GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Belmont (23-14, 9-3 OVC) at Purdue (22-10, 4-6 B1G)
Friday to Sunday, April 22 to 24 / Watch B1G+
Series Opener: Friday, April 22 at 6 p.m. ET
Middle Game: Saturday, April 23 at 6 p.m. ET
Series Finale: Sunday, April 24 at 1 p.m. ET
Alexander Field / West Lafayette, Indiana
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday: Jackson Smeltz (R-Jr, LHP) vs. BU's Andy Bean (So, LHP)
Saturday: Troy Wansing (Fr, LHP) vs. BU's Joshua South (Jr, RHP)
Sunday: TBA for Purdue vs. BU's Jalen Borders (So, LHP)
SERIES HISTORY
All-Time: Belmont leads 2-1
All-Time in West Lafayette: First Meetings
Last Meeting: Belmont 13, Purdue 6 (March 2011 in Nashville)
First Meeting: Purdue 5, Belmont 2 (March 2003 in Nashville)
WEEKEND PROMOTIONS
Friday: School Spirit Night – Support your Elementary/Middle/High School along with Purdue
Saturday: Reusable Tote Bag Giveaway to Celebrate Earth Day
Sunday: Bark at the Park – Bring your Dog & Leash Giveaway (First 250 Fans); $12 Family 4-Pack Ticket Special
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The opening series of Purdue baseball's season-long homestand coincides with the Boilermakers' open weekend in Big Ten play as Belmont pays a visit to campus as the fourth first-time visitor to Alexander Field this season.
First pitch is set for 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Fans are invited to bring their dogs to the ballpark for Sunday's 1 p.m. series finale. The Bark at the Park promotion, which returns for the first time since May 2019, also features a leash giveaway for the first 250 fans.
Purdue's seven-game homestand is the program's longest since posting a 6-3 mark on a nine-game homestand in 2019 (April 23-May 7). During the 2021 conference-only schedule, the Boilermakers only played six home games in April and 13 overall.
Idle from Ohio Valley Conference play this weekend, the Bruins were pegged as the OVC's NCAA Regional qualifier in D1baseball.com's latest postseason projections this week. In its final season as an OVC member before joining Murray State and UIC as the newcomers in the Missouri Valley Conference next school year, Belmont is battling Eastern Illinois and Southeast Missouri for a conference title.
The Boilermakers (18-1) and Bruins (10-1) both got off to hot starts and reached 10 wins before losing their second games of the season. Belmont has won each of its first four series in OVC play to open league play at 9-3. The Bruins have the advantage of hosting both SEMO and EIU in the coming weekends after compiling a 16-7 record at home. Belmont is also 7-6 in true road games.
Meanwhile, Purdue aims to right the ship from a rocky 4-8 stretch over the first three weeks of April. The Boilermakers play Michigan, Iowa, Northwestern and Maryland over the final four weekends of the season. If they are to play their way into the Big Ten Tournament, they may need to overtake one of those teams in the standings. With Purdue having two Big Ten games canceled back in March, tiebreakers are only likely to come into play if both teams finish at .500 in the standings.
WEEKEND NUMBER 5 OF BIG TEN PLAY
Conference records in parentheses
• Iowa (6-3) at Rutgers (11-1)
• Maryland (7-2) at Illinois (10-2)
• Ohio State (2-8) at Michigan (6-3)
• Michigan State (2-7) at Northwestern (4-5)
• Penn State (5-7) at Minnesota (1-8)
• Nebraska (4-5) at Indiana (2-7)
• Belmont at Purdue (4-6) – Non-Conference
OPEN WEEKENDS IN BIG TEN PLAY
Non-conference series during Big Ten season since league expanded before 2011-12 school year
• 2012: Lost 2 of 3 at No. 11 UCLA (May 5-6)
• 2013: Swept a 3-get set vs. Southern Illinois (May 3-5)
• 2014: Lost 2 of 3 at Southern Illinois (March 21-23)
• 2015: Lost all 3 games of a split-site series with Butler (March 28-29)
• 2016: Won 3 of 4 vs Cal State Northridge (May 19-22)
• 2017: Swept a 2-game set vs. Saint Louis (April 28-29)
• 2018: Split a doubleheader vs. Lipscomb (March 23)
• 2019: Won 2 of 3 vs. Southeast Missouri State (April 26-28)
• 2020: Was scheduled to play home series vs. Samford (April 17-19)
ACTIVE STREAKS
• Cam Thompson – 32-game on-base
• CJ Valdez – 29-game on-base
• Evan Albrecht – 24-game on-base, 7-game hit, 10-game hit in Big Ten play
• Curtis Washington Jr. – 20-game on-base, scored a run in 11 straight games
• Troy Viola – 13-game on-base, 8-game hit in Big Ten play
• Paul Toetz – 11-game on-base
• Notable: The Boilermakers have had five different players – Mike Bolton Jr. (21) is the fifth – post a 20-game on-base streaks in the same season for the first in the last 20 years. Previously, the 2008 team had five 20-game streaks but one player accounted for two of them.
