GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Purdue (11-24) at Minnesota (4-26)
Thursday, May 20 to Sunday, May 23 / BTN+
Series Opener: Thursday at 7 p.m. ET
Game 2: Friday at 7 p.m. ET
Game 3: Saturday at 3 p.m. ET
Game 4: Sunday at 2 p.m. ET
Siebert Field / Minneapolis, Minnesota
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
Thursday: Calvin Schapira (Jr, LHP) vs. MINN's Noah DeLuga (Fr, LHP)
Friday: Trent Johnson (Sr, RHP) vs. MINN's Nolan Burchill (R-Sr, RHP)
Saturday: Cory Brooks (R-Jr, RHP) vs. MINN's Jack Liffrig (R-So, LHP)
Sunday: TBA for Purdue vs MINN's Tom Skoro (R-Sr, LHP)
SERIES HISTORY
All-Time: Minnesota leads 116-54-2
All-Time in Minneapolis: Minnesota leads 66-24
Last Meeting: Minnesota 6, Purdue 4 (2018 Big Ten Tournament title game in Omaha)
Last Series: Minnesota swept a 2-game set (April 2018 in West Lafayette)
Last Series in Minneapolis: Purdue won 2 of 3 (May 2017)
Last 4-Game Series vs Minnesota: Purdue swept the series (April 2008 in West Lafayette)
Last 4-Game Series vs Minnesota in Minneapolis: Minnesota won 3 of 4 (May 2004)
First Meeting: Minnesota 14, Purdue 9 (April 1901 in West Lafayette)
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue baseball plays six of its final eight games this season vs. a Minnesota team it has not faced since the championship game of the 2018 Big Ten Tournament, beginning with a four-game series this weekend in the Twin Cities.
The Boilermakers embarked on their final road trip of the season Wednesday morning after a fourth game was added to the series at Siebert Field, which now begins Thursday at 7 p.m. ET. Friday's first pitch is also set for 7 p.m. ET before day games on Saturday (3 p.m. ET) and Sunday (2 p.m. ET).
This will the fifth of six four-game weekends for Purdue this season. However, each of the first four four-game weekends featured a doubleheader. The Minnesota series represents Purdue's first since the opening weekend of the 2017 spring break trip at Cal State Northridge that the program will play four days in a row. The Boilermakers are scheduled to do the same next weekend as they host Penn State and Minnesota for a three-team pod at Alexander Field.
Purdue travels to the Twin Cities for the second year in a row but will be making its first appearance at Siebert Field since the final weekend of the 2017 regular season. The Boilermakers joined Iowa and Minnesota in representing the Big Ten vs. Duke, North Carolina and North Carolina State at the conference challenge inside U.S. Bank Stadium, the home of the Minnesota Vikings. The Gophers also played their first 11 games of the season inside the Vikings' Purple Palace this year.
Purdue's last two series at Siebert Field (2014, 2017) both featured a suspended game that was finished the following day. In 2017, the Boilermakers and Gophers played 20 innings on one memorable Friday in May, with Purdue winning its first series in Minneapolis since 2000 and clinching a Big Ten Tournament berth in the process.
The schedule oddities created in part by the pandemic continue to abound as well. Purdue and Minnesota have only played nine games against each other since the start of the 2015 campaign, the Boilermakers' fewest against any Big Ten rival. Over the next 11 days, they're scheduled to square off six times. From 2012 to 2016, the Boilermakers played only three games in the Twin Cities. During the pandemic-impacted 2020 and 2021 campaigns, Purdue will end up playing seven games in the heart of the Upper Midwest.
The Boilermakers did play 11 games in Minneapolis across the 2003 and 2004 seasons – all at Siebert Field, including the 2004 Big Ten Tournament. But with Minnesota baseball moving to the Metrodome, Purdue did not return to Siebert until May 2014. In the meantime, the Boilermakers played the Gophers in the Metrodome in 2009 and at Target Field in 2011.
Purdue has not played a Big Ten team six times in one season since Ohio State in 1995. That season featured a four-game series at Lambert Field and two meetings at the Big Ten Tournament in Columbus.
BOLTON BURNING UP THE BASE PATHS
• Mike Bolton Jr. has racked up 11 stolen bases in Purdue's last 14 games, moving into fourth place in the Big Ten in steals while remaining perfect on the season at 12-for-12. Around the league, Iowa's Ben Norman (12-for-12) is the only other player to reach double figures while remaining perfect on the season.
• Bolton has become the third Boilermaker since 2001 to reach the double-figure mark without being thrown out. Only seven Boilermakers since 2001, including assistant coach Harry Shipley, have swiped at least five bases in a season without being thrown out. Stephen Talbott did it in both of his underclassman seasons and his 2011 mark of 17-for-17 is the only perfect total higher than Bolton's.
