GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Northern Illinois (3-12) at Purdue (8-7)
Wednesday, March 15 at 4 p.m. ET / Watch B1G+
Alexander Field / West Lafayette, Indiana
Midweek Deal: $3 GA Tickets, Hot Dogs, Popcorn, Nachos & Beers
Probable Starting Pitchers: Khal Stephen (So, RHP) vs. NIU's Connor Lutes (So, RHP)
SERIES HISTORY
All-Time: Purdue leads 6-1
All-Time in West Lafayette: Purdue leads 4-0
2022: Purdue 17, NIU 14 (April 5 in West Lafayette)
First Meeting: Purdue 2, NIU 0 (March 1999 at Lambert Field)
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue baseball's first week of action back home again (in the state of) Indiana begins with Wednesday's home opener as the Boilermakers host Northern Illinois for the first of 24 dates at Alexander Field this spring.
First pitch is set for 4 p.m. as part of the $3 midweek matchup promotion. General admission tickets, hot dogs, popcorn, nachos and domestic canned beers are specially priced at $3 for all Tuesday and Wednesday games at Alexander.
The streaming schedule on Big Ten Network's B1G+ app and website also begins Wednesday. Thirty-one of Purdue's remaining 39 regular-season games are slated to be streamed on B1G+. Excluding TV games on BTN or ESPNU, the B1G+ streaming slate features all home games and Big Ten road games. Fans can sign up for a Purdue monthly school pass for $9.95 per month. Viewers connected to the internet network of any Big Ten university receive complimentary access to B1G+.
Last season's Purdue-NIU game at Alexander Field was a midweek slugfest, featuring a combined 31 runs on 29 hits and eight errors on a rainy day in early April. It was the highest-scoring game in the history of Alexander, a benchmark that was matched later that week in a 16-15 win vs. Indiana. There were 108 combined runs scored over five games from April 5-10, easily the highest scoring week since Alexander opened in 2013.
The Boilermakers were 13-9 at home and 5-3 in midweek action last season. They have 10 midweek dates on the schedule this year, including eight at home.
Wednesday's March 15 date makes the game the fourth-earliest home opener in program history.
Khal Stephen is set to start on the mound Wednesday for what should be an abbreviated outing. He'll become the ninth Purdue pitcher since 1998 to start both the season opener and home opener.
ACTIVE STREAKS
• Cam Thompson – 22-game on-base streak at Alexander Field, 6-game on-base streak in all games
• Evan Albrecht – 18-game on-base streak in all games dating back to the end of 2022
• Jo Stevens – 11-game hit streak
• Mike Bolton Jr. – 8-game on-base streak at Alexander Field, 7-game on-base streak in all games
• Paul Toetz – 7-game on-base streak in all games
• CJ Valdez – 6-game on-base streak in all games
Northern Illinois is the second of four Mid-American Conference schools on the Boilermakers' schedule this season. They took three of four vs. Akron earlier this month, will host MAC preseason favorite Ball State on April 18 at Alexander, and will host Miami (Ohio) for the first time since 2003 the following week.
NIU dropped its midweek opener at Minnesota 5-3 in a game played inside U.S. Bank Stadium on March 7. The Huskies were also competitive in a Feb. 24 doubleheader with Penn State at the USA Baseball Complex in the Raleigh area. The Nittany Lions swept the twinbill 7-3 and 5-1. Purdue and NIU were both on the same flight home from Raleigh-Durham to Chicago's Midway Airport that weekend.
The Boilermakers have 31 in-state games on their schedule this season, including this weekend's three-game set at Evansville. Friday's series opener at UE's Braun Stadium has already been moved up to 4 p.m. ET due to cold temperatures in the forecast.
