WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The new school year has opened on campus and Purdue baseball is proud to introduce a group of 17 newcomers into the program for the 2024 season this spring.
The Boilermakers are slated to begin their fall practice calendar the week of Sept. 11. Opportunities to see Purdue in action this fall includes the program's open scrimmages, exhibition games and the annual Black & Gold Series. Dates for that gameday action will be announced in the coming weeks.
"August is always an exciting time of the year to bring the full team together on campus and we're thrilled to announce our newest class of Boilermakers joining us," head coach Greg Goff said of his year-three recruiting class. "We believe we have succeeded in attracting impact players from across the country. With Chris Marx ascending to recruiting coordinator, our staff has assembled a very talented group and we're excited about how these Boilermakers will contribute to our program success. I'm ready to get back on the field this fall as we continue building the program after success stories like our 15-0 start in 2022 and Alexander Field attendance record this past spring."
RECRUITING CLASS BREAKDOWN
• 17 Total Newcomers
• 7 Freshmen
• 10 Transfers (7 Four-Year, 3 Junior College)
• Players from 10 U.S. States plus 1 Australian & 1 Canadian
• By Position: 7 Pitchers (4 RHP, 3 LHP), 7 Infielders, 2 Catchers & 1 Outfielder
• Notable: National Letter of Intent signee Bishop Letson (RHP from Floyds Knobs, Ind.) was selected in the 11th round of the MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers and opted to sign a professional contract
"We love the mixture of youth and experience with this class," Marx said. "The transfers all have high-level experience and the freshmen are here right out of high school for a reason. They can all contribute and make an impact. I think these newcomers will blend well with our returning core to provide us a deep and versatile roster. Many of these student-athletes have been on campus this summer and have worked extremely hard, certainly adding to our culture."
Chase Brown, Infielder – Ennis, Texas (The Colony/McLennan JC)
• As a freshman, played in 29 games for a McLennan team that went 47-16 and won the 2021 NJCAA Division I World Series
• 2019 District Newcomer Player of the Year at The Colony HS, batting .382 with a 1.035 OPS
• .340/.418/.556 slash line in 38 career varsity games after his senior season was cut short in 2020
Aaron Dolney, Catcher – Plymouth, Mich. (Detroit Country Day/Eastern Michigan)
• Two-year starting catcher at EMU compiled a .299/.403/.537 slash line in 98 games, connecting for 18 XBH both years
• Batted .344 with 12 doubles and 7 homers in 2022; hit 10 home runs with 38 RBI and 13 stolen bases in 2023
• Played at Nebraska in 2020 and Hillsborough College in 2021
• Ranked as Michigan's No. 1 catcher in his class by Perfect Game and Prep Baseball Report
Camden Gasser, Infielder – Huntingburg, Ind. (Southridge/Michigan)
• Played in 15 games for Michigan in 2023 after redshirting as a freshman
• First-team all-state and Indiana North-South All-Star after batting .546 with 46 stolen bases for Southridge's 2021 IHSAA Class 3A state championship team
• Three-sport standout was the conference MVP in football as a wide receiver and return man; broke the school's single-season assists record in basketball
• Played for the Lafayette Aviators in the summer of 2023
Thomas Green, Infielder – Courtenay, British Columbia (Isfeld/Oakland Univ.)
