Purdue Sports Update: June 13
85 ACADEMIC ALL-BIG TEN HONOREES FROM SPRING SPORTS SEASON
With a department-high 85 Academic All-Big Ten honorees from the spring sports season, Purdue Athletics finished the 2023-24 school year with a grand total of 228 student-athletes excelling with 3.0-plus cumulative grade-point averages.
The Boilermakers had 73 Academic All-Big Ten honorees in the fall and 70 in the winter. The spring season has been very consistent this decade, producing 80-plus honorees for the fifth straight year.
To be eligible for Academic All-Big Ten, student-athletes must be enrolled full-time at their university for a minimum of 12 months and carry a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. Big Ten Distinguished Scholar recognition is based on a 3.7-plus yearly or cumulative GPA for sophomores and above. Those honorees will be announced later this summer.
Track & field led the way with a combined 32 Academic All-Big Ten honorees this spring – 18 from the women’s roster and 14 from the men’s. Baseball contributed 18 for the second year in a row and softball added 14. Golf produced 15 (nine men, six women) and tennis had six honorees (five women, one men).
Fourteen of the 85 Academic All-Big Ten honorees from the spring earned the distinction for at least third time. Among that group, Ian Hunter is now the rare five-time honoree in track & field alone. He has also been recognized five times in cross country. Pitcher Avery Cook and golfer Nick Dentino are now four-year honorees.
Altogether, 43 of the 85 Boilermakers (51%) recognized this month are now multi-year Academic All-Big Ten honorees. Purdue also had 42 first-time honorees from the spring season. Men’s track & field had 12 of its 14 honorees recognized for at least the second time and softball had nine such multi-year honorees.
The Big Ten Conference recognized a record total of 2,271 student-athletes as Academic All-Big Ten honorees for the spring and at-large sports season. That total includes 673 from track & field, 189 from softball, 174 from baseball, 152 from golf, 132 from tennis, and 951 from the sports that Purdue does not sponsor.
SOLDATI STEPS DOWN DUE TO HEALTH REASONS; BOUDIA NAMED COACH
In a move to focus on his health and family, Purdue Diving head coach Adam Soldati will pass the torch of leading the Boilermakers to protégé and Olympic champion David Boudia due to Soldati’s recent diagnosis with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Soldati has been the leader of the Purdue Divers since being hired in 2005. Simultaneously, he has also enjoyed success when his divers compete as part of USA Diving. He plans to coach the Boilermakers through the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in June and will assist Boudia as needed through the Olympic Games in the late summer. Always a devoted family man and father of six, Soldati’s faith, perspective and perseverance will lay the foundation for the fight ahead.
“Since the spring of 2005, Adam Soldati has invested every bit of himself into Purdue University and our incredibly successful diving program,” said Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Mike Bobinski. “He has impacted and provided counsel and leadership to countless people – student-athletes, families, fellow coaches and staff – in positive and extraordinary ways. And true to his persona, he has approached the unfathomable challenge of receiving life-altering news with dignity, faith, courage and optimism. A testament to Adam’s steadfast and unwavering leadership of our diving program is that he has mentored and prepared David Boudia, a former Purdue student-athlete, to carry forward our tradition of success. Adam’s positive imprint on this athletics department, this campus and this community is permanent. Our department will support Adam and his family throughout the journey ahead, and I know our Boilermaker community will do the same.”
As Boudia ascends to Purdue head coach, Soldati will move to the role of director of diving for the short term. Boudia officially came aboard as a full-time assistant coach in the summer of 2021, with the understanding he would one day succeed Soldati as the leader of the Boilermakers.
After more than a year of doctor visits and tests, Soldati was officially diagnosed with ALS in February. Due to the timing of the diagnosis coinciding with the start of swimming & diving’s NCAA championship season, Purdue’s student-athletes were later informed in early April.
“As I reflect on my past 19 years with our Boilermaker family, I am overcome with gratitude and thankfulness,” Soldati said. “I rejoice in the relationships that Kimiko, our children and I have built here at Purdue and in Greater Lafayette. We have nothing but the greatest love and respect for so many people who have been part of our lives.”
Soldati and his wife, Kimiko Hirai Soldati, an Olympian for Team USA in 3-meter diving in 2004, are the parents of six children (ages 10-18). The family has begun the initial stages for the fight ahead, one that Adam will face gallantly with the same gratefulness, guts and grit that have made him one of Purdue Athletics’ most successful coaches over the last 20 years.
