GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Purdue (9-10) at Michigan State (11-7)
Friday to Sunday, March 24-26
Friday, March 24 at 4 p.m. ET on BTN
Saturday, March 25 at 3:30 p.m. ET on B1G+
Sunday, March 26 at 1 p.m. ET on B1G+
McLane Stadium at Kobs Field / East Lansing, Mich.
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday: Khal Stephen (So, RHP) vs. MSU's Joseph Dzierwa (Fr, LHP)
Saturday: Jonathan Blackwell (Jr, LHP) vs. MSU's Nolan Higgins (Fr, RHP)
Sunday: Kyle Iwinski (Jr, RHP) vs. MSU's Nick Powers (Jr, LHP)
SERIES HISTORY
All-Time: Michigan State leads 86-75
All-Time in East Lansing: MSU leads 44-28
2022: Did Not Play
2021 Season Series: Purdue Won 3 of 4
Last Meetings: Purdue swept a 2-game set in Champaign (April 2021)
Last Meetings in East Lansing: Split a 2-game set (April 2021)
Purdue's Last Series Win in East Lansing: Won 2 of 3 (May 2009)
First Meeting: Purdue 6, MSU 3 (May 1949 in West Lafayette)
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue baseball opens conference play in the Big Ten state where it has played the fewest games over the last eight seasons, squaring off with Michigan State to begin league play for the first time since 2000.
First pitch at McLane Stadium is slated for 4 p.m. ET on Friday, 3:30 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. Friday's game is live on the Big Ten Network. There is a high likelihood of a rain out Saturday.
Since the start of the 2017 season, the Boilermakers have played only seven games against Michigan State. Just two of those were in East Lansing – as part of a three-team pod weekend in April 2021 that also featured Penn State. With Purdue having not traveled to Ann Arbor since April 2015, the Boilermakers' four games in the state of Michigan since 2016 are easily their fewest in any state in the Big Ten footprint.
From 2013-15, Purdue played 15 games in the state of Michigan – nine in East Lansing, six in Ann Arbor. The Boilermakers visited East Lansing for three straight seasons during that stretch. Purdue's 2020 schedule featured trips to both Michigan schools – Ann Arbor for the opening weekend of Big Ten play and East Lansing for the final series of the regular season.
OPENING WEEKEND OF BIG TEN PLAY
• Purdue at Michigan State
• Ohio State at Indiana
• Penn State at Michigan
• Illinois at Nebraska
• Maryland at UCF (Non-Conference)
• Creighton at Minnesota (Non-Conference)
• Rutgers at Connecticut (Non-Conference)
• Western Michigan at Iowa (Non-Conference)
• Northwestern vs Texas-Arlington & Houston (Non-Conference)
GAMES BY STATE IN BIG TEN COUNTRY (Since 2016, Excluding Indiana)
• Michigan: 4 (4 in East Lansing in 2021)
• New Jersey: 6 (3 in Piscataway in 2017, 2019)
• Iowa: 6 (3 in Iowa in 2017, 2022)
• Minnesota: 7 (3 in Minneapolis in 2017, 4 in Minneapolis in 2021)
• Maryland: 9 (3 in College Park in 2016, 2018, 2021)
• Nebraska: 9 (4 in Omaha in 2018, 3 in Lincoln in 2019, 2 in Omaha in 2022)
• Ohio: 9 (3 in Columbus in 2017, 2018, 2021)
• Pennsylvania: 9 (3 in University Park in 2016, 2018, 2022)
• Illinois: 18 (3 in Evanston in 2019, 2022; 3 in Champaign in 2019, 2022; 4 in Champaign in 2021; 2 Non-Conf in 2022)
Purdue closes out its stretch of six consecutive weekends on the road to open the season, marking the program's heaviest early-season travel slate since 2019. Michigan State opened its home season Wednesday with a victory vs. Western Michigan. In April, the Boilermakers are slated to play 14 of their 20 games at Alexander Field.
