GAMEDAY INFORMATION
George Mason (1-3, 36-27 in 2023) vs. Purdue (3-1, 24-29 in 2023)
4-Game Series / Friday to Sunday, Feb. 23-25
Ting Stadium / Holly Springs, N.C.
Series Opener: Friday, Feb. 23 at 5 p.m. ET (Updated)
Doubleheader: Saturday, Feb. 24 at 1 p.m. ET
Series Finale: Sunday, Feb. 25 at 1 p.m. ET
All-Time Series: Purdue leads 1-0
Previous Meeting: Purdue 6, George Mason 1 (March 1987 in Raleigh, N.C.)
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday: Jordan Morales (Grad, LHP) vs. GMU's Nick Martins (Sr, RHP)
Saturday Game 1: Jonathan Blackwell (Sr, LHP) vs. GMU's Konner Eaton (Jr, LHP)
Saturday Game 2: Kyle Iwinski (Sr, RHP) vs. GMU'S Logan Rumberg (Fr, LHP)
Sunday: Luke Wagner (Sr, LHP) vs. GMU's Chad Gartland (Jr, RHP)
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue Baseball is set to play multiple weekends in North Carolina for the third year in a row, returning to Ting Stadium in Holly Springs to host George Mason for a four-game neutral-site series.
First pitch is slated for 3 p.m. ET on Friday, 1 p.m. for a Saturday doubleheader and 1 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free all weekend at Ting Stadium, the home of the Holly Springs Salamanders of the Costal Plain League. It's a full artificial turf field.
The Boilermakers have compiled a 12-3 record at Ting Stadium since making their debut there during the second weekend of the 2022 season. Five of those 12 victories have come in walk-off fashion, including four in 2022 during the program-record 15-0 start. Purdue play at East Carolina's Keith LeClair Classic in Greensville next weekend.
George Mason won 36 games and the Atlantic 10 Tournament as the No. 6 seed last season, qualifying for an NCAA Regional for the first time since 2014. The Patriots late-season surge included five consecutive wins in elimination games, three coming on the final two days of the A-10 Tournament as they defeated Saint Louis twice on Championship Saturday. As the 4-seed at Wake Forest's Winston-Salem Regional, GMU scored 11 runs in wins against Northeastern and Maryland.
Both Purdue and George Mason like to employ similar styles with aggressive base running. The Patriots were third nationally with 164 steals last year, sporting a roster with five players with at least 15 steals – including three with 25 or more. Purdue broke its team record with 116 steals in 2022 and swiped 99 last year to lead the Big Ten through the end of the conference tournament. Mike Bolton Jr. (74) is the Big Ten's active career leader in steals and ranks fifth nationally among active players. The Patriots' South Trimble is sixth nationally with 66 career steals, 30 coming last season.
George Mason was picked second in the A-10 preseason coaches poll this year, but it's been an uneven start for the Patriots over their first four games – three of which featured 20-plus runs for the winning team. After getting outscored 58-8 at Coastal Carolina's tournament last weekend, GMU erupted for 21 runs in Tuesday's home opener vs. Coppin State. They scored more runs in the third inning (12) than they did in their first three games combined. Coastal, Duke and Indiana certainly represented a tough trio of opponents for the opening weekend.
Kyle Iwinski pitched a complete-game one-hit shutout (7 IP, 0 BB, 8 K) at Ting Stadium vs. Akron last season, dominating to the tune of an elite game score of 83 in his first collegiate start. He earned Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors and National Player of the Week recognition from Collegiate Baseball for the gem. Last weekend, Jordan Morales and Jackson Dannelley teamed up for a combined shutout, Purdue's first season-opening shutout win since 1991.
A year ago, Aaron Suval and Dannelley teamed up for a combined 10 innings of one-hit relief over five appearances at Ting Stadium. They did not allow an earned run. Jonathan Blackwell racked up 16 strikeouts over 10 1/3 innings in his two starts in Holly Springs.
Logan Sutter and Luke Gaffney were a combined 12-for-19 with 11 RBI in last weekend's Saturday doubleheader and 18- for-35 with 12 RBI in the series, accounting for 45% of Purdue's hits and 39% of the RBI. Both players had nine hits in the four-game series, producing two of the most productive debuts in recent program history. Their combined 11 doubles were a big reason the Boilermakers had 17 as a team, tied for the top total nationally during the opening weekend. Individually, they were two of five players nationally with at least five doubles in the first weekend. Sutter was the national co-leader with six as of Monday.