Boudia’s status as Purdue Athletics’ most-decorated athlete ever was made possible via a kinship with Soldati – a bond between an athlete and a coach that propelled Boudia to achieve overarching success collegiately, nationally and internationally all while training at the Morgan J. Burke Aquatic Center. Their lives changed forever when Boudia won gold on 10-meter at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. The three-time Olympian is a four-time medalist for Team USA. He also won five medals in his career at the World Aquatics Championships. For Purdue, Boudia was a six-time NCAA champion and eight-time Big Ten Conference champion, winning CSCAA Diver of the Year at all three NCAA Championships in which he competed.
“The legacy Adam Soldati has created with Purdue Diving is truly remarkable, and he will forever be the cornerstone on which our rich history and future is built,” Boudia said. “I have been fortunate to have been a part of his legacy, both as one of his athletes and as a coach alongside him for the past 16 years. It has truly been a unique opportunity. I am humbled to step into the role of head coach and continue Adam’s legacy as we strive for excellence both in and out of the pool. Adam’s impact is immeasurable, and I am committed to building and expanding upon the foundation he has established.”
With Soldati’s expertise, wisdom and perspective providing the bedrock of the program, the Purdue Divers have won 14 NCAA national championships since 2009. At USA Diving national championship meets, Soldati’s pupils have won 34 titles. Steele Johnson and Brandon Loschiavo have won national titles at both levels while also earning the right to call themselves Olympians. Maycey Vieta has already qualified for the Olympic Games this summer.
Over the last 19 NCAA seasons, the Boilermakers have produced a bevy of All-Americans (athletic and academic), Big Ten champions, Big Ten Divers of the Year, Purdue Athletes of the Year and University graduates. The Burke Aquatic Center bears the name of the man that hired Soldati, the late Morgan Burke, who served as Purdue’s athletics director from 1993-2016. It was Burke’s vision of developing champions, scholars and citizens that Soldati and the Purdue Divers always made a reality at an unprecedented level.
A GoFundMe — https://gofund.me/5c5b9379 — has been established to help the Soldati Family cover the fees associated with the challenges that come with combating ALS and adapting to life with it. Purdue Athletics is also working on a tribute series to recognize Soldati’s impact on Purdue Swimming & Diving, as well as USA Diving. Alumni, friends, colleagues and Boilermakers of all ages are invited to submit their memories and well wishes to Soldati here at PurdueSports.com. Those submissions will be compiled for a tribute feature planned for a mid-June release.
SHONDELL UNVEILS 2024 SCHEDULE
Art and Connie Euler women’s volleyball head coach Dave Shondell revealed the 2024 non-conference and Big Ten schedule, featuring six non-conference matchups vs. 2023 NCAA tournament teams before league action begins with a home midweek versus Penn State.
A total of 12 matches between Big Ten and non-conference play will come against opponents ranked or receiving votes in the 2023 AVCA final poll, including up to seven versus top-15 opponents, depending on non-conference tournament results.
Purdue will host K-State, UMBC and UC Davis in the opening weekend on Friday, August 30 through Sunday, September 1 in the annual Stacey Clark Classic, coinciding with Purdue football’s season-opener vs. Indiana State. Meanwhile, Big Ten action will begin Wednesday, September 25 at home versus Penn State.
The challenging non-conference schedule features five consecutive matches against opponents ranked in the top-28 in last year’s final RPI ranking, including at No. 17 Utah State (9/7), vs. No. 28 Houston (9/13), at No. 24 SMU or vs. No. 7 Kentucky (9/14), at No. 14 Kansas (9/19) and vs. No. 9 Creighton (9/20).
Among the newest members of the Big Ten conference, Purdue will host UCLA on October 17 before closing the regular season with three straight matches against west coast teams, hosting USC at home (11/23) then traveling to Oregon (11/27) and Washington (11/29).
“This will be a season in which Boilermaker fans will want to experience Purdue Volleyball,” Shondell remarked. “The 2024 pre-conference schedule is brutal with our last eight matches on the road against excellent competition, which will prepare us well for the strongest Big Ten schedule in conference history. I always prefer playing more than one non-conference weekend at home, but we made the decision to go where the strongest competition would be to test and prepare us for the matches ahead.”
