Northwestern University Athletics
Friday, May 4
West Lafayette, Ind.
5 p.m.
Northwestern
at
Purdue
Northwestern Travels to Take On Purdue
5/3/2018 5:16:00 PM | Baseball
EVANSTON, Ill. – After winning five of its last six contests, Northwestern travels to West Lafayette, Indiana, this weekend to face off in a three-game series against Purdue.
Northwestern (14-25, 4-14 B1G) will look to continue the momentum in conference play following a sweep against Penn State in Happy Valley last weekend. The Wildcats are currently in a dense part of their schedule, as the series at Purdue will mark nine games in 12 days.
Friday and Saturday's games will begin at 5 p.m. CT and the series finale on Sunday is set for a noon first pitch.
Northwestern has taken five of the last six from Purdue since the 2016 season. The Wildcats picked up a series win last season at Purdue after sweeping the Boilermakers at Miller Park in 2016.
Fans can follow the action on the airwaves via WNUR or with live stats found here.
GOING STREAKING
The team's best contact hitter, Jack Dunn, has set the pace in the leadoff spot. The junior shortstop is now on an 12-game hit streak, including six multi-hit games in his past seven. He has reached base in 16 straight games – longest mark for a Wildcat this season.
Connor Lind is has reached base successfully in 11 consecutive games heading into the Purdue series.
Before losing at Western Michigan, Northwestern compiled a five-game winning streak. Its longest streak since stringing together seven wins in a row during the 2017 season from May 13 – May 25.
NO FOOLIN' IN APRIL
In the month of April, Jack Dunn hit .354 with a .417 OBP and four doubles. His .315 average and .399 OBP on the season both lead the team, and his spark at the top has given sluggers behind him the opportunities to drive in runs.
On the pitching side, Tommy Bordignon had a lights out month of April. The righty reliever made nine appearances, pitched 12.0 innings and only allowed one earned run (0.75 ERA). The Glenview, Illinois, native picked up a pair of saves (at UIC on 4/24; at Penn State on 4/29) in the month. In his 12.0 IP during the month, Bordignon only allowed nine hits, including just one for extra bases, and held opposing batters to a .191 average.
CONFERENCE CALL
Northwestern has leaned on the duo of Jack Claeys and Jack Dunn in conference games this season.
Claeys has team-bests in batting average (.309) and slugging percentage (.529) in league games. The Eden Prairie, Minnesota, native has 22 hits, including four doubles and four home runs. He has driven in 13 runs and touched home on nine occasions.
Dunn is batting .306 in Big Ten games with a team-best 22 hits. He is a perfect 4-for-4 in stolen bases against league opponents and has a team-high 11 runs scored.
HERE FOR THE CHARLIE PARTY
Sophomore third baseman Charlie Maxwell, an Evanston product, has emerged as a threat in the middle of the order over the past seven games. Since April 22, Maxwell is batting .417 at the dish with an .875 slugging percentage. He has 10 hits, half of which went for extra bases, including a pair of home runs, and nine RBI. Maxwell picked up the go-ahead hit on a 2-RBI triple in the top of the ninth to give NU a 7-6 win in the series opener at Penn State. He has homered in back-to-back Big Ten series.
BEN-E-FICIAL
Junior center fielder Ben Dickey continues to contribute by getting on base and giving his teammates chances. During the Northwestern's recent five-game win streak, he reached base a total of ten times, including four walks. His 24 walks on the season is second only to Willie Bourbon. Dickey has four multi-hit games since April 17, including a 3-for-4 performance on April 27 at Penn State. The Elk Grove, Illinois native still has a .356 on-base percentage, fourth-best on the team.
ON THE BUMP
Associate head coach/pitching coach Josh Reynolds has elected to start the series the same way, with Sunday to be determined. Friday, rookie Quinn Lavelle (3-5, 4.36 ERA) will start off, fresh from a no-decision at Penn State in which he tossed six innings and allowed three runs. Saturday, sophomore righty Hank Christie (2-4, 4.86 ERA) will take the mound. He pitched four innings at Penn State and allowed two earned runs in a no-decision.
Jack Pagliarini currently leads the team with 54 strikeouts. He has six outings with six or more strikeouts thus far, and his total is good enough to put him top-15 in the conference. The Springboro, Ohio native has held opponents to a miniscule .214 average, which places him tied for fifth in the Big Ten. Also on that list is Hank Christie, whose .232 opponent batting average sits at 11th in the conference. Christie's .202 opponent batting average for conference foes is good for eighth.
