Indiana (25-18-1, 10-5 Big Ten) at Purdue (30-15, 11-4 Big Ten)
Friday to Sunday, May 3-5 / Watch B1G+
Alexander Field / West Lafayette, Indiana
Series Opener: Friday, May 3 at 6 p.m. ET
Middle Game: Saturday, May 4 at 2 p.m. ET
Series Finale: Sunday, May 5 at 1 p.m.
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday: Jordan Morales (Grad, LHP) vs. IU’s Brandon Keyster (R-So, LHP)
Saturday: Luke Wagner (Sr, LHP) vs. IU’s Connor Foley (So, RHP)
Sunday: TBA for both teams
SERIES HISTORY
All-Time: Indiana leads 159-137-2
All-Time in West Lafayette: Purdue leads 76-65-1
2023: Indiana swept a 3-game set (May 12-14 in Bloomington)
Last Series in West Lafayette: Purdue won 2 of 3 (April 2022)
First Meeting: Purdue 3, Indiana 2 (May 1888 in Bloomington)
WEEKEND PROMOTIONS
Friday: Boilermaker Blackout – Wear Black to Alexander (Purdue in full black uniforms)
Saturday: Jimmy Buffett Day – Parrot Head T-shirt giveaway (early arriving fans); Coach Keady throws out 1st pitch
Sunday: Bark in the Park – Bring your dog to Alexander Field
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – As two of the Big Ten title contenders square off, Purdue Baseball gets an opportunity to host rival Indiana for a weekend series for just the third time since Alexander Field opened in 2013.
First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. The forecast calls for temperatures in the 70s all weekend. Purdue students continue to receive free admission even with the spring semester wrapping up this week. An Alexander Field attendance record was established Wednesday and the benchmark could be reset again with both teams in contention at the top of the standings.
The Boilermakers (11-4 Big Ten) have won a program-record 10 consecutive games in Big Ten play, surging into first place with the league’s longest win streak in conference play since Rutgers (10) two years ago. The Hoosiers (10-5 Big Ten) won all four of their Big Ten series in April, punctuated by a sweep of Rutgers in Bloomington last weekend. Around the conference, Illinois (11-4 Big Ten), Michigan (10-5), Nebraska (10-5) and Iowa (10-8) have also reached 10-win mark in the league play. After facing each other, Purdue (at Michigan, vs. Illinois) and Indiana (at Nebraska, vs. Michigan) both play a pair of those teams over the final two weekends of the Big Ten season.
As the first Big Ten team to reach 30 wins this season, the Boilermakers enter the month of May in first place for the first time since winning the league in 2012. Purdue and IU finished 1-2 that year but did not play until the winner’s bracket final and championship game of the Big Ten Tournament.
However, since 2013, the Big Ten schedule – in part due to the league’s expansion – did the rivalry series no favors. The teams did not play Big Ten games against each other in 2013, 2015 and 2019. Along the way, 17 of the last 24 IU-Purdue games have been played in Bloomington. The road team has not won a series since the Boilermakers took two of three at Sembower Field in May 2010.
The league coaches have since voted to make rivalry series permanent, meaning Purdue should host in the even-numbered years and IU the odd for the foreseeable future.
Both teams have demonstrated prodigious power this season, sporting identical .498 team slugging percentages to rank second in the Big Ten behind Illinois (.532 slug, 83 HR in 41 games). The Hoosiers have hit 62 home runs and the Boilermakers 60. Purdue is more active on the bases paths (69 steals vs. 26) and has the edge in team ERA (4.64 to 6.68) and fielding percentage (.973 to .965).
