WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Led by a consistent and equally effective weekend rotation, Purdue baseball was competitive throughout its 2023 season, a campaign highlighted by a 6-2 record on Fridays in Big Ten play and stretch in which the Boilermakers won five of six weekend series from March 31 to May 7.
Khal Stephen, Jonathan Blackwell and Kyle Iwinski teamed up to make all 24 starts on the mound in Big Ten play, becoming Purdue's first rotation to start every weekend of the conference season since 2009. Stephen led the way during the excellence on Fridays and Iwinski impressed as the Boilermakers' most effective weekend starting pitcher at home since 2016.
Purdue's community outreach coupled with an exciting brand of baseball and some favorable spring weather coalesced to create the best gameday atmosphere since Alexander Field opened in 2013. The Boilermakers ranked third in Big Ten in attendance, setting program records for overall attendance (34,218) and average per home date (1,710).
Season Recaps: 2011 / 2012 / 2013 / 2014 / 2015 / 2016 / 2017 / 2018 / 2019 / 2021 / 2022
A pair of speedy outfielders led the way again as Purdue stole 99 bases to lead the league through the end of the Big Ten Tournament for the second year in a row. The 99 steals ranked third in team history, 56 coming from Mike Bolton Jr. (28) and Couper Cornblum (26) as they ranked first and third in the conference. Bolton led the Big Ten and eclipsed the program's all-time record that had stood since 1991.
Jake Parr and Paul Toetz joined Stephen as All-Big Ten performers, giving Purdue a pair of all-conference infielders for the first time since the 2012 Big Ten championship season. As the Boilermakers' first offensive team triple crown winner since 2015, Toetz was recognized as the best in the Midwest at second base as an ABCA first-team All-Region honoree. Parr closed out his career with his finest season, highlighted by a 15-game hit streak in Big Ten play and a 27-game on-base streak to finish the year.
Stephen helped the Boilermakers win three straight series openers twice from March 24 to May 5. He started Purdue's season, home and Big Ten openers as a sophomore, striking out at least seven batters five times as the Boilers won six of his seven starts during that best stretch of the year.
Catcher Connor Caskenette played his way into the lineup after overcoming an early-season injury. The newcomer hit five of his six home runs in Big Ten play and led the team with 24 RBI on conference weekends. His 18-game hit streak was the longest by a Boilermaker since 2011.
Purdue hit three grand slams and celebrated three walk-off wins. Paul Toetz racked up a trio of multi-homer games. CJ Valdez posted the first three-double game by a Boilermaker since the 2019 season opener.
Aaron Suval shined all season as an effective and reliable multi-inning reliever, earning three wins and five saves in 21 appearances. He registered two saves in one day in a doubleheader sweep of Penn State, the first Boilermaker to accomplish the unique feat since May 2018. Fellow reliever Jackson Dannelley averaged 9.38 strikeouts per nine innings while conceding 8.01 hits per nine, pitching in a team-high 25 games.
Stephen, Blackwell, Iwinski, Suval, Dannelley, Caskenette, Bolton and Cornblum headline the Boilermakers slated to return for the 2024 campaign.
ALL-BIG TEN
• Khal Stephen – Third Team Starting Pitcher
• Jake Parr – Third Team First Baseman
• Paul Toetz – Third Team Second Baseman
ABCA/RAWLINGS ALL-MIDWEST REGION
• Paul Toetz – Second Team Shortstop
COLLEGIATE BASEBALL NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• Kyle Iwinski – March 6
BIG TEN WEEKLY HONORS
• Paul Toetz – Player of the Week, March 7
• Kyle Iwinski – Pitcher of the Week, March 7
BIG TEN SPORTSMANSHIP HONOREE
• Camden Melvin
PROGRAM RECORDS
• Mike Bolton Jr. – Career Stolen Bases (74), eclipsing a record (70) that had stood since 1991
• Home Attendance – 34,218 (1,710 Per Date Average, 1,555 Per Game Average)
2023 TEAM AWARDS
• MVP – Paul Toetz
• Red Mackey Award (Excellence by a Senior) – Jake Parr
• Offensive Player of the Year – Couper Cornblum
• Defensive Player of the Year – Connor Caskenette
• Pitcher of the Year – Khal Stephen
• Clyde Lyle Award (Top Non-Scholarship Performer) – Camden Melvin
• Mr. Boilermaker Award (Attitude) – Jackson Dannelley
• Newcomer of the Year – Aaron Suval
WALK-OFF WINS
• Feb. 24 in Holly Springs, N.C. – Won 6-5 vs. NJIT (GW Sac Fly: Jake Parr, GW Run: Paul Toetz)
