WEEKEND SERIES INFORMATION
South Dakota State (15-32 in 2021) vs. Purdue (16-26 in 2021)
4-Game Series / Friday to Sunday, Feb. 18 to Feb. 20
Constellation Field / Sugar Land, Texas
Series Opener: Friday, Feb. 18 at 4 p.m. ET
Doubleheader: Saturday, Feb. 19 at 2 p.m. ET
Series Finale: Sunday, Feb. 20 at 2 p.m. ET
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday: Wyatt Wendell (R-Jr, RHP) vs. SDSU's Nic McCay (R-So, RHP)
Saturday Game 1: Jackson Smeltz (R-Jr, LHP) vs. SDSU's Cody Carlson (LHP)
Saturday Game 2: Troy Wansing (Fr, LHP) vs. SDSU's Owen Bishop (RHP)
Sunday: TBA for Purdue Drew Beazley (RHP)
SUGAR LAND, Texas – With a projected Opening Day lineup full of fresh faces, Purdue baseball opens its new season at a Triple-A ballpark in Texas for the second year in a row, taking on first-time foe South Dakota State for a four-game series.
Friday is college baseball's universal start date and the season opener at Constellation Field in Sugar Land, Texas, is set for 4 p.m. ET. Saturday's doubleheader and Sunday's series finale are both slated for 2 p.m. ET.
Constellation Field is the home of the newly renamed Sugar Land Space Cowboys – formerly the Sugar Land Skeeters. They became a Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros in time for the 2020 season after previously being an independent franchise in the Atlantic League.
Purdue is opening its season with a four-game series for the fourth time in the last six years. They also played four-game sets at Texas State in 2017, vs. Hofstra in 2020 and vs. Nebraska in 2021. The Boilermakers were also the designated home team against Hofstra and Nebraska, winning their season opener in walk-off fashion at the Triple-A Dell Diamond in Round Rock, Texas, last year.
Purdue's Opening Day lineup last year featured eight returning starters (all but shortstop and DH). Friday's lineup this could flip the opposite way this season with potentially as many as eight Boilermakers making their team debuts in the starting lineup. Transfers are projected to play a pivotal role for Purdue.
Newcomer Wyatt Wendell has earned the Opening Day start on the mound for Purdue after helping pitch Indian Hills College to the NJCAA World Series last year. Josh Lindblom, in 2007, was the last newcomer to earn an Opening Day start for Purdue.
Meanwhile, freshman lefty Troy Wansing – the scheduled game 3 starter – is set to join Jackson Smeltz, Jett Jackson and Calvin Schapira as active Boilermakers to make their team debuts as starting pitchers. Smeltz is moving back to the rotation this year after making 11 of his 13 appearances last season in relief.
2021 STATS FOR TRANSFERS
• Curtis Washington Jr. at Wabash Valley JC: .412, 33 XBH, 8 HR, 63 RBI, 34 BB, 46 SB
• Paul Toetz at Indiana: .281, 19 XBH, HR, 24 RBI, 16 BB, led the Big Ten with 18 Doubles
• Sam Franco at Manhattan: .353, 18 XBH, 10 HR, 25 RBI, 4 SB, 10 HR in 102 AB
• Jake Jarvis at Central Arizona JC: .325, 26 XBH, 6 HR, 36 RBI, 27 BB, 8 SB
• CJ Valdez at Yavapai JC: .411, 37 XBH, 17 HR, 62 RBI, 28 BB, 19 SB
• Pablo Lanzarote at Hinds JC: .336, 27 2B, 13 HR, 55 RBI, 23 BB
• Wyatt Wendell at Indian Hills JC: 8-3, 12 GS, 3 CG, 65 IP, 64 H, 24 BB, 72 K, 4.57 ERA
The Boilermakers have plenty of experience in the infield. Seniors Tyler Powers, Evan Albrecht and Ryan Howe have made a combined 301 starts and demonstrated their versatility across second base, shortstop and third base. All three players have also played their way into the lineup in the past. On the mound, Kyle Wade and Smeltz have both been with the program since the fall of 2018. Eric Hildebrand and Ricky Castro are two important members of the bullpen set for their third seasons as Boilermakers.
