Purdue Baseball Clinches Big Ten Tournament Berth After Dominant Sweep of Murray State
Strong pitching and timely hitting from key contributors allow Purdue to improve their record to 32-15 and advance to the Big Ten Tournament.
Purdue baseball has reversed a poor start to the season with a perfect 4-0 week, beginning with a 5-1 win over Southern Indiana and concluding with a sweep of Murray State. The victory included a dominant 11-0 lead after five innings in the sweep, secured by strong pitching from Cole Van Assen and Zach Erdman, and key offensive contributions from Sam Flores and Aaron Manias. The win allowed Purdue to clinch a berth in the Big Ten Tournament, improving their overall record to 32-15.
The victory over Murray State, a Missouri Valley Conference leader and a 2025 College World Series participant, featured a commanding performance on the mound. Cole Van Assen pitched six innings, allowing just two runs while striking out six, before Jake Kramer earned his seventh save of the season with a scoreless ninth inning. Zach Erdman also delivered a strong outing, recording eight strikeouts across four innings to move his record to 4-1 on the year.
Offensively, the team built an 11-0 lead after five innings and cruised from there to complete the sweep. Sam Flores provided key hits, including a two-run single in the sixth inning and a solo home run, while Aaron Manias added a solo home run in the third. Eli Anderson and Quincy Marlbrough each drove in a pair of runs, contributing to the dominant offensive effort that overwhelmed the Racers.
The win established Purdue as a fifth-place team in the Big Ten standings, currently tied with Michigan on a conference record of 15-9. The tournament has a new format this season, where the top 12 teams qualify, but the top four receive a bye to the quarterfinals. As the fifth-ranked team, Purdue must navigate a four-team double-elimination pod to reach the quarterfinals, with the first round beginning on Friday, May 22.
To secure an NCAA bid, Purdue likely needs to win at least five of their remaining eight games, including a home series against Indiana and a road series against Iowa. The Boilermakers have already lost series to Oregon and USC earlier in the year, meaning those schools hold tiebreaker advantages if Purdue ties with them for the final bid spots. The team's RPI has jumped to 52 following the sweep, providing a necessary boost to their postseason profile.
Purdue's softball team is also on the NCAA bubble with a record of 32-19 and faces Wisconsin this week. A loss would likely eliminate them from postseason contention, as the program has not made the postseason since 2009. The softball team is currently the 10 seed in the single elimination tournament starting Wednesday at Maryland against the 7 seed Wisconsin.