After hosting K-State, a team which swept the 2023 National Champions Texas during the regular season, UMBC and UC Davis in Week 1, Purdue will travel to Utah for a Thursday-Friday tournament in Week 2 featuring matches vs. Cal (9/5) and at Utah (9/6). Then, the Boilermakers will head north to Utah State for a one-off at the Aggies on Saturday, September 7.
The Boilermakers will spend Week 3 in Dallas, Texas, for a Friday match vs. Houston (9/13) and a Saturday match vs. either host SMU or Kentucky (9/14).
Finally, the non-conference schedule closes out in Lawrence, Kansas, marking the second straight year Purdue has played at the Jayhawks. The Boilermakers will take on host Kansas (9/19), Creighton (9/20) and Tulsa (9/21).
Additionally, a rigorous end to the regular season will see three of the last four matches vs. top-25 teams with at No. 12 Penn State (11/21), vs. No. 24 USC (11/23) and at No. 7 Oregon (11/27).
The 2024 season will mark the most road matches in non-conference action since 2008.
Purdue returns three AVCA All-America honorees in Second Team All-American Eva Hudson, Third Team All-American Chloe Chicoine and Honorable Mention Raven Colvin. The Boilermakers produced a 23-8 record last season, including a 15-5 record in Big Ten play, taking down Penn State twice, Minnesota twice and Wisconsin on their way to a third-place finish in the Big Ten standings and an NCAA Regional Final appearance. In addition to selling out the entire home slate, Purdue went 11-5 versus teams ranked or receiving votes in the latest poll with one of the youngest and most talented teams in program history.
Television selections and times will be released at a later date.
BRADLEY RESIGNS TO TAKE HEAD COACHING POSITION AT SOUTH CAROLINA
Purdue men’s golf head coach Rob Bradley has resigned his position at Purdue to take over the head coaching duties at the University of South Carolina, the school announced Tuesday.
Bradley has spent the last 11 years at Purdue, helping the Boilermakers to four NCAA Championship appearances, nine NCAA Regional competitions and a complete rewrite of the Purdue golf record book.
Below is the release from South Carolina Communications and Public Relations.
COLUMBIA, S.C. –Rob Bradley, who led Purdue University’s men’s golf program to nine NCAA Regionals and four NCAA Championship appearances in 11 seasons from 2013-24, has been named head men’s golf coach at the University of South Carolina, Athletics Director Ray Tanner announced today.
Bradley comes to South Carolina on the heels of leading the Boilermakers this past season to a third-place finish at the Big Ten Championship and a second-place finish in the NCAA West Lafayette Regional that punched the program’s ticket to the NCAA Championship for the 30th time in school history. The Boilermakers won two tournaments and finished in the top three in eight of 12 events during the 2023-24 season.
“After visiting with Rob Bradley, it became clear that he has the passion, vision and positive outlook to lead our men’s golf program,” said Tanner. “His success as someone who can build a program and develop young men is well-documented. I am excited about the future of our men’s golf program under Rob’s direction.”
Under Bradley’s tutelage, Purdue has posted nine of the 10 best team stroke averages in school history, including this past season’s average of 287.57, which was second best in school history. The Boilermakers had the second most appearances in the NCAA Championship from the Big Ten the last 11 seasons, trailing only Illinois.
Bradley had 14 different players earn a total of 18 All-Big Ten honors in his time in West Lafayette. He coached a pair of All-Americans, the first at Purdue in men’s golf since 2004. Herman Sekne, a two-time All-American and two-time First Team All-Big Ten selection, became just the second Big Ten Player of the Year in program history this past season.
At Purdue, Bradley has had numerous golfers enter the professional ranks. This season is Adam Schenk’s fourth competing in the FedEx Cup. He finished tied for fifth in the Valero Texas Open and tied for 12th in his debut at The Masters this season. Last season, Schenk finished 24th in the FedEx Cup and made the second stage of the playoffs for the first time in his career. He has played in 202 PGA TOUR events with 121 cuts made, 17 top-10s, seven top-fives and a pair of runner-up finishes. Schenk is currently ranked No. 51 in the latest Official World Golf Rankings.
Bradley, a former player of Devon Brouse’s at North Carolina, was named Purdue head men’s golf coach on July 10, 2013. He spent the 2012-13 season as an assistant coach at Alabama under Jay Seawell, where he helped guide the Crimson Tide to an SEC Championship and National Championship. Seawell is a 1988 South Carolina graduate and was a letterman on the golf team.