BEST WEEKENDS FOR THE BULLPEN IN 2021
• The Boilermakers only scored three runs in their series at Maryland so the pitching really had no margin for error. The bullpen did its part to keep Purdue within striking distance. Highlighted by Ricky Castro's career-high eight strikeouts Friday, the bullpen posted season-best marks for hits per nine innings (6.57) and strikeouts per nine (12.41). The relievers also posted a respectable 4.25 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
• vs Nebraska: 16 2/3 IP, 13 H, 14 BB, 22 K, 3.24 ERA, .220 B/Avg, 7.02 H/9, 11.88 K/9
• at Champaign Pod: 15 IP, 11 H, 9 BB, 14 K, 3.60 ERA, .204 B/Avg, 6.6 H/9, 8.4 K/9
• at Maryland: 12 1/3 IP, 9 H, 4 BB, 17 K, 4.38 ERA, .209 B/Avg, 6.57 H/9, 12.41 K/9
• at East Lansing Pod: 15 IP, 19 H, 12 BB, 18 K, 4.80 ERA, .306 B/Avg, 11.4 H/9, 10.8 K/9
• at Indiana: 12 1/3 IP, 17 H, 3 BB, 17 K, 5.11 ERA, .333 B/Avg, 12.41 H/9, 12.41 K/9
NISLE'S EXTRA-BASE HITS ADD UP TO 1.000 OPS
• Ben Nisle has already become the only Boilermaker since 2001 to homer in five consecutive weekends. He nearly made it six straight weekends but his drive to deep left field Sunday hit off the top of the wall for a double, his third double of the Maryland series. With seven extra-base hits and an .885 slugging percentage during his current seven-game hit streak, Nisle improved his chances of posting a 1.000 OPS this season. With 20 extra-base hits in 35 games, he has compiled an extra-base hits per game mark (.571) that is among the best by any Boilermaker since 2001. With Purdue only scheduled to play 44 games this season, the per-game rate (along with slugging percentage and OPS) is the fairest way to provide context to the remarkable season Nisle is having.
Purdue (11-24) at Minnesota (4-26)
Thursday, May 20 to Sunday, May 23 / BTN+
Series Opener: Thursday at 7 p.m. ET
Game 2: Friday at 7 p.m. ET
Game 3: Saturday at 3 p.m. ET
Game 4: Sunday at 2 p.m. ET
Siebert Field / Minneapolis, Minnesota
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
Thursday: Calvin Schapira (Jr, LHP) vs. MINN's Noah DeLuga (Fr, LHP)
Friday: Trent Johnson (Sr, RHP) vs. MINN's Nolan Burchill (R-Sr, RHP)
Saturday: Cory Brooks (R-Jr, RHP) vs. MINN's Jack Liffrig (R-So, LHP)
Sunday: TBA for Purdue vs MINN's Tom Skoro (R-Sr, LHP)
SERIES HISTORY
All-Time: Minnesota leads 116-54-2
All-Time in Minneapolis: Minnesota leads 66-24
Last Meeting: Minnesota 6, Purdue 4 (2018 Big Ten Tournament title game in Omaha)
Last Series: Minnesota swept a 2-game set (April 2018 in West Lafayette)
Last Series in Minneapolis: Purdue won 2 of 3 (May 2017)
Last 4-Game Series vs Minnesota: Purdue swept the series (April 2008 in West Lafayette)
Last 4-Game Series vs Minnesota in Minneapolis: Minnesota won 3 of 4 (May 2004)
First Meeting: Minnesota 14, Purdue 9 (April 1901 in West Lafayette)
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue baseball plays six of its final eight games this season vs. a Minnesota team it has not faced since the championship game of the 2018 Big Ten Tournament, beginning with a four-game series this weekend in the Twin Cities.
The Boilermakers embarked on their final road trip of the season Wednesday morning after a fourth game was added to the series at Siebert Field, which now begins Thursday at 7 p.m. ET. Friday's first pitch is also set for 7 p.m. ET before day games on Saturday (3 p.m. ET) and Sunday (2 p.m. ET).
This will the fifth of six four-game weekends for Purdue this season. However, each of the first four four-game weekends featured a doubleheader. The Minnesota series represents Purdue's first since the opening weekend of the 2017 spring break trip at Cal State Northridge that the program will play four days in a row. The Boilermakers are scheduled to do the same next weekend as they host Penn State and Minnesota for a three-team pod at Alexander Field.
