Bullpen could be key to Tournament run; Purdue baseball notes

OMAHA, Neb. — On May 13, Purdue’s bullpen took over in the fifth, looking to preserve a 6-1 lead to win a series vs. Ohio State in Columbus.

What happened next was so uncommon this season — the bullpen imploding for 15 straight unanswered runs in a 16-6 loss — that it was hard to explain. Just one of those days, as can happen occasionally in a long baseball season.

But that they’ve been so rare for the Boilermakers this season is a big reason why Purdue (34-18 overall, 17-6 in the Big Ten) is in the Big Ten Tournament as the No. 2 seed. The Boilermakers play No. 7 Ohio State (34-20, 14-10) at 2 p.m. ET in Ameritrade Park on Wednesday in the opener.

“This year we have a real bullpen,” said Coach Mark Wasikowski, reflecting on a big difference between last season’s eighth-seeded tournament team and this year’s Boilermakers. “We have kids now who have the expectation to say it isn’t about just making it to a Big Ten Tournament, it’s about not only making it there but winning that Tournament, getting to the next tournament.

“There’s more of a mindset floating around where the kids are looking around saying our stomach is not full, we have a lot more to play for and I don’t think these guys are even close to wanting to take the uniform off yet.”

The bullpen, perhaps the deepest Purdue has been in the last dozen years and maybe longer, could play a big role this week. With games potentially piling up, arms become a premium. And Purdue has them. Senior Ross Learnard (2-1, 2.25 ERA), a third-team All-Big Ten closer who a Purdue-record 15 saves this season, is the leader, but it’s a deep group, with Bo Hofstra (4-3, 3.30), Dalton Parker (4-0, 4.43), Cam Williams (2-2, 5.59), setup man Trevor Cheaney (1-1, 4.15) and lefties Patrick J. Smith (0-0, 8.56) and Matt Moore (0-0, 4.66).

That weekend roles are so well defined has worked well.

Hofstra, a hard-throwing freshman, knows he’s likely to be the first out of the ‘pen on Fridays and/or Saturdays. Purdue wants to use Parker once a weekend, probably on Saturday, for at least a couple innings to preserve a lead. Williams, who has battled soreness in his career, is good for an inning, probably on a Sunday. Cheaney will work the eighth with a lead. Moore and Smith are versatile lefties. Mike Kornacker isn’t used as much these days, but is a veteran right-hander. And Learnard is highly effective at the tail end.

“When those roles became set in stone, that’s when we started to catch fire,” Wasikowski said. “Being able to have Ross at the back end of the deal and work from there, something from the fourth inning on, depending on how fresh you are. Bottom line is we now have a bullpen and although our starters, we would love to see them go deep into games, sometimes you’ll see a little bit of a quicker trigger because we have a bullpen and there’s some strength there.”

Now, the Boilermaker relievers will get a chance at redemption vs. the Buckeyes. Learnard says they’ll be ready.

“We all kind of carry that mindset to go out there and pound the zone, compete in the zone, and pitch to contact and get outs,” Learnard said. “It’s a bullpen mindset, not just me.”

Now, Evan Warden considers himself lucky.

Saturday’s rocket — 101 mph according to the radar gun — off the bat of Michigan’s Jordan Nwogu took a bad hop, jumping up and striking the third baseman in the mouth. He lay motionless for a few seconds as teammates scrambled to keep a tying run from scoring in the ninth.

“Can’t say I feel great, but not too bad,” Warden said Monday, after receiving eight stitches in his lip, three on the outside and five inside. “But I feel pretty good for how it seemed when it first happened.”

It looked awful. Warden said he saw the ball coming, thinking at first that the liner would skip off the dirt low. But it hit something and shot up; Warden’s only instinct was to stay in front, maybe get his chest on it and keep the ball from getting into the left field corner and allowing the tying run to score from first. Purdue led 2-1, looking to close the sweep.

“I wouldn’t say I was trying to get out of the way, but I wouldn’t say I was trying to take it off the face, because my instincts aren’t to eat a baseball,” Warden said. “I was just trying to field it and all I could do was jump up. That was my reaction.”

After the hit, Warden had to come out of the game, but Purdue recorded the last out to preserve the win. And now, the junior says he’ll be ready vs. Ohio State Wednesday, even with a still-swollen lip.

