As the autumn air begins to set in, footsteps new and old find the dirt at Alexander Field. Bright orange cones scatter the outfield grass, the instructions from the coaches broken up with the intermittent crack of a bat or thud of a weighted training ball in the bullpen.
A Boilermaker roster with 23 newcomers is just getting started, as Purdue baseball opened its eight-week fall practice schedule Tuesday with an afternoon session and three-inning scrimmage.
Purdue baseball head coach Greg Goff talks with the team on the field.
Provided by Purdue
“Their intensity and their attention to detail has been really, really good. You’re gonna like this group. They show up, play hard,” said head coach Greg Goff after the scrimmage. “We got some work to do. I really like the character of these guys. I’m really, really excited about what they can do.”
As has been common in recent years, the roster is made up of a large number of transfers from both D-I programs and junior college programs. The new group features five freshmen recruits and 18 transfers. Eleven of the 23 are pitchers, which is a big focus for Goff in the early going.
“We’re just trying to get those guys to just be confident about throwing the fastball,” he said. “I’m old school in the fact that I think everything starts with a fastball location and the rest of the stuff will follow.”
A great emphasis has been placed on group cohesion. Goff dedicated a portion of practice to teaching his group different chants, trying to get his young team to be vocal as a unit.
“I want to make it fun for these guys and challenge them and get them involved. Baseball can be a boring game, so we just try to have fun and play hard and get engaged,” he said.
Junior infielder Zach Zychowski stands in the batters box.
Provided by Purdue
Throughout the scrimmage, Goff made several quips, awarding and subtracting points from the separate benches based on their chanting performances.
“Guys were loud, guys were excited,” said senior outfielder Aaron Manias. “Guys were laughing, guys were giggling, but they knew it was business, and they knew that that’s gonna separate us in the spring.”
Manias was one of the lead offensive players on a 2025 team that narrowly missed out on the Big Ten Tournament. Manias, alongside former Boilermaker Logan Sutter, was one of two players on the team with an OPS over 1.000.
The primary left fielder down the stretch for Purdue, Manias’ focus currently is shaking off the rust after not playing any summer ball. Looking to get back to where he ended off last year, Manias has high expectations for his final season in college.
“I think there’s a lot of big expectations, and guys are happy to be here. It’s a fun time. You’re finding out what you got this year,” he said. “I think we’re finding out good things. Guys that are new here are really showing themselves and could be a big part of this team.”
In the shortened scrimmage, newcomer Dylan Drake hit a first-inning triple, off junior right-handed pitcher Cole Van Assen, who is the only returning starting pitcher from last year. The junior shortstop came around to score on a sacrifice fly from senior Avery Moore, who looks to be a big fixture to patrol Purdue’s outfield for a second year.
The game was tied up in the second inning, however, as junior first baseman Jimmy Dionne paired up with senior third baseman Sam Flores to drive in his fellow newcomer on a single that grounded through a drawn-in infield.
Senior infielder Aaron Manias throws to first base.
Provided by Purdue
An important component of the first scrimmage game of the fall was the usage of PitchCom, a wireless system that uses a small speaker attachment to relay pitches, usually between a catcher and pitcher. The catcher presses a button on his wrist, indicating which pitch he wants a pitcher to throw.
Using PitchCom for the first time, Goff has expanded the usage to be given to all defenders on the field and to call for certain plays.
“It’s like one of the coaches talking in your ear,” Manias said. “It was really good that everyone knew what pitch was coming. You can kind of game plan. If you know a fastball away is coming, you can kind of shift the whole field that way … I think it’s gonna be really beneficial for us to have everyone on the same page.”
Goff was excited about the new system and what it could mean to reduce errors on the field.
“Well, you shouldn’t miss a sign. We call a hit-and-run, (and) you shouldn’t miss the sign anymore. I think it eliminates some of the mental mistakes,” he said.
The seventh-year head coach was excited to work with this new group and was encouraged by how they’ve taken to his processes.
“They show they want to get better. They want to get coached. In today’s world, that’s all I can ask,” Goff said.
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