Sunday's starter is TBD.
BULLPEN SPOTLIGHT
Reliever Josh Levy (1-1, 4.50 ERA) has been a consistent worker from the pen. In his last seven appearances, he has allowed only three hits and zero runs, striking out eight. Senior Tommy Bordignon (5 SV, 2.67 ERA) has closed the door for 'Cats. He has picked up two key saves in the streak, including a two-inning gem Sunday at Penn State where he allowed no hits and no runs.
MILESTONE AND MARKS
• Tommy Bordignon is three strikeouts shy of 100 for his career. The senior has a career-best five saves this season and nine for his career.
• Willie Bourbon picked up his 100th career hit on Sunday, April 24 against Michigan State with a RBI-single in the bottom of the eighth.
• Jack Dunn has totaled 150 consecutive starts. The junior led off the game against Chicago State (May 1) with a single. The knock was his 150th career hit.
• Jack Kelly launched his first career home run in the win against Chicago State on May 1.
• Charlie Maxwell notched his first career home run on April 22 against Michigan State.
THE OPPONENT
The Purdue Boilermakers currently sit at third in the Big Ten and are 9-1 in their last 10 games. The Boilermakers enter the series at home versus Northwestern following sweeps of conference opponents Rutgers and Maryland, with single-game victories over Indiana and Chicago State in between. The home series against the Wildcats, followed by a home game against Fort Wayne next week, will mark the end of an eight-game home stand for the Boilermakers, who currently sport a 7-5 record at home.
Jacson McGowan leads the team with a .336 batting average and 11 home runs. The team as a whole ranks middle-of-the-pack in the Big Ten in most major offensive categories, including eighth in average and slugging and sixth in on-base percentage.
Chicago's Big Ten Team took two out of three for the series against Purdue in 2017, with the only loss coming in twelve innings. Alex Erro led the way for the 'Cats, hitting .333 in the series. In the finale, Erro tallied three hits in five tries, including a home run and four RBI.
RHP Tanner Andrews (5-3, 2.10 ERA) will get the ball for the Boilermakers in the opener and LHP Gareth Stroh (5-2, 5.04 ERA) will start the opener, while RHP Trent Johnson (2-1, 1.69 ERA) is slated for the finale.
Ross Leonard has been lights out in the closer role for Purdue with eight saves in 19 appearances and a 1.69 ERA in 24.1 IP.
Northwestern (14-25, 4-14 B1G) will look to continue the momentum in conference play following a sweep against Penn State in Happy Valley last weekend. The Wildcats are currently in a dense part of their schedule, as the series at Purdue will mark nine games in 12 days.
Friday and Saturday's games will begin at 5 p.m. CT and the series finale on Sunday is set for a noon first pitch.
Northwestern has taken five of the last six from Purdue since the 2016 season. The Wildcats picked up a series win last season at Purdue after sweeping the Boilermakers at Miller Park in 2016.
Fans can follow the action on the airwaves via WNUR or with live stats found here.
GOING STREAKING
The team's best contact hitter, Jack Dunn, has set the pace in the leadoff spot. The junior shortstop is now on an 12-game hit streak, including six multi-hit games in his past seven. He has reached base in 16 straight games – longest mark for a Wildcat this season.
Connor Lind is has reached base successfully in 11 consecutive games heading into the Purdue series.
Before losing at Western Michigan, Northwestern compiled a five-game winning streak. Its longest streak since stringing together seven wins in a row during the 2017 season from May 13 – May 25.
NO FOOLIN' IN APRIL
In the month of April, Jack Dunn hit .354 with a .417 OBP and four doubles. His .315 average and .399 OBP on the season both lead the team, and his spark at the top has given sluggers behind him the opportunities to drive in runs.
On the pitching side, Tommy Bordignon had a lights out month of April. The righty reliever made nine appearances, pitched 12.0 innings and only allowed one earned run (0.75 ERA). The Glenview, Illinois, native picked up a pair of saves (at UIC on 4/24; at Penn State on 4/29) in the month. In his 12.0 IP during the month, Bordignon only allowed nine hits, including just one for extra bases, and held opposing batters to a .191 average.
CONFERENCE CALL
Northwestern has leaned on the duo of Jack Claeys and Jack Dunn in conference games this season.
Claeys has team-bests in batting average (.309) and slugging percentage (.529) in league games. The Eden Prairie, Minnesota, native has 22 hits, including four doubles and four home runs. He has driven in 13 runs and touched home on nine occasions.