• April 2 at Alexander Field – Won 4-3 vs. Northwestern in 10 Innings (GW Home Run: Lukas Cook)
• May 7 at Alexander Field – Won 3-2 vs. South Dakota State (GW Single: Jake Parr, GW Run: Couper Cornblum)
GRAND SLAMS
• March 4 – Jake Parr vs. Akron
• March 15 – Jake Jarvis vs. Northern Illinois
• April 8 – Jake Jarvis at Minnesota
NOTABLE STREAKS
• Jake Parr – 27-game on-base (career ending streak), 15-game hit in Big Ten play (Purdue's longest since 2009)
• Connor Caskenette – 25-game on-base, 18-game hit (Purdue's longest since 2011), 18-game on-base at home (season-ending streak), 16-game hit at home, 11-game hit in Big Ten play
• Evan Albrecht – 23-game on-base (first 20 games of the season)
• Couper Cornblum – 20-game on-base (season-ending streak), 13-game hit, 13-game hit at home (season-ending streak)
• Jo Stevens – 12-game hit
• Paul Toetz – 103 consecutive games started (every game since start of 2022)
STATISTICAL MILESTONES & NOTABLES
• Purdue used the same weekend rotation – Khal Stephen, Jonathan Blackwell, Kyle Iwinski – for every Big Ten series for the first time since 2009 and only the fourth time since 2001. They were a big reason why the Boilermakers won five of six weekend series from March 31 to May 7.
• The Boilermakers went 6-2 on Fridays in Big Ten play, winning three consecutive series openers twice from March 24 to May 5. Purdue's April 21 series-opening win at Maryland made the Boilermakers the first visiting team to win on a Friday in College Park since May 2019.
• Kyle Iwinski pitched a complete game one-hitter, shutting out Akron on March 4 in a seven-inning game in his first start as a Boilermaker. He retired 21 of the 22 batters he faced in the first complete-game shutout by a Boilermaker since 2017 and posted a game score of 83 (an impressive mark for a seven-inning outing and the best by a Purdue righthander since 2017).
• Also on March 4, CJ Valdez posted the first three-double game by a Boilermaker since February 2019 and just the 12th by a Boilermaker since 2001.
• Mike Bolton Jr. (74) eclipsed Purdue's all-time stolen base record on April 26, breaking a mark that had stood since 1991. He led the Big Ten with 28 steals, helping Purdue lead the league with 99 steals through the end of the Big Ten Tournament. Bolton and Couper Cornblum (26) teamed up for 54 steals, the second most by teammates in team history. Bolton has 17, 28 and 28 steals the last three years to put him in a select group with three straight seasons of 15-plus steals and consecutive campaigns of 25-plus.
• Paul Toetz and Jake Jarvis both connected for 10 home runs, becoming the first set of Purdue teammates since 2008 with double-figure totals. Toetz had three multi-homer games and Jarvis went deep twice on two occasions. Toetz was just third Boilermaker since 2001 with three multi-homer games in a year (first since 2009).
• Paul Toetz reached the 30 RBI mark on March 21, making him the fastest (by date on the calendar to reach the milestone). The All-Big Ten performer won the team's offensive triple crown (.335, 10 HR, 53 RBI) and produced a 1.000 OPS season. He was Purdue's first offensive triple crown winner since 2015.
• The April 15 doubleheader sweep of Penn State at Alexander Field gave Purdue a third straight Big Ten series win at the midpoint of the conference season. The Boilermakers swept a Big Ten doubleheader at Alexander Field for the first time ever and rallied to win a Big Ten series at home after dropping the first game since April 2009. Aaron Suval closed out both one-run wins, making him the first Boilermaker with two saves in one day since the final day of the 2018 regular season. Purdue had not won a pair of one-run Big Ten games on the same day since May 2005.
Kyle Iwinski shined at home all season, compiling a 2.06 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and .214 batting average against over 35 innings. He pitched at least six innings in all five starts and the Boilermakers won four of the five games. He accounted for the best ERA at home by a member of the weekend rotation since 2016.
• Purdue had three players – Connor Caskenette, Couper Cornblum, Jo Stevens – with hit streaks of at least 10 games each for the first time since 2019.
• A year after experiencing the highs of a 15-game win streak and the lows of a 4-12 stretch during the middle of the season, Purdue performed with a greater level of consistency in 2023. The Boilermakers did not lose more than three consecutive games until mid-May.
