GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Evansville (16-11, 3-3 MVC) at Purdue (12-14, 3-3 B1G)
Tuesday, March 4 at 6 p.m. ET / Watch B1G+
Alexander Field / West Lafayette, Indiana
Probable Starting Pitchers: Davis Pratt (Jr, RHP) vs. UE's Max Hansmann (Fr, RHP)
$3 Midweek Deals: GA Tickets, Hot Dogs, Popcorn, Nachos, Beers
SERIES HISTORY
All-Time: Purdue leads 20-18
All-Time in West Lafayette: Tied 6-6
First Meetings of 2022: Evansville swept a 2-game set (March 17-19 in Evansville)
Purdue's Last Wins vs. Evansville: Purdue won 2 of 3 (March 2013 in Evansville)
Last Meeting in West Lafayette: Purdue 6, Evansville 2 (May 2002)
First Meeting: Purdue 5, Evansville 4 (April 1947 in Evansville)
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue baseball's busy stretch of 21 games in 31 days continues with Evansville's first trip to West Lafayette since 2002 and thus first-ever appearance at Alexander Field.
First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. ET as another $3 midweek matchup at Alexander Field. The Boilermakers are planning to debut their new camouflage uniform (jerseys) Tuesday. The Purples Aces join Miami (Ohio) and South Dakota State as the scheduled first-time visitors to Alexander this spring.
Purdue is closing out their season series with UE after dropping both games of a weather-shortened weekend set in Evansville in mid-March. The Boilermakers are also scheduled to play the Aces' Missouri Valley Conference rivals Indiana State and UIC home and home this season. For the back end of those series, the Sycamores visit Alexander next week and Purdue heads to the Windy City on May 10.
Davis Pratt is slated to get his first opportunity to start on the mound as a Boilermaker, becoming the seventh Purdue pitcher to start a game this season – five of the seven making their first starts for the program this season.
Pratt worked three innings of one-run relief as the first man out of the bullpen on St. Patrick's Day at Evansville. The Aces are expected to counter with freshman righthander Max Hansmann, who was the first man out of the bullpen for UE in the Sunday game in Evansville.
WEEKEND ROTATION EMERGING AS A STRENGTH
• Starting pitching is a big reason why the Boilermakers have been able to open Big Ten play at 3-3 despite a 4-10 rough patch overall dating back to March 10. Khal Stephen, Jonathan Blackwell and Kyle Iwinski teamed up to surrender just five runs on 14 hits over 19 1/3 innings vs. Northwestern. The trio's 14 strikeouts vs. two walks was among the most impressive accomplishments. They posted a combined 15 zeros.
• The 2.33 ERA for the starting pitchers vs. Northwestern ranked as their second-best showing in a weekend series this season, trailing only the four-game set vs. Akron (2.08). It was Purdue's best starting pitcher ERA in a three-game series since 2022 vs. Illinois State (1.62) and the best mark in a three-game Big Ten series since 2018 vs. Michigan (1.65).