While Purdue enters league play looking to right the ship after a 1-6 stretch, the Spartans have won six straight since March 10. Sunday, MSU swept a doubleheader in Terre Haute against an Indiana State team the Boilermakers are scheduled to play March 28 (on the road) and April 11 (at home).
Purdue aims to minimize the impact of the lefthanders on Michigan State's roster, including a lineup loaded with them.
The Spartans are expected to throw a pair of lefties on the mound – freshman Joseph Dzierwa on Friday and junior Nick Powers in the series finale. Even with a lineup traditionally featuring seven or eight regulars that bat from the right side, Purdue is 1-4 vs. lefthanded starters while batting .237 as a team (.294 overall, .312 vs. righthanders). Powers worked 7 2/3 innings of one-run ball against the Boilermakers in East Lansing in April 2021 – although Cam Thompson, Steve Ramirez and Evan Albrecht are the only active Purdue players that faced Powers that day.
Meanwhile, two of the top power hitters in the Big Ten occupy the 3-hole in the lineup for the Boilermakers and Spartans. Paul Toetz (31 RBI, .800 slugging, 1.263 OPS) and MSU's lefthanded hitting first baseman Brock Vradenburg (28 RBI, .779 slugging, 1.302 OPS) are both among the top five in the league in RBI, slugging percentage and OPS.
McLane Stadium features the most unique right field in the Big Ten, including a berm that's in play, propping up the short porch and tall right field fence adjacent to the Red Cedar River. Vradenburg is one of six lefthanded hitters in Michigan State's regular lineup.
ACTIVE STREAKS
• Evan Albrecht – 22-game on-base streak dating back to the end of 2022, 5-game hit streak
• Mike Bolton Jr. – 11-game on-base streak
• Paul Toetz – 11-game on-base streak, 4-game hit streak
• Couper Cornblum – 6-game on-base streak
TOP 10 IN THE BIG TEN ENTERING THE WEEKEND
• Paul Toetz – T-1st in HR (8), 2nd in Slugging (.800), 3rd in RBI (31), 3rd in OPS (1.263)
• Couper Cornblum – T-1st in Steals (13)
• Mike Bolton Jr. – T-1st in Sac Bunts (3), T-4th in Triples (2), 4th in HBP (7), T-8th in Steals (9)
• Evan Albrecht – T-3rd in Steals (10), 5th in Batting Avg. (.424), T-9th in Hits (28)
• Kyle Iwinski – 4th in ERA (2.02), 6th in B/Avg (.190)
• Jake Jarvis – T-5th in HBP (6), T-7th in HR (5), 8th in OPS (1.138), 9th in Slugging (.667)
• Jake Parr – T-4th in Triples (2)
• Cam Thompson – T-5th in HBP (6)
• Jonathan Blackwell – 10th in Innings (25 2/3)
RACKING UP THE RBI EARLY – RBI IN THE FIRST 19 GAMES
• Paul Toetz in 2023: 31 (8 multi-RBI games – 2 Six-RBI, 1 Four-RBI, 3 Three-RBI, 2 Two-RBI)
• Cam Thompson in 2022: 30 (10 multi-RBI games – 1 Four-RBI, 2 Three-RBI, 7 Two-RBI)
MULTI-HIT GAMES PILING UP AGAIN FOR ALBRECHT
2023
• First 19 Games: .424/.474/.545, 28 Hits, 7 XBH, 16 RBI, 10 SB
• Multi-Hit Efforts: 7 – 3 Two-Hit, 3 Three-Hit, 1 Four-Hit
• Also Excellent Situational Numbers: .500 w/ RISP, .474 w/ 2 Outs, 6 2-Out RBI
2022
• First 19 Games: .387/.472/.565, 24 Hits, 9 XBH, 10 RBI, 9 SB
• Multi-Hit Efforts: 8 – 3 Two-Hit, 5 Three-Hit
• 2022 Final Season Stats (50 Games): .365/.452/.470, 66 Hits, 16 XBH, 34 RBI, 22 SB
• Multi-Hit Efforts: 19 – 8 Two-Hit, 11 Three-Hit
Last 2 Seasons
• Since the Start of 2022: .381/.458/.489, 94 H, 29 XBH, 50 RBI, 32 SB
• Multi-Hit Efforts: 26 – 11 Two-Hit, 14 Three-Hit, 1 Four-Hit
Purdue (9-10) at Michigan State (11-7)
Friday to Sunday, March 24-26
Friday, March 24 at 4 p.m. ET on BTN
Saturday, March 25 at 3:30 p.m. ET on B1G+
Sunday, March 26 at 1 p.m. ET on B1G+
McLane Stadium at Kobs Field / East Lansing, Mich.