Bradley and his wife, Chastity, have a son, Cole, and a daughter, Wesley. His son Cole played for him at Purdue and was an All-American for the Boilermakers.
GAFFNEY GARNERS FRESHMAN ALL-AMERICA ACCOLADES FROM NCBWA
Luke Gaffney’s breakout season that saw him eclipse six of Purdue Baseball’s freshman records as the Big Ten Freshman of the Year was officially a Freshman All-American campaign.
Gaffney was recognized as a second-team Freshman All-America performer at first base by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association of America. He’s the first Boilermaker to be recognized as a Freshman All-American by the NCBWA since Kevin Plawecki in 2010. Josh Estill (2013) and Bryce Bonner (2017) were also honored as Freshman All-Americans by Collegiate Baseball in the years since. Unfortunately, the longtime publication ceased operation in the fall of 2023.
Gaffney compiled a .359/.449/.646 slash line while leading the Boilermakers with 62 runs scored, 75 hits, 13 home runs. He eclipsed Purdue freshman records for runs, hits, home runs, RBI (64), total bases (135) and slugging percentage (.646). Defensively, he slotted into the first base role seamlessly, committing just one error while making 50 of his 53 starts at first. Gaffney earned All-State honors at Boyle County High School in Kentucky as a catcher.
A five-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week honoree, Gaffney joined Matt Bischoff (2007, RHP) as Purdue’s Big Ten Freshman of the Year honorees. He was also the Boilermakers’ top All-Big Ten honoree as a second-team selection at first base, making him the program’s first all-conference performer as a freshman since Eric Charles in 2009.
Gaffney opened the season with a 10-game hit streak, an eye-opening start to his college career that was headlined by just the second three-double game by a Boilermaker since March 2019. He was still batting .436 through St. Patrick’s Day after hitting safely, driving in a run and scoring a run in each of Purdue’s first five home games. Gaffney caught fire again in the month of April, compiling a .481/.571/.865 slash line with 24 RBI as Purdue went 12-3 and 9-0 in Big Ten play. He homered in four consecutive games during the Boilers’ nine-game April homestand, racking up 13 RBI during that stretch. He punctuated the month with a four-hit game in Purdue’s win vs. Northwestern and Wrigley Field.
Gaffney homered against All-American and Big Ten Pitcher of the Year Brett Sears of Nebraska at the Big Ten Tournament, officially breaking the program’s freshman records for hits and home runs in the process. He also tied Purdue’s single-season record for runs scored that night.
The NCBWA Freshman All-America teams are exclusive lists, featuring just 10 position players per team. Indiana relief pitcher Jacob Vogel and Gaffney were the only Big Ten players recognized this season.
Gaffney is slated to play for the Falmouth Commodores of the renowned Cape Cod League this summer.
ANIAMAKA 6TH AT NCAAS TO EARN FIRST TEAM ALL-AMERICA HONORS
Junior Praise Aniamaka earned First Team All-America honors as the Purdue track & field team concluded competition at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, on Friday evening.
Aniamaka was one of three Boilermakers competing on Friday, and one of five entries for the Old Gold and Black at the national championship meet at Oregon’s Hayward Field.
In the triple jump, Aniamaka was sixth to collect All-America accolades for the third time in his career, along with second team distinction indoors earlier this season and outdoors in 2023. Both of his previous two appearances at the NCAA Championships ended with ninth place finishes before Aniamaka reached the podium on Friday to place in the top eight, score points for Purdue and be recognized as a First Team All-American.
A native of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, Aniamaka joins a select group of First Team All-America honorees in the triple jump in school history. He is the second ever outdoors, along with Ike Olekaibe in 2000. Including indoors, Aniamaka is the seventh to garner first team distinction and the first since Anaquan Peterson in 2016. Including the women’s squad, just three Boilermakers have been recognized as First Team All-Americans outdoors in the triple jump, as Aniamaka and Olekaibe are joined by 1984 awardee Yvonne Netterville.
Aniamaka was sixth overall on Friday night with a jump of 16.30 meters. The mark came on his fourth of six attempts, and his first jump of the final, to move him up from ninth place into sixth. Aniamaka made the final thanks to a second attempt jump of 16.21m. That put him in ninth place, which he maintained after three rounds to take the last spot in the final.