RECENT WEEKENDS OF NOTE FEATURING STRONG STARTING PITCHING
2023 vs. Northwestern – Team Record: 2-1
• 19 1/3 IP, 14 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 14 K, 2.33 ERA, .209 B/Avg
First 2 Weekends of Big Ten Play
• 35 IP, 34 H, 15 R, 6 BB, 29 K, 3.60 ERA, .258 B/Avg
• Starting Pitchers: Khal Stephen, Jonathan Blackwell, Kyle Iwinski
2023 vs. Akron (Holly Springs, N.C.) – Team Record: 3-1
• 21 2/3 IP, 17 H, 5 ER, 8 BB, 20 K, 2.08 ERA, .218 B/Avg
• Starting Pitchers: Khal Stephen, Jonathan Blackwell, Kyle Iwinski, Calvin Schapira
2022 vs. Illinois State (1 Road, 2 Home) – Team Record: 2-1
• 16 2/3 IP, 15 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 23 K, 1.62 ERA, .231 B/Avg
• Starting Pitchers: Jackson Smeltz, Wyatt Wendell, Troy Wansing
2022 vs. Longwood (Holly Springs, N.C.) – Team Record: 3-0
• 17 1/3 IP, 10 H, 4 ER, 6 BB, 23 K, 2.08 ERA, .175 B/Avg
• Starting Pitchers: Jackson Smeltz, Troy Wansing, Wyatt Wendell
2020 at Campbell Tournament – Team Record: 3-0
• 16 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 5 BB, 11 K, 1.12 ERA, .132 B/Avg
• Starting Pitchers: Trent Johnson, Cory Brooks, Jett Jackson
2018 vs. Michigan – Team Record: 3-0
• 16 1/3 IP, 15 H, 3 R, 8 BB, 15 K, 1.65 ERA, .259 B/Avg
• Starting Pitchers: Tanner Andrews, Gareth Stroh, Ryan Beard
WALK-OFF EXCITEMENT RETURNS WITH COOK'S HEROICS
• Lukas Cook's walk-off home run in the 10th inning Sunday vs. Northwestern was the latest entry in the many chapters of walk-off thrillers the Boilermakers have authored in recent years. Cook joined Evan Albrecht (2), Cam Thompson (2), CJ Valdez, Jake Stadler and Jake Parr among active Boilermakers with a walk-off RBI. Thompson hit a walk-off home run vs. Longwood in March of last season and Purdue now has a walk-off homer in three straight years after going without one from 2007 to 2020.
PURDUE'S WALK-OFF WINS…
• In 2023: 2
• In the Last 2 Seasons: 8
• Under head coach Greg Goff: 11
• At Alexander Field: 11
SAY WHAT ABOUT RUBBER GAMES?
• The nightcap of the doubleheader with Northwestern was the rubber game of the series after NU won the first game Sunday. Purdue has now won the rubber game of a traditional three-game Big Ten series at home in consecutive years after going 11 seasons without such a win from 2010 to 2021. The program had lost 13 consecutive (traditional) Big Ten rubber games at home during that stretch. A rubber game win vs. Illinois at Lambert Field on the final day of the 2009 regular season stood as the program's last such win at home for the longest time.
Evansville (16-11, 3-3 MVC) at Purdue (12-14, 3-3 B1G)
Tuesday, March 4 at 6 p.m. ET / Watch B1G+
Alexander Field / West Lafayette, Indiana
Probable Starting Pitchers: Davis Pratt (Jr, RHP) vs. UE's Max Hansmann (Fr, RHP)
$3 Midweek Deals: GA Tickets, Hot Dogs, Popcorn, Nachos, Beers
SERIES HISTORY
All-Time: Purdue leads 20-18
All-Time in West Lafayette: Tied 6-6
First Meetings of 2022: Evansville swept a 2-game set (March 17-19 in Evansville)
Purdue's Last Wins vs. Evansville: Purdue won 2 of 3 (March 2013 in Evansville)
Last Meeting in West Lafayette: Purdue 6, Evansville 2 (May 2002)
First Meeting: Purdue 5, Evansville 4 (April 1947 in Evansville)
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue baseball's busy stretch of 21 games in 31 days continues with Evansville's first trip to West Lafayette since 2002 and thus first-ever appearance at Alexander Field.
First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. ET as another $3 midweek matchup at Alexander Field. The Boilermakers are planning to debut their new camouflage uniform (jerseys) Tuesday. The Purples Aces join Miami (Ohio) and South Dakota State as the scheduled first-time visitors to Alexander this spring.
Purdue is closing out their season series with UE after dropping both games of a weather-shortened weekend set in Evansville in mid-March. The Boilermakers are also scheduled to play the Aces' Missouri Valley Conference rivals Indiana State and UIC home and home this season. For the back end of those series, the Sycamores visit Alexander next week and Purdue heads to the Windy City on May 10.
Davis Pratt is slated to get his first opportunity to start on the mound as a Boilermaker, becoming the seventh Purdue pitcher to start a game this season – five of the seven making their first starts for the program this season.
Pratt worked three innings of one-run relief as the first man out of the bullpen on St. Patrick's Day at Evansville. The Aces are expected to counter with freshman righthander Max Hansmann, who was the first man out of the bullpen for UE in the Sunday game in Evansville.