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday: Khal Stephen (So, RHP) vs. MSU's Joseph Dzierwa (Fr, LHP)
Saturday: Jonathan Blackwell (Jr, LHP) vs. MSU's Nolan Higgins (Fr, RHP)
Sunday: Kyle Iwinski (Jr, RHP) vs. MSU's Nick Powers (Jr, LHP)
SERIES HISTORY
All-Time: Michigan State leads 86-75
All-Time in East Lansing: MSU leads 44-28
2022: Did Not Play
2021 Season Series: Purdue Won 3 of 4
Last Meetings: Purdue swept a 2-game set in Champaign (April 2021)
Last Meetings in East Lansing: Split a 2-game set (April 2021)
Purdue's Last Series Win in East Lansing: Won 2 of 3 (May 2009)
First Meeting: Purdue 6, MSU 3 (May 1949 in West Lafayette)
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue baseball opens conference play in the Big Ten state where it has played the fewest games over the last eight seasons, squaring off with Michigan State to begin league play for the first time since 2000.
First pitch at McLane Stadium is slated for 4 p.m. ET on Friday, 3:30 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. Friday's game is live on the Big Ten Network. There is a high likelihood of a rain out Saturday.
Since the start of the 2017 season, the Boilermakers have played only seven games against Michigan State. Just two of those were in East Lansing – as part of a three-team pod weekend in April 2021 that also featured Penn State. With Purdue having not traveled to Ann Arbor since April 2015, the Boilermakers' four games in the state of Michigan since 2016 are easily their fewest in any state in the Big Ten footprint.
From 2013-15, Purdue played 15 games in the state of Michigan – nine in East Lansing, six in Ann Arbor. The Boilermakers visited East Lansing for three straight seasons during that stretch. Purdue's 2020 schedule featured trips to both Michigan schools – Ann Arbor for the opening weekend of Big Ten play and East Lansing for the final series of the regular season.
