· Academic All-Big Ten
· Individual Game-by-Game Statistics
· Pitched in 12 games, all in relief
· Graduated in May and opted to close out his Purdue career with his classmates
· Worked at least three innings of scoreless relief in wins vs. Incarnate Word, Chicago State and Fort Wayne
· Closed out the NCAA Regional win vs. North Carolina A&T, giving up just one hit over two innings
· Set the stage for the comeback win vs. Incarnate Word by retiring all nine batters he faced
· Also worked an inning and a third of scoreless relief in the comeback win vs. Notre Dame
· Closed out the Fort Wayne victory to earn a three-inning save
· Gave up just two hits over three innings vs. Chicago State despite having not pitched in more than a month
· Transferred to Valparaiso to finish out his college career in 2019
2017 / AS A REDSHIRT SOPHOMORE
· Academic All-Big Ten
· Individual Game-by-Game Statistics
· Pitched in 12 games and made eight straight weekend starts from March 12 to May 7
· Helped lead Purdue to wins in series finales vs. Santa Clara, Ohio State and Illinois
· Worked a combined 10 2/3 innings of four-hit ball in the OSU and Illinois victories, helping Purdue win a rubber game in Columbus and sweep the home series vs. the Illini
· Pitched in relief the first three weekends in his return to the mound for the first time since March 2015
· Returned to the weekend rotation on the spring break trip, giving up a combined two earned runs over 7 1/3 innings vs. Cal State Northridge and Santa Clara
· Struck out a career-high five over five innings of two-run ball in the rubber game of the conference-opening series at Iowa
· Was Purdue's most effective pitcher in the hitter-friendly series finale with Indiana, working 4 1/3 innings of four-run ball in his first start at home since 2015
· Struck out four in two innings of scoreless relief over two appearances in the series-opening series at Texas State
2016 / AS A REDSHIRT FRESHMAN
· Academic All-Big Ten
· Individual Game-by-Game Statistics
· Played in 11 games as a position player, making three starts, before opting to undergo an arm surgery in late March that ended his season
· Started the first two games of the season at designated hitter after being strictly a pitcher as freshman
· Also started the series finale vs. Ohio at third base
· Singled and scored twice in the comeback win at Georgia State
· Played third base in all three games of the Ohio series, recording a single in the 15-inning win
· Recorded an RBI in the finale of the Cal series
2015 / AS A FRESHMAN
· Individual Game-by-Game Statistics
· Pitched in six games, starting all six, before an injury in late March ended his season
· Granted a medical redshirt
· Was Purdue's series-opening starter in all six of his outings
· Gave up just one run on three hits over 5 1/3 innings to earn the win in the opener at Oklahoma
· Worked 5 2/3 shutout innings in a no-decision vs. Butler
· Pitched a season-high six-plus innings against Northern Illinois, two of the four runs he was charged with scoring in the seventh after he left the game
· Surrendered no more than one run in any of his first three starts after working two innings of one-run ball in his collegiate debut vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and 3 1/3 innings vs. Gonzaga
· Left the Big Ten opener against Rutgers with two outs in the fifth inning with Purdue leading 3-2
· Became the rare freshman to start a Big Ten opener on the mound for Purdue under previous head coach Doug Schreiber
· Surrendered only five extra-base hits in 27 innings
HIGH SCHOOL
· Four-year varsity letterwinner for coach Pete Lotus at St. Laurence High School in the south suburbs of Chicago
· Catholic League Player of the Year as a senior after batting .417 and posting a 9-1 record with 88 strikeouts on the mound
· Two-time all-state and First Team All-Catholic League as an upperclassman
· Batted .429 with an 8-1 record, 82 strikeouts and 0.97 ERA on the mound as a junior to earn Area Player of the Year honors from the Southtown Star newspaper
· Three-time all-area honoree was Second Team All-Catholic League in each of his underclassman seasons
· Established new school records for games played, hits, RBI, runs scored and strikeouts
· Batted .405 and went 5-1 as a starting pitcher as a sophomore
· Batted .397 as the starting second baseman as a freshman playing varsity
· Also played three years of basketball, earning offensive team MVP honors as a junior after averaging 14 point per game
· Defensive team MVP as a sophomore playing varsity
· Helped lead St. Laurence to four straight regional titles in the IHSA playoffs
· Honor roll student graduated with a 4.0 GPA
PERSONAL
· Major: Organizational Leadership
· Full name is Michael Joseph Kornacker
· Born in Hinsdale, Illinois
· Parents are Dean and Debbie Kornacker
· Family also includes older siblings Lauren and Mark
· Father was drafted by the San Francisco Giants and reached the Double-A level after being a standout performer in college at Saint Xavier in Chicago
· Brother Mark played baseball at Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois, where his mother is a professor of nursing
· Sister Lauren is a nurse practitioner in Tampa
Purdue Personal Preferences
Favorite Pro Team: Chicago Cubs
Favorite Ball Player: Kris Bryant
Had the Biggest Impact on His Athletic Career: Dean Kornacker, Father
Favorite Playoff Format: NCAA Basketball Tournament
Favorite Pro Stadium: Wrigley Field
Favorite Field He's Played at (Besides Alexander): Phoenix Municipal Stadium
Toughest Pitcher for Him to Face Among Teammates: Jacson McGowan
MLB Hitter He'd Like to Face: Aaron Judge
Celeb or Pro Athlete He'd Like to Meet: Derek Jeter
Most Unique Baseball Feat He's Witnessed: Carlos Zambrano's No-Hitter at Miller Park
Would Like to Have Dinner With: Mark Cuban
In His MP3 Player: Brantley Gilbert
Last Concert He Attended: Jimmy Buffett
Favorite Multi-Media App: Spotify
Favorite Actor: Denzel Washington
Dream Car: Audi R8
Favorite Movie to Watch on Team Bus: Tommy Boy
Favorite Superhero: Batman
Show He Can't Stop Watching: Sons of Anarchy
Favorite TV Series: Seinfeld
Favorite Month: December
Favorite Holiday: Christmas
Favorite Food: Steak
Favorite Dessert: Ice Cream
Favorite Purdue Buildings: Co-Rec
Favorite Big City: Chicago
Unique Travel Locale: Orange Beach, Alabama
City He'd Like to Visit: Paris
Favorite Outdoor Activity: Fishing
Another Sport He Enjoys Playing: Basketball
Favorite Thing About Alexander Field: 408 Feet to Center (Pitcher Friendly)
Favorite Thing About College Baseball: Competing
Most Memorable Game at Purdue: Winning at Oklahoma in 2015