TOP 10 IN THE BIG TEN ENTERING THE WEEKEND
• Mike Bolton Jr. – 1st in Triples (4), T-1st in Stolen Bases (22), 2nd in Walks (30), T-7th in HBP (10), T-8th in Sac Bunts (3)
• Cam Thompson – 1st in HBP (18), 1st in Sac Flies (5), 2nd in RBI (47), 3rd in SLUG (.687), T-3rd in HR (10), 4th in OPS (1.137)
• Curtis Washington Jr. – T-1st in Stolen Bases (22), T-5th in Runs (41)
• Evan Albrecht – 3rd in Batting Avg (.402), T-3rd in OBP (.489), 4th in Stolen Bases (15), T-6th in Sac Bunts (4)
• Jackson Smeltz – 2nd in Strikeouts (71), T-2nd in Wins (6), 6th in B/Avg (.199), 5th in ERA (2.86), 9th in Innings (50 1/3)
• Troy Viola – 4th in HBP (12), T-7th in Doubles (12)
• CJ Valdez – 6th in Batting Avg (.364), 7th in OBP (.478)
BOILERMAKERS WITH A TWO-HOMER GAME IN THE BBCOR BAT ERA (Since 2011)
• CJ Valdez at UIC – April 19, 2022
• Ben Nisle at Ohio State – May 2, 2021
• Jacson McGowan at Maryland – April 21, 2018
• Ben Nisle vs. Minnesota – April 13, 2018
• Kyle Wood at East Tennessee State – March 5, 2016
• Kyle Johnson at East Tennessee State – March 5, 2016
• Alec Olund vs. Purdue Fort Wayne – April 1, 2015
• Sean McHugh vs. Iowa – May 17, 2013
• Cameron Perkins at Iowa – May 17, 2012
• Cameron Perkins at Nebraska – April 20, 2012
• Cameron Perkins vs. Indiana – May 1, 2011
• Eric Charles at Tennessee-Martin – March 13, 2011
• Angelo Cianfrocco at Morehead State – Feb. 26, 2011
Belmont (23-14, 9-3 OVC) at Purdue (22-10, 4-6 B1G)
Friday to Sunday, April 22 to 24 / Watch B1G+
Series Opener: Friday, April 22 at 6 p.m. ET
Middle Game: Saturday, April 23 at 6 p.m. ET
Series Finale: Sunday, April 24 at 1 p.m. ET
Alexander Field / West Lafayette, Indiana
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday: Jackson Smeltz (R-Jr, LHP) vs. BU's Andy Bean (So, LHP)
Saturday: Troy Wansing (Fr, LHP) vs. BU's Joshua South (Jr, RHP)
Sunday: TBA for Purdue vs. BU's Jalen Borders (So, LHP)
SERIES HISTORY
All-Time: Belmont leads 2-1
All-Time in West Lafayette: First Meetings
Last Meeting: Belmont 13, Purdue 6 (March 2011 in Nashville)
First Meeting: Purdue 5, Belmont 2 (March 2003 in Nashville)
WEEKEND PROMOTIONS
Friday: School Spirit Night – Support your Elementary/Middle/High School along with Purdue
Saturday: Reusable Tote Bag Giveaway to Celebrate Earth Day
Sunday: Bark at the Park – Bring your Dog & Leash Giveaway (First 250 Fans); $12 Family 4-Pack Ticket Special
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The opening series of Purdue baseball's season-long homestand coincides with the Boilermakers' open weekend in Big Ten play as Belmont pays a visit to campus as the fourth first-time visitor to Alexander Field this season.