5+ RBI GAMES
• Paul Toetz – Feb. 18 vs. Holy Cross (6) & March 4 vs. Akron (6)
• Jake Jarvis – Feb. 19 vs. Holy Cross (6) & April 8 vat Minnesota
OFFENSIVE OUTBURSTS
• March 4 in Holly Springs, N.C. – Purdue 17, Akron 9
• March 5 in Holly Springs, N.C. – Purdue 23, Akron 4 (Boilers' most runs since 2018, most away from home since 2015)
• April 8 in Minneapolis – Purdue 15, Minnesota 3 (Boilers clinch their third straight series win in the Twin Cities)
• April 19 at Alexander Field – Purdue 16, Butler 9
COMEBACK WINS
• Feb. 24 vs NJIT (G1) – Trailed 5-2 entering B-5th, Won 6-5
• March 24 at Michigan State – Trailed 4-0 entering T-4th, Won 5-4
• March 31 vs Northwestern – Trailed 2-1 entering B-6th, Won 8-4
• May 5 vs. South Dakota State – Trailed 4-0 entering B-4th, Won 10-7
• May 7 vs. South Dakota State – Trailed 2-1 entering B-9th, Won 3-2
• May 19 vs. Nebraska – Trailed 3-0 entering B-4th, Won 7-3
PROLIFIC INNINGS
• 13 Runs -- March 5 vs. Akron (B-4th)
• 9 Runs – March 4 vs. Akron (B-3rd)
• 8 Runs – March 4 vs. Akron (B-1st) & April 4 vs. Evansville (B-2nd)
• 7 Runs – April 8 at Minnesota (T-9th) & April 19 vs. Butler (B-3rd)
• 6 Runs – May 12 at Indiana (T-7th)
ACACDEMIC ALL-BIG TEN (3.0+ CUMULATIVE GPA)
• Connor Caskenette
• Avery Cook
• Couper Cornblum
• Jackson Dannelley
• Logan Danzeisen
• Zach Fletcher
• Sam Franco
• Malcolm Gilchrist
• Weston Gingerich
• Cal Lambert
• Griffin Lohman
• Camden Melvin
• Steve Ramirez
• Calvin Schapira
• Jake Stadler
• Khal Stephen
• Cam Thompson
• CJ Valdez
BIG TEN DISTINGUISHED SCHOLARS (3.7+ GPA FOR 2022-23)
• Malcolm Gilchrist
• Steve Ramirez
• Calvin Schapira
Khal Stephen, Jonathan Blackwell and Kyle Iwinski teamed up to make all 24 starts on the mound in Big Ten play, becoming Purdue's first rotation to start every weekend of the conference season since 2009. Stephen led the way during the excellence on Fridays and Iwinski impressed as the Boilermakers' most effective weekend starting pitcher at home since 2016.
Purdue's community outreach coupled with an exciting brand of baseball and some favorable spring weather coalesced to create the best gameday atmosphere since Alexander Field opened in 2013. The Boilermakers ranked third in Big Ten in attendance, setting program records for overall attendance (34,218) and average per home date (1,710).
Season Recaps: 2011 / 2012 / 2013 / 2014 / 2015 / 2016 / 2017 / 2018 / 2019 / 2021 / 2022
A pair of speedy outfielders led the way again as Purdue stole 99 bases to lead the league through the end of the Big Ten Tournament for the second year in a row. The 99 steals ranked third in team history, 56 coming from Mike Bolton Jr. (28) and Couper Cornblum (26) as they ranked first and third in the conference. Bolton led the Big Ten and eclipsed the program's all-time record that had stood since 1991.
Jake Parr and Paul Toetz joined Stephen as All-Big Ten performers, giving Purdue a pair of all-conference infielders for the first time since the 2012 Big Ten championship season. As the Boilermakers' first offensive team triple crown winner since 2015, Toetz was recognized as the best in the Midwest at second base as an ABCA first-team All-Region honoree. Parr closed out his career with his finest season, highlighted by a 15-game hit streak in Big Ten play and a 27-game on-base streak to finish the year.
Stephen helped the Boilermakers win three straight series openers twice from March 24 to May 5. He started Purdue's season, home and Big Ten openers as a sophomore, striking out at least seven batters five times as the Boilers won six of his seven starts during that best stretch of the year.
Catcher Connor Caskenette played his way into the lineup after overcoming an early-season injury. The newcomer hit five of his six home runs in Big Ten play and led the team with 24 RBI on conference weekends. His 18-game hit streak was the longest by a Boilermaker since 2011.