RECENT TRENDS IN THE INDIANA-PURDUE SERIES– PART 1 (Since 2007)
• Games Played in Bloomington: 24 – Indiana leads 19-5
• Games Played in West Lafayette: 17 – Purdue leads 13-4
• Neutral-Site Games: 5 – Purdue leads 4-1
• Games Played AWAY from Bloomington: 22 – Purdue leads 17-5
• Games Played AWAY from West Lafayette: 29 – Indiana leads 20-9
• All Games: 46 – Indiana leads 24-22
RECENT TRENDS IN THE INDIANA-PURDUE SERIES – PART 2 (Since 2013)
Alexander Field & Bart Kaufman Field both opened in 2013
• Games Played in Bloomington: 17 – Indiana leads 15-2
• Games Played in West Lafayette: 7 – Purdue leads 5-2
• Neutral-Site Games: None
• All Games: 24 – Indiana leads 17-7
LONGEST WIN STREAKS IN BIG TEN PLAY (Since 2014) | |||
Season | Team | Win Streak | Final Big Ten Record/Finish |
2015 | Illinois | 20 | 21-1, 1st |
2018 | Michigan | 11 | 15-8, 3rd |
2024 | Purdue | 10 | TBD |
2022 | Rutgers | 10 | 17-7, 2nd |
2019 | Michigan | 10 | 16-7, 2nd |
2014 | Indiana | 10 | 21-3, 1st |
2021 | Nebraska | 9 | 31-12, 1st |
2018 | Purdue | 9 | 17-6, 2nd |
FEWEST GAMES AT ALEXANDER AMONG BIG TEN TEAMS (Since 2013) | |||
Team | Games | Opponent Record | Last Visit |
Maryland | 5 | 5-0 | May 2022 |
Illinois | 6 | 3-3 | April 2021 |
Indiana | 7 | 2-5 | April 2022 |
Nebraska | 9 | 8-1 | May 2023 |
Michigan State | 9 | 4-5 | April 2024 |
Minnesota | 11* | 9-2 | May 2021 |
*Also includes 4 games vs. Penn State (3-1 record) |
ACTIVE STREAKS
• Mike Bolton Jr. – 24-game on-base streak; 21-game on-base streak in Big Ten play (since 4/29/23); 14-game on-base streak at home; 9-game hit streak in Big Ten play; reached base safely to begin a game in 7 straight contests
• Jo Stevens – 12-game hit streak in Big Ten play; 18-game on-base streak in Big Ten play (since 5/18/23); 5-game RBI streak in all games
• Camden Gasser – Reached base safely multiple times in 11 consecutive games; 8-game on-base streak at home
• Connor Caskenette – 8-game hit streak in Big Ten play; 13-game on-base streak in Big Ten play; hit safely, drove in a run, scored a run in 5 consecutive games (all games)
• Luke Gaffney – 7-game hit streak in Big Ten play; 14-game on-base streak in Big Ten play
• Keenan Spence – 8-game on-base streak at home
• Ty Gill – 8-game on-base streak at home
• Couper Cornblum – 97 consecutive games started (since start of 2023)
• Carter Doorn – 15 consecutive scoreless innings in Big Ten play
• Jackson Dannelley – 17 consecutive inherited runners stranded (since 5/20/23)
LEADERS DURING PURDUE’S 10-GAME BIG TEN WIN STREAK
• Luke Gaffney – .500/.538/.833, 3 2B, 3 HR, 3 BB, 16 RBI, 13 R
• Mike Bolton Jr. – .484/.636/.710, 4 2B, HR, 6 BB, 7 HBP, 7 RBI, 16 R, 6 SB
• Connor Caskenette – .366/.447/.683, 2B, 4 HR, 5 BB, HBP, 15 RBI, 12 R
• Jo Stevens – .350/.422/.775, 3B, 5 HR, 3 BB, 2 HBP, 18 RBI, 10 R, Sac, SB
• Keenan Taylor – .320/.452/.440, 3 2B, 4 BB, 2 HBP, 5 RBI, 7 R, SB
• Thomas Green – .296/.367/.444, 2B, HR, 3 BB, 4 RBI, 5 R, Sac, 2 SB
• Jordan Morales – 3 GS, 20 2/3 IP, 15 H, 4 R, 6 BB, 15 K, .197 B/Avg
• Carter Doorn – 3 App, 12 IP, 5 H, 0 R, BB, 9 K, .128 B/Avg
• Avery Cook – 5 App, 8 IP, 3 H, ER, 3 BB, 11 K, .111 B/Avg
• Jonathan Blackwell – 3 GS, 12 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 5 BB, 8 K, .146 B/Avg
TOP 10 IN THE BIG TEN ENTERING THE WEEKEND
• Luke Gaffney – 1st in OPS (1.225), 1st in Slugging (.727), 1st in Total Bases (120), 1st in Runs (54), T-1st in RBI (60), 2nd in Batting Avg (.412), T-2nd in Triples (3), 3rd in Hits (68), T-3rd in OBP (.497), T-10th in HR (11)
• Connor Caskenette – T-1st in RBI (60), 4th in Slugging (.628), 5th in HR (12)