It was that second jump of 16.21m that secured Aniamaka’s sixth-place finish, as the seventh-place jumper also earned a mark of 16.30m, but Aniamaka’s 16.21m was the better of each competitor’s second-best jumps. The Boilermaker finished sixth after entering the meet as the No. 12 seed.
The First Team All-America accolade concludes a memorable season for Aniamaka. Along with reaching the national championships both indoors and outdoors, he won his second consecutive outdoor triple jump Big Ten title. This year’s gold medal was won with a meet-record jump of 16.49m on May 12, which moved him up to No. 2 in Purdue’s record book.
Graduate student Safin Wills also competed in the triple jump and was 17th with a mark of 15.50m. That came on his first of three attempts. With the result, Wills was bestowed with Honorable Mention All-America distinction. It’s his fourth career recognition and third in the triple jump, along with second team honors in 2022 and honorable mention accolades in 2021.
At his third NCAA Championships, Wills’ 2024 campaign included a fifth-place finish at the Big Ten Championships in both the triple jump and long jump. His triple jump mark of 15.95m at Big Tens put him into Purdue’s top-10 list at No. 8 all-time.
Meanwhile, sophomore Seth Allen made his NCAA Championships debut in the discus. He was 18th with a throw of 55.55m. Graduate student Cameron Miller was 12th in the 200-meter to earn his sixth career All-America honor and the men’s 4×400 relay was 19th.
Purdue had five entries at this week’s national championships, up from three a year ago. The Boilermakers’ five men’s qualifiers is tied for second-most among Big Ten programs.
The NCAA Championships feature 24 entries in each event, 12 who qualified from the NCAA East First Round and 12 from the west. Purdue’s five entries all earned national championships berths in Lexington, Kentucky, from May 22-25.
This weekend’s NCAA Championships concludes the 2023-24 season for Purdue. Select current and former Boilermakers will compete at the Olympic and Paralympic trials and the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games. Following the summer of international competition, the 2024-25 year will begin with the cross country season. That schedule will be announced as fall approaches.
DREWS NAMED TO U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM
For the second consecutive Olympics, opposite Annie Drews will represent the United State as a member of the U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Team at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
Drews, who played for Purdue 2012-15, is one of eight returners that won the gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The Boilermaker was an integral member of the national team’s gold medal run, recording 15 points and 14 kills in the gold medal match.
The U.S. Women went into the 2024 season ranked No. 2 in the world and have won one Olympic gold medal (2020), three silver medals (1984, 2008 and 2012) and two bronze medals (1992 and 2016).
The women’s Olympic competition schedule and pools will be revealed at the conclusion of the 2024 Volleyball Nations League preliminary rounds, which end on June 16. The U.S. Women play their final preliminary round of the Volleyball Nations League next week in Fukuoka, Japan.
The opposite will wear the number 11 jersey, which she has worn as a member of the U.S. national team since 2017. Indoor volleyball at the 2024 Olympic Games will take place at South Paris Arena 1.
BOILERMAKERS EARN STRONG SCORES IN NCAA’S ACADEMIC PROGRESS RATE
The NCAA announced earlier this week that all 18 Purdue teams are above the 930 Academic Progress Rate (APR) threshold for the 12th consecutive year. The APR is an annual scorecard of academic achievement calculated for all Division I athletic departments, an area in which Purdue Athletics has built a reputation for earning strong scores.
All 18 Boilermaker athletic programs posted scores above 960, with Women’s Cross Country and Volleyball maintaining a perfect 1,000 multiyear APR, which is the rolling four-year average of the most recent academic terms.
Fourteen squads maintained or improved their multiyear rates from a year ago: baseball (982 vs. 976), men’s basketball (979 vs. 979), women’s cross country (1,000 vs. 1,000), football (976 vs. 974), women’s golf (985 vs. 984), softball (991 vs. 986), men’s swimming and diving (994 vs. 994), women’s swimming and diving (998 vs. 998), men’s tennis (992 vs. 986), women’s tennis (992 vs. 992), men’s track & field (963 vs. 962), women’s track & field (985 vs. 978), volleyball (1,000 vs. 1,000) and wrestling (986 vs. 981).
