May 6, 2005

Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Boilermaker softball team wraps up conference play this weekend when they take on the Indiana Hoosiers. Purdue is looking to solidify its spot in the Big Ten Tournament field, while also improving its potential seed. Saturday's contest in West Lafayette will serve as Senior Day for the Boilermakers, while the Hoosiers will celebrate their seniors at Sunday's meeting in Bloomington.

Promotions
Saturday is Ladies Day at the ball park. All women will receive free admission to the game.

Multi-media
Saturday's game will be broadcast live on WLAS 1410 AM and on purduesports.com. Click on the listen button next to the game on the schedule for radio broadcasts. Live statistics will be available for both of this weekend's contests. Live stats can be found by clicking on the GameTracker link located next to each game on the schedule on both the front page of purduesports.com and the softball schedule page.

Series Information
Indiana (Purdue leads the series 12-10): Indiana won seven of the first eight meetings in the series which began on March 26, 1994. Purdue claimed 10 of the next 11 meetings, including two five-game streaks. Indiana has won two of the last three since then. The teams split the 2004 contests.

Hearing About the Hoosiers
The Indiana Hoosiers (13-39, 2-16 Big Ten) are looking to shake a four-game losing streak and the conference's 11th place spot when they take on the Boilermakers this weekend. The team was swept by Ohio State (4-0, 3-2) and Penn State (1-0, 4-2) last weekend.

Sophomore catcher Tory Yamaguchi leads the Hoosier bats with a .295 average, with 43 hits, including a team-best 10 home runs to go with 25 RBI and 20 runs. Sophomore third baseman Rachel Terry boasts a .271 average to go with five doubles, three home runs and 14 RBI. Sophomore centerfielder Kim Richards (.235) leads the team on the base paths, having swiped 10 in 12 attempts, while adding a team-best 11 doubles and 22 runs. Junior right fielder Lauren Hines (.234) has launched four home runs, while sophomore left fielder Heather Hohs has stolen seven bases in 10 tries. Freshman Julia Hamilton is 9-for-10 on the base paths. Nine different IU players have hit a home run this season. As a team, Indiana is batting .218 and has stolen 30-of-37 bases attempted.

Junior Megan Roark (9-23) leads the Hoosier pitching staff having tossed 2/3 of the teams' 333 innings of action. Roark has struck out 218 in 221 innings, while pitching 18 complete games including four shutouts. Junior Mariangee Bogado (2-8) has K'ed 53 in 64 innings of work while tossing one shutout. Senior Katie Witham (2-8) has struck out 13 in 47 innings in the circle. Indiana is coached by Stacey Phillips, who is in her first year with the team.

A Look at the Boilermakers
The Purdue softball team (32-22-1, 8-10 Big Ten) look to solidify a Big Ten tournament berth and improve their potential seed in games against Indiana this weekend. The Boilermakers posted a 1-3 record against Penn State and Ohio State last weekend.

Senior Andrea Hillsey leads the team with a .376 average, including a team-high 41 runs and 15 doubles. The second baseman has registered a team-best 24 extra base hits, including eight home runs. Hillsey is one of seven Boilermakers, along with senior Shelli Messer, redshirt junior Kristen Schell and sophomores DaQueta Johnson, Katie Fortune, Erika Peterson and Catherine Zaworski, to have posted a home run this season. Messer owns a .319 average to go with her 7-for-10 effort on the base paths. Junior Tricia Lilley is batting .294 with nine doubles and five steals. Junior Staci Falzon boasts a .290 average, including four triples, and has accounted for six steals, while senior Katie Absher is batting .283 to go with a team-best eight steals. Johnson owns a .258 average and has driven in a team-high 42 RBI and launched a team-best eight home runs. As a team, Purdue is batting .270 and are 48-of-66 on the base paths.

On the mound, junior Diana LaRiva (12-6) owns a team-best 2.12 ERA and has dealt opponents 141 strikeouts in 129 innings of work. Sophomore Brooke Baker (14-14) has seen the majority of the time on the hill, striking out 114 in 174 innings of action. Freshman Melissa Burns (6-2) has struck out 61 batters in 67 innings in the circle and has earned three saves for the Boilermakers. The pitching staff, which boasts a 2.55 ERA, has tossed 11 shutouts, a no-hitter and three one-hitters this season.

What a Difference a Win Makes ...

If Purdue tops Indiana on Saturday ...

• It will clinch the team a spot in the Big Ten Tournament for the first time since the 2000 season.

• It will move the team's record to 33-22-1 on the season.

• It will move the team's Big Ten record to 9-10, matching the team's highest conference victory tally since the 2001 team posted a 9-11 record.

• It will move the team's record to 19-23 when playing in the month of May, including a 3-3 mark when playing on May 7.

Crimson & Gold Cup
This weekend's softball games against the Hoosiers are part of a larger season-wide competition between Indiana and Purdue called the Crimson & Gold Cup. The contest awards points to the winner of each head-to-head meeting between the Boilermakers and Hoosiers in all 20 of the sports the two schools participate in. For men's and women's cross country, golf and indoor track & field, which do not feature head-to-head meetings, points are determined by finish at the conference championships. In sports where the teams meet twice, like softball, each game is worth half a point toward the all-sport standings. In the event of a tie or when a series is split, each school receives half a point.