First pitch is set for 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Fans are invited to bring their dogs to the ballpark for Sunday's 1 p.m. series finale. The Bark at the Park promotion, which returns for the first time since May 2019, also features a leash giveaway for the first 250 fans.
Purdue's seven-game homestand is the program's longest since posting a 6-3 mark on a nine-game homestand in 2019 (April 23-May 7). During the 2021 conference-only schedule, the Boilermakers only played six home games in April and 13 overall.
Idle from Ohio Valley Conference play this weekend, the Bruins were pegged as the OVC's NCAA Regional qualifier in D1baseball.com's latest postseason projections this week. In its final season as an OVC member before joining Murray State and UIC as the newcomers in the Missouri Valley Conference next school year, Belmont is battling Eastern Illinois and Southeast Missouri for a conference title.
The Boilermakers (18-1) and Bruins (10-1) both got off to hot starts and reached 10 wins before losing their second games of the season. Belmont has won each of its first four series in OVC play to open league play at 9-3. The Bruins have the advantage of hosting both SEMO and EIU in the coming weekends after compiling a 16-7 record at home. Belmont is also 7-6 in true road games.
Meanwhile, Purdue aims to right the ship from a rocky 4-8 stretch over the first three weeks of April. The Boilermakers play Michigan, Iowa, Northwestern and Maryland over the final four weekends of the season. If they are to play their way into the Big Ten Tournament, they may need to overtake one of those teams in the standings. With Purdue having two Big Ten games canceled back in March, tiebreakers are only likely to come into play if both teams finish at .500 in the standings.
WEEKEND NUMBER 5 OF BIG TEN PLAY
Conference records in parentheses
• Iowa (6-3) at Rutgers (11-1)
• Maryland (7-2) at Illinois (10-2)
• Ohio State (2-8) at Michigan (6-3)
• Michigan State (2-7) at Northwestern (4-5)
• Penn State (5-7) at Minnesota (1-8)
• Nebraska (4-5) at Indiana (2-7)
• Belmont at Purdue (4-6) – Non-Conference
OPEN WEEKENDS IN BIG TEN PLAY
Non-conference series during Big Ten season since league expanded before 2011-12 school year
• 2012: Lost 2 of 3 at No. 11 UCLA (May 5-6)
• 2013: Swept a 3-get set vs. Southern Illinois (May 3-5)
• 2014: Lost 2 of 3 at Southern Illinois (March 21-23)
• 2015: Lost all 3 games of a split-site series with Butler (March 28-29)
• 2016: Won 3 of 4 vs Cal State Northridge (May 19-22)
• 2017: Swept a 2-game set vs. Saint Louis (April 28-29)
• 2018: Split a doubleheader vs. Lipscomb (March 23)
• 2019: Won 2 of 3 vs. Southeast Missouri State (April 26-28)
• 2020: Was scheduled to play home series vs. Samford (April 17-19)
ACTIVE STREAKS
• Cam Thompson – 32-game on-base
• CJ Valdez – 29-game on-base
• Evan Albrecht – 24-game on-base, 7-game hit, 10-game hit in Big Ten play
• Curtis Washington Jr. – 20-game on-base, scored a run in 11 straight games
• Troy Viola – 13-game on-base, 8-game hit in Big Ten play
• Paul Toetz – 11-game on-base
• Notable: The Boilermakers have had five different players – Mike Bolton Jr. (21) is the fifth – post a 20-game on-base streaks in the same season for the first in the last 20 years. Previously, the 2008 team had five 20-game streaks but one player accounted for two of them.
