B1G CENTRAL TEXAS CHALLENGE INFORMATION
Nebraska (7-8 in 2020) vs. Purdue (7-7 in 2020)
4-Game Season-Opening Series / All Games on BTN+
Friday, March 5 to Sunday, March 7 at 4 p.m., 11 a.m. & 11 a.m. ET
Dell Diamond / Round Rock, Texas
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
• Game 1 Friday: Trent Johnson (Sr, RHP) vs. Cade Povich (Jr, LHP)
• Game 2 Saturday: Calvin Schapira (Jr, LHP) vs. Chance Hroch (Sr, RHP)
• Game 3 Saturday: Nick Alvarado (Grad, RHP) vs. Shay Schanaman (Jr, RHP)
• Game 4 Sunday: Jett Jackson (So, RHP) vs. Jake Bunz (Jr, LHP)
PURDUE-NEBRASKA SERIES HISTORY
• All-Time: Nebraska leads 15-9
• All-Time as Big Ten Rivals: Nebraska leads 12-4 (Since 2012)
• Last Series: Nebraska swept a 3-game set (April 2019 in Lincoln)
• Last Neutral-Site Meeting: Nebraska 15, Purdue 9 (2017 Big Ten Tournament in Bloomington)
• Purdue's Last Series Win: Purdue won 2 of 3 (May 2015 in Lincoln)
• First Series as Big Ten Rivals: Purdue won 2 of 3 (April 2012 in Lincoln)
• First Meeting: Nebraska 13, Purdue 1 (May 1899 in West Lafayette)
ROUND ROCK, Texas -- The Big Ten baseball schedule may be a conference-only slate this season, but there will be a bit of a non-conference feel to the opening-weekend series between Purdue and Nebraska at the Triple-A stadium near Austin.
That's because the Huskers and Boilermakers have only played four games against each other dating back to April 2016. They're also led by a pair of second-year head coaches in Will Bolt and Greg Goff. Purdue was scheduled to host Nebraska in April of last season before the shutdown. The Boilermakers were also originally scheduled to play at Dell Diamond last weekend for the annual Round Rock Classic, a four-team tournament that ultimately featured Auburn, Baylor, Oklahoma and Texas A&M this season.
The Boilermakers will be the designated home team this weekend. Game times are set for Friday at 4 p.m., Saturday at 11 a.m. and Sunday at 11 a.m. (all times ET). Saturday's doubleheader is slated to feature a seven-inning game 1 and traditional nine-inning game 2. But if game 1 goes to extra innings, game 2 gets shortened to seven innings.
From 1999 to 2008, the Big Ten utilized a 32-game conference schedule. All weekend series featured a Saturday doubleheader, weather permitting, comprised of two seven-inning games. The first two weekends of this season will have a throwback feel to them. The Boilermakers play Michigan next weekend for another four-game set, taking the field at the minor league stadium in Greenville, South Carolina.
Purdue's most recent NCAA Regional campaign was in 2018. The Boilermakers racked up 38 wins thanks in part to a 21-2 stretch from April 20 through the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament in Omaha.
Nebraska's last Regional bid was in 2019 as part of a 32-win season, including a series sweep of Purdue in Lincoln in early April after both teams entered that weekend off to solid starts in league play – the Boilermakers were 4-1, the Huskers 4-2. Ryan Howe and Zac Fascia both homered for Purdue in that series in Lincoln. Darrin Erstad, the longtime big leaguer and Nebraska's head coach since joining the league in 2012, stepped down after the 2019 season.
Purdue provided an assist to help Nebraska win the Big Ten title in 2017. The Boilermakers' series win at Minnesota the final weekend allowed NU to leapfrog the Gophers in the standings while winning two of three at Penn State.
Purdue is 6-4 in series openers dating back to 2011. Five of those six wins have been in neutral-site affairs. The lone outlier was a series-opening win at Texas State in 2017. The Boilermakers are also 19-9 in neutral-site games dating back to the start of the 2018 season.
