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ba s e bal l wra pup Limping Home "I knew we probably weren't going to compete for a Big Ten championship, but I still thought we'd be competitive and give ourselves a chance to get into the Big Ten To u r n a ment and you still have postseason aspirations then." B u t Purdue fell out of contention quickly. After being Tom Campbell swept by Purdue won 99 games the last three seasons, but the 17 wins in 2013 was Ohio State the worst in 15 years under Coach Doug Schreiber. He had led the Boilers to a in the first program-high 45 the year before. Big Ten "(But) No. 1, we just didn't weekend ever at the new Alexander play well," 15th-year head coach Field, the Boilermakers went on the Doug Schreiber said Sunday, folroad to sweep Penn State, evening lowing the Boilers' season-ending their Big Ten record at a respectable banquet. "So we've got to go back 3-3. But after taking one of three the to the drawing board and kind of next weekend vs. Northwestern, work on some of the basics. The Purdue was swept in back-to-back production wasn't as good as weekends vs. Illinois and Nebraska. what we wanted and there's really The slump was part of a nine-game no excuse for it. midseason losing streak. Baseball team undone by youth, injury BY KYLE CHARTERS KCharters@GoldandBlack.com the For the first timeinin the last half dozen seasons, the Boilermakers aren't playing Big Ten Tournament. Not only that, but they weren't even close to qualifying, having suffered through their worst season since 1994. And Purdue's fall was deep, following a season in which it had won the Big Ten titles and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for only the second time in school history. This season, Purdue won only 17 games (losing 34), finishing 6-18 in the Big Ten, ahead of only Penn State in the 11-team conference. There are reasons for the decline: 17 newcomers, including 13 freshmen, got starts this season for Purdue, the fifth-most in the country; the Boilermakers suffered injuries to their pitching rotation, forcing others into more prominent roles; and the few veterans back from the 45win championship squad didn't adjust well to larger roles. The Boilers were swept in four of their eight Big Ten series, including vs. Iowa at Alexander to end the season. "Obviously last year, we won a lot of games and had a lot of success," junior Sean McHugh said. "But this year being a down year, like Coach Schreiber says, it's just a hiccup, we'll get it turned around. "Personally, I've learned more from this season than last season; you learn from your mistakes. We found out what it took to win a Big Ten title and you realize how valuable that little stuff is because we didn't do it this year. All of our younger guys know those things now." Purdue's lineup this spring, which was different in 36 of their 44 games, often included as many as five freshmen. Centerfielder Kyle Johnson, catcher/first baseman Josh Estill, DH/pitcher Kyle Wood and pitcher Jordan Minch were all named to the Big Ten's All-Freshman Team. Catcher/outfielder Jack Picchiotti, outfielder Jack Amaro and utility man Cody Strong were also significant contributors. Purdue's bullpen, which struggled mightily, was comprised largely with underclass- men as well, with freshmen Mike Lutz, Tim McElroy, Patrick Kenney and Eddie DeLaRiva forced into critical spots. "This year was a big disappointment," said Minch, a rookie lefty who was probably Purdue's most consistent weekend starter, with a 5-5 record and 4.98 ERA in '13. "We have a lot of young talent and will have a heavy sophomore class next year that will have played key roles this year. That experience will help us be much better. "We definitely need to work a lot harder this offseason to get it turned around." Purdue has plenty of room for growth. The Boilermakers ranked last in the Big Ten in both batting average (.256) and ERA (6.46, nearly a run-and-a-half higher than the second-worst team, Nebraska). The former wasn't helped by Purdue's strikeout rate, which was once in every 5.4 at-bats. The latter wasn't helped by injuries to the Boilermaker pitching staff, along with its youth. Sophomore Conner Podkul, a weekend starter a year ago, missed this season following Tommy John elbow surgery last summer. Wood, who had redshirted GoldanDBlack express • volume 23, express 30 • 23