OPENING WEEKEND OF BIG TEN PLAY
• Purdue at Michigan State
• Ohio State at Indiana
• Penn State at Michigan
• Illinois at Nebraska
• Maryland at UCF (Non-Conference)
• Creighton at Minnesota (Non-Conference)
• Rutgers at Connecticut (Non-Conference)
• Western Michigan at Iowa (Non-Conference)
• Northwestern vs Texas-Arlington & Houston (Non-Conference)
| FEWEST GAMES VS. BIG TEN RIVALS (Since 2017) | |||||
| Opponent | Games | Home | Road | Neutral | Overall Record |
| Michigan State | 7 | 3 – 1-2 | 2 – 1-1 | 2 – 2-0 | 4-3 |
| Nebraska | 8 | 0 | 3 – 0-3 | 5 – 1-4 | 1-7 |
| Maryland | 9 | 2 – 0-2 | 6 – 3-3 | 1 – 0-1 | 3-6 |
| Penn State | 11 | 3 – 3-0 | 6 – 4-2 | 2 – 1-1 | 8-3 |
| MOST GAMES VS. BIG TEN RIVALS (Since 2017) | |||||
| Opponent | Games | Home | Road | Neutral | Overall Record |
| Illinois | 15 | 6 – 3-3 | 8 – 2-6 | 1 – 1-0 | 6-9 |
| Ohio State | 15 | 5 – 1-4 | 9 – 4-5 | 1 – 1-0 | 6-9 |
| Indiana* | 15 | 7 – 5-2 | 8 – 2-6 | 0 | 7-8 |
| Michigan | 14 | 9 – 5-4 | 0 | 5 – 1-4 | 8-6 |
| Iowa | 13 | 6 – 2-4 | 6 – 2-4 | 1 – 0-1 | 4-9 |
| Rutgers | 13 | 6 – 4-2 | 6 – 2-4 | 1 – 0-1 | 6-7 |
| Minnesota | 12 | 4 – 1-3 | 7 – 5-2 | 1 – 0-1 | 6-6 |
| Northwestern | 12 | 6 – 4-2 | 6 – 4-2 | 0 | 8-4 |
| *Includes 3 Non-Conference Games (1 Home, 2 Away) | |||||
GAMES BY STATE IN BIG TEN COUNTRY (Since 2016, Excluding Indiana)
• Michigan: 4 (4 in East Lansing in 2021)
• New Jersey: 6 (3 in Piscataway in 2017, 2019)
• Iowa: 6 (3 in Iowa in 2017, 2022)
• Minnesota: 7 (3 in Minneapolis in 2017, 4 in Minneapolis in 2021)
• Maryland: 9 (3 in College Park in 2016, 2018, 2021)
• Nebraska: 9 (4 in Omaha in 2018, 3 in Lincoln in 2019, 2 in Omaha in 2022)
• Ohio: 9 (3 in Columbus in 2017, 2018, 2021)
• Pennsylvania: 9 (3 in University Park in 2016, 2018, 2022)
• Illinois: 18 (3 in Evanston in 2019, 2022; 3 in Champaign in 2019, 2022; 4 in Champaign in 2021; 2 Non-Conf in 2022)
Purdue closes out its stretch of six consecutive weekends on the road to open the season, marking the program's heaviest early-season travel slate since 2019. Michigan State opened its home season Wednesday with a victory vs. Western Michigan. In April, the Boilermakers are slated to play 14 of their 20 games at Alexander Field.
While Purdue enters league play looking to right the ship after a 1-6 stretch, the Spartans have won six straight since March 10. Sunday, MSU swept a doubleheader in Terre Haute against an Indiana State team the Boilermakers are scheduled to play March 28 (on the road) and April 11 (at home).
Purdue aims to minimize the impact of the lefthanders on Michigan State's roster, including a lineup loaded with them.
The Spartans are expected to throw a pair of lefties on the mound – freshman Joseph Dzierwa on Friday and junior Nick Powers in the series finale. Even with a lineup traditionally featuring seven or eight regulars that bat from the right side, Purdue is 1-4 vs. lefthanded starters while batting .237 as a team (.294 overall, .312 vs. righthanders). Powers worked 7 2/3 innings of one-run ball against the Boilermakers in East Lansing in April 2021 – although Cam Thompson, Steve Ramirez and Evan Albrecht are the only active Purdue players that faced Powers that day.
Meanwhile, two of the top power hitters in the Big Ten occupy the 3-hole in the lineup for the Boilermakers and Spartans. Paul Toetz (31 RBI, .800 slugging, 1.263 OPS) and MSU's lefthanded hitting first baseman Brock Vradenburg (28 RBI, .779 slugging, 1.302 OPS) are both among the top five in the league in RBI, slugging percentage and OPS.
McLane Stadium features the most unique right field in the Big Ten, including a berm that's in play, propping up the short porch and tall right field fence adjacent to the Red Cedar River. Vradenburg is one of six lefthanded hitters in Michigan State's regular lineup.
