WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – January's final Friday once again lined up with the three-week mark before the national opening day of the college baseball season, allowing Purdue baseball to begin full preseason practice.
The Boilermakers have three team scrimmages in the Mollenkopf Athletic Center planned for the first weekend of practice. Purdue continues to utilize Mollenkopf, the Madia Hitting Facility at Alexander Field, Lafayette's Loeb Stadium and Purdue football's Bimel Practice Complex for team activities in the winter months.
Friday, Feb. 17 is college baseball's national opening day this year. After starting the season 15-0 and 18-1 last season as the final unbeaten team nationally, the Boilermakers' first three weekends of the 2023 set up in similar fashion. Purdue is slated to open again with a four-game series at Constellation Field, the triple-A stadium near Houston. Weekends No. 2 and 3 will be back at Ting Park in Holly Springs, N.C. Traditional three-game series at defending national champion Ole Miss (42-23 in 2022) and Evansville (32-24) will provide barometers leading into Big Ten play, which begins the weekend of March 24 to 26 with a trip to Michigan State.
The first home weekend this year is not until March 31 to April 2 when Northwestern makes its first visit to Alexander Field since May 2018. That means the Boilermakers will play their first six weekends away from West Lafayette for the first time since 2019.
Purdue (29-21 in 2022) set team records for stolen bases (116, leading the Big Ten) and pitching strikeouts (479) last season while returning to the Big Ten Tournament for the first time since reaching the championship game in 2018. The Boilermakers have welcomed back seven starters in the lineup, headlined by leading run producer Cam Thompson and first-team All-Big Ten DH CJ Valdez. Evan Albrecht and Steve Ramirez are also back as fifth-year student-athletes after they provided sparks in 2022.
The pitching staff has many new additions but has been bolstered by the return of Calvin Schapira and Avery Cook, two key arms from the 2021 campaign that were sidelined last year due to Tommy John Surgery. CJ Backer, Khal Stephen, newcomer Jonathan Blackwell and Schapira could potentially give the rotation a pair of righthanders and a pair of lefties.
Blackwell is among the six newcomers with previous NCAA Division I experience.
Next Friday (Feb. 3) is the fifth annual First Pitch Dinner, which officially became a sold-out event this week (student-athlete meal sponsorships remain available). The Boilermakers will welcome fans of all ages to Mollenkopf on Saturday, Feb. 11 for their Preseason Fan Fest.
The home opener at Alexander Field is set for Wednesday, March 15. Purdue has five home weekends on the schedule this season.
The Boilermakers have three team scrimmages in the Mollenkopf Athletic Center planned for the first weekend of practice. Purdue continues to utilize Mollenkopf, the Madia Hitting Facility at Alexander Field, Lafayette's Loeb Stadium and Purdue football's Bimel Practice Complex for team activities in the winter months.
Friday, Feb. 17 is college baseball's national opening day this year. After starting the season 15-0 and 18-1 last season as the final unbeaten team nationally, the Boilermakers' first three weekends of the 2023 set up in similar fashion. Purdue is slated to open again with a four-game series at Constellation Field, the triple-A stadium near Houston. Weekends No. 2 and 3 will be back at Ting Park in Holly Springs, N.C. Traditional three-game series at defending national champion Ole Miss (42-23 in 2022) and Evansville (32-24) will provide barometers leading into Big Ten play, which begins the weekend of March 24 to 26 with a trip to Michigan State.
The first home weekend this year is not until March 31 to April 2 when Northwestern makes its first visit to Alexander Field since May 2018. That means the Boilermakers will play their first six weekends away from West Lafayette for the first time since 2019.
Purdue (29-21 in 2022) set team records for stolen bases (116, leading the Big Ten) and pitching strikeouts (479) last season while returning to the Big Ten Tournament for the first time since reaching the championship game in 2018. The Boilermakers have welcomed back seven starters in the lineup, headlined by leading run producer Cam Thompson and first-team All-Big Ten DH CJ Valdez. Evan Albrecht and Steve Ramirez are also back as fifth-year student-athletes after they provided sparks in 2022.
The pitching staff has many new additions but has been bolstered by the return of Calvin Schapira and Avery Cook, two key arms from the 2021 campaign that were sidelined last year due to Tommy John Surgery. CJ Backer, Khal Stephen, newcomer Jonathan Blackwell and Schapira could potentially give the rotation a pair of righthanders and a pair of lefties.
Blackwell is among the six newcomers with previous NCAA Division I experience.
Next Friday (Feb. 3) is the fifth annual First Pitch Dinner, which officially became a sold-out event this week (student-athlete meal sponsorships remain available). The Boilermakers will welcome fans of all ages to Mollenkopf on Saturday, Feb. 11 for their Preseason Fan Fest.