“Evan’s a warrior, man,” Wasikowski said. “We swept Michigan because of his toughness. He got in front of a ball that came off the bat at 101 mph with that topspin and sacrificed his body and face, but he’s ready to go. He looked at me when he got into the locker room today and when he was getting stitches the other night and said, ‘Don’t worry. I’ll be ready to go.’”

Owen Jansen came into Saturday’s game, when he was subbing in at second base for injured Tyler Powers, with an .080 (2-of-25) batting average this season.

The Toronto area native had made only two previous starts, none since late February, when he was pressed into service in the finale against the Wolverines. And in the fifth inning, he came to the plate with runners at second and third with one out, Purdue trailing 1-0.

He delivered, lining a ball over the Wolverines’ second baseman for a two-RBI double.

“Those are the kind of moments that when you’re a kid, you dream about, coming up in a big situation like that and then getting the job done,” Jansen said. “I’m just really happy that I had the opportunity to do that.”

Jansen might get more chances in Omaha. Powers is rehabbing, trying to get back in the lineup as soon as possible after he twisted an ankle on a slippery first base in the rain late on Friday night. If he can’t go, it could be the left-handed hitter Jansen, although maybe not against OSU lefty ace Connor Curlis.

“It’s hard to say he’s been struggling, even though his average is not what you’d want it to be,” Wasikowski said. “It’s tough when all you’re doing is coming off the bench and you’re not getting a run of games and at-bats to where you can get hot. But he stayed with the process and he continues to be one of our best workers.”

The season has been a big adjustment for Jansen. Even though he played for a high-level travel team out of Ontario, one that toured the States during the summer, it’s still a significant step up to Division I baseball.

“A lot of difficulty, a lot of ups and downs,” he said. “I feel like the biggest thing was that even when I wasn’t feeling great about myself, I was trying to have a positive attitude and keep putting the work in and not losing believe in myself and my abilities. That’s the biggest thing.

“At the beginning of the year, I kind of struggled with that, struggled with confidence. But then over the last while, I’ve been learning to trust the work that I’ve put in, learning to trust what I’m doing in batting practice, in the cage, and it’s just starting to pay off. I feel a lot more comfortable. I’d say I feel night and day different than I did at the beginning of the year.”

Purdue believes in Jansen’s upside. Wasikowski noticed him when his Ontario Bluejays came to play Purdue at Alexander Field in the fall of 2016 for an exhibition game. Then, Purdue sent assistant Wally Crancer to a tournament in Jupiter, Fla., to get a closer look. The Boilermakers offered, and Jansen accepted.

“He’s a talented kid,” Wasikowski said. “He hadn’t played a lot of baseball, that was the biggest weakness. But the more he plays, (the better). I would imagine that after he plays an entire summer of collegiate level at-bats and after facing collegiate level pitching, the guy could be really special.”

Purdue could be in line for an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament.

The Boilermakers’ RPI is 40, according to WarrenNolan.com, putting them on the good side of the bubble on the D1Baseball.com bracket projection.

But Purdue could also erase any doubt by winning the Big Ten’s automatic entry.

“Our résumé speaks pretty dang high for ourselves right now,” Wasikowski said. “I like our résumé. I think it’s a stout résumé. I don’t sit around and ever feel comfortable. … There are going to be stories this year of somebody not getting into the Tournament who feels they were wronged. And had a good enough résumé. The way you get in is have a stout résumé, which I think we have as the second-best team in the Big Ten conference.”

This is Purdue’s second straight Big Ten tourney appearance, after it was an eight seed last year, but lost two straight games. That experience, though, might help this season.

“We’re ready to go win it,” Learnard said. “We got a taste of it last year. We know what it’s like and I don’t think there’s a team there that we can’t compete with, so we’re ready to go down there and win some ball games.”

Purdue had six players honored by the Big Ten on Tuesday.

Pitches Tanner Andrews and Learnard, catcher Nick Dalesandro and first baseman Jacson McGowan were named third team All-Big Ten, while outfielder Ben Nisle and pitcher Trent Johnson represented Purdue on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team.

Nisle was one of four unanimous selections.

Minnesota's John Anderson was named the conference's coach-of-the-year, after leading the Gophers to their second title in three seasons.

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