On Tuesday, Purdue (13-31, 1-14 Big Ten) welcomes the Illinois State Redbirds (21-20, 6-9) of the Missouri Valley Conference for a one-game tuneup before heading to Michigan State for a three-game weekend series.
The Redbirds enter the game with a respectable .286 team batting average, which is aided by having seven players hitting for over .300. Illinois State’s team average is good enough for third in the MVC.
The Boilers, in contrast, have plummeted to the bottom of the Big Ten batting ranks. Hitting just .248 as a unit, the Boilermakers boast of only one batter hitting over .