WEEKEND ROTATION EMERGING AS A STRENGTH
• Starting pitching is a big reason why the Boilermakers have been able to open Big Ten play at 3-3 despite a 4-10 rough patch overall dating back to March 10. Khal Stephen, Jonathan Blackwell and Kyle Iwinski teamed up to surrender just five runs on 14 hits over 19 1/3 innings vs. Northwestern. The trio's 14 strikeouts vs. two walks was among the most impressive accomplishments. They posted a combined 15 zeros.
• The 2.33 ERA for the starting pitchers vs. Northwestern ranked as their second-best showing in a weekend series this season, trailing only the four-game set vs. Akron (2.08). It was Purdue's best starting pitcher ERA in a three-game series since 2022 vs. Illinois State (1.62) and the best mark in a three-game Big Ten series since 2018 vs. Michigan (1.65).
RECENT WEEKENDS OF NOTE FEATURING STRONG STARTING PITCHING
2023 vs. Northwestern – Team Record: 2-1
• 19 1/3 IP, 14 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 14 K, 2.33 ERA, .209 B/Avg
First 2 Weekends of Big Ten Play
• 35 IP, 34 H, 15 R, 6 BB, 29 K, 3.60 ERA, .258 B/Avg
• Starting Pitchers: Khal Stephen, Jonathan Blackwell, Kyle Iwinski
2023 vs. Akron (Holly Springs, N.C.) – Team Record: 3-1
• 21 2/3 IP, 17 H, 5 ER, 8 BB, 20 K, 2.08 ERA, .218 B/Avg
• Starting Pitchers: Khal Stephen, Jonathan Blackwell, Kyle Iwinski, Calvin Schapira
2022 vs. Illinois State (1 Road, 2 Home) – Team Record: 2-1
• 16 2/3 IP, 15 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 23 K, 1.62 ERA, .231 B/Avg
• Starting Pitchers: Jackson Smeltz, Wyatt Wendell, Troy Wansing
2022 vs. Longwood (Holly Springs, N.C.) – Team Record: 3-0
• 17 1/3 IP, 10 H, 4 ER, 6 BB, 23 K, 2.08 ERA, .175 B/Avg
• Starting Pitchers: Jackson Smeltz, Troy Wansing, Wyatt Wendell
2020 at Campbell Tournament – Team Record: 3-0
• 16 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 5 BB, 11 K, 1.12 ERA, .132 B/Avg
• Starting Pitchers: Trent Johnson, Cory Brooks, Jett Jackson
2018 vs. Michigan – Team Record: 3-0
• 16 1/3 IP, 15 H, 3 R, 8 BB, 15 K, 1.65 ERA, .259 B/Avg
• Starting Pitchers: Tanner Andrews, Gareth Stroh, Ryan Beard
WALK-OFF EXCITEMENT RETURNS WITH COOK'S HEROICS
• Lukas Cook's walk-off home run in the 10th inning Sunday vs. Northwestern was the latest entry in the many chapters of walk-off thrillers the Boilermakers have authored in recent years. Cook joined Evan Albrecht (2), Cam Thompson (2), CJ Valdez, Jake Stadler and Jake Parr among active Boilermakers with a walk-off RBI. Thompson hit a walk-off home run vs. Longwood in March of last season and Purdue now has a walk-off homer in three straight years after going without one from 2007 to 2020.
