2016 / AS A SENIOR
- Academic All-Big Ten
- Individual Game-by-Game Stats
- Strong played in 50 games and started 47 times
- Made a team-high 42 starts at second base and also started games in both corner outfield positions as well as third base
- Recorded four-hit games at California and Indiana
- Reached base safely in 15 consecutive games from March 11-April 8, sharing the longest streak on the team in 2016
- Enjoyed a 10-for-14 stretch in which he had at least three hits in three straight games at the end of his 15-game streak
- Hit safely in all three game of the Ohio series in Kokomo
- Scored a run in all three games of the series at Indiana
- Finished his career with 101 free passes (74 walks, 27 HBP) vs. 75 strikeouts
2015 / AS A JUNIOR
- Academic All-Big Ten
- Individual Game-by-Game Stats
- Strong played in 51 games and started 49 times
- Made 48 starts at second base after being in left field for the season opener
- Recognized as the team's defensive player of the year
- Started all 23 Big Ten games
- Had three hits in the rubber game win at Nebraska
- Led the team with seven sacrifice bunts
- Scored three times against Michigan State and Penn State
- Reached base safely in 10 straight games from April through May 9
- Hit safely in all three games of the Michigan State series
- Contributed to 33 of the 54 double plays turned to help Purdue lead the Big Ten through the end of the regular season
- Did not commit an error the final nine games of the season
- Also went 11 games without an error early in the season
- Struck out only three times in 73 plate appearances at Alexander Field
- Committed only one error in the 12 Big Ten road games
- Batted .303 in midweek action
- Scored a team-high 11 runs while batting .270 in May
- Did not strikeout in three straight weekend series (Rutgers, Butler, Iowa)
- Doubled twice and scored five runs in the Michigan State series
- Was 5-for-12 with three runs scored in the series win at Nebraska
2014 / AS A SOPHOMORE
- Individual Game-by-Game Stats
- Strong played in 47 games and started 46 times
- Made 45 of his 46 starts at second base
- Only missed the first two games of the Penn State series as well as game two of the San Diego State series
- Started the Louisville game at designated hitter
- Was behind the plate for the final couple innings of the game three at SDSU and played left field briefly in game two at Michigan State
- Batted second in the lineup a team-high 28 times
- Scored the game-winning run from second base in the 13th inning of the walk-off win against Ohio State
- Led the team with eight sacrifice bunts and ranked second with 19 walks
- Contributed to 32 of the Big Ten-high 54 double plays turned by Purdue Recorded an RBI in five straight games in which he played in March
- Hit safely in all three games of the Michigan State (5-for-12), Michigan (4-for-11) and Iowa (4-for-12) series
- Batted .284 with six sacrifice bunts in Big Ten play
- Reached base 44 percent of the time when leading off an inning, including 62 percent in league play
- With a runner on third base and less than two outs, drove in the run in nine of his 14 chances (64 percent)
- Batted .314 with more walks than strikeouts in Big Ten home games
- Best month was April when he batted .281 with a .379 on-base percentage
- Finished the San Diego State series 5-for-13 with four RBI and no strikeouts
- Also did not strikeout while starting every game of the Illinois and Ohio State series
- Reached base safely in the first 10 games of the season and 38 of the 46 games in which he batted overall
2013 / AS A FRESHMAN
- Strong played in 33 games and started 26 times
- Beginning with the March 31 win at Penn State, started 22 of the final 28 games of the season
- Started games at four different positions - second base (14), right field (7), left field (3) and third base (2) - and also saw action at catcher
- Led the team with a .436 on-base percentage thanks in part to 25 free passes (19 walks, 6 HBP)
- .492 on-base percentage in Big Ten play would have led the league but he fell six plate appearances shy of the minimum to qualify
- Was the most difficult Boiler to strikeout in 2013, fanning only seven times in 83 at-bats (111 plate appearances)
- Connected for his first collegiate home run, a three-run shot, in the series opener at Illinois
- Reached base safely in 16 consecutive games, the longest streak on the team, and 19 consecutive games in which he started
- Reached base safely a team-best 48 percent of the time when leading off an inning
- Batted .346 with runners in scoring position; with a man on third and less than two outs, plated that runner in all seven of his opportunities
- Batted .302 (13-for-43) with a .474 on-base percentage at Alexander Field
- Went 8-for-23 with just one strikeout in Big Ten road action
- Hit safely and scored a run in all three games of the Southern Illinois series
- Had a game-tying RBI double and four walks in the middle game of the Northwestern series, becoming the first Boiler to draw four walks in a game since 2009
- Finished the Illinois series 4-for-8 with three walks, three RBI and four runs scored
- Had a .527 on-base percentage in April thanks to 11 hits and 18 free passes Recorded his first collegiate hit as part of a 2-for-4 while making his first start, March 3 at Samford
- Had an RBI double while reaching safely three times in the midweek home date with Indiana State
- Drew a two-out walk in front of Jack Picchiotti's game-tying single in the four-run two-out ninth inning rally in the series finale win at Michigan
High School
- Strong was a four-year varsity starter at catcher for coach Jake Burton at McCutcheon High School in Lafayette, Ind
- Two-time Lafayette Journal and Courier Big School Player of the Year as an upperclassman
- Batted .500 as a junior, .482 as a senior to garner honorable mention all-state and All-Hoosier Crossroad Conference honors
- Played for the north team at the 2012 North/South All-Star Game
- Honorable mention all-conference as a sophomore after batting .333
- Honored as the team's rookie of the year as a freshman
Personal
- Major: Organizational Leadership with a career ambition of becoming a sports agent
- Full name is Cody Austin Strong
- Born in Lafayette, Ind
- Parents are Tim and Paula Strong
Purdue Personal Preferences
Favorite Pro Team: St. Louis Cardinals
Favorite Ball Player: Dustin Pedroia
Favorite Pro Stadium: Busch Stadium
Favorite Field He's Played On (Other Than Purdue): Nebraska's Haymarket Park
Favorite Marquee Event: World Series
Toughest Pitcher for Him to Face Among Teammates: Gavin Downs
MLB Pitcher He'd Like to Face: Clayton Kershaw
Would Like to Have Dinner With: Bo Jackson
In His MP3 Player: Notorious B.I.G.
Favorite Actor, Actress & Director: Mark Wahlberg, Jennifer Aniston & Michael Bay
Favorite Movie to Watch on Team Bus: Semi-Pro
Favorite Super-Hero: Superman
Favorite Month: October
Favorite Holiday: Thanksgiving
Favorite Food: Chicken Alfredo
Favorite Purdue Building: Mackey Arena
Favorite Big City: San Diego
Country He'd Like to Visit: Spain
Favorite Outdoor Activity: Snowboarding
Another Sport He Enjoys: Basketball
Favorite Thing About Alexander Field: Night Games
Most Memorable Game at Purdue: Walk-off Win vs. Ohio State in 2014
Enjoyed this Professor's Class: Linda Naimi, Technology
Furry Friend: Skittles, Dachshund