Gaffney's three-double game Saturday was just the second by a Boilermaker since March 2019. The other one was at Ting Stadium. CJ Valdez accomplished the feat in a 2023 win vs. Akron in Holly Springs.
ACTIVE STREAKS
• Couper Cornblum: 24-game on-base streak (since April 15, 2023)
• Mike Bolton Jr.: 10-game on-base streak (since April 29, 2023)
PURDUE LEADERS IN HOLLY SPRINGS
Active Boilermakers
2023 (8 Games)
• Jo Stevens: 11-for-29, 2B, 9 RBI, HBP, 7 R, 2 Sac Flies, SB
• Couper Cornblum: 11-for-30, 2 2B, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 2 HBP, 8 R, Sac Fly, 7 SB
• Mike Bolton Jr.: 7-for-21, 2 3B, HR, 5 RBI, BB, 5 HBP, 10 R, 5 SB
• Camden Melvin: 5-for-12, 4 RBI, BB, HBP, 3 R, SB
• Kyle Iwinski: Win, CG, 3 App, 12 1/3 IP, 5 H, R, 2 BB, 15 K
• Jonathan Blackwell: Win, 2 GS, 10 1/3 IP, 11 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 16 K
• Aaron Suval: Win, Save, 3 App, 5 2/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K
• Jackson Dannelley: Win, 2 App, 4 1/3 IP, H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
• Davis Pratt: 2 App, 5 IP, 4 H, R, 2 BB, 3 K
• Carter Doorn: 3 App, 3 2/3 IP, 4 H, R, 0 BB, 7 K
COMBINED 2-YEAR TOTALS (15 Games)
• Mike Bolton Jr.: 14-for-48 (.292), 3 2B, 3 3B, HR, 7 RBI, 7 BB, 6 HBP, 13 R, 8 SB, .415 OBP
• CJ Backer: 4 App, 2 GS, 10 IP, 16 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 7 K
IMPRESSIVE STARTING PITCHING PERFORMANCES IN HOLLY SPRINGS
2023 vs. Akron – Team Record: 3-1
• 21 2/3 IP, 17 H, 5 ER, 8 BB, 20 K, 2.08 ERA, .218 B/Avg
• Starting Pitchers: Khal Stephen, Jonathan Blackwell, Kyle Iwinski, Calvin Schapira
2022 vs. Longwood – Team Record: 3-0
• 17 1/3 IP, 10 H, 4 ER, 6 BB, 23 K, 2.08 ERA, .175 B/Avg
• Starting Pitchers: Jackson Smeltz, Troy Wansing, Wyatt Wendell
DOUBLEHEADER SWEEPS SINCE OPENING DAY 2022
• April 15, 2023 vs. Penn State – W, 9-8 & 4-3
• March 4, 2023 vs. Akron – W, 17-9 & 13-0 (in Holly Springs, N.C.)
• March 20, 2022 vs. Illinois State – W, 9-2 & 7-6 (10)
• Feb. 26, 2022 vs. Princeton – W, 4-3 & 5-4 (in Holly Springs, N.C.)
• Feb. 25, 2022 vs. Princeton – W, 9-3 & 8-3 (in Holly Springs, N.C.)
• Feb. 19, 2022 vs. South Dakota State – W, 11-1 & 14-3 (in Sugar Land, Texas)
George Mason (1-3, 36-27 in 2023) vs. Purdue (3-1, 24-29 in 2023)
4-Game Series / Friday to Sunday, Feb. 23-25
Ting Stadium / Holly Springs, N.C.
Series Opener: Friday, Feb. 23 at 5 p.m. ET (Updated)
Doubleheader: Saturday, Feb. 24 at 1 p.m. ET
Series Finale: Sunday, Feb. 25 at 1 p.m. ET
All-Time Series: Purdue leads 1-0
Previous Meeting: Purdue 6, George Mason 1 (March 1987 in Raleigh, N.C.)
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday: Jordan Morales (Grad, LHP) vs. GMU's Nick Martins (Sr, RHP)
Saturday Game 1: Jonathan Blackwell (Sr, LHP) vs. GMU's Konner Eaton (Jr, LHP)
Saturday Game 2: Kyle Iwinski (Sr, RHP) vs. GMU'S Logan Rumberg (Fr, LHP)
Sunday: Luke Wagner (Sr, LHP) vs. GMU's Chad Gartland (Jr, RHP)
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue Baseball is set to play multiple weekends in North Carolina for the third year in a row, returning to Ting Stadium in Holly Springs to host George Mason for a four-game neutral-site series.
