GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Purdue (25-14, 6-7 B1G) at Iowa (26-15, 10-5 B1G)
Friday to Sunday, May 6 to 8
Series Opener: Friday, May 6 at 5 p.m. ET on B1G+
Middle Game: Saturday, May 7 at Noon ET on BTN
Series Finale: Sunday, May 8 at 2 p.m. ET on B1G+
Duane Banks Field / Iowa City, Iowa
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday: CJ Backer (So, RHP) vs. Iowa's Adam Mazur (R-So, RHP)
Saturday: Wyatt Wendell (R-Jr, RHP) vs. Iowa's Connor Schultz (Gr, RHP)
Sunday: Logan Danzeisen (R-Fr, RHP) vs. Iowa's Ty Langenberg (So, RHP)
SERIES HISTORY
All-Time: Iowa leads 101-66-1
All-Time in Iowa City: Iowa leads 52-25
2021: Iowa won 2 of 3 (April 2-4 in West Lafayette)
Last Series in Iowa City: Iowa won 2 of 3 (March 2017)
Purdue's Last Series Win vs. Iowa: Swept a 3-game set (May 2011 in West Lafayette)
Purdue's Last Series Win in Iowa City: Won 3 of 4 (April 2008)
First Meeting: Iowa 5, Purdue 2 (1902 in West Lafayette)
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The front end of Purdue baseball's consecutive road weekends doubles as the Boilermakers' first trip to Iowa City since March 2017, setting the stage for a Big Ten series against an Iowa team with the top pitching staff in the league.
First pitch at Duane Banks Field is set for 5 p.m. Friday, noon Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday (all times ET). Games times Friday and Saturday were moved up this week to accommodate live television coverage by the Big Ten Network on Saturday. The 11 a.m. local time first pitch Saturday represents the Boilermakers' first morning game of the season.
Five of the last six Purdue-Iowa series have been played in West Lafayette dating back to 2013. The Hawkeyes' 15 games at Alexander Field are the most of any visiting team. The Boilermakers were scheduled to visit Iowa City in 2020.
The Hawkeyes lead the Big Ten in ERA (3.46), batting average against (.198) and strikeouts (480). Holding the opposition below the Mendoza Line 40 games into a season is a truly remarkable feat. Led by its top two starters and relief ace, Iowa's staff features five pitchers that have worked at least 10 innings with a batting average against below .200.
Adam Mazur and Connor Schultz headline the staff as transfers from South Dakota State and Butler. Purdue also pursued Mazur this past summer, but the Minnesota native opted for Iowa City. Mazur and Schultz teamed up to limit league-leading Rutgers' dynamic lineup to one run over 16 innings in the first two games of the series in New Jersey two weekends ago. Mazur followed that up with a two-hit, complete-game shutout at Nebraska last Friday, but the Huskers got to Schultz (2 1/3 IP, 4 H, 8 ER, 4 BB, 3 K).
Even without Jackson Smeltz last weekend, the Boilermakers managed to rack up 36 strikeouts in the series win vs. Michigan. Purdue posted three consecutive double-figure strikeout games in a Big Ten series for the first time since April 2010 vs. Penn State (35). Smeltz will be sidelined by injury again this weekend, putting CJ Backer and Wyatt Wendell in position to try to duplicate what they did against the Wolverines. They teamed up for 11 innings of three-run ball, accounting for 16 of Purdue's 36 strikeouts.
The Boilermakers backed up the pitching staff vs. Michigan with a flawless weekend defensively, accomplishing that feat for the second time this year. They also did it in the series win vs. Indiana. Of the 81 outs recorded vs. the Wolverines, 68 are believed to have come without a defensive assist, meaning U-M also hit its fair share of balls in the air last weekend. Purdue leads the league in fielding percentage (.987) in Big Ten play.
While runs could be at a premium this weekend in Iowa City, offensively the Boilermakers were able to quickly flip the script with their situational hitting vs. Michigan after struggling in that department the weekend prior vs. Belmont. The 20-hit outburst in Friday's win vs. U-M was Purdue's first in Big Ten play since 2010, making it the first against a conference foe of the BBCOR bat era (2011-present).