ACTIVE STREAKS
• Evan Albrecht – 22-game on-base streak dating back to the end of 2022, 5-game hit streak
• Mike Bolton Jr. – 11-game on-base streak
• Paul Toetz – 11-game on-base streak, 4-game hit streak
• Couper Cornblum – 6-game on-base streak
TOP 10 IN THE BIG TEN ENTERING THE WEEKEND
• Paul Toetz – T-1st in HR (8), 2nd in Slugging (.800), 3rd in RBI (31), 3rd in OPS (1.263)
• Couper Cornblum – T-1st in Steals (13)
• Mike Bolton Jr. – T-1st in Sac Bunts (3), T-4th in Triples (2), 4th in HBP (7), T-8th in Steals (9)
• Evan Albrecht – T-3rd in Steals (10), 5th in Batting Avg. (.424), T-9th in Hits (28)
• Kyle Iwinski – 4th in ERA (2.02), 6th in B/Avg (.190)
• Jake Jarvis – T-5th in HBP (6), T-7th in HR (5), 8th in OPS (1.138), 9th in Slugging (.667)
• Jake Parr – T-4th in Triples (2)
• Cam Thompson – T-5th in HBP (6)
• Jonathan Blackwell – 10th in Innings (25 2/3)
RACKING UP THE RBI EARLY – RBI IN THE FIRST 19 GAMES
• Paul Toetz in 2023: 31 (8 multi-RBI games – 2 Six-RBI, 1 Four-RBI, 3 Three-RBI, 2 Two-RBI)
• Cam Thompson in 2022: 30 (10 multi-RBI games – 1 Four-RBI, 2 Three-RBI, 7 Two-RBI)
| FASTEST TO 30 RBI (Since 2001) | |||
| Year | Boilermaker | Date of 30th RBI | Season Total |
| 2023 | Paul Toetz | March 21 | 31 (as of March 21) |
| 2022 | Cam Thompson | March 25 | 56 |
| 2018 | Jacson McGowan | March 31 | 59 |
| 2009 | Dan Black | April 4 | 51 |
| 2017 | Jacson McGowan | April 8 | 50 |
| 2012 | Cameron Perkins | April 8 | 61 |
| 2001 | Nate Sickler | April 11 | 54 |
| FASTEST TO 10 HOME RUNS (Since 2001) | |||
| Year | Boilermaker | Date of 10th HR | Season Total |
| 2016 | Kyle Wood | April 8 | 12 |
| 2003 | Nick McIntyre | April 8 | 11 |
| 2022 | Cam Thompson | April 10 | 13 |
| 2009 | Dan Black | April 11 | 15 |
| 2008 | Dan Black | April 19 | 18 |
| 2018 | Jacson McGowan | April 21 | 13 |
| 2023 | Paul Toetz | TBD | 8 (as of March 21) |
MULTI-HIT GAMES PILING UP AGAIN FOR ALBRECHT
2023
• First 19 Games: .424/.474/.545, 28 Hits, 7 XBH, 16 RBI, 10 SB
• Multi-Hit Efforts: 7 – 3 Two-Hit, 3 Three-Hit, 1 Four-Hit
• Also Excellent Situational Numbers: .500 w/ RISP, .474 w/ 2 Outs, 6 2-Out RBI
2022
• First 19 Games: .387/.472/.565, 24 Hits, 9 XBH, 10 RBI, 9 SB
• Multi-Hit Efforts: 8 – 3 Two-Hit, 5 Three-Hit
• 2022 Final Season Stats (50 Games): .365/.452/.470, 66 Hits, 16 XBH, 34 RBI, 22 SB
• Multi-Hit Efforts: 19 – 8 Two-Hit, 11 Three-Hit
Last 2 Seasons
• Since the Start of 2022: .381/.458/.489, 94 H, 29 XBH, 50 RBI, 32 SB
• Multi-Hit Efforts: 26 – 11 Two-Hit, 14 Three-Hit, 1 Four-Hit