• Two-year starting shortstop at Oakland, starting all 60 games in 2023
• Connected for 10 doubles and 10 home runs while also stealing 10 bases in 2023
• Graduated from Oakland with a 3.81 GPA to earn Horizon League All-Academic Team honors
• Played summer ball for the Kamloops NorthPaws of the West Coast League in 2022 and 2023
Enas Hayden, RHP – Indianapolis, Ind. (Lawrence North/Purdue Fort Wayne)
• 2023 Prospect League All-Star for the Danville Dans after racking up 45 strikeouts in 29 2/3 innings (13.6 K/9)
• Pitched in 20 games, making four starts, for Purdue Fort Wayne over his first two collegiate seasons
• Pitched for the Indiana Nitro travel ball and later the Collegiate Summer League at Grand Park
Jordan Morales, LHP – Souderton, Pa. (Souderton/Penn State)
• Four-year letterwinner at the D-I level, pitching two seasons at La Salle and two at Penn State
• Racked up 113 strikeouts vs. 101 hits allowed in 97 2/3 career innings (10.4 K/9) at PSU
• Posted a 3.64 ERA while pitching in a team-high 26 games in 2022, ranking top 10 in the Big Ten in appearances
• Conference pitcher of the year as a high school senior, registering a 0.43 ERA, 93 strikeouts and 10 wins for Souderton's PIAA Class 6A state championship team
Breck Nowik, Infielder – Lake Forest, Ill. (Lake Forest/UIC)
• Two-year starting infielder for UIC after redshirting as a freshman in 2021
• UIC's team triple crown winner in 2022 (.335, 9 HR, 42 RBI) while posting a 1.000 OPS season
• Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American and second-team All-Horizon League in 2022
• 3-for-7 with three RBI in his two career games at Alexander Field
Keenan Spence, Outfielder/First Baseman – Caroline Springs, Australia (Howard JC)
• Premier slugger in his two junior college seasons, hitting 35 home runs while also stealing 29 bases in 101 games
• Ranked sixth nationally among the NJCAA Division I leaders with 23 homers in 2023
• Posted prolific slash lines and RBI totals both years – .381/.487/.675 with 50 RBI in 2022, .348/.455/.823 with 63 RBI in 2023
• Played for the Melbourne Aces of the Australian Baseball League, the country's top league
Logan Sutter, Infielder – Loomis, Calif. (Del Oro/Folsom Lake JC)
• 2023 Appalachian League Player of the Year for the league champion Johnson City Doughboys
• Led the Appalachian League in hits (58) and RBI (48) while compiling a .363/.427/.575 slash line in 41 games
• Slashed .390/.488/.707 with 11 homers and 69 RBI as the conference MVP at Folsom Lake College in 2023
• Batted .429 with a 1.167 OPS as a high school senior
Luke Wagner, LHP – New Cumberland, Pa. (Red Land/Georgia)
• Pitched in 54 career games, making 17 starts, as a three-year letterwinner at Georgia; two-way player as a freshman
• Started games at the SEC Tournament and NCAA Regionals, including UGA's 2021 postseason win vs. LSU
• Registered a 1.44 ERA and 117 strikeouts in 68 innings with 11 wins while also batting .385 for Red Land's 2019 PIAA Class 5A state championship team
• PennLive's Area Player of the Year (Harrisburg) as a sophomore in 2018
Will Briggs, Catcher – Shakopee, Minn. (Academy of Holy Angels)
• Minnesota's No. 1-ranked catcher in his class by Perfect Game
• 2023 Minnesota High School All-Star Series selection
• Recognized as a top 10 player in Minnesota among his class by BVM Sports
Amir Gray, Infielder – South Holland, Ill. (Brother Rice)
• Batted .358 with 122 hits, 81 RBI, 84 runs during his varsity career
• Daily Southtown All-Area honoree as a team captain in 2023
• Helped lead to Brother Rice to the IHSA Class 4A state finals each of his upperclassman years, finishing as the runner-up in 2023 and third in 2022
Mac Lewis, Infielder – Vienna, Va. (James Madison)
• Starting shortstop and quarterback for James Madison HS as a senior
• As a senior, helped lead Madison to a 23-5 record and the VHSL Class 6A state title
• Also powered the football team to the 2022 VHSL Class 6A state championship game, accounting for 29 touchdowns
