Even though it is February, the spring sports season is already upon us. Tomorrow in Tallahassee, Florida Purdue softball will start its seventh season under Boo de Oliveira in the JoAnne Graf Classic. The season gets under way bright and early at 9am against Longwood due to impeding weather in the area. Overall, Purdue will play Longwood twice, Lipscomb twice, and the weekend will culminate with a game against perennial power and host Florida State. The Seminoles are regular participants in the Women’s College World Series and they enter the year ranked fourth nationally, so we will know early if Purdue can stack up against elite competition.

The Boilers are coming off of a 24-31 season that was a bit of a return to normalcy after the 2021 season was Big Ten only and the 2020 season was cancelled due to COVID. There were some big highlights though. Purdue was 5-0 in the Kickin’ Chicken Classic to open the season at Coastal Carolina. They beat East Carolina twice, Coastal Carolina twice, and Georgetown to win the event. They were also 6-0 in the Spring Games at Madeira Beach, Florida, beating Lafayette, Toledo, Western Michigan, Niagara, Bucknell, and Siena.

Unfortunately, once the season turned to Big Ten play, Purdue struggled. The Boilers were just 7-15 in conference play, only winning three game series against Rutgers and Iowa.

This year, as happens many years, will begin with a large road swing. Purdue has its first 30 games away from West Lafayette, many on five or six game weekend invitationals in the season’s first weeks. It is a tough slate, as Purdue will attend the tournaments of Florida State, Central Florida, Cal State Fullerton and Ole Miss, each of which played in the NCAA College World Series Regionals in 2022.

It is a relative new team, too. Purdue's roster includes 16 total newcomers, made up of 11 freshmen and five transfers. That means only 12 players return from last season. A big loss was Rachel Becker, who was the Big Ten’s leading hitter at .429 and the second All-American in Purdue history. The Boilers return a large chunk of their starting lineup, including pitcher Alex Echazarreta, second baseman Jade Moy, third baseman Olivia McFadden, outfielder Kyndall Bailey, catcher Ryen Ross, and outfielder Kiersen George.

Echazarreta is the top returning player. She was the No. 1 pitcher with 10 wins in the circle behind a 10-8 record and a 3.60 ERA. She also led the team with seven home runs at the plate.

Purdue begins its home schedule at Bittinger Stadium on March 21st against Indiana State. The home schedule consists of 14 games with home series against Penn State, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Indiana. All home games are also free admission.