OMAHA Neb. – Luke Gaffney's 13th home run of the season had three team records attached to it and Davis Pratt impressed on the mound in his finest outing as a Boilermaker, but both came in a losing effort as Purdue Baseball fell to Nebraska 6-2 Wednesday in an elimination game at the Big Ten Tournament.
The Boilermakers concluded their season with a 33-24 record, setting half a dozen team records – including benchmarks for runs, home runs, RBI and on-base percentage.
Purdue had the bad fortune of having to face Big Ten Pitcher of the Year Brett Sears in the first elimination game of the tournament after the Huskers (35-20) opted to not start him in their opening-round loss to Ohio State on Tuesday. Gaffney hit an opposite-field homer into the Nebraska bullpen in the first inning and the Boilers loaded the bases twice the following frame. But Sears (9-0) settled in and retired 13 of the final 14 batters he faced, striking out nine over six innings. Purdue had just two base runners after the second inning, with the Huskers retiring 16 in a row.
Pratt took the mound in the top of the third and pitched into the ninth, keeping the Boilermakers in it with the longest relief outing of the season by a Purdue pitcher. The senior struck out five and did not give up a run until surrendering a solo homer on his 90th pitch of the night. Pratt became the first Boilermaker to limit the opposition to one run or fewer over six innings of relief since March 2019.
Gaffney's home run gave him sole possession of the Purdue freshman records for hits and home runs. He also tied Mitch Hilligoss' team record for runs scored (62). Gaffney eclipsed six Purdue freshman records during his Big Ten Freshman of the Year campaign. His 1.095 OPS is also a benchmark for a first-year Boilermaker as well as the best by any Purdue hitter in the BBCOR bat era (2011-present).
Gaffney finished the season sharing the team lead in home runs with Connor Caskenette and Keenan Spence. Gaffney and Spence teamed up for three of the Boilermakers' four home runs at the Big Ten Tournament. Keenan Taylor hit the other and nearly homered for the third game in a row when he flew out to the wall in left field as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning.
Logan Sutter, Couper Cornblum, Camden Gasser and Mike Bolton Jr. all reached base safely in the second inning, but the only run came across on an RBI ground out from Thomas Green. After Nebraska had scored four times on four hits in the top half of the frame, coupled with Sears being on the mound, Purdue needed to cash in on that opportunity with more than just a single run.
The Boilermakers posted 12 scoreless innings in their 17 on the mound in Omaha this week. But the opposition scored 14 runs in the other five frames.
Purdue will bid adieu to a large senior class headlined by Bolton, Caskenette, Cornblum, Pratt and many other key contributors. Gaffney, Gasser, Spence and Sutter are slated to headline the returning starters for the 2025 season.
The Boilermakers concluded their season with a 33-24 record, setting half a dozen team records – including benchmarks for runs, home runs, RBI and on-base percentage.
Purdue had the bad fortune of having to face Big Ten Pitcher of the Year Brett Sears in the first elimination game of the tournament after the Huskers (35-20) opted to not start him in their opening-round loss to Ohio State on Tuesday. Gaffney hit an opposite-field homer into the Nebraska bullpen in the first inning and the Boilers loaded the bases twice the following frame. But Sears (9-0) settled in and retired 13 of the final 14 batters he faced, striking out nine over six innings. Purdue had just two base runners after the second inning, with the Huskers retiring 16 in a row.
Pratt took the mound in the top of the third and pitched into the ninth, keeping the Boilermakers in it with the longest relief outing of the season by a Purdue pitcher. The senior struck out five and did not give up a run until surrendering a solo homer on his 90th pitch of the night. Pratt became the first Boilermaker to limit the opposition to one run or fewer over six innings of relief since March 2019.
Gaffney's home run gave him sole possession of the Purdue freshman records for hits and home runs. He also tied Mitch Hilligoss' team record for runs scored (62). Gaffney eclipsed six Purdue freshman records during his Big Ten Freshman of the Year campaign. His 1.095 OPS is also a benchmark for a first-year Boilermaker as well as the best by any Purdue hitter in the BBCOR bat era (2011-present).
