10 Things to Know Heading into the Purdue Softball Season10 Things to Know Heading into the Purdue Softball Season

10 Things to Know Heading into the Purdue Softball Season

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 WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The 2023 softball season begins this Friday when the Boilermakers open the season at Florida State's JoAnne Graf Classic. Here's what you need to know heading into the season:

10 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT PURDUE SOFTBALL
  1. The Roster Breakdown: Purdue's roster includes 16 total newcomers, made up of 11 freshmen and five transfers: a sophomore transfer (Madi Elish, previous: Arizona), a junior transfer (Hailey Hayes, previous: Boise State), a senior transfer (Becca Edwards, previous: Green Bay), a redshirt senior transfer (Kate Claypool, previous: Iowa), and a fifth-year transfers (Anna Lonchar, previous: UMBC).
  2. Alex Echazarreta Returns: 2022 NFCA Second Team All-Region honoree at the utility/pitcher position returns for her fifth season, granted due to COVID-19. Echazarreta led the team in the circle with 10 wins las season, while offensively, the Reston, Virginia, native blasted seven home runs, the most by a Boilermaker in a single season since 2019.
  3. Freshman to Watch: Utility player Jordyn Ramos enters her first year rated by the NCAA as one of the top-55 freshman to know in 2023. The Las Vegas product was named by MaxPreps as the Best Player in the State of Nevada in 2022, in addition to being the No. 31 overall recruit by Extra innings Softball and a top-14 player among outfielders.
  4. The No. 5 Recruit Class is on Campus: The 2023 season will mark the highest-ranked class in program history as Boilermakers. The freshmen class was ranked by Extra Innings Softball as No. 5 in the country on signing day in 2021.
  5. Home Games: Fans will have 14 chances to catch the Boilermakers at Bittinger Stadium this season. The first home appearance will be a Tuesday midweek vs. Indiana State on March 21 and will be followed in April with an eight-consecutive-game homestand.
  6. Admission is Free: Purdue Athletics is excited to offer free admission to Boilermaker Softball games beginning with the 2023 season at Bittinger Stadium. Softball joins Cross Country, Men's and Women's Golf, Soccer, Swimming & Diving, Men's and Women's Tennis, Track & Field and Wrestling as non-ticketed sporting events at Purdue.
  7. Game Location Breakdown: During non-conference play, Purdue will play in four states: Florida, North Carolina, California and Mississippi. Purdue will attend the tournaments of Florida State, UCF, Cal State Fullerton and Ole Miss, each of which played in the NCAA College World Series Regionals. Overall, Purdue will play two NCAA Super Regional teams in UCF and Mississippi State.
  8. Opponent Breakdown: The Boilermakers are slated to play a total of 12 games this season against opponents ranked or receiving votes on the USA Today/NFCA preseason poll. Of the 12 games, nine will be true road games, while one will be a neutral site.
  9. How to Watch: All Big Ten games will be streamed on B1G+.
  10. Big Ten Tournament: The Big Ten Tournament will be hosted by Illinois from May 10-13 at Eichelberger Field.