First pitch is slated for 3 p.m. ET on Friday, 1 p.m. for a Saturday doubleheader and 1 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free all weekend at Ting Stadium, the home of the Holly Springs Salamanders of the Costal Plain League. It's a full artificial turf field.
The Boilermakers have compiled a 12-3 record at Ting Stadium since making their debut there during the second weekend of the 2022 season. Five of those 12 victories have come in walk-off fashion, including four in 2022 during the program-record 15-0 start. Purdue play at East Carolina's Keith LeClair Classic in Greensville next weekend.
| WALK-OFF WINS IN HOLLY SPRINGS | |||||
| Date | Opponent | Location | Score (Innings) | GW RBI | GW Run |
| 2/24/2023 | NJIT | Holly Springs, N.C. | 6-5 (9) | Jake Parr | Paul Toetz |
| 3/06/2022 | Longwood | Holly Springs, N.C. | 6-5 (11) | Cam Thompson | Cam Thompson |
| 3/05/2022 | Longwood | Holly Springs, N.C. | 6-5 (13) | Jake Stadler | Jake Jarvis |
| 2/26/2022 | Princeton (G2) | Holly Springs, N.C. | 5-4 (9) | Cam Thompson | Curtis Washington Jr. |
| 2/26/2022 | Princeton (G1) | Holly Springs, N.C. | 4-3 (9) | CJ Valdez | Curtis Washington Jr. |
George Mason won 36 games and the Atlantic 10 Tournament as the No. 6 seed last season, qualifying for an NCAA Regional for the first time since 2014. The Patriots late-season surge included five consecutive wins in elimination games, three coming on the final two days of the A-10 Tournament as they defeated Saint Louis twice on Championship Saturday. As the 4-seed at Wake Forest's Winston-Salem Regional, GMU scored 11 runs in wins against Northeastern and Maryland.
Both Purdue and George Mason like to employ similar styles with aggressive base running. The Patriots were third nationally with 164 steals last year, sporting a roster with five players with at least 15 steals – including three with 25 or more. Purdue broke its team record with 116 steals in 2022 and swiped 99 last year to lead the Big Ten through the end of the conference tournament. Mike Bolton Jr. (74) is the Big Ten's active career leader in steals and ranks fifth nationally among active players. The Patriots' South Trimble is sixth nationally with 66 career steals, 30 coming last season.
George Mason was picked second in the A-10 preseason coaches poll this year, but it's been an uneven start for the Patriots over their first four games – three of which featured 20-plus runs for the winning team. After getting outscored 58-8 at Coastal Carolina's tournament last weekend, GMU erupted for 21 runs in Tuesday's home opener vs. Coppin State. They scored more runs in the third inning (12) than they did in their first three games combined. Coastal, Duke and Indiana certainly represented a tough trio of opponents for the opening weekend.
Kyle Iwinski pitched a complete-game one-hit shutout (7 IP, 0 BB, 8 K) at Ting Stadium vs. Akron last season, dominating to the tune of an elite game score of 83 in his first collegiate start. He earned Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors and National Player of the Week recognition from Collegiate Baseball for the gem. Last weekend, Jordan Morales and Jackson Dannelley teamed up for a combined shutout, Purdue's first season-opening shutout win since 1991.
A year ago, Aaron Suval and Dannelley teamed up for a combined 10 innings of one-hit relief over five appearances at Ting Stadium. They did not allow an earned run. Jonathan Blackwell racked up 16 strikeouts over 10 1/3 innings in his two starts in Holly Springs.
Logan Sutter and Luke Gaffney were a combined 12-for-19 with 11 RBI in last weekend's Saturday doubleheader and 18- for-35 with 12 RBI in the series, accounting for 45% of Purdue's hits and 39% of the RBI. Both players had nine hits in the four-game series, producing two of the most productive debuts in recent program history. Their combined 11 doubles were a big reason the Boilermakers had 17 as a team, tied for the top total nationally during the opening weekend. Individually, they were two of five players nationally with at least five doubles in the first weekend. Sutter was the national co-leader with six as of Monday.
Gaffney's three-double game Saturday was just the second by a Boilermaker since March 2019. The other one was at Ting Stadium. CJ Valdez accomplished the feat in a 2023 win vs. Akron in Holly Springs.