EARLIEST HOME OPENERS IN PURDUE HISTORY
*Home-Opening Doubleheader
• 2022: March 10 vs Bellarmine – W, 8-4
• 2019: March 12 vs Milwaukee – L, 6-1
• 1996: March 13 vs Saint Joseph's (Ind.) – L, 7-0
• 1992: March 16 vs Ball State* – W, 9-0
• 1991: March 16 vs Saint Joseph's (Ind.)* – L, 2-1
• 1994: March 17 vs Saint Joseph's (Ind.) – W, 3-0
• 1990: March 17 vs Saint Joseph's (Ind.) – L, 5-3
• 2015: March 18 vs Valparaiso – W, 2-0
• 1998: March 18 vs Valparaiso – W, 5-4
• 1993: March 18 vs Saint Joseph's (Ind.) – W, 8-0
Northern Illinois (3-12) at Purdue (8-7)
Wednesday, March 15 at 4 p.m. ET / Watch B1G+
Alexander Field / West Lafayette, Indiana
Midweek Deal: $3 GA Tickets, Hot Dogs, Popcorn, Nachos & Beers
Probable Starting Pitchers: Khal Stephen (So, RHP) vs. NIU's Connor Lutes (So, RHP)
SERIES HISTORY
All-Time: Purdue leads 6-1
All-Time in West Lafayette: Purdue leads 4-0
2022: Purdue 17, NIU 14 (April 5 in West Lafayette)
First Meeting: Purdue 2, NIU 0 (March 1999 at Lambert Field)
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue baseball's first week of action back home again (in the state of) Indiana begins with Wednesday's home opener as the Boilermakers host Northern Illinois for the first of 24 dates at Alexander Field this spring.
First pitch is set for 4 p.m. as part of the $3 midweek matchup promotion. General admission tickets, hot dogs, popcorn, nachos and domestic canned beers are specially priced at $3 for all Tuesday and Wednesday games at Alexander.
The streaming schedule on Big Ten Network's B1G+ app and website also begins Wednesday. Thirty-one of Purdue's remaining 39 regular-season games are slated to be streamed on B1G+. Excluding TV games on BTN or ESPNU, the B1G+ streaming slate features all home games and Big Ten road games. Fans can sign up for a Purdue monthly school pass for $9.95 per month. Viewers connected to the internet network of any Big Ten university receive complimentary access to B1G+.
Last season's Purdue-NIU game at Alexander Field was a midweek slugfest, featuring a combined 31 runs on 29 hits and eight errors on a rainy day in early April. It was the highest-scoring game in the history of Alexander, a benchmark that was matched later that week in a 16-15 win vs. Indiana. There were 108 combined runs scored over five games from April 5-10, easily the highest scoring week since Alexander opened in 2013.
The Boilermakers were 13-9 at home and 5-3 in midweek action last season. They have 10 midweek dates on the schedule this year, including eight at home.
Wednesday's March 15 date makes the game the fourth-earliest home opener in program history.
Khal Stephen is set to start on the mound Wednesday for what should be an abbreviated outing. He'll become the ninth Purdue pitcher since 1998 to start both the season opener and home opener.
ACTIVE STREAKS
• Cam Thompson – 22-game on-base streak at Alexander Field, 6-game on-base streak in all games
• Evan Albrecht – 18-game on-base streak in all games dating back to the end of 2022
• Jo Stevens – 11-game hit streak
• Mike Bolton Jr. – 8-game on-base streak at Alexander Field, 7-game on-base streak in all games
• Paul Toetz – 7-game on-base streak in all games
• CJ Valdez – 6-game on-base streak in all games
Northern Illinois is the second of four Mid-American Conference schools on the Boilermakers' schedule this season. They took three of four vs. Akron earlier this month, will host MAC preseason favorite Ball State on April 18 at Alexander, and will host Miami (Ohio) for the first time since 2003 the following week.
NIU dropped its midweek opener at Minnesota 5-3 in a game played inside U.S. Bank Stadium on March 7. The Huskies were also competitive in a Feb. 24 doubleheader with Penn State at the USA Baseball Complex in the Raleigh area. The Nittany Lions swept the twinbill 7-3 and 5-1. Purdue and NIU were both on the same flight home from Raleigh-Durham to Chicago's Midway Airport that weekend.