TOP 10 IN THE BIG TEN ENTERING THE WEEKEND
• Mike Bolton Jr. – 1st in Triples (4), T-1st in Stolen Bases (22), 2nd in Walks (30), T-7th in HBP (10), T-8th in Sac Bunts (3)
• Cam Thompson – 1st in HBP (18), 1st in Sac Flies (5), 2nd in RBI (47), 3rd in SLUG (.687), T-3rd in HR (10), 4th in OPS (1.137)
• Curtis Washington Jr. – T-1st in Stolen Bases (22), T-5th in Runs (41)
• Evan Albrecht – 3rd in Batting Avg (.402), T-3rd in OBP (.489), 4th in Stolen Bases (15), T-6th in Sac Bunts (4)
• Jackson Smeltz – 2nd in Strikeouts (71), T-2nd in Wins (6), 6th in B/Avg (.199), 5th in ERA (2.86), 9th in Innings (50 1/3)
• Troy Viola – 4th in HBP (12), T-7th in Doubles (12)
• CJ Valdez – 6th in Batting Avg (.364), 7th in OBP (.478)
BOILERMAKERS WITH A TWO-HOMER GAME IN THE BBCOR BAT ERA (Since 2011)
• CJ Valdez at UIC – April 19, 2022
• Ben Nisle at Ohio State – May 2, 2021
• Jacson McGowan at Maryland – April 21, 2018
• Ben Nisle vs. Minnesota – April 13, 2018
• Kyle Wood at East Tennessee State – March 5, 2016
• Kyle Johnson at East Tennessee State – March 5, 2016
• Alec Olund vs. Purdue Fort Wayne – April 1, 2015
• Sean McHugh vs. Iowa – May 17, 2013
• Cameron Perkins at Iowa – May 17, 2012
• Cameron Perkins at Nebraska – April 20, 2012
• Cameron Perkins vs. Indiana – May 1, 2011
• Eric Charles at Tennessee-Martin – March 13, 2011
• Angelo Cianfrocco at Morehead State – Feb. 26, 2011
| RECORDS WATCH | |
| STOLEN BASES • Team Record: 106 (2000 in 58 Games) • 2022 Team Total: 85 (in 32 Games) • Individual Record: 33 (Jeff Allison in 1987) • 2022 Team Leaders: 22 …Mike Bolton Jr. & Curtis Washington Jr. |
STRIKEOUTS ON THE MOUND • Team Record: 477 (2019 in 54 Games) • 2022 Team Total: 318 (in 32 Games) • K/9 Team Record: 9.10 (2019 in 471.2 Innings) • 2022 Team Total: 9.81 (in 291.2 Innings) • Individual Record: 95 (Matt Bischoff in 2010) • 2022 Team Leader: 71 (Jackson Smeltz) • K/9 Record: 10.89 (Trent Johnson in 2019) • 2022 K/9 Team Leader: 12.70 (Jackson Smeltz) |
| MONTH-BY-MONTH BREAKDOWN | |||
| Month/Category | February | March | April |
| Record | 8-0 | 10-2 | 4-8 |
| Home | NA | 6-1 | 3-2 |
| Away | NA | 1-1 | 1-6 |
| Neutral | 8-0 | 3-0 | NA |
| Runs Per Game | 8.3 | 7.1 | 8.9 |
| Slash Line | .278/.397/.449 | .265/.376/.419 | .299/.421/.450 |
| Opponent Slash Line | .213/.320/.316 | .255/.341/.338 | .326/.411/.510 |
| Runners LOB | 67 | 90 | 110 |
| Opponent LOB | 65 | 107 | 87 |
| Avg. w/ RISP | .286 | .252 | .294 |
| Opponent Avg. w/ RISP | .143 | .214 | .325 |
| Avg. w/ 2 Outs | .253 | .195 | .331 |
| Opponent Avg. w/ 2 Outs | .195 | .252 | .210 |
| Team ERA | 2.88 | 3.32 | 9.00 |
| Starters ERA | 2.53 | 2.95 | 7.19 |
| Bullpen ERA | 3.15 | 3.65 | 10.48 |
| Inherited Runners Total Runners/Scored |
20/4 (20%) | 40/10 (25%) | 50/31 (62%) |
| A TALE OF 2 SEASONS: SINCE MARCH 29 | ||
| Segment/Category | First 19 Games | Last 13 Games |
| Record | 18-1 | 4-9 |
| Home | 6-0 | 3-3 |
| Away | 1-1 | 1-6 |
| Neutral | 11-0 | NA |
| Runs Per Game | 7.5 | 8.9 |
| Slash Line | .270/.385/.437 | .297/.417/.440 |
| Opponent Slash Line | .233/.323/.327 | .328/.418/.500 |
| Runners LOB | 149 | 118 |
| Opponent LOB | 159 | 100 |
| Avg. with RISP | .260 | .298 |
| Opponent Avg. with RISP | .166 | .331 |
| Avg. with 2 Outs | .221 | .319 |
| Opponent Avg. with 2 Outs | .215 | .237 |
| Team ERA | 2.81 | 9.08 |
| Starters ERA | 2.87 | 6.84 |
| Bullpen ERA | 2.75 | 10.80 |
| Inherited Runners Total Runners/Scored |
55/11 (20%) | 55/34 (62%) |