BELMONT SERIES
• 9 Runs, .276/.361/.362, 29 Runners LOB, 7 Errors
• 5-for-30 with RISP, 10-for-33 with 2 outs, Runner on 3rd & less than 2 outs: Scored Run in 2 of 9 opp, 2 2-out RBI
• 20 Ks vs 12 walks & 37 hits allowed, 6.33 ERA, .327 B/Avg
MICHIGAN SERIES
• 32 Runs, .391/.470/.545, 25 Runners LOB, 0 Errors
• 20-for-44 with RISP, 17-for-38 with 2 outs, Runner on 3rd & less than 2 outs: Scored Run in 9 of 15 opp, 14 2-out RBI
• 36 Ks vs 4 walks & 34 hits allowed, 7.00 ERA, .298 B/Avg
WEEKEND NUMBER 7 OF BIG TEN PLAY
Conference records in parentheses
• Purdue (6-7) at Iowa (10-5)
• Indiana (6-9) at Michigan (9-6)
• Nebraska (6-9) at Minnesota (2-13)
• Ohio State (3-13) at Northwestern (7-8)
• Maryland (11-4) at Rutgers (15-3) – Saturday-Monday
• Michigan State (6-9) at Penn State (7-8) – Saturday-Monday
• Miami (Ohio) at Illinois (12-6) – Non-Conference
BIG TEN TOURNAMENT CHASE OPPONENT BREAKDOWN
Top 4 of the 7 would qualify for Big Ten Tournament
• Michigan (9-6): Indiana (6-9), at Maryland (11-4), Rutgers (15-3) – Combined: 32-16 (.667)
• Northwestern (7-8): Ohio State (3-13), Purdue (6-7), at Minnesota (2-13) – Combined: 11-33 (.250)
• Penn State (7-8): Michigan State (6-9), at Ohio State (3-13), Illinois (12-6) – Combined: 21-28 (.429)
• Purdue (6-7): at Iowa (10-5), at Northwestern (7-8), Maryland (11-4) – Combined: 28-17 (.622)
• Indiana (6-9): at Michigan (9-6), Minnesota (2-13), at Iowa (10-5) – Combined: 21-24 (.467)
• Nebraska (6-9): at Minnesota (2-13), at Illinois (12-6), Michigan State (6-9) – Combined: 20-28 (.417)
• Michigan State (6-9): at Penn State (7-8), Iowa (10-5), at Nebraska (6-9) – Combined: 23-22 (.511)
BOILERMAKERS AMONG THE NATIONAL LEADERS FOR STOLEN BASES
• 96 of 107 – 9th
• 2.46 Steals Per Game – 6th
• Curtis Washington Jr. – 26 of 26 (T-14th), 0.67 SB/G (8th)
• Mike Bolton Jr. – 24 of 28 (T-19), 0.62 SB/G (T-13th)
ACTIVE STREAKS – ALL GAMES
• Cam Thompson – 39-game on-base (every game)
• Curtis Washington Jr. – 27-game on-base; 7-game hit
• Troy Viola – 20-game on-base
• Notable: The Boilermakers have had six different players – CJ Valdez (34), Evan Albrecht (25) and Mike Bolton Jr. (21) are the other three – 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.
ACTIVE STREAKS – BIG TEN PLAY
• Curtis Washington Jr. – 13-game on-base (every game); 8-game hit
• Cam Thompson – 13-game on-base (every game); 5-game hit
• Evan Albrecht – 13-game on-base (every game)
• Troy Viola – 12-game on-base
• Paul Toetz – 11-game on-base
• Mike Bolton Jr. – 7-game on-base; 5-game hit
BOILERMAKERS WITH A 2-HOMER GAME IN THE BBCOR BAT ERA (Since 2011)
• Troy Viola vs. Michigan – April 29, 2022 (Alexander Field)
• 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 (Alexander Field)
• 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 (Alexander Field)
• Sean McHugh vs. Iowa – May 17, 2013 (Alexander Field)
• 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
Purdue (25-14, 6-7 B1G) at Iowa (26-15, 10-5 B1G)
Friday to Sunday, May 6 to 8
Series Opener: Friday, May 6 at 5 p.m. ET on B1G+
Middle Game: Saturday, May 7 at Noon ET on BTN
Series Finale: Sunday, May 8 at 2 p.m. ET on B1G+
Duane Banks Field / Iowa City, Iowa
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday: CJ Backer (So, RHP) vs. Iowa's Adam Mazur (R-So, RHP)
Saturday: Wyatt Wendell (R-Jr, RHP) vs. Iowa's Connor Schultz (Gr, RHP)
Sunday: Logan Danzeisen (R-Fr, RHP) vs. Iowa's Ty Langenberg (So, RHP)
SERIES HISTORY
All-Time: Iowa leads 101-66-1
All-Time in Iowa City: Iowa leads 52-25
2021: Iowa won 2 of 3 (April 2-4 in West Lafayette)
Last Series in Iowa City: Iowa won 2 of 3 (March 2017)
Purdue's Last Series Win vs. Iowa: Swept a 3-game set (May 2011 in West Lafayette)
Purdue's Last Series Win in Iowa City: Won 3 of 4 (April 2008)
First Meeting: Iowa 5, Purdue 2 (1902 in West Lafayette)
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The front end of Purdue baseball's consecutive road weekends doubles as the Boilermakers' first trip to Iowa City since March 2017, setting the stage for a Big Ten series against an Iowa team with the top pitching staff in the league.
