Aaron Manias Season 2026

2025 / AS A REDSHIRT JUNIOR
• Third Team Academic All-America (DH)
• Big Ten Player of the Week (March 10)
• Big Ten Distinguished Scholar
• Academic All-District
• Academic All-Big Ten
• Played in 50 games, making 36 starts
• Made 18 starts at DH, 16 in left field and two at second base
• Played his way into the lineup and served as the DH for much of March
• Moved to left field beginning with the April 6 series finale at Washington despite having not played the outfield since prior to secondary school; served as the primary left fielder for most of April and May
• Finished the season with a 1.002 to OPS thanks to a .294/.430/.579 slash line
• 18 XBH (9 Doubles, 9 HR) and 31 free passes (17 walks, 14 HBP) helped power the 1.000 OPS season
• Recognized as the team's Newcomer of the Year
• Hit grand slams in wins at Minnesota and vs. Ball State, becoming the third Boilermaker in as many seasons to connect for multiple grand slams
• Enjoyed a monster game (3 Doubles, 3-Run HR, 8 RBI) in the midweek opener at Indiana State, powering Purdue to its first victory in Terre Haute since 2018
• Posted Purdue’s first eight-RBI game since 2006, tying the second most in a game by a Boilermaker overall
• Joined Logan Sutter as Boilermakers with three doubles and 10 total bases in a game for the season
• Entering the season, Purdue had just two individual three-double games since the start of the 2019 season
• Finished the week of March 3-9 10-for-17 with six XBH, 13 RBI and 19 total bases to earn Big Ten Player of the Week honors after Purdue went 3-1 vs. ISU and Minnesota
• Hit safely in all three games of the Minnesota (5-for-12, 5 RBI) and Indiana (4-for-11, 2B, HR, 0 K) series
• Homered in the nightcap of the March 1 doubleheader vs. Akron in his first as a Boilermaker, accounting for the first of Purdue’s three straight homers in the seventh inning
• Also went deep in the home opener vs. Butler as well as Big Ten games against Michigan, Northwestern, Indiana and Nebraska
• Led the team with a .350/.449/.700 slash line and 20 RBI in true road games
• Solidified his spot in the lineup with a strong showing in March (.322/.446/661, 10 XBH, 22 RBI) and also finished strong in May (.364/.417/.788, 4 HR, 10 RBI)
• Went 6-for-13 with four XBH, nine RBI and four walks vs. one strikeout during Purdue’s five-game homestand from April 29-May 6
• Struck out just once from April 20-May 11
• Batted .361 with runners in scoring position
• Registered 16 of his 43 RBI with two outs; with a runner on third and less than two outs, plated that runner 12 of his 16 opportunities (75%)
• Reached base safely 50% of the time (15 of 30) when leading off an inning
• Struck out just once from April 20-May 11
• Earned a 4.0 GPA for his work in the classroom during the 2024-25 school year

BEFORE PURDUE
• Did not see action in his lone season at Nebraska (2025) due to injury
• Teammates with former Boilermaker Keenan Spence (2024-25) for two seasons (2022-23) at Howard College in Big Spring, Texas, near Midland/Odessa
• Batted .375/.446/.690 with 37 doubles, 24 homers and 130 RBI in 106 career games at Howard
• Enjoyed a breakout season as a sophomore, batting .421/.489/.782 with 25 doubles, 14 home runs and 77 RBI as an all-region and all-conference honoree in 2023
• Ranked among the NJCAA leaders nationally in doubles (5th) and RBI (15th)
• Batted .321/.395/.583 with 23 XBH and 53 RBI as a freshman
• Texas/New Mexico NJCAA All-Star Game selection in 2022
• Played for the Peninsula Pilots of the Coastal Plain League during the summers of 2023 and 2024, slashing .348/.455/.587 with 14 RBI in 14 games in July 2024 after recovering from a January surgery
• Batted .313/.455/.375 over 80 at-bats in the CPL in the summer of 2023
• Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor and Dean’s List both semesters in Lincoln
• Two-time President’s List academic honoree both years at Howard

PERSONAL
• Major: Selling & Sales Management
• Full name is Aaron Cameron Manias
• Born in Richmond Hill, Ontario
• Parents are Roy and Kim Manias
• Family also includes older brother Nicholas

Purdue Personal Preferences 
Favorite Pro Team: Toronto Blue Jays
Traditionally Roots Against: New York Yankees  
Favorite Athlete: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 
Had the Biggest Impact on His Athletic Career: Parents
Favorite Marquee Event: World Series
Favorite Pro Stadium: Rogers Centre
Favorite Field He’s Played at (Besides Alexander): Amarillo's Hodgetown Stadium
Current MLB Pitcher He’d Like to Face: Shohei Ohtani
Funniest Teammate: Corbin Malott
Current Teammate with the Best Baseball Instincts: Brandon Anderson
Purdue Staff Member He’s Enjoys Strongest Connection With: Barrett Serrato
In His Favorite Playlist: Lil Uzi Vert
Favorite Multi-Media App: YouTube
Show He Can’t Stop Watching: Landman
Favorite Video Game System: PlayStation 
Favorite Month: December
Favorite Holiday: Christmas
Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner: Dinner
Favorite Food: Steak
Favorite Dessert: Cheesecake
Another Sport He Enjoys Playing: Hockey
Favorite Purdue Building: Alexander Field
Favorite Big City: Dallas
Country He’d Like to Visit: Maldives
Beach, Mountains or Road Trip: Beach