The home opener at Alexander Field is set for Wednesday, March 15. Purdue has five home weekends on the schedule this season.
| 2023 ROSTER BREAKDOWN | |||
| RETURNING STARTERS | |||
| Boilermaker (Year) | Position(s) | Hometown | Notables |
| Cam Thompson (R-Jr.) | 1B/OF | Owasso, Okla. | 2022 team leader with 13 HR, 56 RBI, 1.031 OPS; 44-game on base streak |
| CJ Valdez (Sr.) | DH/INF | Gilbert, Ariz. | 2022 First Team All-Big Ten; on base in 43 of 46 games |
| Evan Albrecht (5th) | SS | West Bend, Wis. | 2022 Second Team All-Region; batted team-best .365 with 22 SB |
| Mike Bolton Jr. (Sr.) | OF | Chicago, Ill. | 2021 Third Team All-Big Ten; .441 OBP, 46 SB in 93 career games |
| Paul Toetz (R-Jr.) | 3B/2B | Greendale, Wis. | Batted .382 in Big Ten home games; 31 doubles in 93 career games |
| Jake Jarvis (Sr.) | OF | Gilbert, Ariz. | Batted .300 with 19 RBI, .442 OBP in 42 games (20 GS) |
| Steve Ramirez (5th) | C | San Bernardino, Calif. | Batted team-best .353 in May after early return from broken hamate bone |
| TOP RETURNING PITCHERS | |||
| Boilermaker (Year) | RHP/LHP | Hometown | Notables |
| CJ Backer (Jr.) | RHP | Newburgh, Ind. | 56 K vs 17 BB in 54 2/3 IP, finishing 2022 as series-opening starter |
| Khal Stephen (So.) | RHP | Williamsport, Ind. | Top prospect; 38 K in 33 2/3 IP as most-trusted reliever for much of 2022 |
| Griffin Lohman (Jr.) | RHP | Fishers, Ind. | 6-foot-6 reliever was among team's most improved in 2022 |
| BACK FROM INJURY | |||
| Boilermaker (Year) | Position | Hometown | Notables |
| Calvin Schapira (R-Sr.) | LHP | Scottsdale, Ariz. | Friday starter for the second half of 2021; made a start all 12 weekends |
| Jake Stadler (R-So.) | C | Greenfield, Ind. | 2022 Opening Day starter suffered season-ending injury April 2 |
| Avery Cook (R-Jr.) | RHP | Utica, N.Y. | Top reliever for most of April 2021 |
| Zach Fletcher (R-Fr.) | LHP | Bedford, N.H. | New Hampshire's No. 2 LHP prospect in Class of 2021 |
| BIGGER ROLES AFTER SUMMER BALL SUCCESS? | |||
| Boilermaker (Year) | Position | Hometown | Summer Ball Success |
| Carter Doorn (So.) | RHP | Schererville, Ind. | Great Lakes League's North Division Pitcher of Year & Top Pitching Prospect |
| Ty Gill (So.) | 2B/SS | Valparaiso, Ind. | Second Team All-Great Lakes League as Doorn's teammate with Lima Locos |
| Sam Franco (Sr.) | OF | Bardonia, N.Y. | 11 XBH, 12 RBI in 31 games for Valley Blue Sox of New England League |
| MORE MULTI-YEAR VETERANS | |||
| Boilermaker (Year) | Position | Hometown | With the Program Since |
| Jake Parr (Sr.) | 1B | Guntersville, Ala. | Fall 2019 |
| Logan Danzeisen (R-So.) | RHP | Sylvania, Ohio | Fall 2020 |
| Weston Gingerich (R-So.) | OF | Carmel, Ind. | Fall 2020 |
| NEWCOMERS WITH D-I EXPERIENCE | |||
| Boilermaker (Year) | Position | Hometown | Transferred From/Played D-I At |
| Couper Cornblum (Jr.) | OF | Woodway, Texas | Wichita State |
| Jonathan Blackwell (Jr.) | LHP | Charleston, W.Va. | Coastal Carolina |
| Jackson Dannelley (Jr.) | RHP | Colmesneil, Texas | Houston |
| Jo Stevens (Jr.) | INF | Mount Colah, Australia | Yavapai JC/CSU Bakersfield |
| Cal Lambert (Jr.) | LHP | Peoria, Ariz. | Yavapai JC/Grand Canyon |
| Keenan Taylor (Jr.) | INF | Westfield, Ind. | Parkland JC/Butler |
| MORE TRANSFERS | |||
| Boilermaker (Year) | Position | Hometown | Previous College |
| Lukas Cook (Jr.) | INF | Knoxville, Tenn. | Dyersburg State JC |
| Davis Pratt (Jr.) | RHP | Albuquerque, N.M. | Temple JC |
| Aaron Suval (Jr.) | RHP | Agoura Hills, Calif. | Glendale JC |
| Connor Caskenette (Jr.) | C | Duncan, British Columbia | Cochise JC |
| Kyle Iwinski (Jr.) | RHP | Griffith, Ind. | Kankakee JC |
| Camden Melvin (So.) | OF | Avon, Ind. | New Mexico JC |
| Malcolm Gilchrist (Jr.) | LHP | Little Ferry, N.J. | Bergen JC |
| TRUE FRESHMEN | |||
| Boilermaker | Position | Hometown | High School |
| Brody Chrisman | OF | Zionsville, Ind. | Zionsville |
| Corbin Malott | INF | New Castle, Ind. | New Castle |
| Carter Krawchuk | RHP | St. Catharines, Ontario | St. Francis |
| Luke Gaffney | C | Danville, Ky. | Boyle |
| Kade Ruffner | RHP | Benton, Ark. | Bryant |
| Parker Dean | RHP | Russiaville, Ind. | Western |