June 28, 2012

All Good Things Come to an End

The College World Series has begun, marking the end of the 2012 NCAA Division I baseball season. For most this is an exciting time to watch the best of the best compete in hallowed Omaha, while for others, such as the “Dream” Team, it is bittersweet. Structured like most NCAA tournaments (when will football see the light?), 64 teams entered into the postseason hunt in hopes of making the “Elite Eight” who battle out in Omaha. With only eight going to Omaha, a quick calculation reveals that 56 teams are watching from either home or a summer league with a feeling of underachievement in the back of their minds. Unfortunately the “Dream” Team of Purdue University is one of these teams.

You can’t simply judge a team’s season by its last performance. If you could, all but one team would have had a “successful” season. In this spirit, we have compiled a list of 53+ examples as to why the 2012 Boilermaker Baseball team was, and forever will be, the “Dream” Team. We invite anyone to contest that claim as we feel our argument is sound. Make sure you are sitting, with a drink (Lemonade, lemonade, lemonade) and a snack (maybe even Honey Baked Ham- for old times’ sake) nearby because it is going to take a while… Let’s begin

Team

·   The team traveled roughly 17,275 miles to its various destination cities this year ranging from Greenville, N.C., to Los Angeles, Calif.; playing in 12 states and in a different state every weekend

  o  Miller is unemployed and obviously has too much time on his hands

·   Began the 2012 season 14-1, and compiled the greatest start in program history

·   Won 10 consecutive games, twice

·   Collected the 20th victory before April 1

·   Reached 30 victories by April 20, earliest in program history

·   Won first B1G regular season title since 1909

·   Earliest regular season title clinch since 2009

·   Unofficially ranked #1 in the coaches poll for NBA Hang time

·   First B1G tournament win/sweep in program history

·   Fifth B1G tournament appearance in a row (longest active streak in B1G/program history)

·   172-110 overall and 75-51 in B1G play since 2008, both represent the best records in the B1G

·   NCAA Tournament Qualification (second time in program history)

·   NCAA Tournament Victory (first in program history)

  o  In front of 5,074 dedicated Boilermaker fans (actual, not paid attendance) 

·   NCAA Tournament #1 seed and host (first time in program history)

·   32 “true” road victories (second in the nation)

·   .759 winning percentage (fourth nationally)

·   14 games were played in 2 hours and 10 minutes or less. Who says baseball takes too long?

·   11-3 against Indiana University since the 2008 Big Ten Tournament

·   8-0 against fellow university from Indiana

·   9-0 in midweek action (17 straight midweek wins)

·   8-0 in B1G opening games

·   Went 13-3 in the final season at Lambert Field including three walk-offs

·   B1G leader in batting average (.316)

·   B1G leader in hits (665)

·   B1G leader in ERA (3.16)

·   B1G fewest number of Ks

·   B1G fewest number of BB allowed

·   Scored 4+ runs in one inning, 24 times (16 of which occurred between the sixth & ninth innings)

·   39-0 when tied or leading after the sixth inning

·   Rallied to win six of the 20 games in which trailing after the sixth inning

Individual

·   B1G Coach of the Year: Coach Schreiber (first in program history)

·   408th Career Victory recorded, most all time (Coach Schreiber)

·   B1G Player of the Year: Kevin Plawecki (first in program history)

·   B1G Pitcher of the Year: Joe Haase (first in program history)

·   B1G Tournament MOP: Kevin Plawecki (first program history)

  o  Prior three awards was the first sweep since 1981

·   Purdue Male Athlete of the Year: Kevin Plawecki (first program history)

·   B1G Outstanding Sportsmanship Award: Joe Haase

·   Kevin Plawecki was an All-American in four major publications.. so far

·   6 B1G Pitcher of the Week Selections

·   5 National Weekly Selections

·   5 B1G Player of the Week Selections

·   7 Boilermakers selected in the MLB draft (most in program history)

  o  One given a free-agent contract immediately after the draft

·   5 All-B1G Tournament Selections

·   2 All-NCAA Regional (Gary) Team

·   Academic All-District: Joe Haase

·   15 Academic All-B1Gs

·   Perkins lead the B1G in RBIs (61)

·   Haase lead the B1G in WINs (11) (Single season record)

·   Perkins and Haase, First Team All-B1G

·   8 players recognized in All-B1G fashion (most in program history)

·   Plawecki lead the B1G in Doubles and Runs scored

·   Talbott lead the B1G in Triples

·   Mascarello lead the B1G in ERA

·   Wittgren lead the B1G in Saves

·   Charles broke the program record in runs scored

·   Haase, Charles, Plawecki and Perkins were named ABCA All-Mideast Region Honors

The 2011-2012 season was one chock-full of memories that each Boiler will cherish for a lifetime. Everything from eating breakfast burritos at 5:30 for fall morning workouts to the human bicycle to returning to campus from a weekend series during the wee hours of the morning made the memories on the field feel even more special. Whether it was hanging a 9-spot in the sixth against rival Notre Dame on opening weekend, scoring seven runs with two outs to stun Southern Miss to win the Auburn tournament, dropping a 10-spot against No.2 National seed UCLA in the ninth, or watching the Hall & Oates-type duo of Haase and Mascarello go 15-1 in series openers, or perhaps the most memorable, watching a group of young men pile on top of one another in celebration of a Big Ten Title; every game seemed to add its own special moment to the program’s most successful season. The Boilermakers closed Lambert Field, home to Purdue since 1965, in thrilling fashion as in their last four games; they broke the program record for wins with #38, won the B1G regular season title, reached the 40-win plateau for the first time in program history and brought down Lambert field in style in the finale. On a hot night, wind was blowin’, Sean McHugh hit a pinch-hit game-tying home run in the bottom of the ninth to send the game into extras; allowing for the Boilermakers to scratch a run across and pull out one final victory at Ole’ Lambert. “Where you think you’re going, baby?”

For the last time, we would like to thank all of those who have read any one of our blogs. For anyone that has read all of them… we owe you money. We have enjoyed the opportunity writing on the behalf of Purdue Baseball and the “Dream” Team. Equally as important we would like to thank CollegeBaseballInsider.com and Phil Stanton for the outlet to share the Boilermakers culminating season. It is sad to see it end. But like the title says, all good things must come to an end… we just wanted it to be at the bottom of a “dog pile” in Omaha. But as this era in Purdue baseball history ends with the closing of Lambert Field and the departure of 18 members, a new one begins with the opening of  Alexander Field and a group of incoming Boilermakers that will join the returners in writing their own chapter, hopefully one that will end in Omaha. Although the “Dream Team” will be missed, next year’s group will certainly be capable of continuing the program’s winning ways and showing the “powerhouses” that Boilermaker Baseball belongs on a national stage. But as far as this group goes, we won’t be fully intact again until we descend on West Lafayette in the fall to collect our hard-earned, long overdue Big Ten Championship Rings. DREAM TEAM, ASSEMBLE!

Thank you for reading,

Cal Gunter and David Miller

(photos courtesy of Purdue Media Relations Office)