Dunn is batting .306 in Big Ten games with a team-best 22 hits. He is a perfect 4-for-4 in stolen bases against league opponents and has a team-high 11 runs scored.
HERE FOR THE CHARLIE PARTY
Sophomore third baseman Charlie Maxwell, an Evanston product, has emerged as a threat in the middle of the order over the past seven games. Since April 22, Maxwell is batting .417 at the dish with an .875 slugging percentage. He has 10 hits, half of which went for extra bases, including a pair of home runs, and nine RBI. Maxwell picked up the go-ahead hit on a 2-RBI triple in the top of the ninth to give NU a 7-6 win in the series opener at Penn State. He has homered in back-to-back Big Ten series.
BEN-E-FICIAL
Junior center fielder Ben Dickey continues to contribute by getting on base and giving his teammates chances. During the Northwestern's recent five-game win streak, he reached base a total of ten times, including four walks. His 24 walks on the season is second only to Willie Bourbon. Dickey has four multi-hit games since April 17, including a 3-for-4 performance on April 27 at Penn State. The Elk Grove, Illinois native still has a .356 on-base percentage, fourth-best on the team.
ON THE BUMP
Associate head coach/pitching coach Josh Reynolds has elected to start the series the same way, with Sunday to be determined. Friday, rookie Quinn Lavelle (3-5, 4.36 ERA) will start off, fresh from a no-decision at Penn State in which he tossed six innings and allowed three runs. Saturday, sophomore righty Hank Christie (2-4, 4.86 ERA) will take the mound. He pitched four innings at Penn State and allowed two earned runs in a no-decision.
Jack Pagliarini currently leads the team with 54 strikeouts. He has six outings with six or more strikeouts thus far, and his total is good enough to put him top-15 in the conference. The Springboro, Ohio native has held opponents to a miniscule .214 average, which places him tied for fifth in the Big Ten. Also on that list is Hank Christie, whose .232 opponent batting average sits at 11th in the conference. Christie's .202 opponent batting average for conference foes is good for eighth.
Sunday's starter is TBD.
BULLPEN SPOTLIGHT
Reliever Josh Levy (1-1, 4.50 ERA) has been a consistent worker from the pen. In his last seven appearances, he has allowed only three hits and zero runs, striking out eight. Senior Tommy Bordignon (5 SV, 2.67 ERA) has closed the door for 'Cats. He has picked up two key saves in the streak, including a two-inning gem Sunday at Penn State where he allowed no hits and no runs.
MILESTONE AND MARKS
• Tommy Bordignon is three strikeouts shy of 100 for his career. The senior has a career-best five saves this season and nine for his career.
• Willie Bourbon picked up his 100th career hit on Sunday, April 24 against Michigan State with a RBI-single in the bottom of the eighth.
• Jack Dunn has totaled 150 consecutive starts. The junior led off the game against Chicago State (May 1) with a single. The knock was his 150th career hit.
• Jack Kelly launched his first career home run in the win against Chicago State on May 1.
• Charlie Maxwell notched his first career home run on April 22 against Michigan State.
THE OPPONENT
The Purdue Boilermakers currently sit at third in the Big Ten and are 9-1 in their last 10 games. The Boilermakers enter the series at home versus Northwestern following sweeps of conference opponents Rutgers and Maryland, with single-game victories over Indiana and Chicago State in between. The home series against the Wildcats, followed by a home game against Fort Wayne next week, will mark the end of an eight-game home stand for the Boilermakers, who currently sport a 7-5 record at home.
Jacson McGowan leads the team with a .336 batting average and 11 home runs. The team as a whole ranks middle-of-the-pack in the Big Ten in most major offensive categories, including eighth in average and slugging and sixth in on-base percentage.
Chicago's Big Ten Team took two out of three for the series against Purdue in 2017, with the only loss coming in twelve innings. Alex Erro led the way for the 'Cats, hitting .333 in the series. In the finale, Erro tallied three hits in five tries, including a home run and four RBI.
RHP Tanner Andrews (5-3, 2.10 ERA) will get the ball for the Boilermakers in the opener and LHP Gareth Stroh (5-2, 5.04 ERA) will start the opener, while RHP Trent Johnson (2-1, 1.69 ERA) is slated for the finale.
Ross Leonard has been lights out in the closer role for Purdue with eight saves in 19 appearances and a 1.69 ERA in 24.1 IP.
Players Mentioned
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