GBI Express

presents The First Pitch ence schedule was daunting. Yet, Purdue was 14-3 before it started Big Ten play. And the Boilermakers have been excellent in midweek action, with a perfect 10-0 record, including wins against fellow NCAA-qualifying teams Louisville and Indiana State. "With the schedule, I wasn't so sure we'd win 35," Schreiber said. "I thought if we played like we were capable, then it was a possibility. "But baseball is baseball and you're going to have some games where you hit the ball right at people and things don't go your way. … I think we thought that if we could win 38 games, breaking the school Tom Campbell record, we'd be in position for Senior Lance Breedlove, a former junior college transfer, has had a breakout season, going 7-5 to help the the postseason, but it was going Boilermakers solidify their weekend rotation. to be a tall task." Once the title was secured, the country prior to the weekend — will get them an atlarge berth, and could have them as a host school in the Purdue let off the gas a bit. The Boilers head to the Big Ten first weekend, with games played at Gary's Steelyard. Re- Tournament coming off perhaps their worst weekend of the season, losing their last two games to the Hawkeyes, a gional games are played June 1-4. By being a sure thing for the NCAA tournament, Purdue sub-200 RPI team that finished seventh in the 11-team Big has exceeded its own expectations. Although the Boilers Ten. It dropped them to only 7-6 overall since a thrilling thought they'd 14-inning comeback win over Michigan State April 28. Gold & Black Illustrated is a publication of Boilers, Inc. But the Boilers think they can rebound quickly after compete for a BOILERS, Inc. closing the regular season in a lull. 2605 Yeager Road, West Lafayette, IN 47906 conference ti765-237-5002 or 1-800-876-GOPU (4678) "You like to play for something," Perkins said. "I felt tle, along with Twitter.com/GoldandBlackcom Nebraska and like we had already accomplished a lot, winning the Big Fax: 765-497-2110 President/Publisher Alan Karpick Michigan State, Ten. You've got to keep that focus and playing for some 765-237-5078 the pre-confer- thing again, playing in the tournament, it brings a lot Twitter.com/AlanKarpick more focus to the team and gets us ready." AKarpick@GoldandBlack.com Editor Brian Neubert The Boilers will be a targeted team in Co BNeubert@GoldandBlack.com lumbus. During the regular season, Purdue publishing Publications Coordinator Kyle Charters took two of three games from four of the update KCharters@GoldandBlack.com Staff Writer Stacy Clardie other teams to qualify for the tournament; it This is the last GBI SClardie@GoldandBlack.com didn't play Indiana. Undoubtedly, those opEXPRESS of Vol. 22. hotography/Cover Photo Tom Campbell P ponents would like to knock off the Boiler Graphic Designer Gary Hoffman The final issue of the Advertising Sales Alan Karpick, Tait McKinney makers, who dominated the league for much publishing year is our S ubscriptions/Production: Brandan Alford, Evan Burlingame of the season and earned some national ex Alex Posthauer, Mike Rish, football preview issue, Michael Schmierer, posure in doing so. Steve Schreck, Evan Solgere mailed in late June. Then, in the NCAAs, Purdue knows it might Subscriptions@GoldandBlack.com have some doubters. The Big Ten isn't known as GBIprint.com GoldandBlack.com a power baseball conference, and hasn't had a team in the College World Series since Michigan in 1984. "All year, everyone has been waiting and thinking, 'When is Purdue going to fall apart?'" Perkins said. "And we never did. We lasted the whole season, and have been very consistent. And some might say, 'Well, this is when Purdue is going to fall apart.' But we're out there to prove them wrong." j Who Were They? The following is a bit about the 1909 Big Ten champions (pictured above): Prior to this season, the lone conference championship in Purdue school history came when Coach Hugh Nicol's 1909 team finished 11-2 overall and 7-2 in league play. Coincidentally, Purdue's lone two losses were in the final two games of the year. The strength of the Boilermaker team was a pitching staff that held opponents to two runs or fewer six times. The two headliners on the roster were Walt Tragesser, who was the first Boilermaker to play in the Major Leagues, and Dave Charters, a left-handed pitcher who's also recognized as the Boilermakers' first basketball All-American. Tragesser was a catcher for the Boston Braves and Philadelphia Phillies for seven years and later came back to his alma mater in the 1920s to help coach baseball at Purdue. — Alan Karpick Gold & Black IllustrateD • volume 22, express 30  •  2

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