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Hoosiers Now

Indiana Baseball Series Preview Against Purdue

Indiana begins a three-game series against in-state rival Purdue starting on Friday.
Jared Shlensky|
Oregon’s Elijah Cook, left, is caught trying to steal second by Indiana’s Cooper Malamazian during the third inning at PK Park in Eugene March 13, 2026.
Oregon’s Elijah Cook, left, is caught trying to steal second by Indiana’s Cooper Malamazian during the third inning at PK Park in Eugene March 13, 2026. | Chris Pietsch/The Register Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It's been a rough year for the Indiana baseball program, and they couldn't ask for a worse time to face in-state rival, Purdue.

The good news for the Hoosiers is they didn't have a weekday game, so they should be well rested for this weekend's series, but the bad news is Purdue's Tuesday contest against Ball State got canned due to the weather, so the Boilermakers should be equally as fresh as Indiana.

About Indiana

There's no other way to put it other than this has been a major down year for IU. The Hoosiers have won at least 32 games each of the last three seasons, but Indiana will be lucky to finish .500 this season. Indiana is 21-27 overall and tied for the second-worst record in the Big Ten at 7-17.

The Hoosiers last won a Big Ten series in early April after taking two of three from Rutgers, but it's been pretty much all downhill since. Indiana has lost seven of its last eight conference games, and for the most part, the games haven't been all that competitive.

Outside of number one starter Tony Neubeck, IU's starting staff has really struggled.

Neubeck tossed six scoreless innings in last week's series-opening victory over Northwestern and has recorded a quality start in three of his last four Big Ten starts.

Indiana's offense is definitely its strength, and it's been that way all season. The Hoosiers have five guys hitting north of .300, and not only are both Hogan Denny and Jake Hanley each hitting over .340, but they each have 13 home runs.

About Purdue

Head coach Greg Goff has made steady progress in each of his seven seasons at Purdue, but this has been by far and away his best work. It's barely May, and Goff's Boilermakers already have 30 wins (32-15) and have won four straight.

Purdue is currently fifth in the Big Ten at 15-9 in conference play and has recorded the sweep in three of its last four series.

The Boilermakers primary three starters -- Cole Van Assen, Austin Klug, and Zach Erdman -- have been solid all season, but similar to Indiana, Purdue's biggest strength is its offense.

Purdue has scored 11 or more runs in each of its last two games and has five guys batting north of .300, including Sam Flores, who leads the team in at-bats, runs, hits, RBIs, and total bases.

Series Schedule

Game 1: Friday, May 8th at 6 p.m. (ET)
Game 2: Saturday, May 9th at 2 p.m. (ET)
Game 3: Sunday, May 10th at 1 p.m. (ET)

All three games available to watch via the Big Ten Network Plus (BIG+)

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Jared Shlensky
JARED SHLENSKY

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