THE LAST TIME PURDUE
• Played in Texas: Lost 3 of 4 at the University of Texas (February 2019)
• Opened a Season in Texas: Spilt 4-game series at Texas State (February 2017)
• Played at an MiLB Stadium: Swept a 3 game series at Penn State (March 2018)
• Played at a Triple-A Stadium: Went 3-0 to win 2012 Big Ten Tournament at Huntington Park in Columbus
• Was the Home Team vs. Nebraska: Lost all 3 of a weekend series at Alexander (March 2016)
• Played a Scheduled 7-Inning Game: Illinois 2, Purdue 0 (May 2008 in Champaign)
• Played its Season Opener in March: Purdue 4, Xavier 2 (March 5, 1994 in DeLand, Florida)
JOHNSON TO PITCH ON OPENING DAY FOR FOURTH STRAIGHT YEAR
• Senior Trent Johnson was chosen as Purdue's Opening Day starter for the second year in a row. But he'll be pitching in the opener for the fourth consecutive year overall. He made relief appearances in the Boilermakers' first game of each of his underclassman seasons.
• Johnson becomes the fourth Purdue pitcher this century to make multiple Opening Day starts, joining Scott Byrnes (2004-05), Matt Bischoff (2008-10) and Tanner Andrews (2016-18). However, none of the other three pitched in four straight openers like Johnson is in line to do. Jay Buente (2003-06) was the last Boilermaker to accomplish the feat, culminating with an Opening Day start as a senior. Buente went on to make the big leagues with the Miami Marlins, debuting in 2010.
THEY SAID IT
• Greg Goff on Purdue's veteran lineup: "We preach it all the time – eliminate doubt and fear. Play at your best, let your instincts take over. Experience and age is something you can't put a price tag on. Those are some of the reasons why we'll be better."
• Trent Johnson on how he stayed sharp and worked to improve during the shutdown: "You've got to look at your own game and think 'where can I improve.' I worked a lot on my changeup, trying to add that third pitch I can throw in any count. Be able to reliably throw it for a strike."
• Cory Brooks on his battles with the Purdue hitters this school year: "We've got some guys that have some serious juice in their bats. And we've got guys returning like Skyler Hunter and Ben Nisle that are gamers. They're going to get hits when it matters and have good long at-bats."
NOTABLES FROM THE 2020 OPENING WEEKEND
• Purdue was victorious in three of four in the series with Hofstra, winning a four-game set for the first time since sweeping Santa Clara on the 2017 spring break trip. The 2020 team joined the 2003, 2012 and 2018 Boilermakers as those this century to win at least three games during a season-opening weekend. After sweeping its three games as the champions of the Campbell Invitational the following weekend, Purdue started the season 6-1.
• The Boilermakers scored four-plus runs in an inning four times vs. Hofstra, accomplishing the feat once in each game. The last time Purdue pulled that off in one weekend was April 2017 vs. Indiana.
• In the series finale, the Boilermakers gave up five-plus runs in an inning and still won for the first time since beating Northwestern 8-7 in May 2018 at Alexander Field.
• All three of Purdue's wins in the series were in comeback fashion. The Boilermakers scored five times in eighth inning Friday, nine times over the seventh and eighth innings Saturday night, and responded with a four-run rally Sunday after Hofstra scored eight in the top of the frame. Purdue had not won three games in which it trailed in the same weekend since March 2012 at Murray State.
• Kyle LaPlante delivered the three-run double to give Purdue the lead in the eighth inning of the season opener. The following day, he hit the Boilermakers' first home run of the season. In doing so, he became the first newcomer to account for the team's first homer since Ben Nisle did it as a freshman in 2018.
• Miles Simington's first hit as a Boilermaker was a grand slam in game 3 of the series. He connected for Purdue's first grand slam since Nick Dalesandro in April 2017 vs. Indiana.
• Fellow newcomer and transfer Mason Gavre also started the season opener. He delivered an RBI single in his first at-bat as a Boilermaker, accounting for Purdue's first hit and RBI of the season.
• Jett Jackson and Jackson Smeltz both made their collegiate debuts as starting pitchers, taking the ball for each end of Saturday's doubleheader. They became the Boilermakers' first pitchers since 2013 to debut as part of the rotation during the season-opening weekend.
