CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
#5 Purdue (35-18, 18-12 Big Ten) vs. #12 Michigan State (22-31, 11-19 Big Ten)
Tuesday, May 19 at 10 a.m. ET / Big Ten Network
Probable Pitching Matchup: Cole Van Assen (Jr, RHP) vs. MSU’s Aidan Donovan (So, RHP)
ROUND 2
Purdue vs. #8 Iowa (32-21, 15-15 Big Ten) or #9 Illinois (28-25, 14-16 Big Ten)
Wednesday, May 20 at 10 a.m. ET or 6 p.m. ET / BTN
Double-Elimination Brackets Continue through Thursday
8-Team Single-Elimination Bracket begins Friday morning
Purdue’s Bracket Paired with #1 UCLA & #4 USC for Friday Matchups
Charles Schwab Field / Omaha, Nebraska
SERIES HISTORY
All-Time vs. Michigan State: MSU leads 89-81
All-Time at the Big Ten Tournament: Purdue leads 2-1
Purdue under Greg Goff vs MSU: Purdue leads 9-4 (Since 2020)
2026: Purdue won 2 of 3 (March 27-29 in East Lansing)
Last Meeting at the Big Ten Tournament: MSU 7, Purdue 1 (2011 2nd Round in Columbus)
First Meeting: Purdue 6, MSU 3 (May 1949 in West Lafayette)
All-Time vs. Iowa: Iowa leads 109-68-1
All-Time at the Big Ten Tournament: Iowa leads 3-1
Purdue Under Greg Goff vs. Iowa: Iowa leads 10-3 (since 2020)
2026: Iowa swept a 3-game set (May 14-16 in Des Moines)
Last Meeting at the Big Ten Tournament: Iowa 5, Purdue 4 (2022 Loser’s Bracket in Omaha)
First Meeting: Purdue 5, Iowa 2 (May 1902 in West Lafayette)
All-Time vs Illinois: Illinois leads 174-90-1
All-Time at the Big Ten Tournament: Tied 3-3
Purdue Under Greg Goff vs. Illinois: Illinois leads 12-5 (since 2020)
2026: Purdue won 2 of 3 (April 3-5 in West Lafayette)
Last Meeting at the Big Ten Tournament: Purdue 11, Illinois 5 (2018 Semifinals in Omaha)
First Meeting: Illinois 14, Purdue 5 (May 1893 in West Lafayette)
OMAHA, Neb. – As the top-seed among the double-elimination half of the six-day, 12-team Big Ten Tournament, Purdue Baseball opens its postseason run as part of a bracket that features three teams it has already played this season – Michigan State, Iowa and Illinois.
The Boilermakers take on Michigan State on Tuesday at 10 a.m. ET in the first game of the tournament, which is being held at Charles Schwab Field Omaha for the seventh consecutive time (since 2018). Iowa and Illinois also play Tuesday, with winners (6 p.m. ET) and losers (10 a.m. ET) of those games squaring off Wednesday.
The Big Ten Baseball Tournament expanded to a 12-team field for the first time last year, utilizing a format of four three-team pods. When that format produced a handful of games that had no impact on which teams advanced in the tournament, the league reconfigured it for this year – teams seeded fifth through 12th compete in the three-day double-elimination bracket to advance to a single-elimination knockout round. The top four seeds square off against the four advancing teams beginning Friday morning.
Purdue’s half of the bracket is paired with top-seeded UCLA and 4-seed USC for the knockout round.
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PURDUE’S RECORDS VS. 2026 BIG TEN TOURNAMENT QUALIFIERS |
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• #1 UCLA: DNP |
• #8 Iowa: 0-3 (Road) |
The Boilermakers are the No. 5 seed at the Big Ten Tournament for the first time since 2010, a year they went 2-2 when the event was held at Ohio State’s Bill Davis Stadium. Coincidentally, Purdue was also swept at Iowa to end the regular season that year and ended up playing Iowa twice in the tournament – with the latter half of that a possibility again this week.