ACTIVE STREAKS
• Couper Cornblum: 24-game on-base streak (since April 15, 2023)
• Mike Bolton Jr.: 10-game on-base streak (since April 29, 2023)
PURDUE LEADERS IN HOLLY SPRINGS
Active Boilermakers
2023 (8 Games)
• Jo Stevens: 11-for-29, 2B, 9 RBI, HBP, 7 R, 2 Sac Flies, SB
• Couper Cornblum: 11-for-30, 2 2B, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 2 HBP, 8 R, Sac Fly, 7 SB
• Mike Bolton Jr.: 7-for-21, 2 3B, HR, 5 RBI, BB, 5 HBP, 10 R, 5 SB
• Camden Melvin: 5-for-12, 4 RBI, BB, HBP, 3 R, SB
• Kyle Iwinski: Win, CG, 3 App, 12 1/3 IP, 5 H, R, 2 BB, 15 K
• Jonathan Blackwell: Win, 2 GS, 10 1/3 IP, 11 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 16 K
• Aaron Suval: Win, Save, 3 App, 5 2/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K
• Jackson Dannelley: Win, 2 App, 4 1/3 IP, H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
• Davis Pratt: 2 App, 5 IP, 4 H, R, 2 BB, 3 K
• Carter Doorn: 3 App, 3 2/3 IP, 4 H, R, 0 BB, 7 K
COMBINED 2-YEAR TOTALS (15 Games)
• Mike Bolton Jr.: 14-for-48 (.292), 3 2B, 3 3B, HR, 7 RBI, 7 BB, 6 HBP, 13 R, 8 SB, .415 OBP
• CJ Backer: 4 App, 2 GS, 10 IP, 16 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 7 K
IMPRESSIVE STARTING PITCHING PERFORMANCES IN HOLLY SPRINGS
2023 vs. Akron – Team Record: 3-1
• 21 2/3 IP, 17 H, 5 ER, 8 BB, 20 K, 2.08 ERA, .218 B/Avg
• Starting Pitchers: Khal Stephen, Jonathan Blackwell, Kyle Iwinski, Calvin Schapira
2022 vs. Longwood – Team Record: 3-0
• 17 1/3 IP, 10 H, 4 ER, 6 BB, 23 K, 2.08 ERA, .175 B/Avg
• Starting Pitchers: Jackson Smeltz, Troy Wansing, Wyatt Wendell
DOUBLEHEADER SWEEPS SINCE OPENING DAY 2022
• April 15, 2023 vs. Penn State – W, 9-8 & 4-3
• March 4, 2023 vs. Akron – W, 17-9 & 13-0 (in Holly Springs, N.C.)
• March 20, 2022 vs. Illinois State – W, 9-2 & 7-6 (10)
• Feb. 26, 2022 vs. Princeton – W, 4-3 & 5-4 (in Holly Springs, N.C.)
• Feb. 25, 2022 vs. Princeton – W, 9-3 & 8-3 (in Holly Springs, N.C.)
• Feb. 19, 2022 vs. South Dakota State – W, 11-1 & 14-3 (in Sugar Land, Texas)
| 3-DOUBLE GAMES BY BOILERMAKERS (Since 2001) | |||
| Date | Boilermaker | Opponent | Full Stat Line |
| 2/17/2024 | Luke Gaffney | vs Stony Brook (Sugar Land, TX) | 3-for-5, 3 2B, 5 RBI, 2 R |
| 3/04/2023 | CJ Valdez | vs Akron (Holly Springs, NC) | 3-for-5, 3 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R |
| 2/15/2019 | Owen Jansen | at Southern Miss | 4-for-4, 3 2B, BB, RBI, R |
| 5/11/2016 | Daniel Sander | at Valparaiso | 5-for-5, 3 2B, 5 RBI |
| 4/24/2016 | Brett Carlson | at Maryland | 3-for-4, 3 2B, RBI, R |
| 5/08/2011 | Kevin Plawecki | at Michigan State | 3-for-4, 3 2B, BB, RBI, R |
| 2/27/2009 | Nick Overmyer | at Southeast Missouri St. | 3-for-4, 3 2B, 4 RBI, 2 R |
| 3/02/2007 | Spencer Ingaldson | at Western Kentucky | 5-for-5, 3 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R |
| 4/04/2004 | Mike Coles | at Penn State | 5-for-7, 3 2B, 5 R |
| 5/11/2003 | Ben Fritz | at Indiana | 4-for-6, 3 2B, 4 RBI, 2 R |
| 5/11/2003 | Simon Klink | at Indiana | 3-for-4, 3 2B, BB, RBI, 4 R |