Will Moore, RHP – Creve Coeur, Mo. (Ladue Horton Watkins)
• Racked up 51 strikeouts in 35 1/3 innings as a junior
• Struck out 16 with no walks in a seven-inning no-hitter in a 17U travel ball game in the summer of 2022
• Pitched for Team Missouri at the PBR Futures Games; all-tournament team at multiple WWBA showcases
Brayden Olson, RHP – St. Croix Falls, Wis. (St. Croix Falls)
• Three-time Prep Baseball Report all-state honoree, including consecutive first-team honors as an upperclassman
• Racked up 130 strikeouts in 62 1/3 innings to go along with a 0.67 ERA, 0.56 WHIP and 11 wins as a senior
• Also batted .400 with 25 extra-base hits and 36 RBI while leading St. Croix Falls to the 2023 WIAA Division 3 state title
Easton Storey, LHP – Brighton, Mich. (Brighton)
• 2023 Livingston County Player of the Year, second-team all-state and an all-region honoree
• Racked up 88 strikeouts in 54 innings to go along with a 1.30 ERA and .161 batting average against as a high school senior
• Ranked as Michigan's No. 1 lefthander in his class by Perfect Game
Cole Van Assen, RHP – Tinley Park, Ill. (Brother Rice)
• Collegiate Baseball High School All-American as a senior as one of just two Illinois products to be recognized
• All-state honoree racked up 90 strikeouts in 78 innings with a 1.79 ERA and 10 victories in 2023, highlighted by a complete-game shutout in the semifinal round of the state tournament
• Helped lead to Brother Rice to the IHSA Class 4A state finals each of his upperclassman years, finishing as the runner-up in 2023 and third in 2022
The Boilermakers are slated to begin their fall practice calendar the week of Sept. 11. Opportunities to see Purdue in action this fall includes the program's open scrimmages, exhibition games and the annual Black & Gold Series. Dates for that gameday action will be announced in the coming weeks.
"August is always an exciting time of the year to bring the full team together on campus and we're thrilled to announce our newest class of Boilermakers joining us," head coach Greg Goff said of his year-three recruiting class. "We believe we have succeeded in attracting impact players from across the country. With Chris Marx ascending to recruiting coordinator, our staff has assembled a very talented group and we're excited about how these Boilermakers will contribute to our program success. I'm ready to get back on the field this fall as we continue building the program after success stories like our 15-0 start in 2022 and Alexander Field attendance record this past spring."
RECRUITING CLASS BREAKDOWN
• 17 Total Newcomers
• 7 Freshmen
• 10 Transfers (7 Four-Year, 3 Junior College)
• Players from 10 U.S. States plus 1 Australian & 1 Canadian
• By Position: 7 Pitchers (4 RHP, 3 LHP), 7 Infielders, 2 Catchers & 1 Outfielder
• Notable: National Letter of Intent signee Bishop Letson (RHP from Floyds Knobs, Ind.) was selected in the 11th round of the MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers and opted to sign a professional contract
"We love the mixture of youth and experience with this class," Marx said. "The transfers all have high-level experience and the freshmen are here right out of high school for a reason. They can all contribute and make an impact. I think these newcomers will blend well with our returning core to provide us a deep and versatile roster. Many of these student-athletes have been on campus this summer and have worked extremely hard, certainly adding to our culture."
PURDUE BASEBALL'S NEWCOMERS | |||||
GROUP 1: THE TRANSFERS | |||||
Name | Position | Height | Weight | Hometown | High School/Previous College |
Chase Brown | INF | 6-2 | 190 | Ennis, Texas | The Colony/McLennan JC |
Aaron Dolney | C | 6-4 | 220 | Plymouth, Mich. | Detroit Country Day/Eastern Michigan |
Camden Gasser | INF | 5-10 | 160 | Huntingburg, Ind. | Southridge/Michigan |
Thomas Green | INF | 6-0 | 175 | Courtenay, British Columbia | Isfeld/Oakland Univ. |
