WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - After coming off of a 3-1 winning series at the UAB Tournament, Purdue heads to the campus of Southern Illinois University for their final preseason three-day tournament from Feb 28 - Mar. 2. The Boilermakers will face Central Arkansas, Purdue Fort Wayne and host team, Southern Illinois.
The Boilermakers closed out the UAB Tournament in Birmingham, Ala. with wins over Southern Indiana, Samford and UAB while falling to Samford in extras on day one.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Friday, Feb. 28 - Purdue vs Central Arkansas - 2:30 p.m. ET
Saturday, Mar. 1 - Purdue vs Purdue Fort Wayne - 2:30 p.m. ET
Saturday, Mar. 1 - Purdue vs Southern Illinois - 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
Sunday, Mar. 2 - Purdue vs Purdue Fort Wayne - 12:00 p.m. ET
Sunday, Mar. 2 - Purdue vs Southern Illinois - 2:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Central Arkansas has an overall record of 5-8 coming off of a 3-1 tournament winning series at the Michelle Short & Adam Brown Tournament in Conway, Ark. The Bears beat SIUE and South Dakota State (twice), while falling to Oklahoma State at Farris Field in the third game of the tournament. Central Arkansas will battle in their first and only Big Ten game this season against Purdue on Friday, Feb. 28.
After two tournaments in South Carolina and Tennessee, Purdue Fort Wayne is 2-6 with its latest win against DePaul in a 5-2 battle in Martin, Tenn, marking the Mastodons first win over DePaul in the school's history. Purdue Fort Wayne has hit six home runs, scored 26 runs and collected 24 RBIs on the year. In the Mastodon's victory over Coastal Carolina, the team used a six-run fifth inning to grab their first win (7-5) of the season. The softball team is led by Amber Bowman who is in her fourth season as the head coach of the Mastodons.
The reigning MVC Champions, Southern Illinois, are currently 1-12 in the 2025 season. The Salukis have faced stiff competition including Auburn, North Carolina, and No. 19 Mississippi State. SIU returned key players in Jackie Lis and Emma Austin who both landed on the All-MVC preseason team. The Salukis lone win of the season came over Appalachian State, defeating the Mountaineers 11-2 on Feb. 9. Southern Illinois will play each team in the tournament twice, with the exception of Purdue Fort Wayne.
SERIES HISTORY
In the series history against Central Arkansas, Purdue leads two games to none. The last time the teams met was a year ago where Purdue took the 4-3 victory in eight innings. The first meeting of the Bears and the Boilers was in 2012, where Purdue won 8-6. The 2024 meeting took place at the home field of UCA, with Purdue also playing against the Salukis in the tournament.
Purdue and Purdue Fort Wayne have met 12 times before, and the Boilermakers have a spotless record against the Mastodons. The first meeting between the two came back in 1994, where the Boilermakers took the 9-0 shutout victory. In 2019 when they met most recently, Purdue narrowly edged PFW with a 5-4 victory.
Purdue has faced SIU in eight match ups prior to 2025, and the Boilers lead the series 5-3. In 2024, the Boilermakers and the Salukis met twice, at the Michelle Short Tournament hosted by UCA, and the teams each took one victory. In the first game, SIU shutout Purdue 2-0, but the Boilers fought back in game two, scoring 13 runs with three home runs in the 13-6 victory. The matchup this weekend will mark the 30th anniversary of the teams meeting as their first game was back in 1995.
For updates on Purdue Softball, follow the Boilermakers on Twitter (@PurdueSoftball), Instagram (@purduesoftball), and Facebook (Purdue Softball).
The Boilermakers closed out the UAB Tournament in Birmingham, Ala. with wins over Southern Indiana, Samford and UAB while falling to Samford in extras on day one.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Friday, Feb. 28 - Purdue vs Central Arkansas - 2:30 p.m. ET
Saturday, Mar. 1 - Purdue vs Purdue Fort Wayne - 2:30 p.m. ET
Saturday, Mar. 1 - Purdue vs Southern Illinois - 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
Sunday, Mar. 2 - Purdue vs Purdue Fort Wayne - 12:00 p.m. ET
Sunday, Mar. 2 - Purdue vs Southern Illinois - 2:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Central Arkansas has an overall record of 5-8 coming off of a 3-1 tournament winning series at the Michelle Short & Adam Brown Tournament in Conway, Ark. The Bears beat SIUE and South Dakota State (twice), while falling to Oklahoma State at Farris Field in the third game of the tournament. Central Arkansas will battle in their first and only Big Ten game this season against Purdue on Friday, Feb. 28.
After two tournaments in South Carolina and Tennessee, Purdue Fort Wayne is 2-6 with its latest win against DePaul in a 5-2 battle in Martin, Tenn, marking the Mastodons first win over DePaul in the school's history. Purdue Fort Wayne has hit six home runs, scored 26 runs and collected 24 RBIs on the year. In the Mastodon's victory over Coastal Carolina, the team used a six-run fifth inning to grab their first win (7-5) of the season. The softball team is led by Amber Bowman who is in her fourth season as the head coach of the Mastodons.
The reigning MVC Champions, Southern Illinois, are currently 1-12 in the 2025 season. The Salukis have faced stiff competition including Auburn, North Carolina, and No. 19 Mississippi State. SIU returned key players in Jackie Lis and Emma Austin who both landed on the All-MVC preseason team. The Salukis lone win of the season came over Appalachian State, defeating the Mountaineers 11-2 on Feb. 9. Southern Illinois will play each team in the tournament twice, with the exception of Purdue Fort Wayne.
SERIES HISTORY
In the series history against Central Arkansas, Purdue leads two games to none. The last time the teams met was a year ago where Purdue took the 4-3 victory in eight innings. The first meeting of the Bears and the Boilers was in 2012, where Purdue won 8-6. The 2024 meeting took place at the home field of UCA, with Purdue also playing against the Salukis in the tournament.
Purdue and Purdue Fort Wayne have met 12 times before, and the Boilermakers have a spotless record against the Mastodons. The first meeting between the two came back in 1994, where the Boilermakers took the 9-0 shutout victory. In 2019 when they met most recently, Purdue narrowly edged PFW with a 5-4 victory.
Purdue has faced SIU in eight match ups prior to 2025, and the Boilers lead the series 5-3. In 2024, the Boilermakers and the Salukis met twice, at the Michelle Short Tournament hosted by UCA, and the teams each took one victory. In the first game, SIU shutout Purdue 2-0, but the Boilers fought back in game two, scoring 13 runs with three home runs in the 13-6 victory. The matchup this weekend will mark the 30th anniversary of the teams meeting as their first game was back in 1995.
For updates on Purdue Softball, follow the Boilermakers on Twitter (@PurdueSoftball), Instagram (@purduesoftball), and Facebook (Purdue Softball).