FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Eighteen home games, including an eight-game homestand to close the regular season, highlights Purdue baseball’s 2011 schedule, unveiled by head coach Doug Schreiber.
The Boilermakers host Michigan (April 8-10), Indiana (April 29-May 1), Illinois (May 13-15) and Iowa (May 19-21) for three-game Big Ten Conference series at Lambert Field.
Purdue will be at home for three of the final four weekends of the regular season, but also begins league play with three of its first four series on the road. The Boilermakers hit the road for series at Minnesota (April 1-3), Penn State (April 15-17), Northwestern (April 22-24) and Michigan State (May 6-8) this spring.
The Big Ten Tournament (May 25-29) will again be held at Ohio State’s Bill Davis Stadium in Columbus. For the second year in a row, the Boilermakers do not play Ohio State during the regular season.
Purdue opens its campaign at the Big East/Big Ten Challenge on Florida’s Gulf Coast. The Boilermakers are scheduled to take on Connecticut in the Feb. 18 season opener and also matchup against Notre Dame and Pittsburgh the first weekend of the season. Purdue also opens midweek play at 2010 Big East regular-season champion Louisville, March 8.
The home opener is set for Tuesday, March 22 against Illinois State, the defending Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and tournament champions. Beginning with the Indiana series the final weekend of April, the Boilermakers are slated to play 11 of their final 14 games at home.
Purdue also hosts Wabash (March 23), IPFW (April 13), Ball State (May 11) and Illinois-Chicago (May 17) for midweek home games.
The Boilermakers’ pre-Big Ten schedule features weekend series at Morehead State (Feb. 25-27), Lipscomb (March 4-6), Tennessee-Martin (March 11-13), Tennessee Tech (March 18-20) and Bradley (March 25-27). The finale of the Bradley series will be played in West Lafayette.
Purdue is scheduled to spend its spring break trip (March 11-20) in the state of Tennessee. Between their weekend series at UT Martin and Tennessee Tech, the Boilermakers takes on Vanderbilt (March 15) and Belmont (March 16) in Nashville.
