WACO, TEXAS (February 21, 2008) Baylor opens its 2008 season this weekend, hosting Purdue for a three-game series at Baylor Ballpark. The Bears and the Boilermakers meet Friday at 6:30 p.m. CST, Saturday at 3 p.m. and Sunday at noon. These will be the first-ever meetings between Baylor and Purdue in baseball.
The Bears (35-27 in 2007) enter the season ranked 15th nationally by Baseball America. Baylor also is ranked 24th in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches’ Poll, 26th in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Top 30 and 28th in the Collegiate Baseball Top 30. This is the first season Baylor has been ranked preseason in all four major polls since 2005.
Purdue (22-32 in 2007) is not ranked in any of the four preseason polls. The Boilermakers return 20 letterwinners, including six position starters and 10 pitchers. Purdue finished eighth of 10 teams in the Big Ten Conference last season with an 11-20 league mark.
The Boilermakers are led by RHPs Matt Bischoff and Josh Lindblom, and 1B Ryan White. Bischoff (3-2, 2.85 ERA, 61 K in 2007) earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year and Freshman All-America honors last season. Lindblom (3-4, 4.13 ERA 51 K) in 2007) is projected as the 23rd-best junior prospect by PGCrosschecker.com; he also is listed 53rd on Baseball America’s prospects list. White (.452, 8 HR, 47 RBI in 2007) led the Big Ten and ranked third nationally in batting average last season. Lindblom is on the 2008 Golden Spikes Award Watch List, while Bischoff and White both are members of the 2008 Brooks Wallace Award Preseason Watch List.
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