Weekend Purdue Sports Primer: April 12

In addition to spring football this weekend Purdue is hosting Michigan State for a critical baseball series. The three games with the Spartans will get Purdue to the midway point of the Big Ten season, and a series win would put Purdue in great shape to make the season ending Big Ten Tournament. A sweep gets Purdue at least in discussion to make the NCAA Tournament.

Michigan State (14-16, 3-3 Big Ten) at Purdue (20-13, 5-4 Big Ten)

Friday, April 12 at 6 p.m. ET

Saturday, April 13 at 3 p.m. ET

Sunday, April 14 at 1 p.m. ET

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS

Friday: Jordan Morales (Grad, LHP) vs. MSU's Joseph Dzierwa (So, LHP)

Saturday: Luke Wagner (Sr, LHP) vs. MSU's Nick Powers (Sr, LHP)

Sunday: Jonathan Blackwell (Sr, LHP) vs. MSU's Nick Ferazzi (Grad, RHP)

If you’re in town for the spring game it is a great opportunity to get to Alexander Field and take in Purdue baseball, as the events are three hours apart. It is also the evGrand Prix, the new all-electric version of the famous Purdue Grand Prix.

After a 9-3 home loss to Indiana State on Tuesday Purdue now sits at 20-13 and an RPI of 80. There is still a chance to raise that RPI, but it will take a strong finish against a favorable schedule beginning this weekend. There are only seven road games left, too, so a favorable home schedule will play a big role.

Michigan State enters on a two game losing streak, having lost a midweek game to Central Michigan 10-0 and a Sunday game to Niagara. Their best win of the season was a 19-6 win at Georgia on February 28th.

Michigan State has struggled in the field this season, as they are 12th in fielding with 41 errors on the season. They are fourth in hitting and fifth in team ERA.

Landen Lozier is their top hitter, batting .357 on the season. That is good for 13th individually in the conference. He anchors a lineup that has a lot of solid hitters without a major standout.

Friday starter Joseph Dzierwa is third in the Big Ten with a solid 2.98 ERA and a 3-1 record. That is a run better than Purdue’s Friday starter Jordan Morales. Nick Powers is also a solid starter with a 3.27 ERA and a 5-2 record. That gives the Spartans a slight edge on the mound.

This should be a pretty evenly matched series. Purdue has the better individual hitters with Luke Gaffney and Connor Caskenette in the top 10 of the Big Ten in multiple categories. Both have 39 RBI, making them tied for second in that category.

Other Sports:

Women’s Golf – Therese Hession Buckeye Invitational – at Ohio State

Softball – at Illinois – 6pm Friday, 2pm Saturday, 1pm Sunday

Men’s Tennis – vs. Wisconsin 4pm Friday, vs. Nebraska Noon Sunday

Women’s Tennis – at Northwestern 5:30pm Friday, at Illinois 1pm Sunday

Track & Field – at Tom Jones Memorial Invitational – Gainesville, FL

Boiler Upload is an affiliate partner with Homefield Apparel, a premium collegiate apparel brand based in Indianapolis. They feature licensed vintage designs for over 150 different colleges and universities from the Colorado School of Mines all the way to most of the Big Ten. This, of course, includes Purdue. I can speak from experience that their Purdue line is fabulous, including the awesome 1967 Rose Bowl retro tee. Visit Homefield and use code BOILERUPLOAD for a discount on their unique designs.