UNIQUE ACHIEVEMENTS & ELEMENTS IN 2021
• Purdue scored 41 runs in the ninth inning, the program's best total since at least 2001 even while batting in the ninth only 36 times. The Boilermakers won in walk-off fashion in three different cities – Round Rock, West Lafayette and Champaign – scoring in the ninth inning in all three victories.
• Four different Boilermakers hit a grand slam, including returning first basemen Cam Thompson and Jake Parr. Thompson hit his slam in his first career at-bat at Alexander Field, hitting Purdue's first slam at home since April 2017. Parr's first collegiate home run was also a grand slam.
• Purdue hit three sets of back-to-back home runs after accomplishing the feat just once from 2011 to 2020. Ryan Howe hit the front end of the back-to-back jacks April 23, the first set of back-to-back homers in the history of Alexander Field. The Boilermakers hit three home runs in that wild ninth inning, accomplishing the feat for the first time since February 2017.
• Mike Bolton Jr. matched the most stolen bases (17-for-17) by a Boilermaker in a perfect season since 2001. He ranked second in the Big Ten in steals.
• Jett Jackson struck out 10 of 20 batters faced in his season-opening start vs. league champion Nebraska, becoming just the seventh Boilermaker since 2005 to punch out at least half the batters faced while registering a minimum five Ks.
• Purdue racked up 46 strikeouts over 32 innings in the season-opening series vs. Nebraska, its most ever in a four-game series.
• The Boilermakers surrendered only 24 hits in 38 innings (5.68 H/9) while winning all four of their games in the Champaign pod, registering their fewest hits allowed per nine innings in a four-game weekend since 2006.
THE LAST TIME
• A newcomer was Purdue's Opening Day starter on the mound: Josh Lindblom in 2007
• Purdue opened a season vs. a first-time opponent: 2020 vs. Hofstra in Sanford, Fla.
• Purdue opened in the same state in consecutive years: Florida from 2009 to 2013
• Purdue played a weekend series vs. a Summit League opponent: March 2019 at Oral Roberts
South Dakota State (15-32 in 2021) vs. Purdue (16-26 in 2021)
4-Game Series / Friday to Sunday, Feb. 18 to Feb. 20
Constellation Field / Sugar Land, Texas
Series Opener: Friday, Feb. 18 at 4 p.m. ET
Doubleheader: Saturday, Feb. 19 at 2 p.m. ET
Series Finale: Sunday, Feb. 20 at 2 p.m. ET
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday: Wyatt Wendell (R-Jr, RHP) vs. SDSU's Nic McCay (R-So, RHP)
Saturday Game 1: Jackson Smeltz (R-Jr, LHP) vs. SDSU's Cody Carlson (LHP)
Saturday Game 2: Troy Wansing (Fr, LHP) vs. SDSU's Owen Bishop (RHP)
Sunday: TBA for Purdue Drew Beazley (RHP)
SUGAR LAND, Texas – With a projected Opening Day lineup full of fresh faces, Purdue baseball opens its new season at a Triple-A ballpark in Texas for the second year in a row, taking on first-time foe South Dakota State for a four-game series.
Friday is college baseball's universal start date and the season opener at Constellation Field in Sugar Land, Texas, is set for 4 p.m. ET. Saturday's doubleheader and Sunday's series finale are both slated for 2 p.m. ET.
Constellation Field is the home of the newly renamed Sugar Land Space Cowboys – formerly the Sugar Land Skeeters. They became a Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros in time for the 2020 season after previously being an independent franchise in the Atlantic League.
Purdue is opening its season with a four-game series for the fourth time in the last six years. They also played four-game sets at Texas State in 2017, vs. Hofstra in 2020 and vs. Nebraska in 2021. The Boilermakers were also the designated home team against Hofstra and Nebraska, winning their season opener in walk-off fashion at the Triple-A Dell Diamond in Round Rock, Texas, last year.
Purdue's Opening Day lineup last year featured eight returning starters (all but shortstop and DH). Friday's lineup this could flip the opposite way this season with potentially as many as eight Boilermakers making their team debuts in the starting lineup. Transfers are projected to play a pivotal role for Purdue.
