Spring Sport Update

Baseball
        Purdue returns three starters from a young infield that committed 61 errors last season; but that number will most assuredly decrease with a vastly improved group. Those returning include junior All-American first baseman Ryne White, who was third in the NCAA in batting last season. White’s bat and glove will be the cornerstone for the Boilermakers this season. At third base, sophomore Dan Black returns after starting 39 games last season. Providing a solid glove and bat, Black batted .306 and drove in 25 runs last season, which was third-best on the squad.
        In the outfield, senior Jordan Comadena returns to the lineup after missing the final half of the season due to a broken bone in his hand. He hopes to build on a solid start to the 2007 season in which he hit .340 with 13 doubles and 30 runs scored in 28 games. Center field and right field will also remain the same with juniors Jon Moore and Alex Jaffee returning.
        On the mound for Purdue will be a bevy of young starters ready to lead the Boilermakers up the Big Ten rankings. Matt Bischoff, 2007 Freshman of the Year and a second team all-conference member, returns as Purdue’s ace this season. Last year, Bischoff finished with a team-best 2.85 ERA in 60 innings of work. Backing up Bischoff is classmate Tony Sedlmeyer, who finished 2007 with a 6-4 record with a 4.34 ERA in 12 starts, was a third team all-conference selection. Rounding out the battery for the Boilermakers is redshirt junior catcher Eric Nielsen, who finished last season with a .397 average. Nielsen has seen time in the past two seasons for the Boilermakers and will move into a full-time role in 2008.
        Thus far in the 2008 season, coach Doug Schreiber’s Boilermakers have struggled to put together solid hitting and defensive performances, and have started the year 6-11. However, six of those losses came from teams ranked in “Collegiate Baseball Magazine’s” top 10; and five of those losses have been by one run.

Softball
        After losing four starters, including three four-year starters, the Boilermakers still have a lot of pieces to improve on a solid 2007 campaign in which Purdue clinched its first post-season victory for the first time in program history. This year, the Boilermakers have expectations of playing in the NCAA Tournament. And with 15 returning players and a handful of talented newcomers, that may be what happens as the Boilermakers have started the year 19-8 under third-year coach Kim Maher.
        Ashley DiDomenico returns for her junior campaign as the lone player who has seen extensive playing time. In 26 appearances, DiDomenico posted a 7-14 record with 13 complete games. Joining her are newcomers Dana Alcoer and Suzie Rzegocki. Alcoer, a junior, was a junior college All-American at Pima Community College in Tucson, Ariz. Rzegocki, a freshman, was the Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year and a high school All-American last season.
         In the infield for the Boilermakers, sophomore Kelsey Haupert returns for her second tour of duty at first base, while junior Katie Mitchell might also see time at first base. Mitchell, who was named first team all-conference last season, hit .364 and scored a school record 54 runs to go with 14 home runs and 54 runs batted in. Junior Candace Curtis returns to shortstop after starting 58 games there a year ago and senior Ashley Hall will occupy third base, where she started 63 games in 2007. Hall was a first team all-conference selection in 2007 and a third team All-American after setting a school record with 85 hits while also scoring 48 runs.
        Purdue's outfield will be lead by sophomore Ashley Barr and junior Christina Trauger. Barr started 60 games last season, 27 in left field and 33 in center, and Trauger started 23. Also vying for playing time in the outfield are veterans Alicia Spack and Liz Allum, while freshman Beth Cinadr will also be in the mix for playing time.

Men’s Track and Field
        After finishing as the runner-up at the Big Ten Indoor Championships, the Purdue men’s track and field team possesses a versatile group of student-athletes that could give Coach Jack Warner and the Boilermakers a chance to make a push for the outdoor conference crown later this year. The Boilermakers are strong in the sprint events with Jh’Rome Tuggle and Zach Logan leading the way. The duo advanced to the NCAA Mideast Regional last season with Tuggle earning runner-up honors in the 200-meter dash at last year’s outdoor conference meet, and was victorious at this season’s indoor championships. Two freshmen, however, may help Purdue improve even more in the sprint events. Shane Crawford and Josh Hembrough have already broken onto the Big Ten scene as both scored at the conference’s indoor championships and Hembrough even advanced to the NCAA Indoor Championships in the 60-meter hurdles. In the distance events, the Boilermakers have a young group that has shown promise in the indoor season. Junior Stephen Bach will help guide this youthful group into the outdoor season.
        In the field events, the Boilermakers are loaded with talented student-athletes. Leading the way for the Boilermakers is sophomore Jon Pullum, who earned All-America honors with a fourth-place effort at the NCAA Indoor Championships in the weight throw. Senior Tyler Miller and Ben Harpenau both scored at last year’s outdoor conference championships and will give the Boilermakers one of the most talented throwing groups in the conference.
        In other fielding events, sophomore Adetayo Adesanya will look to continue his strong 2008 season during the outdoor season. Adesanya took home gold in the high jump at the indoor conference championships and expects to do the same in the Big Ten outdoor championships. Junior Nolan Petties and senior Rayland Currie have had a full year to improve on their long jump and triple jump form with the hopes of once again scoring at the Big Ten championships and advancing to the NCAA Mideast Regional, and hopefully beyond. Pole vaulter Eric Sparks leads a much improved group with the expectation of scoring more than one student-athlete at the Big Ten outdoor meet later this year.

