Purdue baseball ready for home opener

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WFLI) - Purdue's baseball team plays its first home game of the season at Alexander Field on Tuesday against Illinois-Chicago. The game is set to begin at 4 p.m.

The Boilers began the season with a 7-11 record. Purdue now begins a five game homestand at its new home field in West Lafayette.

The Boilers hope to open play at Alexander Field with a big win.

"Yeah you want to win every game that you play," said Purdue senior pitcher Robert Ramer. "It will hopefully be nice to go out there and win our first game on our new field and not let anyone come in and push us around on our new field. This is our home and we are going to defend it."

"Oh, it is going to be real big for us especially because it is going to be against UIC," said Purdue junior Conner Hudnall. "We want to come out here and get a win against them so that we can win the series against them this year."

Purdue head coach Doug Schreiber recalled an example when Purdue ruined a home opener for Miami. He does not want Illinois-Chicago to write themselves into the history book at Purdue as the first team to win at Alexander Field. He wants it to be his Boilers.

"I know a few years back we went and opened up Miami of Ohio's stadium and we beat them pretty good," said Schreiber. "You go back there and they still have the first game and Purdue is marked for a lot of the stuff on there."