Purdue has won the multi-sport series each of the last two years, when it was called the Titan Series. At this point in the year, IU owns a 10-5 advantage, meaning the Boilermakers must take all five of the remaining points to maintain possession of the cup. In addition to this weekend's softball series, the schools will also meet at the Big Ten Men's Golf Championship, the Big Ten Outdoor Track Championships for both men and women, and in baseball. The teams have split the softball point each of the last two seasons, with each school winning the contest played on its home field.

Among the Nation
Boilermaker players rank among the top 30 in the nation in three statistical categories. Senior Andrea Hillsey ranks 11th in the toughest to strikeout category with only six Ks in 149 at bats, and 16th in walks per game (0.65) with 36 in 55 games. Freshman Melissa Burns ranks 29th in saves with three. The current statistical rankings include games through May 1.

And the Honor Goes To ...
Junior Diana LaRiva garnered Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors for the third time this season after posting a 3-0 record and allowing just three earned runs in four appearances from April 18-24. The honor is the sixth for the Boilermakers this season.

LaRiva is the second three-time honoree in Boilermaker history. Senior second baseman Andrea Hillsey garnered Player of the Week honors in 2002, before repeating the accolades twice this season. Entering the season, Purdue players had earned Player/Pitcher of the Week honors 10 times.

Members of the Boilermaker softball team garnered Big Ten Player and Pitcher of the Week accolades on Feb. 15 and Feb. 22, marking the first time Purdue has had back-to-back honorees since 1997. The Boilermakers had another pair earn the conference honors on March 15.

Hillsey and LaRiva swept the Big Ten Player and Pitcher of the Week honors on Feb. 15 after outstanding performances at the Hilton Classic in Las Cruces, N.M. Sophomore DaQueta Johnson garnered Player of the Week honors on Feb. 22 for her efforts at the Louisiana Classic in Lafayette, La., the following weekend. Hillsey and LaRiva swept the conference honors again on March 15 after their respective performances at the Speedline Invitational in Clearwater, Fla. The last time Purdue players earned Player of the Week honors three times in a season was in April 1997 when Kristie Boland, Jenn Blasnick and Jenny Schoen were so honored.

Taking A Walk
Senior Andrea Hillsey became the Purdue career record holder for bases on balls with a pair of walks against Western Illinois on March 18. The second baseman entered the season with 76 walks, good for third place behind Jesse Jones (94) and Heidi Foster (79). She then passed Foster with a trio of walks against UMKC on Feb. 11 at the Hilton Classic in Las Cruces, N.M. The White Lake, Mich., native tied Jones' record with a free pass against Hofstra on March 11, before taking the record for her own with the walks from the Westerwinds. With one walk against Ohio State, the senior boosted her record total to 112.

Hillsey also owns the single-season walk record, drawing 40 her sophomore season. The All-American is no stranger to the Purdue career record books as she ranks in the top five for batting average (1st with .374), on-base percentage (1st with .486), slugging percentage (2nd with .537), runs (2nd with 137), home runs (5th with 15) and sacrifice flies (5th with 6). She also is approaching the top five in several other categories.

A Girl For All Seasons
Sophomore right fielder DaQueta Johnson (Ontario, Calif.) hit her fifth sacrifice fly of the season against Ohio State, tying her for second among the single-season top five list in the category. The sac fly breaks Johnson out of a four-place tie with Heidi Foster (2003). Junior Staci Falzon tallied her fourth triple of the season, tying her for fourth place on that single-season list, a roster that includes teammate Andrea Hillsey (4 in 2003). Freshman pitcher Melissa Burns (Miami, Fla.) made her way into fourth place on the saves list when she picked up her third, against Central Florida. Five other players have tallied three saves in a season, including teammate Diana LaRiva (2003).

As a team, the Boilermakers have reached the single-season top five in hit by pitches (2nd with 31), sacrifice flies (2nd with 14), walks (2nd with 138) and saves (5th with 5). The single season records in those categories are 34 HBPs (2003), 18 sacrifice flies (2003), 166 walks (2003) and 11 saves (1997, 2001).

Break Open the Record Books
Juniors Tricia Lilley and Staci Falzon have made their way onto the Purdue career top five lists with performances this season. Falzon, a Carlsbad, Calif., native, tallied the eighth triple of her career in Game 2 against Butler. The left fielder had recorded four three-baggers in her first two years, and has posted four thus far this season. Her latest triple tied her for fourth place on the career list with Angie Myers (1994-96).