Women’s Track and Field
        Turning in a seventh place performance at the Big Ten indoor championships, Purdue has the hopes of improving on the strides it made during the indoor season. A youthful group as a whole, the Boilermakers did deliver three student-athletes to the NCAA Indoor Championships earlier in the year, signaling that the Boilermakers might surprise some teams during the outdoor campaign.
        The major strength for the Boilermakers is the field events, where two of the three student-athletes that advanced to the national meet perfect their skills. Senior Astin Steward took home second place honors in the weight throw at the Big Ten indoor championships and advanced to the national meet in the event. This year, Steward earned All-America status after finishing third in the weight throw at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Last season, Steward took home first place honors in the discus at both the Big Ten outdoor meet and the NCAA Mideast Regional on her way to earning All-America honors in the event. Providing depth in the throwing department is sophomore Stacey Wannemacher, who scored in the shot put, discus, and hammer in the Big Ten Outdoor Championships last season. In the jumping events, senior Leah Kincaid hopes to improve on her ninth place finish at the national meet last season. In other field events, junior Mallory Peck looks to return to the NCAA Outdoor Championships this season. After reaching the national meet as a freshman, Peck could not duplicate the effort as a sophomore, but she had a strong indoor season highlighted by an All-America performance and sixth-place showing at this year’s NCAA Indoor Championships.
        In the sprints, Purdue is lead by a group of young runners that made vast improvements during the course of the indoor season. Kincaid and junior Ranay Harvey are two of Purdue’s most consistent performers, and the two veterans will provide the young group with strong leadership.
        In the distance events, cross country crossovers Katie Morrical and Kristin Phillips will help lead a youthful group of student-athletes. Many of the athletes in the distance events performed well during the cross country season, and that experience will help the distance group to continue to improve during the course of the outdoor season.

Men’s Golf
        The Purdue men’s golf team returns only two starters from last year’s regional qualifying team. Juniors Tom Oliver and Michael Randle saw some action last season on a team that finished third at last season’s Big Ten Championships. The duo leads a group of talented young freshmen that have already made an impact on coach Devon Brouse’s group.
        Aside from Oliver and Randle, the remaining seven players on the Boilermaker roster are all freshmen. Thus far, every player on the roster has shown the ability to be a postseason performer for the Boilermakers and some of the individual success of the early season has shown that. With that continued improvement during the course of the season, the Boilermakers should find themselves in a good position to make another strong run within the conference, not only this season, but in the years to come.

Women’s Golf
        After finishing the 2007 season as the national runners-up, the Boilermakers have high expectations for themselves as they enter the 2008 season. And even though coach Devon Brouse’s squad lost two seniors from last year, Purdue still has a strong nucleus of young talent that could lead them to another strong finish at the NCAA Championships.
        Juniors Christel Boeljon and Maria Hernandez return following All-America campaigns as sophomores. Hernandez was named the Big Ten Player of the Year last year and Boeljon finished in a tie for second individually at last year’s NCAA Championships. With three freshmen on the roster as well, Purdue has a good mix of veteran leadership and young talent that it had last season. Finishing second at the Big Ten Championships and at the NCAA Championships last season might have been a surprise, but duplicating that success from a year ago is a serious possibility with this group.

Men’s Tennis
         With a young roster at his disposal, coach Tim Madden simply hopes he can make it through a season without suffering any significant injuries. In each of the previous two spring campaigns, Madden’s team was hurt by injuries to key players. However this year, those players are back healthy and have the hopes of improving on last year’s results.
        With a 7-7 record and a 1-1 conference mark, the No. 54 Boilermakers appear to be heading in the right direction. Considering that Purdue had only nine wins all of last season, it’s clear that Purdue is making significant strides toward the top of the Big Ten. Thus far this year, several players have been instrumental for Purdue, including junior P.J. Rose and sophomore Kelubia Mabatah, two of the players who suffered injuries last season. Sophomores Branko Kuzmanovic and Slavko Bijelica are the top singles players for Purdue and appear to be guiding Purdue toward the top of the conference and a trip to the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2002.

Women’s Tennis
        First-year coach Laura Glitz and her Boilermakers have struggled thus far in the season. But despite notching only two wins thus far in the season, several of Purdue’s losses have been to some of the nation’s best teams, something that should no doubt prepare them for a tough Big Ten schedule that still lies ahead.
        Purdue is lead by seniors Brooke Beier, Cigdem Duru and Stephanie Wooten, three student-athletes that have seen the ups and downs of the program. In 2006, the trio saw the Boilermakers advance to the NCAA Tournament and experienced the disappointment of being left out in 2007. With only two newcomers to this year’s squad, the Boilermakers have a solid foundation as it heads into the Big Ten portion of their schedule. And with the 2008 Big Ten Championships being held at the Schwartz Tennis Center, the Boilermakers will have the home-court advantage working in their favor once post-season play comes around, which will help them in their quest to return to the NCAA Championships.