The Boilermakers have 31 in-state games on their schedule this season, including this weekend's three-game set at Evansville. Friday's series opener at UE's Braun Stadium has already been moved up to 4 p.m. ET due to cold temperatures in the forecast.
EARLIEST HOME OPENERS IN PURDUE HISTORY
*Home-Opening Doubleheader
• 2022: March 10 vs Bellarmine – W, 8-4
• 2019: March 12 vs Milwaukee – L, 6-1
• 1996: March 13 vs Saint Joseph's (Ind.) – L, 7-0
• 1992: March 16 vs Ball State* – W, 9-0
• 1991: March 16 vs Saint Joseph's (Ind.)* – L, 2-1
• 1994: March 17 vs Saint Joseph's (Ind.) – W, 3-0
• 1990: March 17 vs Saint Joseph's (Ind.) – L, 5-3
• 2015: March 18 vs Valparaiso – W, 2-0
• 1998: March 18 vs Valparaiso – W, 5-4
• 1993: March 18 vs Saint Joseph's (Ind.) – W, 8-0
| HOME OPENERS AT ALEXANDER FIELD | |||
| Year | Date | Opponent | Result |
| 2022 | March 10 | Bellarmine | W, 8-4 |
| 2021 | March 26 | Rutgers | L, 7-5 |
| 2019 | March 12 | Milwaukee | L, 6-1 |
| 2018 | March 23 | Lipscomb (DH) | L, 3-1 & W, 6-2 |
| 2017 | March 28 | Kent State | W, 3-2 |
| 2016 | March 23 | Louisville | L, 9-4 |
| 2015 | March 18 | Valparaiso | W, 2-0 |
| 2014 | March 26 | Purdue Fort Wayne | W, 7-1 |
| 2013 | March 22 | Ohio State | L, 10-1 |
| HIGHEST SCORING GAMES AT ALEXANDER FIELD (Since 2013) | |||
| Date | Combined Runs | Opponent | Result |
| 4/10/2022 | 31 | Indiana | W, 16-15 |
| 4/05/2022 | 31 | Northern Illinois | W, 17-14 |
| 5/08/2018 | 30 | Purdue Fort Wayne | W, 27-3 |
| 4/13/2018 | 29 | Minnesota | L, 22-7 |
| 4/14/2018 | 26 | Minnesota | L, 18-8 |
| 4/20/2016 | 26 | Indiana State | L, 22-4 |
| 5/20/2022 | 25 | Maryland | L, 18-7 |
| 5/18/2019 | 24 | Ohio State | L, 13-11 |
| 4/09/2017 | 23 | Indiana | L, 14-9 |
| 4/29/2022 | 22 | Michigan | W, 18-4 |
| 5/17/2014 | 22 | Iowa | L, 17-5 |
| 5/14/2013 | 22 | Eastern Michigan | L, 20-2 |
| STARTED THE SEASON & HOME OPENER (Since 1998) | |||
| Season | Pitcher | Season Opener | Home Opener |
| 2023 | Khal Stephen | Feb. 17 vs Holy Cross | March 15 vs NIU |
| 2021 | Trent Johnson | March 5 vs Nebraska | March 26 vs Rutgers |
| 2018 | Tanner Andrews | Feb. 17 vs Western Mich. | March 23 vs Lipscomb |
| 2013 | Brad Schreiber | Feb. 15 vs Connecticut | March 22 vs Ohio State |
| 2007 | Josh Lindblom | Feb. 23 at Georgia | March 30 vs Illinois |
| 2006 | Jay Buente | Feb. 24 vs Louisiana | March 25 vs Chicago State |
| 2005 | Scott Byrnes | Feb. 25 at Florida Atlantic | March 26 vs Western Mich. |
| 2001 | Ben Quick | Feb. 16 at Rice | March 23 vs Minnesota |
| 2000 | Russ Morgan | Feb. 18 at Vanderbilt | March 22 vs Valparaiso |