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GoldanDBlack express • volume 24, express 28 • 24 jump in there and be one of those guys as a freshman." But Purdue will need more from returnees, as well. The Boiler- makers finished last in the Big Ten in batting, only .235 as a team, and in ERA, at 6.00. Pitching was incon- sistent from Day 1, particularly from Kyle Wood and Connor Podkul. The duo, each having had Tommy John elbow surgeries in the past, strug- gled with their command early in the season and were replaced as weekend starters. Podkul, a key piece to Purdue's title team, recovered to make a couple quality Big Ten starts. But his last start, against Iowa on Saturday, wasn't up to par, as couldn't get out of the first inning. "We did see improvements later in the year, but there were a couple of starts that didn't go as well," said Podkul, who also had a knee injury last fall during his rehabilita- tion from elbow surgery. "For me, it's find- ing that consistency. I just need to work to be more consistent out there." Schreiber thinks Podkul and Wood can return to form. And if so, they'll join Minch (provided he returns), Gavin Downs, Kor- nacker and others as potential weekend starters next year. "I think we're going to be in a better po- sition, where we're not going to be count- ing on them," Schreiber said of Wood and Podkul. "We were looking at it and plug- ging them in (last season), even though they were going to be 18 months out-plus, and now we can do this without plugging them in. So anything that Wood and Pod- kul give us, which could be a lot, would be a bonus. It will be a better outlook. "I don't think they'll feel the pressure that they have to be the guy, and come back from injury, and time off and rehab. We'll be in a better place." Although Purdue's offense was down last season, it could have won at least four Big Ten games without getting even one more hit. It could have in at least one of the two losses to Penn State, in an extra-in- nings defeat vs. Michigan, in which Purdue was undone by errors, and twice against Minnesota, when the Boilers had two-run leads in the ninth only to lose. So perhaps Purdue was closer than the record would indicate, at least in the Big Ten. "We're not where we want to be, but at least we'd be still com- peting and in the middle of the Big Ten," Schreiber said, envisioning his team with a 10-14 league record, rather than the 6-18 mark it showed. "Then, if you do get a cou- ple more timely hits, maybe we're even as high as 12-12. So we weren't far from that, despite not having the best batting average and ERA in the league. I thought we were close. And attitude played into that as well, with a little bit better atti- tude some of those things might happen." That's been his message to Boilermakers this week, as he wel- comed them in for individual post- season meetings. That, along with solid-looking recruiting classes in 2015 and '16, have Schreiber think- ing Purdue can get better soon. "This is a tough thing to go through," he said. "It's basically go- ing to come down to the positive attitude, the maturity level, and having the passion to do the thing the right way. I think we have to have some guys look themselves in the mirror and realize (if ) this is something they are that passionate about, and is that important to them, that they're not going to let anyone mess it up from the inside? "So the attitudes, they're not going to put up with any negativity and we're going to put in the hard work. This really is for the guys that have the passion. My job, I guess, is to fuel that and weed it out too." j unlocking more tomorrows our mission is discovery our goal is to cure cancer. cancerresearch.purdue.edu Dorothy Teegarden, PhD Professor, Foods and Nutrition Purdue Connor Podkul's return to the hill this season didn't go as planned. But the right- hander thinks another year rehabbing his surgically repaired elbow will have him better in 2015.