23 Newcomers Join the Team at Alexander Field – Purdue Boilermakers

#9 Ali Banks, Infielder/Outfielder – Stone Mountain, Ga. (Parkview/Georgia Highlands JC)
• Athletic utility man capable of playing center field and the middle infield
• .379/.503/.534 slash line across 309 at-bats over two seasons at Georgia Highlands, which compiled a combined 101-22 record
• Batted .429 with 18 XBH, 49 RBI and 24 stolen bases in 2025
• Played in the 2024 NJCAA Division I World Series, starting all five games in left field and hitting a three-run homer in a victory

#5 Jackson Bessette, Catcher – Bartlett, Ill. (South Elgin/UIC)
• Two-year starting catcher at UIC, starting all 101 games in which he played the last two seasons
• .296/.412/.506 slash line across 438 career at-bats for the Flames
• Batted .319 with 12 doubles, eight homers and 49 runs scored in 2024; connected for nine homers while drawing 46 free passes in 2025
• Enjoyed a multi-homer game at Alexander Field in 2025 and a five-hit game at Northwestern in 2023

#22 Jacob Boland, RHP – Cincinnati, Ohio (Fairfield/Chipola JC)
• Pitched 30 innings across 14 appearances (2 starts) in his freshman season at Chipola College in Florida, recording 29 strikeouts vs. nine walks and a 1.33 WHIP
• Reliable starter for the Greenville Yard Gnomes of the Coastal Plain League in the summer of 2025, working 37 1/3 innings over nine appearances
• Did not allow an earned run over 13 innings while winning consecutive starts for Greenville in late July
• Struck out 12 over six innings in his finest start as a high school senior, earning FHS Athlete of the Week honors

#6 Westin Boyle, Infielder – Overland Park, Kan. (St. Thomas Aquinas)
• First Team All-State shortstop with a high contact rate and the athleticism to be a long term middle infielder
• Helped lead St. Thomas Aquinas to back-to-back KSHSAA Class 5A state titles and a combined 50-11 record as an upperclassman
• Ranked as Kansas’ No. 1 shortstop in his graduating class by Perfect Game; batted .391 as a junior
• Shared KHSB-TV’s Hy-Vee Athlete of the Week honors in 2025 with his younger brother Lincoln, a two-way standout in the Class of 2026

#25 Jimmy Dionne, First Baseman – Quebec City, Quebec (Academy of Baseball Canada/Howard JC)
• 2025 NJCAA Second Team All-American after hitting 22 home runs in his second year at Howard College in Texas
• Lefthanded power hitter can also play the outfield
• .410/.455/.800 slash line in 305 career at-bats at Howard, batting over .400 both years and powering up for 45 XBH…