The Boilermakers are 3-5 all-time at Charles Schwab Field, but are in search of their first Big Ten Tournament win since the 2018 team made a run to the championship game as the 2-seed. Purdue won the Big Ten Tournament in 2012 to sweep the league championships and was also a tournament finalist in 1987 and 2008.
The Big Ten Tournament has been held five times (not in 2020 and 2021) since Purdue’s last victory at the event. The Boilermakers also went five tournaments between wins from 1982-86, 1988-94 and 2013-17 (making just one appearance in the field during each of those segments).
Tuesday’s starting pitcher Cole Van Assen is the only active Boilermaker still with the program from when Purdue made its last appearance in Omaha two years ago. He did not pitch in the event as a freshman, with all six Boilermakers that took the mound at the 2024 Big Ten Tournament being upperclassmen. However, six of Purdue’s players have seen action in NCAA Division I conference tournaments.
ACTIVE BOILERS WITH PLAYING EXPERIENCE IN D-I CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS
• Jackson Bessette – Missouri Valley Tournament at UIC
• Zach Erdman – Big 12 Tournament at Texas Tech
• Jarvis Evans – SEC Tournament at Georgia
• Sam Flores – Big 12 Tournament at Kansas State
• CJ Richmond – Mid-American Conference Tournament at Western Michigan (2024 Champion)
• Brandon Rogers – Pac-12 Tournament at Arizona (2024 Champion)
Van Assen and Michigan State ace Aidan Donovan squared off in the series opener in East Lansing the final Friday of March. Van Assen gave Purdue a quality start (7 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K) while registering the first of his five starts this season without conceding a base on balls. But Donovan (5 1/3 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 5 K) and veteran reliever Nolan Higgins (3 2/3 IP, H, 0 R, BB, 4 K) teamed up to limit the Boilermakers to four hits, which remains a season low. Pitching-rich USC also held Purdue to four hits in each of the final two games of the series in Los Angeles.
There were only two extra-base hits in the series opener at Michigan State; Ryan McKay’s solo homer in the sixth inning broke a 3-3 tie and proved to be the game-deciding tally. The Boilermakers did come back to win the series at McLane Stadium, their first series victory in East Lansing since 2009.
Avery Moore returns to his hometown this week. He helped Millard West High School win a Nebraska Class A state title as a senior in 2022. Moore’s MWHS team defeated rival Millard South in walk-off fashion in a game played at Nebraska-Omaha’s Tal Anderson Field four years ago to the day of the opening round of the 2026 Big Ten Tournament.
Moore’s grand slam helped power a seven-run comeback as Purdue scored 15 unanswered runs in the Saturday win at Michigan State. It was also a turning point in the senior’s season. He entered the trip to East Lansing 2-for-20 on the year after being limited by a lacerated knee sustained the final Friday of February. After not playing Friday vs. MSU, he finished the series 5-for-9 with a double, the grand slam and five RBI. Moore went on to slash a team-best .418/.511/.759 in Big Ten play to become the Boilermakers’ team leader in batting average (.369) for the season entering the conference tournament. The Omaha native is batting .418 (46-for-110) since the Saturday win at Michigan State.
