Big Ten play started this past weekend with a handful of weekend series, while the Iowa Hawkeyes get underway in Ann Arbor against Michigan this weekend. With the non-conference slate wrapping up, it is time to take a look at where the rest of the Big Ten stands.

Purdue Boilermakers (18-1) (1-0)

The Boilers are off to their best start in school history and while the schedule has not been all that tough, they do have a wins over Charlotte, Ohio State and Illinois State. They rank #4 in the nation in stolen bases (57) and #8 in team ERA (2.81), while a 1.30 team WHIP is impressive as well.

INF Evan Albrecht (.387), INF CJ Valdez (.373) and OF Cam Thompson (6 HR) lead the offensive side. Jackson Smeltz leads the pitching staff with a 4-0 record, 3.48 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 31.0 innings pitched.

Maryland Terrapins (18-5)

The Terrapins have racked up a number of good wins during the non-conference slate, as they opened the season with a weekend sweeps of Baylor and Campbell, while they also have wins over VCU and Indiana State. This past weekend they dropped a road series at Dallas Baptist, which dropped them from #22, to out of the D1Baseball Top 25.

Maryland boasts quite the starting rotation with Nick Dean, Ryan Ramsey and Jason Savacool. They have a combined 12-3 record, while striking out 115 and walking just 36 over 109 innings of work. At the plate, the Terps rank #10 in the country in home runs with 35, including seven from OF Chris Alleyne and nine from 1B Maxwell Costes.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights (16-6) (2-1)

The Scarlet Knights are off to a good start, but have faced the #215 schedule according to Warren Nolan site. They do have a two-game sweep of UNC-Wilmington, as well as a win over VCU and a series win over Penn State this past week. Rutgers ranks #9 in team batting average at .326.

They have seven batters with over a .300 batting average and are led by C Nick Cimilio’s 36 hits, 15 extra base hits and .544 on-base percentage. INF Danny DiGeorgio and INF Tony Santa Maria are both tied for the team lead with 25 RBIs. On the mound, but Jared Kollar has been outstanding, posting a 2.60 ERA and 39 strikeouts to three walks in 34.2 innings over six starts.

Iowa Hawkeyes (12-9)

The Hawkeyes are still finding their way early in this season and it has been an up and down start. They have wins over Washington State and Texas Tech, while they just picked up a series win over Central Michigan.

The pitching staff has struggled with free bases, but have had a number of good starts to the season, including Ty Langenberg, who has slid into the Sunday starting role. 1B Peyton Williams is finally healthy and has five home runs, while OF Keaton Anthony (.347) has been a strong bat early in the season. The lineup still is going through a good bit of fluctuation.

Michigan Wolverines (13-10) (2-1)

The Wolverines have faced a pretty tough schedule to start the season and have picked up wins over Kansas State, Maryland, Louisville and just picked up a series win over Nebraska. Losses to Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Vanderbilt, Louisville, East Carolina and Indiana State just shows the strength of their schedule.

The pitching staff has had trouble against the schedule, as they post a 6.04 team ERA and a team WHIP of 1.70. Big bullpen arm Willie Weiss has a 7.82 ERA, while their three weekend starters all have +4.00 ERAs. At the plate, they have hit the ball well with INF Clark Elliott (.476 OBP, 31 H), C Jimmy Obertop (.337), INF Ted Burton (29 RBIs, 6 HR) and INF Tito Flores (17 extra base hits, 7 HR) leading the charge.

Michigan State Spartans (11-9) (1-2)

The Spartans have decent wins over Kansas and WVU, but lost their opening Big Ten series to Illinois. They also lost to Notre Dame, Clemson and got swept by Abilene Christian. Mitch Jebb leads the way with nine extra base hits and a .325 average, while Nick Powers (2.79 ERA, 27 SO, 7 BB) has been a pretty good starter. Kyle Bischoff (0.00 ERA) and Wyatt Rush (1.84 ERA) have been solid out of the bullpen.

Illinois Fightining Illini (10-11) (2-1)

The Illini have a win over WVU and a series win over Michigan State, while they lost 3/4 to Kansas. OF Cam McDonald (.358, 24 RBIs, 4 HR), OF Danny Doligale (.344) and SS Branden Comia (.310) lead the way at the plate so far. Cole Kirschsieper has moved into the starting rotation this season and has been pretty solid posting a 2.97 ERA, 4-1 record and 36 strikeouts to 11 walks.

Northwestern Wildcats (9-11)

The Wildcats are 1-7 against Q1-3 teams and 8-4 against Q4 squads, with their lone decent win coming against Santa Clara in a series loss. INF Jay Beshears leads the team with a .371 average, while 1B Anthony Calarco (5 HR) and OF Ethan O’Donnell (11 2B, 5 HR) are big bats in the lineup. A 5.83 team ERA is concerning against a pretty easy schedule, but Sean Sullivan (2.61 ERA, 4-0) has 43 strikeouts in just 31.0 innings pitched as a starter.

Indiana Hoosiers (10-13)

The Hoosiers have gotten swept by Clemson, Troy and lost a series to Xavier. They do have a wins over Louisiana, Kentucky and a series win over Missouri State. They rank #12 in the country in home runs, including 11 from C Matthew Ellis and six from 1B Brock Tibbitts. The Hoosiers have struggled mightily on the mound, with a team ERA of 6.70 and 138 walks in 198.2 innings. Indiana feels like too talented of a team to stay down here.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (9-13) (1-2)

The Huskers have been a surprise disappointment, but they have dealt with their fair share of injuries on the mound. They lost series to Sam Houston St, Texas A&M Corpus Christi and were swept by TCU, while they lost their Big Ten opening series to Michigan. Nebraska has struggled with strikeouts, as the team has struck out 201 times just 22 games. C Griffin Everitt leads the way with five home runs, 17 RBIs and a .309 average. Could be a long season if some arms don’t step up to fill the shoes of those that are injured.

Penn State Nittany Lions (8-13) (1-2)

The Nittany Lions are just 5-5 against Q4 teams and got swept by Virginia, while allowing 33 runs in three games. They also lost their Big Ten opening series to Rutgers this past weekend. C Matt Wood has been great at the plate, posting a .382 average, .471 on-base percentage and four home runs. On the mound, PSU has a 5.89 team ERA, however Jaden Henline has a 2.75 ERA, while striking out 25 and walking just four in 19.2 innings out of the bullpen.

Minnesota Golden Gophers (8-15)

The Gophers have a win over Kansas, but six of their eight wins have come against Q4 teams. They lost series to FAU and Air Force, while they got swept by Creighton. 1B Jack Kelly has had quite the start to the season, posting a .405 average and .477 on-base percentage, to go along with a team leading 25 RBIs and 30 hits. C Chase Stanke leads the team with eight home runs. A 6.42 team ERA is very concerning, however Sam Ireland (2.41 ERA, 3-0) has been a bright spot as a starter.