Lilley broke into the top five list for sacrifice flies with six and reached the fifth-place triples mark on Sunday. The North Canton, Ohio, native posted four sacrifices her freshman and sophomore seasons. With two this season, the first against Arkansas at the Hilton Classic and the most recent against Illinois-Chicago in the Wolfpack Challenge championship game on March 20, Lilley ties Jenny Shoen (1995-98) for fifth place. The shortstop tallied a single-game record-tying two triples in Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader with Detroit, marking the second time she has done so in her career. A triple in Game 1 against Michigan State put her in fifth place all alone with seven until Falzon's Game 2 extra-base hit. Falzon's three-base hit on Wednesday, put Lilley in fifth place all alone. Lilley tallied two triples during each of her first two years.

Several other Boilermakers will be moving up or into the career top five lists this season. Senior Shelli Messer is 14 assists away from third place on that career list. The third baseman took over fifth place last season by amassing 275 assists in her first three years at Purdue. Sophomore catcher Erika Peterson has recorded 701 putouts thus far in her career, giving her sole possession of fifth place on the all-time putouts list. She passed Sam Mercier (1996-1999) who had 638. Junior Diana LaRiva ranks among the top five in four different pitching categories: strikeouts (2nd with 499), shutouts (4th with 13), wins (5th with 40) and innings pitched (5th with 421.1) With six strikeouts against Ball State, the Tustin, Calif., native took over second place on the career Ks list.

Senior Salute
This year's team features three senior starters: centerfielder Katie Absher (Puyallup, Wash.), second baseman Andrea Hillsey (White Lake, Mich.) and third baseman Shelli Messer (Greenfield, Ind.).

These three seniors have beaten nine of their 10 Big Ten opponents at one point in their career. Their teams have compiled a 131-100-1 record for a .567 winning percentage. The trio has garnered both academic and athletic recognition on both the national and local level.

A small recap of each player's Purdue career follows. Katie Absher, Outfielder, Puyallup, Wash.
Throughout Katie's four years in a Purdue uniform, she has filled a variety of roles. She spent most of her time as a pinch runner her freshman season and has moved up the ranks, making her way to full-time starting centerfielder as a senior. In 2004, Absher's rise from a walk-on role garnered her the Ben Korschott Perserverence Award, which is given to a walk-on who has earned scholarship dollars and made a significant contribution to the team's success. Affectionately referred to as "Abs", she has saved her best for last, recording a career-best .283 batting average including the only two extra base hits of her career, a pair of doubles. The Puyallup, Wash., native has scored 17 runs, including two game winners, drawn 13 walks and stolen eight bases this year. Absher also has driven in six RBI, including two game winners. The three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree has also seen success in the classroom and will graduate in May with a degree in movement and sport science.

Andrea Hillsey, Second Baseman, White Lake, Mich.
Andrea Hillsey is the most highly decorated player in Purdue softball history. In addition to owning several Purdue single season and career records, the second baseman garnered both NFCA First Team All-America and CoSIDA Third Team Academic All-America accolades as a sophomore. Hillsey was named Purdue Female Athlete of the Year and also earned the Durham Brothers Leadership Award in 2003, while being named one of 25 finalists for the NFCA Player of the Year award. At season's end she was invited to try out for the USA National Olympic Team. After missing half of her junior season due to a knee injury, the White Lake, Mich., native has returned to form, leading the team in batting average, doubles, home runs and runs scored. The All-Mideast Region and All-Big Ten honoree boasts a .376 batting average, including 15 doubles, eight home runs and 41 runs. The two-time captain and member of numerous all-tournament teams stands among the Purdue top five in 10 single season and 10 career statistical categories. The 2005 Purdue Big Ten Medal of Honor winner is the single-season record holder in batting average, runs, slugging percentage, on-base percentage and walks. Hillsey owns the career records for batting average, on-base percentage and walks. A movement and sport science major and three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, Andrea will graduate in December.

Shelli Messer, Third Baseman, Greenfield, Ind.
Shelli Messer has been a mainstay at third base throughout her Boilermaker career, while also seeing time in the pitching circle as a sophomore. The three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree is in the midst of her best season yet, having posted a .319 batting average including 27 runs, 17 RBI and nine doubles. Messer has accounted for seven game-winning runs and five game-winning RBI this year. The Greenfield, Ind., native also has recorded 94 defensive assists in 2005, moving her into fourth place on the career top five list in that category. She has been honored with all-tournament honors twice this season, garnering accolades at the Louisiana Classic and Buzz Classic tournaments. As a pitcher, Messer saw action in 10 games, striking out 14 batters. A public relations and communications major, Shelli will graduate in December.

All-Tournament Accolades
The Boilermakers put players on the all-tournament teams at four of their six non-conference tournaments, the Hilton Classic, the Louisiana Classic, Buzz Classic, and the Wolfpack Challenge. No all-tournament team was named at the Frost Classic, and all-tournament team members for the Speedline Invitational were picked from the championship bracket only. Senior Andrea Hillsey and junior Diana LaRiva were honored after their performances at the Hilton Classic in Las Cruces, N.M. Hillsey, senior Shelli Messer and sophomore DaQueta Johnson garnered accolades at the Louisiana Classic in Lafayette, La. Messer also received the honor at the Buzz Classic. Hillsey, LaRiva and sophomore Brooke Baker garnered the honor at the Wolfpack Challenge in Raleigh, N.C.