Hoosiers ready for battle with Boilermakers

The Hoosiers play host to Purdue (24-16) heading into the fifth weekend of conference play with a 20-19 overall record. The Boilermakers are red-hot, winning eight of their last 10. IU, on the other hand, has lost four of its last five.

The first pitch takes place at 3:05 p.m. Friday at Sembower Field, and Saturday and Sunday contests are scheduled begin at 1 p.m., though the teams may play a doubleheader Friday instead, the team said.

Both teams sit in a three-way tie with Minnesota for fifth place in the Big Ten with a 6-6 record and one game short of a four-way tie for first place. The winner of this series could very well be sitting atop the Big Ten on Sunday.

The series is also pivotal for the Crimson and Gold Cup standings, as both schools are currently tied with 7.5 points each.

Purdue brings a well-balanced ball club to Bloomington. The Boilermakers’ pitching staff is currently second in the Big Ten in earned run average, first in strikeouts and tied for first in opponent batting average at .271.

Leading the way for Purdue is senior pitcher Matt Bischoff, who sports a 6-1 record and a sparkling 2.37 ERA as the ace of the rotation.

Purdue’s all-time career strikeout king will face Hoosier sophomore pitcher Drew Leininger, who comes in at 6-2 with a 2.13 ERA in a must-see pitching matchup.

While much fuss arose about how the Boilermakers would replace last year’s offensive production after losing key hitters to the Major League Draft, they have scored over seven runs per game, and only two teams, Michigan State and Ohio State, have scored more. They have also hit 42 home runs, and only IU has hit more with 54.

The history of Purdue and Indiana baseball dates back to 1888. Since then the two schools have met 263 times, and the Hoosiers lead the series 139-122-2. In 2009, the Boilermakers won the three-game regular season series two games to one in West Lafayette, but the Hoosiers got the last laugh, knocking Purdue off in the opening game of the Big Ten Tournament.