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GOLD & BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 25, ISSUE 4 72 BY KYLE CHARTERS KCharters@GoldandBlack.com O ver a two-week period in January, before the start of offi- cial practices, the Boilermakers gath- ered a half dozen evenings on the turf at Mollenkopf. No coaches were in attendance — NCAA rules don't allow them then — but the players were, running themselves through the rigors, mostly defense and base-running drills, of a typical practice. They broke away into groups for some hitting and pitching, as well. It was about ownership, the Boil- ermakers taking an account of themselves after back-to-back losing seasons following their Big Ten cham- pionship in 2012. "Something had to change," junior first baseman Kyle Wood said. "We were all tired of the below mediocrity that we were playing. Everyone was really fed up with it, myself included, and we kind of took it on our shoul- ders to do everything we can to get this turned around." Purdue needs it. After their historic run in 2012, when the Boilermakers won the conference title and an NCAA Tournament game, they've sunk to near the bottom of the conference. In two seasons, Purdue has won only 30 games — against 71 losses — failing to make the Big Ten Tournament after five consecutive trips there. "This is a program that has won at a high level," said 17th-year coach Doug Schreiber, noting Purdue has 72 GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED Taking Ownership THE LINEUP CARD Purdue's projected lineup and rotation Player (bats) Pos. Avg.* Michael Vilardo (R) 2B .304^ Brandon Kreig (R) SS .264 Kyle Johnson (R) CF .224 Jack Picchiotti (L) C .252 Kyle Wood (L) 1B .302 Brett Carlson (R) DH .235^ Cody Strong (R) LF .224 Jeff Evak (R) RF .206 Harry Shipley (L) SS n/a Top Reserves Justin Gubser (R) C .285^ Ted Snidanko (R) OF .182 Weekend Rotation Player (throws) W-L/ERA* Gavin Downs (R) 3-6/4.26 Matt Frawley (R) 1-0/11.40 Brett Haan (R) 1-3/8.69 Bullpen/Others Joe Eichmann (R) 1-3/3.94 Brian Ghiselli (R) 0-0/7.71^ Matt Gibbs (R) 2-0/2.08 Mike Kornacker (R) n/a Mike Lutz (R) 2-7/5.96 Tim McElroy (L) 0-1/4.50 Kyle Wood (L) 0-3/11.88 Robb Woodcock (L) n/a * 2014 season stats ^ Previous school Coaches Head: Doug Schreiber (17th season) Assistant: Wally Crancer (second season) Pitching: Tristan McIntyre (fourth season) Volunteer: Drew Locascio (first season) Undergrad: Connor Podkul (first season) Boilermakers looking to get back on winning path Tom Campbell Purdue hopes its maturity shines through this season, with a team built around veterans Kyle Johnson, Kyle Wood and Jack Picchiotti (left to right).