Purdue travels to the Twin Cities for the second year in a row but will be making its first appearance at Siebert Field since the final weekend of the 2017 regular season. The Boilermakers joined Iowa and Minnesota in representing the Big Ten vs. Duke, North Carolina and North Carolina State at the conference challenge inside U.S. Bank Stadium, the home of the Minnesota Vikings. The Gophers also played their first 11 games of the season inside the Vikings' Purple Palace this year.
Purdue's last two series at Siebert Field (2014, 2017) both featured a suspended game that was finished the following day. In 2017, the Boilermakers and Gophers played 20 innings on one memorable Friday in May, with Purdue winning its first series in Minneapolis since 2000 and clinching a Big Ten Tournament berth in the process.
The schedule oddities created in part by the pandemic continue to abound as well. Purdue and Minnesota have only played nine games against each other since the start of the 2015 campaign, the Boilermakers' fewest against any Big Ten rival. Over the next 11 days, they're scheduled to square off six times. From 2012 to 2016, the Boilermakers played only three games in the Twin Cities. During the pandemic-impacted 2020 and 2021 campaigns, Purdue will end up playing seven games in the heart of the Upper Midwest.
| GAME BREAKDOWN VS. BIG TEN RIVALS SINCE 2015 | ||||
| Opponent | Total Games | Home | Away | Neutral |
| Minnesota | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 |
| Maryland | 13 | 3 | 9 | 1 |
| Northwestern | 12 | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| Penn State | 12 | 4 | 6 | 2 |
| Iowa | 12 | 9 | 3 | 0 |
| Michigan State | 13 | 6 | 5 | 2 |
| Michigan | 14 | 6 | 3 | 5 |
| Nebraska | 14 | 3 | 6 | 5 |
| Indiana | 15* | 4 | 11 | 0 |
| Illinois | 15 | 6 | 8 | 1 |
| Rutgers | 15 | 9 | 6 | 0 |
| Ohio State | 17 | 7 | 9 | 1 |
| *Includes 3 non-conference midweek games | ||||
The Boilermakers did play 11 games in Minneapolis across the 2003 and 2004 seasons – all at Siebert Field, including the 2004 Big Ten Tournament. But with Minnesota baseball moving to the Metrodome, Purdue did not return to Siebert until May 2014. In the meantime, the Boilermakers played the Gophers in the Metrodome in 2009 and at Target Field in 2011.
Purdue has not played a Big Ten team six times in one season since Ohio State in 1995. That season featured a four-game series at Lambert Field and two meetings at the Big Ten Tournament in Columbus.
BOLTON BURNING UP THE BASE PATHS
• Mike Bolton Jr. has racked up 11 stolen bases in Purdue's last 14 games, moving into fourth place in the Big Ten in steals while remaining perfect on the season at 12-for-12. Around the league, Iowa's Ben Norman (12-for-12) is the only other player to reach double figures while remaining perfect on the season.
• Bolton has become the third Boilermaker since 2001 to reach the double-figure mark without being thrown out. Only seven Boilermakers since 2001, including assistant coach Harry Shipley, have swiped at least five bases in a season without being thrown out. Stephen Talbott did it in both of his underclassman seasons and his 2011 mark of 17-for-17 is the only perfect total higher than Bolton's.
| PERFECT STOLEN BASE SEASONS (SINCE 2001) Minimum 5 Attempts |
|||
| Season | Boilermaker | Total | Career Steals |
| 2011 | Stephen Talbott | 17-17 | 55-63 |
| 2021 | Mike Bolton Jr. | 12-12 | 13-14 |
| 2014 | Jeff Evak | 11-11 | 15-15 |
| 2004 | Andy Dahl | 8-8 | 20-23 |
| 2003 | Ben Fritz | 7-7 | 14-17 |
| 2016 | Harry Shipley | 7-7 | 51-68 |
| 2013 | Sean McHugh | 5-5 | 8-13 |
| 2010 | Stephen Talbott | 5-5 | 55-63 |
BEST WEEKENDS FOR THE BULLPEN IN 2021
• The Boilermakers only scored three runs in their series at Maryland so the pitching really had no margin for error. The bullpen did its part to keep Purdue within striking distance. Highlighted by Ricky Castro's career-high eight strikeouts Friday, the bullpen posted season-best marks for hits per nine innings (6.57) and strikeouts per nine (12.41). The relievers also posted a respectable 4.25 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
• vs Nebraska: 16 2/3 IP, 13 H, 14 BB, 22 K, 3.24 ERA, .220 B/Avg, 7.02 H/9, 11.88 K/9
• at Champaign Pod: 15 IP, 11 H, 9 BB, 14 K, 3.60 ERA, .204 B/Avg, 6.6 H/9, 8.4 K/9
• at Maryland: 12 1/3 IP, 9 H, 4 BB, 17 K, 4.38 ERA, .209 B/Avg, 6.57 H/9, 12.41 K/9
• at East Lansing Pod: 15 IP, 19 H, 12 BB, 18 K, 4.80 ERA, .306 B/Avg, 11.4 H/9, 10.8 K/9
• at Indiana: 12 1/3 IP, 17 H, 3 BB, 17 K, 5.11 ERA, .333 B/Avg, 12.41 H/9, 12.41 K/9
NISLE'S EXTRA-BASE HITS ADD UP TO 1.000 OPS
• Ben Nisle has already become the only Boilermaker since 2001 to homer in five consecutive weekends. He nearly made it six straight weekends but his drive to deep left field Sunday hit off the top of the wall for a double, his third double of the Maryland series. With seven extra-base hits and an .885 slugging percentage during his current seven-game hit streak, Nisle improved his chances of posting a 1.000 OPS this season. With 20 extra-base hits in 35 games, he has compiled an extra-base hits per game mark (.571) that is among the best by any Boilermaker since 2001. With Purdue only scheduled to play 44 games this season, the per-game rate (along with slugging percentage and OPS) is the fairest way to provide context to the remarkable season Nisle is having.