PURDUE'S WALK-OFF WINS…
• In 2023: 2
• In the Last 2 Seasons: 8
• Under head coach Greg Goff: 11
• At Alexander Field: 11
| WALK-OFF WINS UNDER GREG GOFF (Since 2020) | |||||
| Date | Opponent | Location | Score (Innings) | GW RBI | GW Run |
| 4/02/2023 | Northwestern | Alexander Field | 4-3 (10) | Lukas Cook | Lukas Cook |
| 2/24/2023 | NJIT | Holly Springs, N.C. | 6-5 (9) | Jake Parr | Paul Toetz |
| 4/26/2022 | Valparaiso | Alexander Field | 6-5 (10) | Troy Viola | Jack Firestone |
| 3/20/2022 | Illinois State | Alexander Field | 7-6 (10) | Evan Albrecht | Troy Viola |
| 3/06/2022 | Longwood | Holly Springs, N.C. | 6-5 (11) | Cam Thompson | Cam Thompson |
| 3/05/2022 | Longwood | Holly Springs, N.C. | 6-5 (13) | Jake Stadler | Jake Jarvis |
| 2/26/2022 | Princeton (G2) | Holly Springs, N.C. | 5-4 (9) | Cam Thompson | Curtis Washington Jr. |
| 2/26/2022 | Princeton (G1) | Holly Springs, N.C. | 4-3 (9) | CJ Valdez | Curtis Washington Jr. |
| 3/27/2021 | Rutgers | Alexander Field | 7-4 (9) | Mason Gavre | Ben Nisle |
| 4/18/2021 | Michigan State | Champaign, Ill. | 2-1 (11) | Evan Albrecht | Ben Nisle |
| 3/05/2021 | Nebraska | Round Rock, Texas | 6-5 (9) | Zac Fascia | Ben Nisle |
| WALK-OFF WINS AT ALEXANDER FIELD (Since 2013) | ||||
| Date | Opponent | Score (Innings) | GW RBI | GW Run |
| 4/02/2023 | Northwestern | 4-3 (10) | Lukas Cook | Lukas Cook |
| 4/26/2022 | Valparaiso | 6-5 (10) | Troy Viola | Jack Firestone |
| 3/20/2022 | Illinois State | 7-6 (10) | Evan Albrecht | Troy Viola |
| 3/27/2021 | Rutgers | 7-4 (9) | Mason Gavre | Ben Nisle |
| 3/31/2019 | Penn State | 2-1 (10) | Cole McKenzie | Seth Gergely |
| 5/06/2018 | Northwestern | 2-1 (12) | Alec Olund | Hayden Grant |
| 4/29/2018 | Saint Louis | 4-3 (9) | Harry Shipley | Milo Beam |
| 4/23/2018 | Illinois | 2-1 (9) | NA (E5) | Milo Beam |
| 5/20/2017 | Cal State Northridge | 1-0 (10) | Nick Dalesandro | Kyle Johnson |
| 4/25/2014 | Ohio State | 4-3 (13) | Kyle Wood | Cody Strong |
| 4/15/2014 | Butler | 5-4 (10) | Brandon Krieg | Jeff Evak |
SAY WHAT ABOUT RUBBER GAMES?
• The nightcap of the doubleheader with Northwestern was the rubber game of the series after NU won the first game Sunday. Purdue has now won the rubber game of a traditional three-game Big Ten series at home in consecutive years after going 11 seasons without such a win from 2010 to 2021. The program had lost 13 consecutive (traditional) Big Ten rubber games at home during that stretch. A rubber game win vs. Illinois at Lambert Field on the final day of the 2009 regular season stood as the program's last such win at home for the longest time.
| RUBBER GAMES OF NOTE SINCE START OF 2010 | |
| ALL WINS 2023 vs. Northwestern 2022 at Northwestern 2022 vs. Indiana – Streak Snapper in B1G Home Games 2022 vs. Illinois State (Split-Site Series) 2021 Home Pod Weekend (PSU/MINN) 2021 vs. Penn State (Split-Site Season Series) 2019 vs. Southeast Missouri State 2019 at Northwestern 2019 vs. NJIT (Marion, N.C.) 2017 at Ohio State 2015 at Nebraska 2015 vs. Northern Illinois (Westfield, Ind.) 2012 at Nebraska 2011 at Northwestern 2011 at Penn State 2011 at Tennessee Tech 2010 at Illinois 2010 at Indiana |
HOME LOSSES 2021 vs. Illinois (5-Game Split-Site Season Series) 2021 vs. Iowa 2021 vs. Rutgers 2019 vs. Michigan State 2019 vs. Iowa 2017 vs. Northwestern 2015 vs. Rutgers 2014 vs. Iowa 2014 vs. Ohio State 2014 vs. Michigan 2013 vs. Northwestern 2011 vs. Illinois 2010 vs. Northwestern 2010 vs. Minnesota |