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2013 Baseball Schedule DateOpponent Big East/Big Ten Challenge (Tampa) Feb. 15 Connecticut Feb. 16 South Florida Feb. 17 No. 4 Louisville Feb. 17 Connecticut Tom Campbell those guys behind me.��� McHugh, who hit .317 with three home runs and 24 RBI in a part-time role last season, and Cianfrocco will bat in the middle of the order, trying to make up for the loss of run producers. Cianfrocco needs a bounce-back year. Last season, he hit only .235, nearly 75 points below the year before, while driving home 25 runs. ���I never really got into any kind of groove,��� Cianfrocco said. ���I think I hit the ball well last year, but it never really fell (in) for me. It���s exciting for me to kind of be more of a central aspect of the lineup, hit further up in the order. I���m looking forward to getting a chance to maybe have a career year, unlike last year.��� Like the lineup, Purdue will look far different on the hill. Gone are the top two starters, Joe Haase, the Big Ten Pitcher-of-the-Year, and Lance Breedlove. The duo combined for 19 wins last season and helped Purdue to a Big Ten-best 3.16 ERA. Long reliever Blake Mascarello, who won eight games last season, and closer Nick Wittgren, who had 22 career saves, have moved on, too. But Brad Schreiber and Wood, provided they���re healthy, could be a solid 1-2 with either Minch or Ramer filling the third weekend starting spot; the other will start mid-week. Conner Podkul, who emerged as a No. 3 starter as a freshman late last season, is out after having undergone elbow surgery during the summer. Schreiber could be outstanding. The 6-foot-4, 235-pound powerful right-hander was 4-0 two seasons ago before suffering an elbow injury. He likely would have been the No. 1 starter last season but missed the year rehabbing. ���He���s a leader so everyone is going to look to him,��� Doug Schreiber said, ���and I feel good about the rest of the starters. If for some reason we can���t GBIprint.com GoldandBlack.com get it done on a Friday (with Schreiber), a Kyle Wood or a Jordan Minch or a Robert Ramer can get us back into that win column and give us a chance to win a weekend series.��� The bullpen, however, is a bit of a mystery. Lefty Pat Gannon is the veteran of the group. Right-handers Brett Andrzejewski and Jack DeAno pitched some, although seldom in big spots. Left-hander Cody Webster was added from the football team, for which he punts, but he hasn���t played baseball since his senior season of high school four years ago. Freshman right-hander Patrick Kenney, who is 6-4, 190, could develop into a closer. ���We can piece that together,��� Schreiber said of the bullpen, ���and then have a couple guys step up at the end of a ballgame. I like our pitching staff and I think our defense will be very sound.��� The Boilermakers expect to be competitive this season, but the road won���t be easy. Purdue plays its first 16 games away from home, before opening Alexander on March 19 vs. Illinois-Chicago. Then, an improving Big Ten awaits, with Purdue likely being targeted to get knocked off the podium. But the Boilers are hoping to keep their place among the league���s best. ���There���s still that mentality that we���re the defending Big Ten champs,��� Talbott said. ���And for the guys who were here, they know what it was like and what it took to do it, and I think we���re showing those new guys what it takes. We still have that mindset that we want to win the Big Ten.��� j W, 11-8 L, 2-20 L, 4-9 W, 5-3 Diamond Classic (Starkville, Miss.) Feb. 22 Samford Feb. 22 at Mississippi State Feb. 23 at Mississippi State Feb. 24 Samford Doug Schreiber enters his 15th season as coach at Purdue, hoping to get his alma mater to a conference-best fifth-straight Big Ten Tournament. Time/Result 3:30 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. Noon March 1 March 2 March 3 March 8 March 9 March 10 March 12 March 13 March 15 March 16 March 17 7 p.m. 3 p.m. 2 p.m. 5:05 p.m. 3 p.m. 2:05 p.m. 4 p.m. Noon 7 p.m. 3 p.m. 2 p.m. at Samford at Samford at Samford at Illinois-Chicago at Illinois-Chicago at Illinois-Chicago at Cincinnati at Louisville at Evansville at Evansville at Evansville Alexander Field Premiere Week March 19 ILLINOIS-CHICAGO March 22 OHIO STATE March 23 OHIO STATE March 24 OHIO STATE 6 p.m. 7 p.m. 2 p.m. 1 p.m. March 27 March 29 March 30 March 31 April 2 April 3 April 5 April 6 April 7 April 9 April 10 April 12 April 13 April 14 6 p.m. 6 p.m. 2 p.m. 1 p.m. 6 p.m. 6 p.m. 7 p.m. 2 p.m. 1 p.m. 6 p.m. 6 p.m. 7:05 p.m. 4:05 p.m. 3:05 p.m. IPFW at Penn State at Penn State at Penn State BUTLER INDIANA STATE NORTHWESTERN NORTHWESTERN NORTHWESTERN at Indiana State BALL STATE at Illinois at Illinois at Illinois Alexander Field Dedication Weekend April 19 NEBRASKA 7 p.m. April 20 NEBRASKA 7 p.m. April 21 NEBRASKA Noon April 23 April 26 April 27 April 28 May 3 May 4 May 5 May 8 May 10 May 11 May 12 May 14 May 16 May 17 May 18 ILLINOIS-CHICAGO at Michigan State at Michigan State at Michigan State SOUTHERN ILLINOIS SOUTHERN ILLINOIS SOUTHERN ILLINOIS at Ball State at Michigan at Michigan at Michigan EASTERN MICHIGAN IOWA IOWA IOWA Big Ten Tournament (Minneapolis)^ May 22-26 TBA NCAA Regional May 31-June 2 TBA ^ Target Field All Times ET 6 p.m. 3:05 p.m. 1:05 p.m. 12:05 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 1 p.m. 3 p.m. 6:05 p.m. 4:05 p.m. 1:05 p.m. 6 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 1 p.m. TBA TBA Gold & Black IllustrateD ��� volume 23, issue 4 ������ 59