| 1.000+ OPS SEASONS (SINCE 2001) Minimum 60 At-Bats |
|||||
| Season | Boilermaker | OBP | SLUG | OPS | At-Bats |
| 2009 | Dan Black | .518 | .667 | 1.185 | 174 |
| 2007 | Ryne White | .521 | .663 | 1.184 | 199 |
| 2008 | Dan Black | .444 | .675 | 1.119 | 194 |
| 2010 | Payton Bieker | .468 | .631 | 1.099 | 65 |
| 2001 | Nate Sickler | .440 | .651 | 1.091 | 195 |
| 2009 | Brandon Haveman | .462 | .616 | 1.078 | 185 |
| 2003 | Daniel Underwood | .420 | .658 | 1.078 | 199 |
| 2007 | Jordan Comadena | .455 | .620 | 1.075 | 100 |
| 2006 | Mitch Hilligoss | .453 | .579 | 1.032 | 228 |
| 2012 | Kevin Plawecki | .445 | .578 | 1.023 | 223 |
| 2021 | Ben Nisle | .410 | .606 | 1.016 | 132 |
| 2008 | Ryne White | .439 | .576 | 1.015 | 210 |
| 2008 | Jonathan Lilly | .480 | .529 | 1.009 | 87 |
| 2010 | Drew Madia | .454 | .552 | 1.006 | 143 |
| 2009 | John Cummins | .465 | .536 | 1.001 | 110 |
| BEST XBHs PER GAME MARKS (SINCE 2001) Minimum 10 XBH |
|||||||
| Season | Boilermaker | GP | 2B | 3B | HR | XBH | XBH/G |
| 2007 | Jordan Comadena | 28 | 13 | 0 | 5 | 18 | .643 |
| 2001 | Nate Sickler | 55 | 21 | 5 | 8 | 34 | .618 |
| 2009 | Brandon Haveman | 43 | 20 | 2 | 4 | 26 | .605 |
| 2009 | Dan Black | 51 | 13 | 2 | 15 | 30 | .588 |
| 2021 | Ben Nisle | 35 | 9 | 3 | 8 | 20 | .571 |
| 2008 | Dan Black | 58 | 15 | 0 | 18 | 33 | .569 |
| 2003 | Daniel Underwood | 54 | 30 | 16 | 2 | 12 | .556 |
| 2012 | Kevin Plawecki | 59 | 20 | 4 | 7 | 31 | .525 |
| 2011 | Cameron Perkins | 56 | 15 | 4 | 8 | 27 | .482 |
| 2010 | Cameron Perkins | 57 | 17 | 2 | 8 | 27 | .474 |
| 2007 | Ryne White | 53 | 16 | 1 | 8 | 25 | .472 |
| 2006 | Mitch Hilligoss | 58 | 16 | 5 | 6 | 27 | .466 |
| 2008 | Ryne White | 58 | 15 | 0 | 12 | 27 | .466 |
| 2017 | Jacson McGowan | 56 | 15 | 3 | 8 | 26 | .464 |
| 2016 | Kyle Wood | 54 | 11 | 1 | 12 | 24 | .444 |
| 2003 | Simon Klink | 54 | 21 | 2 | 1 | 24 | .444 |
| 2007 | Spencer Ingaldson | 54 | 20 | 2 | 2 | 24 | .444 |
| 2021 | Miles Simington | 35 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 15 | .429 |