INDIVIDUAL NUMBERS OF NOTE IN BIG TEN PLAY
(Single-Season Purdue Rankings)
• Sam Flores – 12 Doubles (T-2nd, best since 2008), 32 RBI (T-2nd, best since 2008), 7 Homers (T-3rd, best since 2008), 1.003 OPS
• Jake Kramer – 17 Appearances (2nd, most since 2008), 7 Saves (3rd, most since 2018)
• Thomas Howard – 17 Appearances (2nd, most since 2008)
• Aaron Manias – 12 HBP (T-3rd), .492 OBP (T-14th), 1.142 OPS
• Dylan Drake – 3 Triples (T-3rd, most since 2019)
• Avery Moore – .511 OBP (T-4th, best since 2008), .418 Average (10th - minimum 50 ABs, best since 2009), 1.270 OPS
• Cole Van Assen – 54 Innings Pitched (9th, most since 2017)
• Eli Anderson – 10 Stolen Bases (T-15th)
ACTIVE STREAKS
• Aaron Manias: 14-game on-base; 9-game hit in Big Ten play; 6-game hit overall (XBH in all 6 games)
• Dylan Drake: 10-game on-base; 9-game on-base in Big Ten play
• Jackson Bessette: 10-game on-base; 6-game on-base in Big Ten play
• Avery Moore: 9-game hit; 7-game hit in Big Ten play (8-for-8, 4 2B, 3B, 2 HR, HBP, 6 RBI, 7 R in May 10 & May 14 games)
• Brandon Rogers: 6-game hit; 6-game hit in Big Ten play
• Trey Swiderski: 5-game on-base
BOILERMAKERS AMONG THE TOP 10 IN THE BIG TEN
• Eli Anderson: 1st in Steals (22)
• Trevor Kester-Johnson: 2nd in Appearances (31, 1 shy of Purdue Record); Also 7th Nationally
• Aaron Manias: 3rd in OBP (.487), 4th in HBP (20)
• Cole Van Assen: 4th in Fewest Walks per 9 Innings (1.85), T-8th in Victories (6), 7th in Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio (4.00)
• Jake Kramer: T-5th in Saves (9), T-5th in Appearances (27)
• Sam Flores: 6th in Doubles (16), 9th in RBI (53)
• Zach Erdman: 6th in Fewest Walks per 9 Innings (2.04), 9th in Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio (3.80)
• Avery Moore: 6th in Avg (.369)
• Austin Klug: T-8th in Victories (6)
• Dylan Drake: T-9th in Triples (3)
• Zach Zychowski: T-9th in Triples (3)
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1.000+ OPS SEASONS (Since 2001, Minimum 60 At-Bats) |
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Season |
Boilermaker |
OBP |
SLUG |
OPS |
At-Bats |
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2009 |
.518 |
.667 |
1.185 |
174 |
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2007 |
.521 |
.663 |
1.184 |
199 |
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2025 |
.471 |
.709 |
1.180 |
196 |
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2026 |
.467 |
.657 |
1.124 |
105 |
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2008 |
.444 |
.675 |
1.119 |
194 |
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2026 |
.487 |
.627 |
1.114 |
153 |
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2010 |
.468 |
.631 |
1.099 |
65 |
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2024 |
.449 |
.646 |
1.095 |
209 |
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2001 |
Nate Sickler |
.440 |
.651 |
1.091 |
195 |
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2009 |
.462 |
.616 |
1.078 |
185 |
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2003 |
Daniel Underwood |
.420 |
.658 |
1.078 |
199 |
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2007 |
.455 |
.620 |
1.075 |
100 |
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2024 |
.453 |
.618 |
1.071 |
136 |
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2026 |
.454 |
.615 |
1.069 |
130 |
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2026 |
.435 |
.598 |
1.033 |
117 |
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2006 |
.453 |
.579 |
1.032 |
228 |
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2022 |
.424 |
.607 |
1.031 |
178 |
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2024 |
.399 |
.629 |
1.028 |
151 |
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2012 |
.445 |
.578 |
1.023 |
223 |
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2008 |
.439 |
.576 |
1.015 |
210 |
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2026 |
.434 |
.575 |
1.009 |
211 |
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2008 |
.480 |
.529 |
1.009 |
87 |
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2010 |
.454 |
.552 |
1.006 |
143 |
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2025 |
.430 |
.579 |
1.004 |
126 |
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2023 |
.425 |
.579 |
1.004 |
197 |
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2024 |
.429 |
.574 |
1.003 |
188 |
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2021 |
.421 |
.580 |
1.001 |
157 |
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2009 |
.465 |
.536 |
1.001 |
110 |
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