| 4/08/2003 | John Manuel | Purdue Fort Wayne | 4-for-5, 3 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R |
| 3/30/2001 | Nate Sickler | at Michigan State | 3-for-3, 3 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R, SB |
| FEWEST HITS ALLOWED IN 4-GAME SERIES/WEEKEND (Since 2001) | |||||
| Season | Opponent | Hits Allowed | Innings | Hits/9 IP | Results |
| 2006 | at Iowa | 18 | 31 | 5.23 | Split 2-2 |
| 2005 | at Minnesota | 19 | 32 | 5.34 | Won All 4 |
| 2008 | Western Illinois | 22 | 36 | 5.50 | Won All 4 |
| 2001 | Iowa | 20 | 32 | 5.63 | Won 3 of 4 |
| 2021 | vs Michigan State & at Illinois | 24 | 38 | 5.68 | Won All 4 |
| 2016 | Cal State Northridge | 24 | 37 | 5.84 | Won 3 of 4 |
| 2023 | vs Akron | 22 | 32 | 6.19 | Won 3 of 4 |
| 2018 | at San Antonio Tournament | 25 | 36 1/3 | 6.19 | Won 3 of 4 |
| 2022 | vs South Dakota State | 25 | 36 | 6.25 | Won All 4 |
| 2019 | at Texas | 25 | 33 | 6.83 | Lost 3 of 4 |
| 2006 | Michigan State | 25 | 32 | 7.03 | Won 3 of 4 |
| 2024 | vs Stony Brook | 30 | 36 | 7.50 | Won 3 of 4 |
| 2018 | at Big Ten Tournament | 30 | 35 | 7.71 | Won 3 of 4 |
| 2022 | vs Princeton | 31 | 36 | 7.75 | Won All 4 |
| 2017 | at Santa Clara | 31 | 36 | 7.75 | Won All 4 |
| 2007 | Indiana | 28 | 32 | 7.88 | Won 3 of 4 |
| PURDUE GRAND SLAMS (SINCE 2010) | |||||
| Date | Boilermaker | Opponent | Location | Inning | Game Result |
| 2/18/2024 | Connor Caskenette | Stony Brook | Sugar Land, Texas | B-6th | W, 13-6 |
| 4/08/2023 | Jake Jarvis | Minnesota | Minneapolis, Minn. | T-9th | W, 15-3 |
| 3/15/2023 | Jake Jarvis | Northern Illinois | Alexander Field | B-7th | W, 14-5 |
| 3/04/2023 | Jake Parr | Akron | Holly Springs, N.C. | B-3rd | W, 13-9 |
| 5/21/2021 | Miles Simington | Minnesota | Minneapolis, Minn. | T-3rd | W, 12-5 |
| 5/20/2021 | Jake Parr* | Minnesota | Minneapolis, Minn. | T-5th | W, 9-3 |
| 4/19/2021 | Jeremy Schork* | Illinois | Champaign, Ill. | T-9th | W, 20-6 |
| 3/26/2021 | Cam Thompson* | Rutgers | Alexander Field | B-9th | L, 7-5 |
| 2/15/2020 | Miles Simington* | Hofstra | Sanford, Fla. | B-8th | W, 10-4 |
| 4/09/2017 | Nick Dalesandro | Indiana | Alexander Field | B-9th | L, 14-9 |
| 3/23/2016 | Kyle Wood | Louisville | Alexander Field | B-6th | L, 9-4 |
| 3/22/2016 | Kyle Johnson | Ball State | Muncie, Ind. | T-2nd | L, 9-8 |
| 3/05/2016 | Kyle Johnson | East Tennessee St. | Johnson City, Tenn. | T-7th | W, 19-6 |
| 3/20/2015 | Jack Picchiotti | Rutgers | Alexander Field | B-7th | W, 9-5 |
| 3/15/2015 | Ted Snidanko* | Northern Illinois | Westfield, Ind. | B-6th | W, 23-5 |
| 3/15/2013 | Sean McHugh | Michigan | Ann Arbor, Mich. | T-6th | W, 12-9 |
| 4/27/2012 | Barrett Serrato | Michigan State | Lambert Field | B-4th | W, 6-2 |
| 2/19/2012 | Cameron Perkins | Notre Dame | St. Petersburg, Fla. | T-6th | W, 15-8 |
| 4/16/2010 | Drew Madia | Penn State | Lambert Field | B-2nd | W, 18-7 |
| 4/06/2010 | Dominick D'Agata* | Valparaiso | Lambert Field | B-7th | W, 14-5 |
| *First Home Run as a Boilermaker | |||||