Additionally, nine teams posted 1,000 for the most recent recorded year (2022-23), including men’s basketball, women’s cross country, women’s golf, men’s swimming and diving, women’s swimming and diving, women’s tennis, women’s track & field, volleyball and wrestling.
Fourteen Purdue squads posted multiyear scores above the national average: baseball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, men’s cross country, women’s cross country, football, softball, men’s swimming and diving, women’s swimming and diving, men’s tennis, women’s tennis, women’s track & field, volleyball and wrestling. That total indicates another improvement from last year, when Purdue had 12 teams score above the national average.
Purdue Volleyball’s academic record remains flawless with its 18th consecutive (every year of the program) score of 1,000.
The APR measures the eligibility, retention and graduation of student-athletes. Purdue student-athletes regularly perform equal to or better than the student body.
SEKNE NAMED HONORABLE MENTION ALL-AMERICA
For the second straight season, Purdue men’s golfer Herman Sekne has earned All-America recognition, garnering Honorable Mention honors from PING and the Golf Coaches Association of America, the organization announced today.
A year ago, Sekne was named a third-team honoree, becoming Purdue’s first All-American since 2002 (Lee Williamson). He is the first Purdue golfer since Shiv Kapur (2002, 2004) to earn All-America distinction twice, and only the eighth Boilermaker to do so.
The 2024 Big Ten Golfer of the Year and Les Bolstad Award winner, Sekne had perhaps the finest career of any Boilermaker golfer in school history. A three-time, first-team All-Big Ten honoree, Sekne set career school records in stroke average (71.42) and rounds in the 60s (36). He finished his career with 19, top-10 finishes (in just 39 events) and a school-record four tournament victories. He was in the top five, 14 times.
On the season charts, he ranks first (2022-23), third (2023-24) and fourth (2021-22) on the stroke average list, while ranking second (2022-23) and fifth (2023-24) on the top-10 finishes list. He owned 59 rounds (112 total rounds played) of under par or better.
Sekne’s individual titles came in the Rich Harvest Farms Intercollegiate (Oct. 2021), Purdue Fall Invitational (Oct. 2021), the Boilermaker Invitational (April 2023) and the Windon Memorial Classic (Sept. 2023).
Sekne owns the school record for lowest 18-hole round (62 at the Big Ten Championships, 2023) and 54-hole tournament (197 at the Windon Memorial Classic, 2023). He has four of the nine-best, 18-hole scores in school history (64 or lower) and four of the seven-best, 54-hole tournament scores (202 or better).
PURDUE BASEBALL’S SUMMER LEAGUE ASSIGNMENTS
Purdue Baseball players remain active on the field thanks to the opportunities provided by collegiate wood bat summer leagues, with Boilermakers slated to play for leagues from coast to coast.
After his Big Ten Freshman of the Year campaign, Luke Gaffney heads east again and is set to take the field among some of the nation’s top prospects in the renowned Cape Cod League while playing for the Falmouth Commodores. He’ll become Purdue’s first position player to challenge himself in the Cape League since five-year starting center fielder Skyler Hunter in 2018.
A host of Boilermakers will be playing in the Prospect League, which continues to expand and now features 18 teams spanning from Johnstown, Pa., to Metro St. Louis and Clinton, Iowa to Jackson, Tenn.
The Northwoods League serves as the Midwest-equivalent of the Cape Code League. Pitcher Enas Hayden has signed on to pitch for the Bismarck Larks of the Northwoods League after averaging 13.6 strikeouts per nine innings in 29 2/3 innings for the Danville Dans of the Prospect League last summer.
Logan Sutter enjoyed a summer to remember a year ago as the Appalachian League Player of the Year for the league champion Johnson City Doughboys. This summer the Northern California native is slated to stay closer to home and play for the Healdsburg Prune Packers of the Pacific Empire League.
Gaffney played in the Cal Ripken League last summer and two of his Purdue teammates – Parker Dean and Mac Lewis – will be teammates with the Olney Cropdusters in the Washington, D.C.-area league this year. The Boilermakers also had players placed with the Cropdusters last summer.
Some leagues began their schedules during the final week of May or first weekend of June. That includes the local teams within an hour of Purdue’s campus – the Lafayette Aviators (May 28 opener in the Prospect League), the Danville Dans (May 28 opener in the Prospect League) and Kokomo Jackrabbits (May 27 opener in the Northwoods League).