Purdue hit three grand slams and celebrated three walk-off wins. Paul Toetz racked up a trio of multi-homer games. CJ Valdez posted the first three-double game by a Boilermaker since the 2019 season opener.
Aaron Suval shined all season as an effective and reliable multi-inning reliever, earning three wins and five saves in 21 appearances. He registered two saves in one day in a doubleheader sweep of Penn State, the first Boilermaker to accomplish the unique feat since May 2018. Fellow reliever Jackson Dannelley averaged 9.38 strikeouts per nine innings while conceding 8.01 hits per nine, pitching in a team-high 25 games.
Stephen, Blackwell, Iwinski, Suval, Dannelley, Caskenette, Bolton and Cornblum headline the Boilermakers slated to return for the 2024 campaign.
ALL-BIG TEN
• Khal Stephen – Third Team Starting Pitcher
• Jake Parr – Third Team First Baseman
• Paul Toetz – Third Team Second Baseman
ABCA/RAWLINGS ALL-MIDWEST REGION
• Paul Toetz – Second Team Shortstop
COLLEGIATE BASEBALL NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• Kyle Iwinski – March 6
BIG TEN WEEKLY HONORS
• Paul Toetz – Player of the Week, March 7
• Kyle Iwinski – Pitcher of the Week, March 7
BIG TEN SPORTSMANSHIP HONOREE
• Camden Melvin
PROGRAM RECORDS
• Mike Bolton Jr. – Career Stolen Bases (74), eclipsing a record (70) that had stood since 1991
• Home Attendance – 34,218 (1,710 Per Date Average, 1,555 Per Game Average)
2023 TEAM AWARDS
• MVP – Paul Toetz
• Red Mackey Award (Excellence by a Senior) – Jake Parr
• Offensive Player of the Year – Couper Cornblum
• Defensive Player of the Year – Connor Caskenette
• Pitcher of the Year – Khal Stephen
• Clyde Lyle Award (Top Non-Scholarship Performer) – Camden Melvin
• Mr. Boilermaker Award (Attitude) – Jackson Dannelley
• Newcomer of the Year – Aaron Suval
WALK-OFF WINS
• Feb. 24 in Holly Springs, N.C. – Won 6-5 vs. NJIT (GW Sac Fly: Jake Parr, GW Run: Paul Toetz)
• April 2 at Alexander Field – Won 4-3 vs. Northwestern in 10 Innings (GW Home Run: Lukas Cook)
• May 7 at Alexander Field – Won 3-2 vs. South Dakota State (GW Single: Jake Parr, GW Run: Couper Cornblum)
GRAND SLAMS
• March 4 – Jake Parr vs. Akron
• March 15 – Jake Jarvis vs. Northern Illinois
• April 8 – Jake Jarvis at Minnesota
NOTABLE STREAKS
• Jake Parr – 27-game on-base (career ending streak), 15-game hit in Big Ten play (Purdue's longest since 2009)
• Connor Caskenette – 25-game on-base, 18-game hit (Purdue's longest since 2011), 18-game on-base at home (season-ending streak), 16-game hit at home, 11-game hit in Big Ten play
• Evan Albrecht – 23-game on-base (first 20 games of the season)
• Couper Cornblum – 20-game on-base (season-ending streak), 13-game hit, 13-game hit at home (season-ending streak)
• Jo Stevens – 12-game hit
• Paul Toetz – 103 consecutive games started (every game since start of 2022)
STATISTICAL MILESTONES & NOTABLES
• Purdue used the same weekend rotation – Khal Stephen, Jonathan Blackwell, Kyle Iwinski – for every Big Ten series for the first time since 2009 and only the fourth time since 2001. They were a big reason why the Boilermakers won five of six weekend series from March 31 to May 7.
• The Boilermakers went 6-2 on Fridays in Big Ten play, winning three consecutive series openers twice from March 24 to May 5. Purdue's April 21 series-opening win at Maryland made the Boilermakers the first visiting team to win on a Friday in College Park since May 2019.
• Kyle Iwinski pitched a complete game one-hitter, shutting out Akron on March 4 in a seven-inning game in his first start as a Boilermaker. He retired 21 of the 22 batters he faced in the first complete-game shutout by a Boilermaker since 2017 and posted a game score of 83 (an impressive mark for a seven-inning outing and the best by a Purdue righthander since 2017).
• Also on March 4, CJ Valdez posted the first three-double game by a Boilermaker since February 2019 and just the 12th by a Boilermaker since 2001.
