WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Headlined by another home-heavy stretch run, 24 dates at Alexander Field highlight Purdue baseball’s 2019 schedule unveiled by head coach Mark Wasikowski.
The Boilermakers again have five home weekends on the slate, including a non-conference series vs. Southeast Missouri State as part of a nine-game homestand from April 23 to May 7. Penn State (March 29-31), Iowa (April 12-14), Michigan State (May 3-5) and Ohio State (May 16-18) also visit Alexander Field for Big Ten weekends.
Purdue will enter the 2019 campaign riding a 13-game home win streak that dates back to April 24. Only North Carolina (18) and Stetson (17) will have longer active home win streaks going into 2019. The home opener at Alexander Field is set for March 12 vs. Milwaukee.
From April 23 through the May 18 regular-season finale, the Boilermakers are scheduled to play 13 of their 16 games at home. The only road trip during that stretch is a short one to Champaign-Urbana for a weekend series at Illinois (May 10-12). Purdue has not played at Illinois Field since April 2015, making it the longest active stretch without visiting a Big Ten ballpark.
Weekend series at fellow 2018 NCAA Regional qualifiers Southern Miss (Feb. 15-17), Texas (Feb. 22-24) and Oral Roberts (March 1-3) headline the non-conference schedule. Texas advanced to the College World Series after winning the Big 12 Conference regular-season title. Southern Miss and Oral Roberts both won their league’s regular-season and tournament titles.
Three trips to the state of Nebraska are in the mix for the Boilermakers this spring. Along with the Big Ten Tournament returning to TD Ameritrade Ballpark in Omaha, Purdue is also scheduled to play at the home of the College World Series when it visits Creighton for a non-conference series from March 8 to 10. The Boilermakers’ late-season surge this past spring included three straight wins in Omaha as part of a run to the Big Ten Tournament championship game. Meanwhile, after not playing Nebraska during the regular season each of the last two years, Purdue is scheduled to visit Haymarket Park in Lincoln (April 5-7) for the first time since May 2015.
Big Ten play opens the weekend of March 22 to 24, with the Boilermakers visiting Northwestern. The two short conference trips to the league’s Land of Lincoln contingent provide a nice balance with the longer trips to the eastern (Rutgers, April 19-21) and western (Nebraska) edges of the league.
While a Big Ten weekend series vs. Indiana is not part of the conference schedule this year, the rivals will square off for a non-conference midweek game again. The April 10 matchup will be played in Bloomington this season.
In-state opponents Valparaiso, Indiana State, Butler, Purdue Fort Wayne and Ball State all visit Alexander Field for midweek action. Xavier is also back on the schedule for the first time since a six-year midweek series ended in 2004. The Musketeers visit West Lafayette on May 14.
The Boilermakers’ spring break series at Jacksonville State (March 15-17) will be played at the newly renovated Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium in Alabama. Jax State is an Ohio Valley Conference rival of Southeast Missouri, which visits Alexander Field in April. Purdue coaches Greg Goff and Wasikowski were assistant coaches together at SEMO in the late 1990s.
With first-time opponent Milwaukee on the schedule this year, it is believed to be Purdue’s first game against a team from the state of Wisconsin since UW Madison discontinued its program following the 1991 campaign.
A full list of gameday promotions and special dates at Alexander Field will be released in February or early March. Feb. 15 is the national opening day of the 2019 college baseball season.
SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN
• Home Games: 24
• Road Games: 32
• Big Ten Home: Penn State, Iowa, Michigan State, Ohio State
• Big Ten Road: Northwestern, Nebraska, Rutgers, Illinois
• Big Ten Non-Play: Indiana*, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota
• Big Ten Tournament: May 22 to 26 (TD Ameritrade Park – Omaha, Nebraska)
• Season-Opening Series: at Southern Miss
• Early 4-Game Weekend Series: at Texas and at Oral Roberts (Saturday Doubleheaders)
• Spring Break: 3-game series at Creighton, back in Indiana for midweek games vs. Milwaukee and Indiana State, 3-game series at Jacksonville State
• Non-Conference vs. Indiana: April 10 in Bloomington
• 3 Trips to Nebraska: March 8-10 at Creighton, April 5-7 at Nebraska, May 22-26 at B1G Tournament in Omaha
• Midweek: Ball State (2), Indiana State (2), Indiana, Butler, Xavier, Milwaukee, Bowling Green, Valparaiso, Purdue Fort Wayne, Chicago State
• Long Homestand: Purdue plays 9 straight games at Alexander Field from April 23 to May 7, hosting Southeast Missouri and Michigan State for weekend series during that stretch
• 2018 NCAA Tournament Qualifiers: Southern Miss, Texas, Oral Roberts, Indiana, Ohio State
• First-Time Foes: Milwaukee, Bowling Green
• Been a While: There are four opponents on the schedule that Purdue has not played in at least 12 years – Creighton (1989), Xavier (2004), Jacksonville State (2004), Texas (2005)
• Purdue has not played at Illinois (April 11-13) or Nebraska (May 9-11) since 2015
• Iowa (April 3-5) and Penn State (May 14-16) have not played at Alexander Field since 2015
• The Boilermakers have not played Michigan State since April 2016
