GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Northern Illinois (3-14) at No. 17 Purdue (17-1)
Tuesday, March 22 at 4 p.m. ET / Watch B1G+
Alexander Field / West Lafayette, Indiana
$3 Specials: Hot Dogs, Popcorn, Nachos & Draft Beers
Trading Card Tuesday: Set No. 2 of 7
SERIES HISTORY
All-Time: Purdue leads 5-1
All-Time in West Lafayette: Purdue leads 3-0
Last Meetings: Purdue won 2 of 3 (March 2015 in Westfield, Ind.)
Last Meetings in West Lafayette: Purdue swept a 3-game set (March 1999)
First Meeting: Purdue 2, NIU 0 (March 1999 at Lambert Field)
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – No. 17 Purdue baseball continues its seven-game homestand with a midweek visit from Northern Illinois, with Tuesday's game marking the end of the pre-conference schedule for the Boilermakers.
First pitch is slated for 4 p.m. ET at Alexander Field. However, with rain in the forecast for much of Tuesday, the game could be moved to Wednesday or postponed until another midweek date later this season. Whether it's played Tuesday or Wednesday, the $3 midweek specials and set No. 2 of Purdue baseball cards will be available.
The Huskies are the third of five first-time visitors to Alexander Field this spring. They were supposed to be the opponent for the 2015 home opener, but that mid-March weekend series was moved to the artificial turf fields of Grand Park in Westfield, Indiana.
FIRST TIME VISITORS TO ALEXANDER THIS SPRING
• Bellarmine – March 10-13
• Dayton – March 15
• Northern Illinois – March 22
• Evansville – April 20
• Belmont – April 22-24
The Boilermakers are off to a 5-0 home start for the first time since the 2008 team won its first six home games. Purdue is riding a six-game home win streak dating back to the 2021 season finale, the program's longest streak at Alexander since winning its final 13 home games in 2018. Around the Big Ten, only Maryland (9) has a longer active home win streak entering the week. Purdue is also one of 30 team nationally with an active home win streak of at least six games.
Sunday's walk-off win in the nightcap of the doubleheader with Illinois State was Purdue's fifth such victory of the season. It was also the program's ninth walk-off win at Alexander Field since the ballpark opened in 2013.
Regardless of whether or not the NIU game is played this week, Purdue is in position to enter Big Ten play with its best winning percentage in the modern era of the program. Since 1950, only the program's 1959 (12-1) and 2012 (14-1) teams also reached the double-figure mark in victories before suffering their second loss. The current Boilermakers now have their sights set on getting to 20-1. Ohio State is town this week for the opening weekend of conference play. The Buckeyes were the first-ever opponent at Alexander in March 2013 and only Iowa (15) has played more games than OSU (13) in West Lafayette since the ballpark opened.
ACTIVE STREAKS
• Mike Bolton Jr. – 19-game on-base
• Cam Thompson – 11-game RBI, 18-game on-base
• CJ Valdez – 15-game on-base, 4-game RBI
• Evan Albrecht – 10-game on-base, scored a run in 5 straight games
• Curtis Washington Jr. – 6-game on-base
• Wyatt Wendell -- 14 consecutive innings without a walk
• Landon Weins -- 10 consecutive innings without a walk
LEADING THE BIG TEN
• Mike Bolton Jr. – 3 Triples, 12 Stolen Bases
• Curtis Washington Jr. – 23 Runs Scored, 12 Stolen Bases
• Cam Thompson – 28 RBI, 10 Hit by Pitch
• Jackson Smeltz, 44 Strikeouts
• Troy Wansing – 1.33 ERA
• Troy Viola – 3 Sac Flies
• Purdue – Stolen Bases (54), ERA (2.69), Hit by Pitch (47), Sac Flies (12),
Northern Illinois (3-14) at No. 17 Purdue (17-1)
Tuesday, March 22 at 4 p.m. ET / Watch B1G+
Alexander Field / West Lafayette, Indiana
$3 Specials: Hot Dogs, Popcorn, Nachos & Draft Beers
Trading Card Tuesday: Set No. 2 of 7
SERIES HISTORY
All-Time: Purdue leads 5-1
All-Time in West Lafayette: Purdue leads 3-0
Last Meetings: Purdue won 2 of 3 (March 2015 in Westfield, Ind.)
Last Meetings in West Lafayette: Purdue swept a 3-game set (March 1999)
First Meeting: Purdue 2, NIU 0 (March 1999 at Lambert Field)
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – No. 17 Purdue baseball continues its seven-game homestand with a midweek visit from Northern Illinois, with Tuesday's game marking the end of the pre-conference schedule for the Boilermakers.
First pitch is slated for 4 p.m. ET at Alexander Field. However, with rain in the forecast for much of Tuesday, the game could be moved to Wednesday or postponed until another midweek date later this season. Whether it's played Tuesday or Wednesday, the $3 midweek specials and set No. 2 of Purdue baseball cards will be available.
The Huskies are the third of five first-time visitors to Alexander Field this spring. They were supposed to be the opponent for the 2015 home opener, but that mid-March weekend series was moved to the artificial turf fields of Grand Park in Westfield, Indiana.