First pitch at Duane Banks Field is set for 5 p.m. Friday, noon Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday (all times ET). Games times Friday and Saturday were moved up this week to accommodate live television coverage by the Big Ten Network on Saturday. The 11 a.m. local time first pitch Saturday represents the Boilermakers' first morning game of the season.
Five of the last six Purdue-Iowa series have been played in West Lafayette dating back to 2013. The Hawkeyes' 15 games at Alexander Field are the most of any visiting team. The Boilermakers were scheduled to visit Iowa City in 2020.
| BEEN A WHILE SINCE THE LAST VISIT | |||
| Opponent | Last Road Series | Head-to-Head Games Since Last Trip | Purdue's Total Games Since Last Trip |
| Michigan | April 17-18, 2015 | 14 | 333 |
| Iowa | March 24-26, 2017 | 6 | 241 |
| Northwestern | March 22-24, 2019 | 0 | 126 |
| Nebraska | April 5-7, 2019 | 4 | 119 |
The Hawkeyes lead the Big Ten in ERA (3.46), batting average against (.198) and strikeouts (480). Holding the opposition below the Mendoza Line 40 games into a season is a truly remarkable feat. Led by its top two starters and relief ace, Iowa's staff features five pitchers that have worked at least 10 innings with a batting average against below .200.
Adam Mazur and Connor Schultz headline the staff as transfers from South Dakota State and Butler. Purdue also pursued Mazur this past summer, but the Minnesota native opted for Iowa City. Mazur and Schultz teamed up to limit league-leading Rutgers' dynamic lineup to one run over 16 innings in the first two games of the series in New Jersey two weekends ago. Mazur followed that up with a two-hit, complete-game shutout at Nebraska last Friday, but the Huskers got to Schultz (2 1/3 IP, 4 H, 8 ER, 4 BB, 3 K).
Even without Jackson Smeltz last weekend, the Boilermakers managed to rack up 36 strikeouts in the series win vs. Michigan. Purdue posted three consecutive double-figure strikeout games in a Big Ten series for the first time since April 2010 vs. Penn State (35). Smeltz will be sidelined by injury again this weekend, putting CJ Backer and Wyatt Wendell in position to try to duplicate what they did against the Wolverines. They teamed up for 11 innings of three-run ball, accounting for 16 of Purdue's 36 strikeouts.
The Boilermakers backed up the pitching staff vs. Michigan with a flawless weekend defensively, accomplishing that feat for the second time this year. They also did it in the series win vs. Indiana. Of the 81 outs recorded vs. the Wolverines, 68 are believed to have come without a defensive assist, meaning U-M also hit its fair share of balls in the air last weekend. Purdue leads the league in fielding percentage (.987) in Big Ten play.
While runs could be at a premium this weekend in Iowa City, offensively the Boilermakers were able to quickly flip the script with their situational hitting vs. Michigan after struggling in that department the weekend prior vs. Belmont. The 20-hit outburst in Friday's win vs. U-M was Purdue's first in Big Ten play since 2010, making it the first against a conference foe of the BBCOR bat era (2011-present).
BELMONT SERIES
• 9 Runs, .276/.361/.362, 29 Runners LOB, 7 Errors
• 5-for-30 with RISP, 10-for-33 with 2 outs, Runner on 3rd & less than 2 outs: Scored Run in 2 of 9 opp, 2 2-out RBI
• 20 Ks vs 12 walks & 37 hits allowed, 6.33 ERA, .327 B/Avg
MICHIGAN SERIES
• 32 Runs, .391/.470/.545, 25 Runners LOB, 0 Errors
• 20-for-44 with RISP, 17-for-38 with 2 outs, Runner on 3rd & less than 2 outs: Scored Run in 9 of 15 opp, 14 2-out RBI
• 36 Ks vs 4 walks & 34 hits allowed, 7.00 ERA, .298 B/Avg
| PURDUE'S 20-HIT GAMES (Since 2001) | |||||