• Mike Bolton Jr. (74) eclipsed Purdue's all-time stolen base record on April 26, breaking a mark that had stood since 1991. He led the Big Ten with 28 steals, helping Purdue lead the league with 99 steals through the end of the Big Ten Tournament. Bolton and Couper Cornblum (26) teamed up for 54 steals, the second most by teammates in team history. Bolton has 17, 28 and 28 steals the last three years to put him in a select group with three straight seasons of 15-plus steals and consecutive campaigns of 25-plus.
• Paul Toetz and Jake Jarvis both connected for 10 home runs, becoming the first set of Purdue teammates since 2008 with double-figure totals. Toetz had three multi-homer games and Jarvis went deep twice on two occasions. Toetz was just third Boilermaker since 2001 with three multi-homer games in a year (first since 2009).
• Paul Toetz reached the 30 RBI mark on March 21, making him the fastest (by date on the calendar to reach the milestone). The All-Big Ten performer won the team's offensive triple crown (.335, 10 HR, 53 RBI) and produced a 1.000 OPS season. He was Purdue's first offensive triple crown winner since 2015.
• The April 15 doubleheader sweep of Penn State at Alexander Field gave Purdue a third straight Big Ten series win at the midpoint of the conference season. The Boilermakers swept a Big Ten doubleheader at Alexander Field for the first time ever and rallied to win a Big Ten series at home after dropping the first game since April 2009. Aaron Suval closed out both one-run wins, making him the first Boilermaker with two saves in one day since the final day of the 2018 regular season. Purdue had not won a pair of one-run Big Ten games on the same day since May 2005.
Kyle Iwinski shined at home all season, compiling a 2.06 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and .214 batting average against over 35 innings. He pitched at least six innings in all five starts and the Boilermakers won four of the five games. He accounted for the best ERA at home by a member of the weekend rotation since 2016.
• Purdue had three players – Connor Caskenette, Couper Cornblum, Jo Stevens – with hit streaks of at least 10 games each for the first time since 2019.
• A year after experiencing the highs of a 15-game win streak and the lows of a 4-12 stretch during the middle of the season, Purdue performed with a greater level of consistency in 2023. The Boilermakers did not lose more than three consecutive games until mid-May.
5+ RBI GAMES
• Paul Toetz – Feb. 18 vs. Holy Cross (6) & March 4 vs. Akron (6)
• Jake Jarvis – Feb. 19 vs. Holy Cross (6) & April 8 vat Minnesota
OFFENSIVE OUTBURSTS
• March 4 in Holly Springs, N.C. – Purdue 17, Akron 9
• March 5 in Holly Springs, N.C. – Purdue 23, Akron 4 (Boilers' most runs since 2018, most away from home since 2015)
• April 8 in Minneapolis – Purdue 15, Minnesota 3 (Boilers clinch their third straight series win in the Twin Cities)
• April 19 at Alexander Field – Purdue 16, Butler 9
COMEBACK WINS
• Feb. 24 vs NJIT (G1) – Trailed 5-2 entering B-5th, Won 6-5
• March 24 at Michigan State – Trailed 4-0 entering T-4th, Won 5-4
• March 31 vs Northwestern – Trailed 2-1 entering B-6th, Won 8-4
• May 5 vs. South Dakota State – Trailed 4-0 entering B-4th, Won 10-7
• May 7 vs. South Dakota State – Trailed 2-1 entering B-9th, Won 3-2
• May 19 vs. Nebraska – Trailed 3-0 entering B-4th, Won 7-3
PROLIFIC INNINGS
• 13 Runs -- March 5 vs. Akron (B-4th)
• 9 Runs – March 4 vs. Akron (B-3rd)
• 8 Runs – March 4 vs. Akron (B-1st) & April 4 vs. Evansville (B-2nd)
• 7 Runs – April 8 at Minnesota (T-9th) & April 19 vs. Butler (B-3rd)
• 6 Runs – May 12 at Indiana (T-7th)
ACACDEMIC ALL-BIG TEN (3.0+ CUMULATIVE GPA)
• Connor Caskenette
• Avery Cook
• Couper Cornblum
• Jackson Dannelley
• Logan Danzeisen
• Zach Fletcher
• Sam Franco
• Malcolm Gilchrist
• Weston Gingerich
• Cal Lambert
• Griffin Lohman
• Camden Melvin
• Steve Ramirez
• Calvin Schapira
• Jake Stadler
• Khal Stephen
• Cam Thompson
• CJ Valdez
BIG TEN DISTINGUISHED SCHOLARS (3.7+ GPA FOR 2022-23)
• Malcolm Gilchrist
• Steve Ramirez
• Calvin Schapira