Gaffney finished the season sharing the team lead in home runs with Connor Caskenette and Keenan Spence. Gaffney and Spence teamed up for three of the Boilermakers' four home runs at the Big Ten Tournament. Keenan Taylor hit the other and nearly homered for the third game in a row when he flew out to the wall in left field as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning.
Logan Sutter, Couper Cornblum, Camden Gasser and Mike Bolton Jr. all reached base safely in the second inning, but the only run came across on an RBI ground out from Thomas Green. After Nebraska had scored four times on four hits in the top half of the frame, coupled with Sears being on the mound, Purdue needed to cash in on that opportunity with more than just a single run.
The Boilermakers posted 12 scoreless innings in their 17 on the mound in Omaha this week. But the opposition scored 14 runs in the other five frames.
Purdue will bid adieu to a large senior class headlined by Bolton, Caskenette, Cornblum, Pratt and many other key contributors. Gaffney, Gasser, Spence and Sutter are slated to headline the returning starters for the 2025 season.
| TEAM RECORDS ECLIPSED | ||
| Statistical Category | Purdue Season Record | 2024 Team Total |
| Runs | 454 in 1986 | 457 (Broke Record May 21) |
| Runs Per Game | 7.44 in 2022 | 8.02 |
| RBI | 397 in 1986 | 427 (Broke Record May 11) |
| Home Runs | 73 in 1987 | 75 (Broke Record May 21) |
| HBP | 112 in 2022 (since 1981) | 113 (Broke Record May 22) |
| On-Base Pct. | .405 in 2009 (Since 1982) | .406 |
| GAFFNEY'S FRESHMAN RECORDS | ||
| Statistical Category | Freshman Record Entering 2024 | Luke Gaffney's Total |
| RBI | 53 – Kevin Plawecki, 2010 | 64 (Broke Record April 20) |
| Run Scored | 50 – Brett Roach, 1986 | 62 (Broke Record April 24) |
| Total Bases | 119 – Perkins (2010)/Roach (1986) | 135 (Broke Record April 27) |
| Home Runs | 12 – Brett Roach, 1986 | 13 (Broke Record May 22) |
| Hits | 74 – Cameron Perkins, 2010 | 75 (Tied Record May 22) |
| Slugging Percentage | .583 – Brett Roach, 1986 | .646 |
| 5 INNINGS OF SCORELESS RELIEF In Purdue's Alexander Field Era (2013-Present) |
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| Date | Pitcher | Full Line | Opponent | Game Result |
| 5/22/2024 | Davis Pratt | 6 IP, 5 H, R, 3 BB, 5 K | vs Nebraska | L, 6-2 |
| 3/31/2024 | Carter Doorn | 5.1 IP, 2 H, BB, 5 K | at Ohio State | W, 7-1 |
| 3/25/2022 | Landon Weins | 5.1 IP, 2 H, 0 BB, 2 K | Ohio State | W, 7-5 |
| 2/19/2022 | Ricky Castro | 5 IP, H, 2 BB, 5 K | vs South Dakota St. | W, 11-1 |
| 3/20/2019 | Kyle Wade | 6 IP, 4 H, R, 0 BB, 5 K | Bowling Green | W, 9-2 |
| 2/18/2017 | Dalton Parker | 5 IP, H, 2 BB, 2 K | at Texas State | W, 12-8 |
| 4/19/2016 | Eddie De LaRiva | 7 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K | Ball State | W, 9-2 |
| 4/02/2016 | Tanner Andrews | 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K | at Penn State | L, 7-6 |
| 3/19/2016 | Matt Frawley | 7 IP, 4 H, R, BB, 3 K | vs Ohio | W, 5-4 |
| 3/05/2016 | Matt Frawley | 7.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 6 K | at East Tennessee St. | W, 19-6 |
| 5/16/2015 | Joe Eichmann | 5.2 IP, 3 H, BB, 9 K | Penn State | W, 7-3 |
| 4/18/2014 | Matt Gibbs | 5 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 6 K | Michigan | L, 7-6 (12) |
| 3/01/2014 | Gavin Downs | 5.2 IP, 5 H, BB, K | vs Butler | W, 3-2 |
| 4/02/2013 | Joe Eichmann | 7.2 IP, 6 H, R, BB, 4 K | Butler | L, 8-4 |