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76 IllustrateD volume 24, issue 4 f sults as he was Purdue's approach — and told players about it after the season. "Coach Schreiber made it known it isn't the expectation here," said senior Sean McHugh, one of the few Boiler- makers remaining from the 2012 title team. "We're defi- nitely trying to not repeat last year, and we're putting it behind us. "I think it's that reiteration that there's a fire in ev- eryone's belly to not have the season we had. I think a lot of people kind of woke up after last year and realized that isn't the expectation. We are going to win games. The offseason workouts have been a lot harder and peo- ple have been coming in and doing early work and extra work." Although Purdue will still be dominated by underclass- men, there is much more experience now than a year ago. In 2013, Purdue played 13 freshmen, the third-most in the country, and 17 newcomers, the fifth-most nationally. Those players return — although Josh Estill, who had turned into one of Purdue's most productive run-produc- ers, is academically ineligible — giving the Boilermakers hope that they can rebound this season. Purdue's had better leadership during the offseason, sophomore ace Jordan Minch said, which has translated to better preparedness now. "The team's just closer this year than it was last year, for sure," he said. "… The experience makes a big differ- ence." The Boilermakers think they can rely on pitching and defense to carry them, although neither was an area of strength a year ago. Then, Purdue's ERA was 6.46, the worst in the Big Ten, and its fielding percentage ranked seventh. But injuries and youth played a part in the former. Soph- omore Connor Podkul, a Sunday starter on the title team, missed the season after having Tommy John elbow sur- gery. Kyle Wood had the same surgery a year earlier and a setback during the season kept the lefty from fulfilling his potential. He made only seven starts, finishing with a 0-2 record and 5.00 ERA. Only Minch, then a freshman, showed what he was ca- pable of, becoming a Friday night starter early during the Big Ten season. And although he had a couple bad starts in which he failed to get out of the first inning, he locked in a spot as Purdue's ace. Minch was 5-5 with a 4.98 ERA last season, being named to the Big Ten's All-Freshman team. "I had a good freshman year and am looking to do a lot better," the southpaw said. Podkul will likely be on a pitch count early in the sea- son, helping him ease back not only from the elbow sur- gery but from a knee injury, as well. During his elbow rehab, the 6-foot-5 righty wrenched the knee, setting him back a bit. "So he's got two things to worry about," Schreiber said. "But because he's worrying about his knee, I think he's worrying a little bit less about his elbow." Purdue will get starts out of Gavin Downs, a sophomore who made three midweek starts last season, and transfer Brett Haan, a Central Catholic graduate who spent his first two seasons at Parkland Community College. But once the Big Ten season starts in late March, Pur- due hopes to have its top three — Minch, Podkul and Wood — ready to go. "I'd say I recruited Purdue more than Purdue re- cruited me," he said. "Being a second home, I know my way around here. It's a great school. It was kind of a dream school for me, especially to get the option to play baseball too." Schreiber, starting his 16th year at Purdue, remem- bers McHugh's recruitment the same, recalling a trip out to Missouri to offer him a spot on the roster but giving few guarantees, either in scholarship or with playing time. "He learned from Plawecki and some other guys who have been in the program and has really molded him- self into an elite player, I feel," Schreiber said. "He led the team in hitting last year. … We expect a lot of good things out of him. "He's a definite leader. Now, he's not going to be the most vocal guy in that leadership role, but he's quality. He's going to lead by example and he's got a good base- ball IQ, so he will talk to them. "And he's got a great sense of humor as well, so I think he's earned a lot of respect (from others) because of how he goes about it. When he does speak up, he has everybody's ear." — Kyle Charters