FIRST TIME VISITORS TO ALEXANDER THIS SPRING
• Bellarmine – March 10-13
• Dayton – March 15
• Northern Illinois – March 22
• Evansville – April 20
• Belmont – April 22-24
The Boilermakers are off to a 5-0 home start for the first time since the 2008 team won its first six home games. Purdue is riding a six-game home win streak dating back to the 2021 season finale, the program's longest streak at Alexander since winning its final 13 home games in 2018. Around the Big Ten, only Maryland (9) has a longer active home win streak entering the week. Purdue is also one of 30 team nationally with an active home win streak of at least six games.
| BEST STARTS AT HOME (SINCE 1975) | |||||
| Year | Home Opener | Undefeated Home Start | 1st Home Loss | 2nd Home Loss | Final Home Record |
| 2022 | March 10 | 5-0 | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| 2012 | March 27 | 4-0 | April 1 | April 29 | 13-3 |
| 2011 | March 22 | NA | March 22 | April 10 | 14-4 |
| 2008 | March 22 | 6-0 | March 29 | April 13 | 18-5 |
| 2002 | March 20 | 7-0 | April 14 | April 20 | 10-11 |
| 2000 | March 22 | 4-0 | March 26 | April 15 | 15-6 |
| 1999 | March 24 | 5-0 | April 3 | April 3 | 14-5 |
| 1998 | March 18 | 8-0 | April 11 | April 11 | 9-11 |
| 1993 | March 18 | 7-0 | March 27 | March 28 | 14-9 |
| 1992 | March 16 | 1-0 | March 16 | March 28 | 17-11 |
| 1991 | March 16 | NA | March 16 | March 31 | 17-7 |
| 1987 | April 1 | 14-0-1 | April 25 | April 30 | 19-3-1 |
| Purdue's record for home wins is 22 by the 1982 team (22-6) | |||||
Sunday's walk-off win in the nightcap of the doubleheader with Illinois State was Purdue's fifth such victory of the season. It was also the program's ninth walk-off win at Alexander Field since the ballpark opened in 2013.
| WALK-OFF WINS AT ALEXANDER FIELD (SINCE 2013) | ||||
| Date | Opponent | Score (Innings) | GW RBI | GW Run |
| 3/20/2022 | Illinois State | 7-6 (10) | Evan Albrecht | Troy Viola |
| 3/27/2021 | Rutgers | 7-4 (9) | Mason Gavre | Ben Nisle |
| 3/31/2022 | Penn State | 2-1 (10) | Cole McKenzie | Seth Gergely |
| 5/06/2018 | Northwestern | 2-1 (12) | Alec Olund | Hayden Grant |
| 4/29/2018 | Saint Louis | 4-3 (9) | Harry Shipley | Milo Beam |
| 4/23/2018 | Illinois | 2-1 (9) | NA (E5) | Milo Beam |
| 5/20/2017 | Cal State Northridge | 1-0 (10) | Nick Dalesandro | Kyle Johnson |
| 4/25/2014 | Ohio State | 4-3 (13) | Kyle Wood | Cody Strong |
| 4/15/2014 | Butler | 5-4 (10) | Brandon Krieg | Jeff Evak |
Regardless of whether or not the NIU game is played this week, Purdue is in position to enter Big Ten play with its best winning percentage in the modern era of the program. Since 1950, only the program's 1959 (12-1) and 2012 (14-1) teams also reached the double-figure mark in victories before suffering their second loss. The current Boilermakers now have their sights set on getting to 20-1. Ohio State is town this week for the opening weekend of conference play. The Buckeyes were the first-ever opponent at Alexander in March 2013 and only Iowa (15) has played more games than OSU (13) in West Lafayette since the ballpark opened.
ACTIVE STREAKS
• Mike Bolton Jr. – 19-game on-base
• Cam Thompson – 11-game RBI, 18-game on-base
• CJ Valdez – 15-game on-base, 4-game RBI
• Evan Albrecht – 10-game on-base, scored a run in 5 straight games
• Curtis Washington Jr. – 6-game on-base
• Wyatt Wendell -- 14 consecutive innings without a walk
• Landon Weins -- 10 consecutive innings without a walk
LEADING THE BIG TEN
• Mike Bolton Jr. – 3 Triples, 12 Stolen Bases
• Curtis Washington Jr. – 23 Runs Scored, 12 Stolen Bases
• Cam Thompson – 28 RBI, 10 Hit by Pitch
• Jackson Smeltz, 44 Strikeouts
• Troy Wansing – 1.33 ERA
• Troy Viola – 3 Sac Flies
• Purdue – Stolen Bases (54), ERA (2.69), Hit by Pitch (47), Sac Flies (12),
| BEST 20-GAME STARTS IN PROGRAM HISTORY (SINCE 1975) | |||||
| Year | After 10 Games | After 15 Games | After 20 Games | Entering B1G | Final Record |
| 2022 | 10-0 | 15-0 | Currently 17-1 | TBD | TBD |
| 2012 | 9-1 | 14-1 | 16-4 | 14-3 | 45-14 |
| 2011 | 8-2 | 11-4 | 13-7 | 16-8 | 37-20 |
| 2000 | 7-3 | 9-6 | 13-7 | 10-6 | 35-23 |
| 1993 | 8-2 | 13-2 | 16-4 | 15-2 | 36-22 |
| 1991 | 7-3 | 12-3 | 17-3 | 16-3 | 35-21 |
| 1987 | 5-5 | 8-7 | 12-7-1 | 17-9-1 | 36-24-1 |
| 1985 | 5-5 | 10-5 | 13-7 | 17-12 | 33-25 |