SERIES LEADERS – 2020 OPENING WEEKEND VS. HOFSTRA (4 GAMES)
• Zac Fascia: 7-for-13, 2 2B, 3B, 3 RBI, 2 HBP, 6 R, 2 Sac Flies
• Kyle LaPlante: 6-for-15, 2B, HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 3 R, 2 Sac Flies, SB
• Ben Nisle: 4-for-15, 2B, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 7 R, SB
• Tyler Powers: 3-for-7, 2B, BB, 4 R, Sac Bunt, 2 SB
• Cory Brooks: Win, 5 IP, 4 H, R, 2 BB, 5 K
• James Kulak: 3 IP, 4 H, R, BB, 4 K
• Jackson Smeltz: 4 IP, 6 H, 3 R, BB, 3 K
SERIES LEADERS – 2019 AT NEBRASKA (3 GAMES)
• Skyler Hunter: 4-for-11, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 HBP, 2 R, SB
• Evan Albrecht: 3-for-9, 2B, RBI, BB, HBP, 2 R
• Ryan Howe: 2-for-10, HR, RBI, HBP, 2 R
• Trent Johnson: 2 IP, 2 H, R, 2 BB, 2 K
Nebraska (7-8 in 2020) vs. Purdue (7-7 in 2020)
4-Game Season-Opening Series / All Games on BTN+
Friday, March 5 to Sunday, March 7 at 4 p.m., 11 a.m. & 11 a.m. ET
Dell Diamond / Round Rock, Texas
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
• Game 1 Friday: Trent Johnson (Sr, RHP) vs. Cade Povich (Jr, LHP)
• Game 2 Saturday: Calvin Schapira (Jr, LHP) vs. Chance Hroch (Sr, RHP)
• Game 3 Saturday: Nick Alvarado (Grad, RHP) vs. Shay Schanaman (Jr, RHP)
• Game 4 Sunday: Jett Jackson (So, RHP) vs. Jake Bunz (Jr, LHP)
PURDUE-NEBRASKA SERIES HISTORY
• All-Time: Nebraska leads 15-9
• All-Time as Big Ten Rivals: Nebraska leads 12-4 (Since 2012)
• Last Series: Nebraska swept a 3-game set (April 2019 in Lincoln)
• Last Neutral-Site Meeting: Nebraska 15, Purdue 9 (2017 Big Ten Tournament in Bloomington)
• Purdue's Last Series Win: Purdue won 2 of 3 (May 2015 in Lincoln)
• First Series as Big Ten Rivals: Purdue won 2 of 3 (April 2012 in Lincoln)
• First Meeting: Nebraska 13, Purdue 1 (May 1899 in West Lafayette)
ROUND ROCK, Texas -- The Big Ten baseball schedule may be a conference-only slate this season, but there will be a bit of a non-conference feel to the opening-weekend series between Purdue and Nebraska at the Triple-A stadium near Austin.
That's because the Huskers and Boilermakers have only played four games against each other dating back to April 2016. They're also led by a pair of second-year head coaches in Will Bolt and Greg Goff. Purdue was scheduled to host Nebraska in April of last season before the shutdown. The Boilermakers were also originally scheduled to play at Dell Diamond last weekend for the annual Round Rock Classic, a four-team tournament that ultimately featured Auburn, Baylor, Oklahoma and Texas A&M this season.
The Boilermakers will be the designated home team this weekend. Game times are set for Friday at 4 p.m., Saturday at 11 a.m. and Sunday at 11 a.m. (all times ET). Saturday's doubleheader is slated to feature a seven-inning game 1 and traditional nine-inning game 2. But if game 1 goes to extra innings, game 2 gets shortened to seven innings.
From 1999 to 2008, the Big Ten utilized a 32-game conference schedule. All weekend series featured a Saturday doubleheader, weather permitting, comprised of two seven-inning games. The first two weekends of this season will have a throwback feel to them. The Boilermakers play Michigan next weekend for another four-game set, taking the field at the minor league stadium in Greenville, South Carolina.
Purdue's most recent NCAA Regional campaign was in 2018. The Boilermakers racked up 38 wins thanks in part to a 21-2 stretch from April 20 through the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament in Omaha.