Enas Hayden | RHP | 6-3 | 210 | Indianapolis, Ind. | Lawrence North/Purdue Fort Wayne |
Jordan Morales | LHP | 5-9 | 170 | Souderton, Pa. | Souderton/Penn State |
Breck Nowik | INF | 6-3 | 220 | Lake Forest, Ill. | Lake Forest/UIC |
Keenan Spence | OF/1B | 6-5 | 230 | Caroline Springs, Australia | Howard JC |
Logan Sutter | INF | 6-1 | 215 | Loomis, Calif. | Del Oro/Folsom Lake JC |
Luke Wagner | LHP | 6-0 | 190 | New Cumberland, Pa. | Red Land/Georgia |
GROUP 2: THE FRESHMEN | |||||
Name | Position | Height | Weight | Hometown | High School/Previous College |
Will Briggs | C | 5-11 | 185 | Shakopee, Minn. | Academy of Holy Angels |
Amir Gray | INF | 6-1 | 200 | South Holland, Ill. | Brother Rice |
Mac Lewis | INF | 6-0 | 165 | Vienna, Va. | James Madison |
Will Moore | RHP | 6-3 | 205 | Creve Coeur, Mo. | Ladue Horton Watkins |
Brayden Olson | RHP | 6-2 | 205 | St. Croix Falls, Wis. | St. Croix Falls |
Easton Storey | LHP | 5-11 | 195 | Brighton, Mich. | Brighton |
Cole Van Assen | RHP | 6-3 | 205 | Tinley Park, Ill. | Brother Rice |
Chase Brown, Infielder – Ennis, Texas (The Colony/McLennan JC)
• As a freshman, played in 29 games for a McLennan team that went 47-16 and won the 2021 NJCAA Division I World Series
• 2019 District Newcomer Player of the Year at The Colony HS, batting .382 with a 1.035 OPS
• .340/.418/.556 slash line in 38 career varsity games after his senior season was cut short in 2020
Aaron Dolney, Catcher – Plymouth, Mich. (Detroit Country Day/Eastern Michigan)
• Two-year starting catcher at EMU compiled a .299/.403/.537 slash line in 98 games, connecting for 18 XBH both years
• Batted .344 with 12 doubles and 7 homers in 2022; hit 10 home runs with 38 RBI and 13 stolen bases in 2023
• Played at Nebraska in 2020 and Hillsborough College in 2021
• Ranked as Michigan's No. 1 catcher in his class by Perfect Game and Prep Baseball Report
Camden Gasser, Infielder – Huntingburg, Ind. (Southridge/Michigan)
• Played in 15 games for Michigan in 2023 after redshirting as a freshman
• First-team all-state and Indiana North-South All-Star after batting .546 with 46 stolen bases for Southridge's 2021 IHSAA Class 3A state championship team
• Three-sport standout was the conference MVP in football as a wide receiver and return man; broke the school's single-season assists record in basketball
• Played for the Lafayette Aviators in the summer of 2023
Thomas Green, Infielder – Courtenay, British Columbia (Isfeld/Oakland Univ.)
• Two-year starting shortstop at Oakland, starting all 60 games in 2023
• Connected for 10 doubles and 10 home runs while also stealing 10 bases in 2023
• Graduated from Oakland with a 3.81 GPA to earn Horizon League All-Academic Team honors
• Played summer ball for the Kamloops NorthPaws of the West Coast League in 2022 and 2023
Enas Hayden, RHP – Indianapolis, Ind. (Lawrence North/Purdue Fort Wayne)
• 2023 Prospect League All-Star for the Danville Dans after racking up 45 strikeouts in 29 2/3 innings (13.6 K/9)
• Pitched in 20 games, making four starts, for Purdue Fort Wayne over his first two collegiate seasons
• Pitched for the Indiana Nitro travel ball and later the Collegiate Summer League at Grand Park
Jordan Morales, LHP – Souderton, Pa. (Souderton/Penn State)
• Four-year letterwinner at the D-I level, pitching two seasons at La Salle and two at Penn State
• Racked up 113 strikeouts vs. 101 hits allowed in 97 2/3 career innings (10.4 K/9) at PSU
• Posted a 3.64 ERA while pitching in a team-high 26 games in 2022, ranking top 10 in the Big Ten in appearances
• Conference pitcher of the year as a high school senior, registering a 0.43 ERA, 93 strikeouts and 10 wins for Souderton's PIAA Class 6A state championship team
Breck Nowik, Infielder – Lake Forest, Ill. (Lake Forest/UIC)
• Two-year starting infielder for UIC after redshirting as a freshman in 2021
• UIC's team triple crown winner in 2022 (.335, 9 HR, 42 RBI) while posting a 1.000 OPS season
• Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American and second-team All-Horizon League in 2022
