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74 IllustrateD volume 24, issue 4 f b a s e b a l l p r e v i e w BY KYLE CHARTERS KCharters@ GoldandBlack.com D oug Schreiber is back to his old ways. After a few years of allowing his veteran Boilermakers, the ones who won the Big Ten Championship in 2012, more control, he's pulled it back in. Why? Well, a 17-win season — Purdue won only half as many games as it lost last year — is cause for reconsideration. The 16th-year Boilermaker coach is demanding discipline, accountabil- ity and a business-like approach as the 2014 season starts. "It's refreshing for me. I don't know if it's refreshing for them," Schreiber said smiling. "With that group of guys who won the Big Ten title in 2012, from 2010, '11 and '12, those guys worked hard and really built a sense of trust. And when I trust those guys, then you can let the reins loose a little bit. "Then, last year, I probably let the reins stay a little loose when these guys hadn't earned that trust. It all went back to earning the trust, and it's a two-way street: I've got to earn their trust and they've got to earn my trust, so it's kind of back to the basics and putting the nose to the grindstone a little bit." The Boilermakers see the need for a more hardline ap- proach. They finished only 17-34 last season, placing 10th in the conference to miss out on the Big Ten Tournament for the first time since 2007. And it came a year after the program had set high water marks across the board, win- ning the conference's regular-season and tournament ti- tles and its first-ever NCAA Tournament game. Purdue had reason for a drop off but didn't expect one so severe. The Boilermakers played with an overwhelming- ly young roster, with as many as seven freshmen in the lineup on any given game day, as they tried to replace the veteran-laden group from the year before. But Schreiber wasn't so much displeased with the re- back to business Boilers hope change in approach can improve results The Lineup Card Purdue's projected lineup and rotation. Player (bats) Pos. Avg.* Brandon Kreig (R) SS .227 Cody Strong (R) 2B .277 Sean McHugh (R) C .298 Kyle Wood (L) 1B .247 Conner Hudnall (L) DH .288 Kyle Johnson (R) CF .266 Ted Snidanko (R) LF n/a Jordan Lewis (L) RF n/a Steve Maniago (L) 3B .500 Top Reserves Jeff Evak (R) OF n/a Matthew McHugh (R) UT n/a Jack Picchiotti (L) C .268 Rotation Player (throws) W-L/ERA* Jordan Minch(L) 5-5/4.98 Conner Podkul^ (R) 2-3/4.84 Kyle Wood (L) 0-2/5.00 Brett Haan (R) n/a Gavin Downs (R) 1-1/5.06 Bullpen Player (throws) W-L/ERA* Eddie De LaRiva (R) 2-3/12.05 Joe Eichmann (R) 0-1/8.62 Matt Frawley (R) n/a Patrick Kenney (R) 0-0/9.49 Mike Lutz (R) 1-7/6.75 Tim McElroy (L) 1-1/8.10 * 2013 season stats ^ 2012 season stats Coaches Head: Doug Schreiber (16 seasons) Assistant: Wally Crancer (1) Pitching: Tristan McIntyre (3) Volunteer: Payton Bieker (3) Tom Campbell Coach Doug Schreiber, in his 16th year at Purdue, is taking a more hardline approach with the 2014 squad, hoping that will lead to a turnaround this season.