Nebraska's last Regional bid was in 2019 as part of a 32-win season, including a series sweep of Purdue in Lincoln in early April after both teams entered that weekend off to solid starts in league play – the Boilermakers were 4-1, the Huskers 4-2. Ryan Howe and Zac Fascia both homered for Purdue in that series in Lincoln. Darrin Erstad, the longtime big leaguer and Nebraska's head coach since joining the league in 2012, stepped down after the 2019 season.
Purdue provided an assist to help Nebraska win the Big Ten title in 2017. The Boilermakers' series win at Minnesota the final weekend allowed NU to leapfrog the Gophers in the standings while winning two of three at Penn State.
Purdue is 6-4 in series openers dating back to 2011. Five of those six wins have been in neutral-site affairs. The lone outlier was a series-opening win at Texas State in 2017. The Boilermakers are also 19-9 in neutral-site games dating back to the start of the 2018 season.
THE LAST TIME PURDUE
• Played in Texas: Lost 3 of 4 at the University of Texas (February 2019)
• Opened a Season in Texas: Spilt 4-game series at Texas State (February 2017)
• Played at an MiLB Stadium: Swept a 3 game series at Penn State (March 2018)
• Played at a Triple-A Stadium: Went 3-0 to win 2012 Big Ten Tournament at Huntington Park in Columbus
• Was the Home Team vs. Nebraska: Lost all 3 of a weekend series at Alexander (March 2016)
• Played a Scheduled 7-Inning Game: Illinois 2, Purdue 0 (May 2008 in Champaign)
• Played its Season Opener in March: Purdue 4, Xavier 2 (March 5, 1994 in DeLand, Florida)
JOHNSON TO PITCH ON OPENING DAY FOR FOURTH STRAIGHT YEAR
• Senior Trent Johnson was chosen as Purdue's Opening Day starter for the second year in a row. But he'll be pitching in the opener for the fourth consecutive year overall. He made relief appearances in the Boilermakers' first game of each of his underclassman seasons.
• Johnson becomes the fourth Purdue pitcher this century to make multiple Opening Day starts, joining Scott Byrnes (2004-05), Matt Bischoff (2008-10) and Tanner Andrews (2016-18). However, none of the other three pitched in four straight openers like Johnson is in line to do. Jay Buente (2003-06) was the last Boilermaker to accomplish the feat, culminating with an Opening Day start as a senior. Buente went on to make the big leagues with the Miami Marlins, debuting in 2010.
| OPENING DAY STARTING PITCHERS & RESULTS (SINCE 2006) | |||||
| Year | Opponent | Location | Starting Pitcher | Line | Score |
| 2020 | Hofstra | Sanford, Fla. | Trent Johnson | 2 2/3 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K | W, 9-6 |
| 2019 | Southern Miss | Hattiesburg, Miss. | Dalton Parker | 4 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K | L, 7-6 (10) |
| 2018 | Western Michigan | Emerson, Ga. | Tanner Andrews | 6 2/3 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 K | W, 5-1 |
| 2017 | Texas State | San Marcos, Texas | Tanner Andrews | 7 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K | W, 9-3 |
| 2016 | Georgia Tech | Atlanta, Ga. | Tanner Andrews | 3 2/3 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K | L, 5-2 |
| 2015 | Western Carolina | Cullowhee, N.C. | Gavin Downs | 2 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 0 K | L, 17-6 |
| 2014 | Tennessee | Knoxville, Tenn. | Jordan Minch | 4 2/3 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K | L, 3-0 |
| 2013 | Connecticut | Dunedin, Fla. | Brad Schreiber | 4 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K | W, 11-8 |
| 2012 | Connecticut | St. Petersburg, Fla. | Joe Haase | 5 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 2 K | W, 9-4 |
| 2011 | Connecticut | Dunedin, Fla. | Matt Morgan | 5 2/3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K | W, 10-2 |
| 2010 | Villanova | St. Petersburg, Fla. | Matt Bischoff | 6 IP, 9 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 K | L, 13-5 |
| 2009 | Cincinnati | Clearwater, Fla. | Matt Bischoff | 5 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 3 K | W, 11-10 |
| 2008 | Baylor | Waco, Texas | Matt Bischoff | 6 2/3 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 7 K | L, 2-1 |
| 2007 | Georgia | Athens, Ga. | Josh Lindblom | 4 2/3 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K | L, 9-0 |
| 2006 | Louisiana | Lafayette, La. | Jay Buente | 8 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 11 K | W, 5-1 |
THEY SAID IT
• Greg Goff on Purdue's veteran lineup: "We preach it all the time – eliminate doubt and fear. Play at your best, let your instincts take over. Experience and age is something you can't put a price tag on. Those are some of the reasons why we'll be better."
