Purdue Fort Wayne
LSU
Baseball Opens 2025 at No. 2 LSU
2/13/2025 10:15:00 AM | Baseball
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Purdue Fort Wayne baseball team opens the 2025 season on Friday at No. 2 LSU. The Tigers are ranked second in the College Baseball Hub Composite Top 25 rankings and third in both the USA TODAY Coaches Poll and the D1Baseball.com Top 25.
Game Day Information
When:
Friday, Feb. 14 | 3:00 p.m. ET
Saturday, Feb. 15 | Noon ET (moved up two hours due to projected storms)
Sunday, Feb. 16 | 2:00 p.m. ET
Where: Alex Box Stadium | Baton Rouge, La.
Live Stats: Friday | Saturday | Sunday
SECN+: Friday | Saturday | Sunday
Weather:
Friday: High of 63/low of 59, 30% chance of rain
Saturday: High of 82/low of 50, 70% chance of rain
Sunday: High of 55/low of 31, 10% chance of rain
Series History: First ever meeting.
Probable Starters:
Purdue Fort Wayne: RHP Dillon Fischer, LHP Zane Danielson, RHP Gavin Walters
LSU: LHP Kade Anderson LHP, RHP Anthony Eyanson, RHP Chase Shores
House Call: Justin Osterhouse returns for his sophomore season after earning All-Horizon League Second Team accolades last year. He slashed .355/.424/.609 with nine home runs and 38 RBI for the 'Dons in 2024. He had a busy summer as well. He was an all-star in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League for Muskegon and then was on the winning Home Run Derby X team in August at the home of the Fort Wayne TinCaps.
Two For the 'Dons: Justin Osterhouse and Nick Hockemeyer were 2024 Preseason All-Horizon League picks by Perfect Game. Hockemeyer is a Fort Wayne native and Homestead High School graduate who spent last season at Dallas College Richland. He was a standout for the Thunderducks in junior college, earning National Junior College Athletic Association Division III First Team All-American honors. He slashed .383/.458/.574 with 26 extra base hits and nine stolen bases. In the nation he ranked sixth in doubles (20), ninth in hits (70), 10th in total bases (102) and 13th in RBI (58).
A Few to Watch: D1baseball.com picked Justin Osterhouse as the No. 3 prospect in the Horizon League in the 2026 MLB Draft. Drew Helton (No. 3), Trent Murphy (No. 4) and Tyson Greenwood (No.8) were picked as Impact Freshman in the league.
Back to LSU: Mastodon newcomer Kevin Hall played at LSU last season on April 30, 2024 when he was a member of Grambling.
SEC Time: The 'Dons don't have to look too far back to their last win over an SEC squad. The Mastodons split a four-game series at Missouri last season.
Talking Ranking: The 'Dons earned a 9-6 win at No. 20 Indiana on Feb. 27, 2024 last season, the Mastodons' last game against a nationally ranked team. The Mastodons hit five home runs in the game. It was the first win over a Top 25 team in program history.
Nice to Meet You: This weekend will be the first time as Mastodons that Kevin Hall and Nick Hockemeyer take to the field, but it won't be the first time they are teammates. They spent the summer of 2024 playing for the Elizabethton River Riders of the Appalachian League. Hall had a .453 OBP in 26 games for the River Riders. Hockemeyer hit .296 in 18 games.
Blood Lines: Mastodon head coach Doug Schreiber coached Trent Murphy's father, Rob, when Schreiber was an assistant at Ball State.
CSC Pick: Owen Willard (Butler, Ind. / Eastside HS) was a College Sports Communicators Academic All-District selection in 2024 after throwing 34.2 innings with 20 pitching appearances. This season he'll return seeing some time in the field and at the plate by pitching and playing infield for the 'Dons as he did in high school.
Up Next: The 'Dons play at Indiana on Wednesday (Feb. 19).
~ Feel The Rumble ~