Newcomer Wyatt Wendell has earned the Opening Day start on the mound for Purdue after helping pitch Indian Hills College to the NJCAA World Series last year. Josh Lindblom, in 2007, was the last newcomer to earn an Opening Day start for Purdue.
Meanwhile, freshman lefty Troy Wansing – the scheduled game 3 starter – is set to join Jackson Smeltz, Jett Jackson and Calvin Schapira as active Boilermakers to make their team debuts as starting pitchers. Smeltz is moving back to the rotation this year after making 11 of his 13 appearances last season in relief.
2021 STATS FOR TRANSFERS
• Curtis Washington Jr. at Wabash Valley JC: .412, 33 XBH, 8 HR, 63 RBI, 34 BB, 46 SB
• Paul Toetz at Indiana: .281, 19 XBH, HR, 24 RBI, 16 BB, led the Big Ten with 18 Doubles
• Sam Franco at Manhattan: .353, 18 XBH, 10 HR, 25 RBI, 4 SB, 10 HR in 102 AB
• Jake Jarvis at Central Arizona JC: .325, 26 XBH, 6 HR, 36 RBI, 27 BB, 8 SB
• CJ Valdez at Yavapai JC: .411, 37 XBH, 17 HR, 62 RBI, 28 BB, 19 SB
• Pablo Lanzarote at Hinds JC: .336, 27 2B, 13 HR, 55 RBI, 23 BB
• Wyatt Wendell at Indian Hills JC: 8-3, 12 GS, 3 CG, 65 IP, 64 H, 24 BB, 72 K, 4.57 ERA
The Boilermakers have plenty of experience in the infield. Seniors Tyler Powers, Evan Albrecht and Ryan Howe have made a combined 301 starts and demonstrated their versatility across second base, shortstop and third base. All three players have also played their way into the lineup in the past. On the mound, Kyle Wade and Smeltz have both been with the program since the fall of 2018. Eric Hildebrand and Ricky Castro are two important members of the bullpen set for their third seasons as Boilermakers.
UNIQUE ACHIEVEMENTS & ELEMENTS IN 2021
• Purdue scored 41 runs in the ninth inning, the program's best total since at least 2001 even while batting in the ninth only 36 times. The Boilermakers won in walk-off fashion in three different cities – Round Rock, West Lafayette and Champaign – scoring in the ninth inning in all three victories.
• Four different Boilermakers hit a grand slam, including returning first basemen Cam Thompson and Jake Parr. Thompson hit his slam in his first career at-bat at Alexander Field, hitting Purdue's first slam at home since April 2017. Parr's first collegiate home run was also a grand slam.
• Purdue hit three sets of back-to-back home runs after accomplishing the feat just once from 2011 to 2020. Ryan Howe hit the front end of the back-to-back jacks April 23, the first set of back-to-back homers in the history of Alexander Field. The Boilermakers hit three home runs in that wild ninth inning, accomplishing the feat for the first time since February 2017.
• Mike Bolton Jr. matched the most stolen bases (17-for-17) by a Boilermaker in a perfect season since 2001. He ranked second in the Big Ten in steals.
• Jett Jackson struck out 10 of 20 batters faced in his season-opening start vs. league champion Nebraska, becoming just the seventh Boilermaker since 2005 to punch out at least half the batters faced while registering a minimum five Ks.
• Purdue racked up 46 strikeouts over 32 innings in the season-opening series vs. Nebraska, its most ever in a four-game series.
• The Boilermakers surrendered only 24 hits in 38 innings (5.68 H/9) while winning all four of their games in the Champaign pod, registering their fewest hits allowed per nine innings in a four-game weekend since 2006.
THE LAST TIME
• A newcomer was Purdue's Opening Day starter on the mound: Josh Lindblom in 2007
• Purdue opened a season vs. a first-time opponent: 2020 vs. Hofstra in Sanford, Fla.
• Purdue opened in the same state in consecutive years: Florida from 2009 to 2013
• Purdue played a weekend series vs. a Summit League opponent: March 2019 at Oral Roberts