• Trent Johnson on how he stayed sharp and worked to improve during the shutdown: "You've got to look at your own game and think 'where can I improve.' I worked a lot on my changeup, trying to add that third pitch I can throw in any count. Be able to reliably throw it for a strike."
• Cory Brooks on his battles with the Purdue hitters this school year: "We've got some guys that have some serious juice in their bats. And we've got guys returning like Skyler Hunter and Ben Nisle that are gamers. They're going to get hits when it matters and have good long at-bats."
NOTABLES FROM THE 2020 OPENING WEEKEND
• Purdue was victorious in three of four in the series with Hofstra, winning a four-game set for the first time since sweeping Santa Clara on the 2017 spring break trip. The 2020 team joined the 2003, 2012 and 2018 Boilermakers as those this century to win at least three games during a season-opening weekend. After sweeping its three games as the champions of the Campbell Invitational the following weekend, Purdue started the season 6-1.
• The Boilermakers scored four-plus runs in an inning four times vs. Hofstra, accomplishing the feat once in each game. The last time Purdue pulled that off in one weekend was April 2017 vs. Indiana.
• In the series finale, the Boilermakers gave up five-plus runs in an inning and still won for the first time since beating Northwestern 8-7 in May 2018 at Alexander Field.
• All three of Purdue's wins in the series were in comeback fashion. The Boilermakers scored five times in eighth inning Friday, nine times over the seventh and eighth innings Saturday night, and responded with a four-run rally Sunday after Hofstra scored eight in the top of the frame. Purdue had not won three games in which it trailed in the same weekend since March 2012 at Murray State.
• Kyle LaPlante delivered the three-run double to give Purdue the lead in the eighth inning of the season opener. The following day, he hit the Boilermakers' first home run of the season. In doing so, he became the first newcomer to account for the team's first homer since Ben Nisle did it as a freshman in 2018.
• Miles Simington's first hit as a Boilermaker was a grand slam in game 3 of the series. He connected for Purdue's first grand slam since Nick Dalesandro in April 2017 vs. Indiana.
• Fellow newcomer and transfer Mason Gavre also started the season opener. He delivered an RBI single in his first at-bat as a Boilermaker, accounting for Purdue's first hit and RBI of the season.
• Jett Jackson and Jackson Smeltz both made their collegiate debuts as starting pitchers, taking the ball for each end of Saturday's doubleheader. They became the Boilermakers' first pitchers since 2013 to debut as part of the rotation during the season-opening weekend.
SERIES LEADERS – 2020 OPENING WEEKEND VS. HOFSTRA (4 GAMES)
• Zac Fascia: 7-for-13, 2 2B, 3B, 3 RBI, 2 HBP, 6 R, 2 Sac Flies
• Kyle LaPlante: 6-for-15, 2B, HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 3 R, 2 Sac Flies, SB
• Ben Nisle: 4-for-15, 2B, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 7 R, SB
• Tyler Powers: 3-for-7, 2B, BB, 4 R, Sac Bunt, 2 SB
• Cory Brooks: Win, 5 IP, 4 H, R, 2 BB, 5 K
• James Kulak: 3 IP, 4 H, R, BB, 4 K
• Jackson Smeltz: 4 IP, 6 H, 3 R, BB, 3 K
SERIES LEADERS – 2019 AT NEBRASKA (3 GAMES)
• Skyler Hunter: 4-for-11, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 HBP, 2 R, SB
• Evan Albrecht: 3-for-9, 2B, RBI, BB, HBP, 2 R
• Ryan Howe: 2-for-10, HR, RBI, HBP, 2 R
• Trent Johnson: 2 IP, 2 H, R, 2 BB, 2 K