• Camden Gasser – 1st in Walks (47), 1st in OBP (.541), T-3rd in Runs (49), 7th in Batting Avg (.366), 7th in Steals (15)
• Luke Wagner – T-1st in Wins (7)
• Couper Cornblum – T-2nd in Triples (3), 8th in At-Bats (177)
• Jackson Dannelley – T-2nd in Saves (5)
• Mike Bolton Jr. – 3rd in Steals (19), 10th in Runs (45)
• Jordan Morales – T-3rd in Wins (6), 8th in Innings (62), 10th in Strikeouts (56), 10th in Walks per 9 IP (2.2)
• Logan Sutter – 4th in Slugging (.661), 5th in OPS (1.112), T-5th in Doubles (15),
• Jo Stevens – 9th in OBP (.467), T-10th in Triples (2)
WEEKEND #7 OF BIG TEN PLAY
• Indiana (10-5) at Purdue (11-4)
• Ohio State (7-8) at Illinois (11-4)
• Michigan (10-5) at Michigan State (7-8)
• Nebraska (10-5) at Minnesota (6-9)
• Northwestern (2-13) at Iowa (10-8)
• Maryland (8-10) at Rutgers (3-12)
• Penn State (7-11) vs. Navy & Georgetown in Annapolis – Non-Conference
SITUATIONAL HITTING TEAM LEADERS (Full Season Totals) | ||
Avg. with Runners in Scoring Position | Avg. with 2 Outs | 2 Out RBI |
Luke Gaffney: .516, 32-for-62 Camden Gasser: .431, 22-for-51 Connor Caskenette: .393, 22-for-56 Keenan Spence: .311, 14-for-45 Logan Sutter: .308, 16-for-52 |
Luke Gaffney: .424, 25-for-59 Camden Gasser: .324, 12-for-37 Keenan Taylor: .318, 7-for-22 Jo Stevens: .286, 10-for-35 Logan Sutter: .263, 10-for-38 |
Connor Caskenette: 18 Jo Stevens: 14 Luke Gaffney: 12 Camden Gasser: 12 Couper Cornblum: 10 |
SITUATIONAL HITTING TEAM LEADERS (Since March 31) | ||
Avg. with Runners in Scoring Position | Avg. with 2 Outs | 2 Out RBI |
Luke Gaffney: .700, 14-for-20 Connor Caskenette: .524, 11-for-21 Mike Bolton Jr.: .467, 7-for-15 Keenan Spence: .400, 6-for-15 Jo Stevens: .357, 5-for-14 |
Luke Gaffney: .474, 9-for-19 Mike Bolton Jr.: .417, 5-for-12 Logan Sutter: .375, 3-for-8 Jo Stevens: .278, 5-for-18 Connor Caskenette: .235, 4-for-17 |
Jo Stevens: 10 Mike Bolton Jr.: 8 Connor Caskenette: 4 Luke Gaffney: 4 Ty Gill/Logan Sutter: 3 |
TEAM RECORD WATCH | ||
Statistical Category | Purdue Season Record | Team Total as of May 2 |
Runs | 454 in 1986 | 391 |
Runs Per Game | 7.44 in 2022 | 8.69 |
RBI | 397 in 1986 | 367 (T-3rd in Team History) |
Doubles | 124 in 2008 | 96 |
Home Runs | 73 in 1987 | 60 (3rd in Team History) |
Walks | 310 in 1981 | 239 |
HBP | 112 in 2022 (since 1981) | 94 |
Total Bases | 950 in 2010 | 755 |
On-Base Pct. | .405 in 2009 (Since 1982) | .421 |
Slugging Pct. | .498 in 1987 | .498 |
GAFFNEY FRESHMAN RECORD WATCH | ||
Statistical Category | Freshman Record Entering 2024 | Luke Gaffney’s Total as of May 2 |
RBI | 53 – Kevin Plawecki, 2010 | 60 (Broke Record April 20) |
Run Scored | 50 – Brett Roach, 1986 | 54 (Broke Record April 24) |
Total Bases | 119 – Perkins (2010)/Roach (1986) | 120 (Broke Record April 27) |
Home Runs | 12 – Brett Roach, 1986 | 11 |
Doubles | 17 – Cameron Perkins, 2010 | 13 |
Hits | 74 – Cameron Perkins, 2010 | 68 |
Walks | 33 – Brett Roach, 1986 | 24 |
Batting Average | .371 – Eric Charles, 2009 | .412 |
On-Base Percentage | .461 – Eric Charles, 2009 | .497 |
Slugging Percentage | .583 – Brett Roach, 1986 | .727 |
Triples | 5 – Eric Osborn, 2004 | 3 |
At-Bats | 219 – Cameron Perkins, 2010 | 165 |
PURDUE’S SINGLE-SEASON LEADERBOARDS | |
RBI 1.) Mike Biltimier, 74 – 1993 2.) Brett Roach, 73 – 1987 3.) Dan Black, 70 – 2008 T-4.) Cameron Perkins, 61 – 2012 T-4.) Archi Cianfrocco, 61 – 1987 T-6.) Luke Gaffney, 60 – 2024 T-6.) Connor Caskenette, 60 – 2024 |
RUNS SCORED 1.) Mitch Hilligoss, 62 – 2006 2.) Brandon Haveman, 60 – 2008 3.) Dave Scheitlin, 57 – 1990 4.) Stephen Talbott, 55 – 2011 T-5.) Luke Gaffney, 54 – 2024 T-5.) Kevin Plawecki, 54 – 2012 |