| Date | Opponent | Hits | Singles | XBH | Result |
| 4/29/2022 | Michigan | 20 | 17 | 3 | W, 18-4 |
| 3/22/2017 | at Ball St. | 21 | 19 | 2 | W, 16-4 |
| 3/15/2015 | vs Northern Ill. | 24 | 15 | 9 | W, 23-5 |
| 3/09/2013 | at UIC | 20 | 15 | 5 | W, 17-10 |
| 5/06/2012 | at UCLA | 20 | 17 | 3 | W, 15-11 (10) |
| 3/10/2012 | at Murray St. | 30 | 22 | 8 | W, 22-1 |
| 4/16/2010 | Penn St. | 21 | 11 | 10 | W, 18-7 |
| 3/26/2010 | Chicago St. | 20 | 15 | 5 | W, 19-1 |
| 4/22/2009 | Butler | 25 | 19 | 6 | W, 18-4 |
| 4/01/2009 | at Purdue Fort Wayne | 22 | 12 | 10 | L, 22-19 |
| 5/22/2008 | vs Penn St. | 21 | 15 | 6 | W, 15-6 |
| 5/17/2008 | at Illinois | 20 | 8 | 12 | W, 11-2 |
| 5/16/2008 | at Illinois | 21 | 12 | 9 | W, 14-4 |
| 4/06/2008 | at Iowa | 20 | 12 | 8 | W, 16-3 |
| 3/26/2008 | Valparaiso | 20 | 14 | 6 | W, 15-0 |
| 5/11/2007 | Iowa | 20 | 13 | 7 | W, 13-4 |
| 4/16/2006 | at Indiana | 26 | 14 | 12 | W, 25-8 |
| 5/18/2005 | at Cleveland St. | 20 | 14 | 6 | W, 16-4 |
| 3/20/2004 | at Jacksonville St. | 21 | 15 | 6 | W, 13-7 |
| 5/11/2003 | at Indiana | 24 | 9 | 13 | W, 20-7 |
| 4/20/2003 | at Iowa | 20 | 13 | 7 | W, 18-6 |
| 3/07/2003 | at Kentucky | 21 | 17 | 4 | W, 16-3 |
| 4/07/2001 | at Northwestern | 23 | 12 | 11 | W, 20-11 |
WEEKEND NUMBER 7 OF BIG TEN PLAY
Conference records in parentheses
• Purdue (6-7) at Iowa (10-5)
• Indiana (6-9) at Michigan (9-6)
• Nebraska (6-9) at Minnesota (2-13)
• Ohio State (3-13) at Northwestern (7-8)
• Maryland (11-4) at Rutgers (15-3) – Saturday-Monday
• Michigan State (6-9) at Penn State (7-8) – Saturday-Monday
• Miami (Ohio) at Illinois (12-6) – Non-Conference
BIG TEN TOURNAMENT CHASE OPPONENT BREAKDOWN
Top 4 of the 7 would qualify for Big Ten Tournament
• Michigan (9-6): Indiana (6-9), at Maryland (11-4), Rutgers (15-3) – Combined: 32-16 (.667)
• Northwestern (7-8): Ohio State (3-13), Purdue (6-7), at Minnesota (2-13) – Combined: 11-33 (.250)
• Penn State (7-8): Michigan State (6-9), at Ohio State (3-13), Illinois (12-6) – Combined: 21-28 (.429)
• Purdue (6-7): at Iowa (10-5), at Northwestern (7-8), Maryland (11-4) – Combined: 28-17 (.622)
• Indiana (6-9): at Michigan (9-6), Minnesota (2-13), at Iowa (10-5) – Combined: 21-24 (.467)
• Nebraska (6-9): at Minnesota (2-13), at Illinois (12-6), Michigan State (6-9) – Combined: 20-28 (.417)
• Michigan State (6-9): at Penn State (7-8), Iowa (10-5), at Nebraska (6-9) – Combined: 23-22 (.511)
BOILERMAKERS AMONG THE NATIONAL LEADERS FOR STOLEN BASES
• 96 of 107 – 9th
• 2.46 Steals Per Game – 6th
• Curtis Washington Jr. – 26 of 26 (T-14th), 0.67 SB/G (8th)
• Mike Bolton Jr. – 24 of 28 (T-19), 0.62 SB/G (T-13th)
ACTIVE STREAKS – ALL GAMES
• Cam Thompson – 39-game on-base (every game)
• Curtis Washington Jr. – 27-game on-base; 7-game hit
• Troy Viola – 20-game on-base
• Notable: The Boilermakers have had six different players – CJ Valdez (34), Evan Albrecht (25) and Mike Bolton Jr. (21) are the other three – 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.
ACTIVE STREAKS – BIG TEN PLAY
• Curtis Washington Jr. – 13-game on-base (every game); 8-game hit
• Cam Thompson – 13-game on-base (every game); 5-game hit
• Evan Albrecht – 13-game on-base (every game)
• Troy Viola – 12-game on-base
• Paul Toetz – 11-game on-base
• Mike Bolton Jr. – 7-game on-base; 5-game hit
BOILERMAKERS WITH A 2-HOMER GAME IN THE BBCOR BAT ERA (Since 2011)
• Troy Viola vs. Michigan – April 29, 2022 (Alexander Field)
• 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 (Alexander Field)
• 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 (Alexander Field)
• Sean McHugh vs. Iowa – May 17, 2013 (Alexander Field)
• 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