season, Evan Albrecht's five-hit game highlighted a 19-run outburst in a March 8 win at Western Kentucky.
Sometimes it's nice to have a change of scenery. βΎοΈ practice on the π field.#NCAABaseball x πΈ @PurdueBaseball pic.twitter.com/aIdVhQYW9C
β NCAA Baseball (@NCAACWS) January 28, 2021