• 3-for-7 with three RBI in his two career games at Alexander Field
Keenan Spence, Outfielder/First Baseman – Caroline Springs, Australia (Howard JC)
• Premier slugger in his two junior college seasons, hitting 35 home runs while also stealing 29 bases in 101 games
• Ranked sixth nationally among the NJCAA Division I leaders with 23 homers in 2023
• Posted prolific slash lines and RBI totals both years – .381/.487/.675 with 50 RBI in 2022, .348/.455/.823 with 63 RBI in 2023
• Played for the Melbourne Aces of the Australian Baseball League, the country's top league
Logan Sutter, Infielder – Loomis, Calif. (Del Oro/Folsom Lake JC)
• 2023 Appalachian League Player of the Year for the league champion Johnson City Doughboys
• Led the Appalachian League in hits (58) and RBI (48) while compiling a .363/.427/.575 slash line in 41 games
• Slashed .390/.488/.707 with 11 homers and 69 RBI as the conference MVP at Folsom Lake College in 2023
• Batted .429 with a 1.167 OPS as a high school senior
Luke Wagner, LHP – New Cumberland, Pa. (Red Land/Georgia)
• Pitched in 54 career games, making 17 starts, as a three-year letterwinner at Georgia; two-way player as a freshman
• Started games at the SEC Tournament and NCAA Regionals, including UGA's 2021 postseason win vs. LSU
• Registered a 1.44 ERA and 117 strikeouts in 68 innings with 11 wins while also batting .385 for Red Land's 2019 PIAA Class 5A state championship team
• PennLive's Area Player of the Year (Harrisburg) as a sophomore in 2018
Will Briggs, Catcher – Shakopee, Minn. (Academy of Holy Angels)
• Minnesota's No. 1-ranked catcher in his class by Perfect Game
• 2023 Minnesota High School All-Star Series selection
• Recognized as a top 10 player in Minnesota among his class by BVM Sports
Amir Gray, Infielder – South Holland, Ill. (Brother Rice)
• Batted .358 with 122 hits, 81 RBI, 84 runs during his varsity career
• Daily Southtown All-Area honoree as a team captain in 2023
• Helped lead to Brother Rice to the IHSA Class 4A state finals each of his upperclassman years, finishing as the runner-up in 2023 and third in 2022
Mac Lewis, Infielder – Vienna, Va. (James Madison)
• Starting shortstop and quarterback for James Madison HS as a senior
• As a senior, helped lead Madison to a 23-5 record and the VHSL Class 6A state title
• Also powered the football team to the 2022 VHSL Class 6A state championship game, accounting for 29 touchdowns
Will Moore, RHP – Creve Coeur, Mo. (Ladue Horton Watkins)
• Racked up 51 strikeouts in 35 1/3 innings as a junior
• Struck out 16 with no walks in a seven-inning no-hitter in a 17U travel ball game in the summer of 2022
• Pitched for Team Missouri at the PBR Futures Games; all-tournament team at multiple WWBA showcases
Brayden Olson, RHP – St. Croix Falls, Wis. (St. Croix Falls)
• Three-time Prep Baseball Report all-state honoree, including consecutive first-team honors as an upperclassman
• Racked up 130 strikeouts in 62 1/3 innings to go along with a 0.67 ERA, 0.56 WHIP and 11 wins as a senior
• Also batted .400 with 25 extra-base hits and 36 RBI while leading St. Croix Falls to the 2023 WIAA Division 3 state title
Easton Storey, LHP – Brighton, Mich. (Brighton)
• 2023 Livingston County Player of the Year, second-team all-state and an all-region honoree
• Racked up 88 strikeouts in 54 innings to go along with a 1.30 ERA and .161 batting average against as a high school senior
• Ranked as Michigan's No. 1 lefthander in his class by Perfect Game
Cole Van Assen, RHP – Tinley Park, Ill. (Brother Rice)
• Collegiate Baseball High School All-American as a senior as one of just two Illinois products to be recognized
• All-state honoree racked up 90 strikeouts in 78 innings with a 1.79 ERA and 10 victories in 2023, highlighted by a complete-game shutout in the semifinal round of the state tournament
• Helped lead to Brother Rice to the IHSA Class 4A state finals each of his upperclassman years, finishing as the runner-up in 2023 and third in 2022