Purdue Baseball enjoyed their best season since 2012 last year with 38 wins and a spot in the Chapel Hill Regional.

Tonight, the 2019 Purdue Boilermakers open the season with a tough road series at #21 Southern Miss.

Led by Skyler Hunter, Ben Nisle, and Zac Fascia, the Boilermakers are picked to finish sixth by Big Ten coaches.

Coach Mark Wasikowski will have to replace SS Harry Shipley, SP Tanner Andrews, C Nick Dalesandro, 1B Jacson McGowan, and RF Alec Olund among others from a team that won a regional game for the first time since 2012.

Hunter led the team in hits with 78 and was a member of the 2018 All-Big Ten Tournament team. The switch-hitting outfielder started in all 59 games for Purdue.

Nisle burst on to the scene as a freshman with a .304/.368/.495 slash line while hitting 7 home runs and driving in 43. The Freshman garnered multiple awards in his first campaign: Chapel Hill Regional All-Tournament Team, Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American, and Big Ten All-Freshman Team (Unanimous).

Southern Miss won both the Conference USA regular season title as well as the C-USA tournament and posted a 44-18 record.

SERIES SCHEDULE (from PurdueSports)

Game 1 Friday 5pm ET: Dalton Parker (Jr, RHP) vs. USM’s Walker Powell (Jr, RHP)

Game 2 Saturday 5pm ET: Ryan Beard (Sr, LHP) vs. USM’s Stevie Powers (Sr, LHP)

Game 3 Sunday 2pm ET: Andrew Bohm (R-So, RHP) vs. TBA for USM